Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SPRAY PAINTING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1 FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a spray painting
system, and more particularly to a spray painting
system of a continous assembly line, the system
including a plurality of work machines for spray
painting disposed side by side along a direction for
conveying a work object inside a spray painting booth.
2 DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
With conventional spray painting systems of the
above-described type, as illustrated in Fig. 5, inside
a spray painting booth having a length ranging
generally between 30 and 50 m, each of a plurality of
work machines 6- is arranged movable within a
predetermined distance~(usually about 1 m) in the
object-conveying direction on a mounting frame fixed
on a floor surface of the booth. As guide mechanisms
for moving the respective machines differ from each
other, it has been impossible to connect these guide
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mechanisms so that the machines may share one common
guide mechanism.
In recent years; however, there often arises the
necessity of adjusting the postitions of the work
machines beyond the predetermined movable distances in
order to dispose each machine at the best position to
cope with various changes in the kind or type of
paint, spraying guns, the shape of the work object and
the other working conditions. Obviously, the above-
described conventional systems do not allow such workmachine position adjustments beyond the predetermined
ranges. Then, as a means to overcome this problem, it
has been attempted to restrict the changes in the
working conditions per se thereby restricting the
amount of position adjustment required by the changes.
Then, even after such modifications or arrangements in
the work conditions, if the positions of the work
machines still need to be adjusted beyond the
adjustable range; then, the work machines are
eventually dismounted from the floor surface and re-
disposed on new locations with appropriate
reinforcement of the floor surface of these new
locations as required for the machine installment. In
such case, as the relocation work takes a considerable
time, it is necessary to suspend not only the
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production line including these machines but also
other production lines associated therewith for many
days. Consequently, the production efficiency of the
entire line suffers significantly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVFNTION
For overcoming the above-described problem of the
convention, a spray painting system according to the
first characterizing features of the invention,
comprises: a plurality of work machines disposed side
by side along a direction of conveying a work object
inside a spray painting booth; and an upper rail and a
lower rail for guiding the work machines to move along
the conveying direction, with each of the machines
running on the upper rail.
According to the second characterizing features
of the invention, the rails guide the movement of the
machines in the object-conveying direction with the
machines supportèd' on respective frames and each
machine is detachably supported on the respective
frame.
Functions and effects of the above features will
be described ne~t.
According to the first characterizing features of
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the invention, the same upper and lower rails guide
the movement of a plurality of work machines in the
object-conveying direction with the machines running
on the upper rail.
Therefore, when there arises the necessity of
changing the positions of the work machines by a
considerable amount to cope with changes in the work
conditions such as the type of paint, the spray guns,
the shape of the object to be spray-painted and so on,
the position adjustment of the machines is readily
possible without having to change the disposing order
of the machines and by a sufficient range determined
by the length of the rails.
Accordingly, the system of the invention can
readily cope with frequent position adjustment
operations of the machines as required and also
substantial changes in the work conditions without
requiring total relocation of the machines.
Consequently, the spray painting system of the present
invention has achieved significant reduction in the
shutdown period of the production line which used to
be required for troublesome position adjustment or
total relocation of the work machines, thus improving
the entire operation efficiency of the production line
including this system as well as other lines
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associated therewith.
With the second characterizing features of the
invention, through selective detachment of the
machines each of which is detachably mounted on its
frame, the system can change the disposing order of
the work machines in the object-conveying direction.
Further and other objects, features and effects
of the invention will become more apparent from the
following more detailed description of the embodiments
of the invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Accompanying drawings Figs. 1 through 4
illustrate a preferred embodiment of a spray painting
system according to the present invention; in which,
Fig. 1 is a plane view of the entire system,
Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the system,
Figs. 3 and 4 are an enlarged side view and an
enlarged front view showing a moving construction of
the system, respectively.
Fig. 5 is a plane view showing a conventional
spray painting svstem.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now
be described in particular with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a tunnel-like spray
~t 3
painting booth 1 accommodates a conveyor device -t for
conveying an object 2 (an automobile body in the
instant embodiment), an overhead outlet vent 4 for
downwardly discharging a ventilation air and a
demister ~ for eliminating spray mist contained in
e~haust air by traping the mist in cleaning water ~,
Inside this booth 1, there are installed a purality of
work machines 6 for the spray painting, with the
machines being disposed side by side along a direction
of conveying the object 2 inside the booth.
The work machines 6 comprise various kinds such
as one-hand robbot 6a for opening and closing doors of
the object 2, i.e. automobile body, a further one-hand
robbot 6b for controlling a spray glln 7a to spray-
paint interior surfaces of the object 2, a side-face
spraying machine 6c for vertically moving a spray gun
7b to spray-paint side outer surfaces of the object 2,
an upper-face spraying machine 6d for controlling
rotary, reciprocating and vertical linear movements of
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an arm 7d equipped with a spray gun 7c so as to spray-
paint upper surfaces of the object, and a touchup
spray painting, one-hand robbot 6e for controlling a
ci further spray gun ~e to effect a touchup spray-paint
operation on the object.
These work machines, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,
are detachably mounted on frames 8 of the idential
construction; and each frame is movable by drive force
along the object-conveying direction.
For moving the frames ~, as one common guide
mechanism sh~red by and for independently guiding the
movements of the frames-~, there are provided an upper
rail 9a and a lower rail 9b at upper and lower
portions of a side wall la of the booth. On the other
hand, each frame ~ has a first roller 10a for rolling
on an upper face of the upper rail 9a with the weight
of the frame 8 being supported by the rail 9a, a pair
of second rollers 10b which strides across the upper
rail 9a and a pair- of third rollers 10c which strides
across the lower rail 9b.
Further, for a chain 11 layed along the upper
rail 9a, the frame 8 also has a pair of free sprockets
12a engageable with the chain 11, a drive sprocket 12b
which comes into engagement with an inner side of the
chain 11 which is formed like a reversed letter U-
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shaped as being entrained about the two free sprockets12a, and a motor 14 for driving the drive sprocket 12b
via a reduction mechanism 13.
In operation, with the drive of the motor 14, the
frame ~ (i.e. the work machine 6 mounted on this
frame) is self-movable along the object-conveying
direction within the range determined by the length of
the upper and lower rails 9a and 9b, while the chain
11 acting as resistance againt reaction force
~ 10 associated with the movement of the frame ~. In this
way, if the setting position of the work machine 6 has
be changed to cope with various changes in the
operating conditions such as in the type of paint, the
spray guns 7a, 7b, 7c and 7e and/or in the shape of
the object 2, i.e. the automobile body, the position
adjustment is readily possible by selectively and
independently causing the machines 6 to self-move
along the object-conveying direction.
Moreover, as described hereinbefore, since the
work machines 6 are detachably mounted on the
respective self-propelling type machine frames of the
identical construction, re-arrangement of disposing
order of the machines 6 in said direction is also
readily possible by selectively replacing or
relocating the machines 6 relative to the frames ~.
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On a lateral side of the spray painting booth 1,
an operator box 15 having a length extending over the
entire length of the rails 9a and 9b is integrally
attached to the booth side wall la; and the booth side
wall la has a window 16 for allowing an operator
inside an operator chamber 15a of the box 15 to
inspect and watch the spray painting operation taking
place inside the booth.
Inside the operator box 15, a partition 17 is
provided for forming an upper section 15b separately
from the operator chamber 15a. The upper section 15b
accommodates paint hose-cable means 18 such as paint
hoses, electric cables and pressure-air hoses for
feeding paint, electricity and pressure air to the
respective work machines 6; flexible means 19 such as
flexible cable racks for allowing movements of the
work machines 6 along the conveying direction and
further the upper rail 9a and the chain 11.
The upper section 15b further accommodates a
shaft 14a for operatively connecting the motor 14 and
the drive sprocket 12b and an opening S for inserting
the hose-cable means 18 therethrough.
Inside the operator chamber 15a, there is
provided a remote control panel 22 for remote-
controlling the work machines 6. At a lower section
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15c sectioned by the partition 23 from the operator
chamber 15a inside the operator box 15, there are
accommodated control panel means 24 such as electric
control panels and pressure-air control panels.
The operator chamber 15a is connected with a duct
21 having a dumper 20 for forcibly introducing
ventilatin air from a air feed chamber 4a through the
overhead outlet vent 4 into the chamber 15a.
Numeral 25 denotes a grating floor used for e.g.
a system maintenance operation. This grating floor 25
is provided only at a certain region inside the booth
along the object-conveying direction. For maintenance
operations of the work machines 6, the machine 6 to be
maintained is driven to self-move to the region of the
grating floor 25.
That is, since the grating floor 25 is provided
only at a certain region inside the booth, cleaning
operation of this grating floor 25 to eliminate excess
paint adhered thereto is required less frequently than
the conventional system in which the grating floor is
provide over the entire booth floor. ~
Further, it is also conceivable to render this
grating floor 25 movable in the object-conveying
direction. In this case, the setting location of the
grating floor 25 can be changed in accordance with the
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necessity and con~enience.
The t~-pes of the work implements used for spray
painting operation are not limited to those described
in the foregoing embodiment.
Further, the object 2, in place of the automobile
body, can be any kind such as a casing of a home
electric appliance or a train body and so on.
The invention may be embodied in other specific
forms ~ithout departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are
therefore to be considered in all respects as
illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the
invention being indicated by the appended claims
rather than by the foregoing description and all
changes which come within the meaning and range of
equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be
embraced therein.
