Paint coating system

{
  "publication_number": "US2009250003A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Paint coating system",
  "abstract": "A cartridge changer (41) is composed of a swing arm (48) with a cartridge gripper (48 B) for gripping a paint cartridge (24), and an arcuate moving portion (46) for putting the swing arm (48) in swinging movements in a horizontal plane. The cartridge changer (41) is adapted to pick up a replenished paint cartridge (24) on the mount deck (42) by the cartridge gripper (48 B) and transfer the swing arm (48) to a changing position “O” by the arcuate moving portion (46). By the operation, a used paint cartridge (24 ′) will be replaced by the replenished paint cartridge (24) between the mount deck (42) and a common body (15) which is located in the changing position “O” of the atomizing head changing and washing device (31).",
  "claims": [
    "1. A paint coating system, composed of: a robot device (13) operative to take coating actions; a coater unit (14) having a common body (15) fixedly mounted on said robot device (13) and an atomizing head (19, 19 ′) replaceably attached to said common body (15) for spraying atomized paint particles; a paint cartridge (24, 24 ′) replaceably attached to said common body (15) of said coater unit (14) to supply paint to said atomizing head (19); an atomizing head changing and washing device (31) adapted to replace a used atomizing head (19 ′) on said common body (15) of said coater unit (14) by a washed clean atomizing head (19) and to wash a dismantled atomizing head (19 ′) clean; and a cartridge changer (41) adapted to pick up a selected paint cartridge (24) among a plural number of replenished paint cartridges (24) arrayed on a mount deck (42), and to replace a used paint cartridge (24 ′) on said common body (15) of said coater unit (14) in a changing position “0” of said atomizing head changing and washing device (31); characterized in that said cartridge changer (41) comprises a swing arm (48) adapted to replace said paint cartridge (24, 24 ′) while being swung to and fro about a swing arm pivoting point (Sp) along an arcuate path (S) between a position of said replenished paint cartridge (24) on said mount deck (42) and a changing position “O” of said atomizing head changing and washing device (31).",
    "2. A paint coating system as defined in claim 1, wherein said replenished paint cartridges (24) on the mount deck (42) are arranged in arcuate rows around said swing arm pivoting point (Sp).",
    "3. A paint coating system as defined in claim 1, wherein said cartridge changer (41) is composed of said mount deck (42) adapted to mount said replenished paint cartridges (24) located in arcuate rows about said swing arm pivoting point (Sp), an arcuate moving portion (46) provided on said mount deck (42) and circulated to and fro about said pivoting point (Sp), a vertical moving portion (47) provided on said arcuate moving portion (46) for vertical upward and downward movements, and said swing arm (48) which extends in a horizontal plane attached to said vertical moving portion (47) at a base end and provided with cartridge grippers (48 B, 48 C) at and on a fore free end thereof.",
    "4. A paint coating system as defined in claim 1, wherein said cartridge changer (41) is composed of said mount deck (42) adapted to mount said replenished paint cartridges (24) located in a plural number of radially spaced arcuate rows (S) around said swing arm pivoting point (Sp), a linear moving portion (45) for shifting said swing arm pivoting point (Sp) provided on said mount deck (42) in a longitudinal direction, an arcuate moving portion (46) provided on said linear moving portion (45) circulated to and fro about said pivoting point (Sp), a vertical moving portion (47) provided on said arcuate moving portion (46) for vertical upward and downward movements, and said swing arm (48) which extends in a horizontal plane attached to said vertical moving portion (47), at a base end and provided with cartridge grippers (48 B, 48 C) at and on a fore free end thereof.",
    "5. A paint coating system as defined in claim 1, wherein said atomizing head changing and washing device (31) is provided with a common body gripper (33) to grip and locate said common body (15) of said coater unit (14) at said changing position “O”, and said cartridge changer (41) is adapted to replace said paint cartridge (24, 24 ′) while said common body (15) is gripped by said common body gripper (33)."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention relates to a paint coating system particularly suitable for use, for example, in coating vehicle bodies, furniture, electric appliances and the like.\n\nGenerally, paint coating systems in use for painting vehicle bodies and the like are largely constituted by a robot device with an articulated arm, and a coater unit mounted on a distal end of the robot arm of the robot device and provided with an atomizing head for spraying atomized paint particles. Among paint coating systems of this sort, there is a system providing a paint cartridge replenished by a paint which will be supplied to an atomizing head of the coater unit and can be replaceably attached to a common body which is mounted on a distal end of a robot arm of the robot device (see, for example, Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-176333). More particularly, the paint coating system described in the above-mentioned Patent Literature 1 employs a cartridge changer providing a plural number of paint cartridges of each different colors on a mount deck. This cartridge changer is largely constituted by a mount deck on which a plural number of paint cartridges are set, a paint replenisher provided on the mount deck and replenishing consumed paint cartridges, and a cartridge transfer mechanism adapted to transfer a gripped paint cartridge in longitudinal and transverse directions of the mount deck in addition to upward and downward directions.",
  "cpc": [
    "B05B 12/1463",
    "B05B 13/0452",
    "B05B 15/62",
    "B05B 3/1057",
    "B05B 5/04",
    "B05B 5/0407",
    "B05B 9/047",
    "B25J 15/0019",
    "B25J 15/0491"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B05B 15/02",
    "B25J 19/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "ABB KK"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "UMEZAWA TOKUO",
    "MATSUDA HIDETSUGU",
    "KUROMOTO MASAHARU",
    "SAKATA YUTAKA"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2007-02-06",
  "publication_date": "2009-10-08",
  "priority_date": "2007-02-06",
  "application_number": "US-37527907-A",
  "family_id": "39681371",
  "citations": [
    "US2001016545A1",
    "US2002043567A1",
    "US2005076832A1",
    "US6071346A",
    "US6458424B1",
    "US6533861B1"
  ]
}