Apparatus and method for controlling application of coating material on a substrate

Abstract

The invention relates to a control device (100) for controlling the application of a coating material (150) on a substrate (152), the control device comprising: an input data determining unit (102) configured to determine applicator data (AD), coating data (CD) and substrate data (SD); a first simulation unit (104) configured to perform a simulation of the coating application according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm (A1) and to provide simulated coating application data (106); a second simulation unit (108) configured to perform a simulation of the coating film flow according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm (A2) and to provide simulated coverage data (110). A modular solver unit (112) is configured to control the operation of the first and second simulation units such that in a first phase both simulation units are operated simultaneously, while in a second phase only the second simulation unit is operated.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for controlling the application of a coating material on a substrate, a coating application arrangement, a corresponding method for controlling the operation of the control device and the control application arrangement, and a computer program.

[0002] US 2012 / 0269958 A1 discloses a method for simulating the thickness of a coating placed on a substrate surface. The thickness is simulated using the principle of mass conservation. In a preferred embodiment, at least one reference spray test is performed to determine the correlation between a single spray profile and at least one spray process parameter, and the single spray profile is simulated using the principle of mass conservation based on the incoming powder jet.

[0003] Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are typically used to study the flow of coated films under the influence of gravity, surface tension, and changes in rheological behavior due to the evaporation of solvents contained in the coating film. This allows for the prediction of sagging (i.e., the downward movement of the coating film after application) and flow parallelism. CFD simulations can also be applied to the coating application process itself, combining the modeling of the coating film flow with the simulation of the coating jet ejected from the application head through nozzles that are typically aligned adjacent to each other. However, while the coating application itself is governed by physical processes that occur on a millisecond timescale, the flow of the coating film must be analyzed over a period of several minutes once applied. Therefore, simulating such a long time period (e.g., several minutes) using coupled methods is impractical in terms of simulation time.

[0004] Therefore, it would be beneficial to reduce the amount of simulation work without significantly sacrificing simulation accuracy.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a control device for controlling the application of a coating material to a substrate is disclosed. The control device includes an input data determination unit configured to determine (i.e., receive and / or determine) applicator data indicating operating parameters of a coating application unit, coating data indicating material properties of the coating material, and substrate data indicating morphological parameters of the substrate. The control device of the first aspect of the present invention further includes a first simulation unit connected to the input data determination unit and configured to perform a simulation of coating application using the applicator data, the coating data, and the substrate data through a coating application unit model indicating the coating application unit, wherein the simulation of the coating application is performed according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm. The first simulation unit is further configured to provide simulated coating application data indicating a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicating the substrate. The control device further includes a second simulation unit connected to the input data determination unit and the first simulation unit, and configured to perform a simulation of coating film flow on the substrate model using simulated coating application data, coating data, and substrate data provided by the first simulation unit, wherein the simulation of coating film flow is performed according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm. The second simulation unit is further configured to provide simulated coverage data indicating the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model.

[0006] According to the present invention, the control device further includes a modular solver unit configured to selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in a predetermined simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase of the simulation cycle, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit operate simultaneously, while in a second simulation phase following the first simulation phase of the simulation cycle, only the second simulation unit operates. The control device further includes a processing unit connected to the input data determination unit, the first simulation unit, and the second simulation unit, and configured to provide determined application data and / or determined coating data and / or determined substrate data as control data when it is determined that the simulation coverage data at a predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range, so as to control the application of coating material on the substrate.

[0007] Therefore, by providing modular solver units, the simulation of the combined application process of the coating film on the substrate and the simulation of the flow process of the coating film on the substrate are decoupled after the first simulation phase. This allows the simulation of coating application (which involves calculations in three-dimensional volume elements) to be paused during the second simulation phase, with only the simulation of coating film flow (which involves calculations in two-dimensional area elements) continuing. With a deposited coating film, fewer conservation equations need to be solved compared to when the coating material is in the gas phase (i.e., during application). Therefore, compared to the combined method, the more time-consuming calculations associated with the simulation of coating application are advantageously controlled by the solver units, and the time required to obtain relevant simulation coverage data is reduced.

[0008] Therefore, the first simulation unit performs a simulation of the operation of a coating application unit model, which indicates the actual coating application unit (also referred to as the applicator) characterized by its operating parameters. This simulation is performed according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm based on applicator data, coating data, and substrate data (i.e., those parameters that characterize the applicator itself, the material to be applied or the coating material, and the substrate on which the coating material is applied). The coating application simulation algorithm uses a virtual representation of the coating application unit (referred to as the coating application unit model or applicator model), a virtual representation of the substrate (also referred to as the substrate model), and a virtual representation of the applied coating (in the form of a simulated distribution of the coating applied to the substrate model by the application model). This indicates the distribution of the coating material on the substrate during application.

[0009] The second simulation unit uses the results provided by the first simulation unit (i.e., simulated coating application data indicating the distribution of the coating applied to the substrate model) and performs a simulation of the coating film flow on the substrate model according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm that takes the simulated coating application data, coating data regarding the properties of the coating material, and substrate data regarding the properties of the substrate as input. Therefore, the second simulation unit generates simulated coverage data that varies over time, indicating the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model over time.

[0010] The processing unit then receives the simulated coverage data and is advantageously configured to compare the results with a predetermined target coverage (e.g., an expected coverage with sufficient quality in terms of thickness and / or uniformity) at least in a predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model. If the simulated input data (i.e., applicator data, coating data, and substrate data) produces a suitable simulation in terms of coverage and uniformity, the input data is provided as control data suitable for controlling the coating application unit used to apply the coating material to the substrate.

[0011] Using the control device of the first aspect of the invention further allows for a potential reduction in the required physical and human resources, and enables targeted development of coating application and coating materials.

[0012] In the following, embodiments of the control device of the first aspect of the present invention will be described.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the applicator data indicates one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of: the number of nozzles in the applicator head, the size (e.g., diameter) of the respective nozzles, the relative distance between adjacent nozzles, the relative distance to the substrate or a reference position where the substrate is to be placed, the tilt angle relative to the substrate and / or relative to the direction of gravity, the velocity and / or acceleration of the applicator head during spraying, and the mass flow distribution of the nozzle orifices determined by the internal configuration of the applicator head. Once the simulation indicates that the coating material model has been applied to the substrate model, the angle relative to the direction of gravity will affect both the flight profile and the film flow. Additionally, if more than one spraying cycle is performed and the position of the applicator head is offset by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the spraying direction (along which the applicator head moves during spraying) at the beginning of each simulation cycle, the applicator data may also include data indicating the lateral distance between two spraying cycles. The applicator data may also include data indicating the time span between two consecutive spraying cycles, referred to as the "open time". The spraying cycle of the actual coating application unit corresponds to the first simulation phase of the simulation cycle of the coating application unit model. The time span between spraying cycles preferably corresponds to the duration of the second simulation phase, and the first simulation unit is set to a paused state.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the coating data indicates one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of: the composition of the coating material (e.g., solvent type), the wetting ability of the coating material (e.g., the wetting angle between the droplet of the coating material and the substrate), the surface tension of the coating material (especially the surface tension of the solvent), the density and viscosity of the coating material, the solvent evaporation rate, and the thermal properties of the coating material (e.g., heat capacity, heat of vaporization, and thermal conductivity).

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate data indicates one or more parameters selected from the group consisting of: the size and / or shape of the substrate, its relative orientation to the applicator head, its tilt angle varying with position, and the wetting properties of the substrate. In another embodiment, the substrate data may further include microstructure data indicating the microstructure of the substrate (e.g., indicating the roughness of the substrate).

[0016] The more accurate the applicator data, coating data, and substrate data, the closer the corresponding models of the coating application unit, coating material, and substrate will be to the actual coating application unit, coating material, and substrate.

[0017] Preferably, in one embodiment, the first and second simulation units are implemented as software in a computer system. The control device can be implemented in the form of any one or more computers. For example, the control device can be implemented as a combination of general-purpose or special-purpose computer hardware and / or software. However, the control device can also be implemented, for example, in a cloud environment in the form of distributed computing.

[0018] For example, in an embodiment, the first simulation unit and / or the second simulation unit in OpenFOAM ® The implementation is based on open-source, field-operated, and manipulated software, a toolkit for developing custom numerical solvers and pre / post-processing utilities for solving continuum mechanics problems, most notably computational fluid dynamics. Other possible software includes, but is not limited to, Star-CMM+, which uses finite element analysis or the finite volume method to compute the transport of physical quantities on a discretized mesh. Specifically, for fluid flow, the Navier-Stokes equations are solved in each element.

[0019] In another embodiment, the first simulation unit is configured to perform a Lagrange-Euler multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the coating application according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, including the simulation of the gas phase of the applied coating material. This involves the Lagrange representation of the dispersed phase of the coating material at the time of application. Using Lagrange coordinates (e.g., the corresponding position, velocity, and radius of a given particle at a given time), the dispersed phase is described as consisting of multiple spray droplets. In this embodiment, the gas phase surrounding the Lagrange droplets is also simulated. Lagrange-Euler multiphase CFD simulations (also known as LE-CFD simulations) are commonly used to calculate the characteristics of spray multiphase flows or particle-loaded flows. The LE method represents a class of modeling and simulation techniques in which droplets or particles are represented in a Lagrange reference frame, while the carrier phase flow is represented in an Eulerian frame. In this embodiment, the surrounding gas phase is formed by ambient air or any other gas (such as N2). In an alternative embodiment, the simulation of the gas phase includes the evaporation of the solvent material of the coating material. In a particular embodiment, the back-coupling of droplets on the gas phase is ignored. This is known as unidirectional coupling. However, bidirectional coupling is preferred, in which the simulation is based on the fact that the two phases influence each other (e.g., a droplet locally entrains gas, and the gas resists the droplet as it passes through it).

[0020] Preferably, in another embodiment, the first simulation unit is configured to perform a simulation on the coating, wherein one or more coating jets are modeled using a series of spheres with diameters corresponding to the respective nozzle openings. Specifically, it is assumed that there are a sufficient number of so-called "packets" (i.e., particle packs) per second. If the number of packs is too small, the resulting jet will be torn apart because the mass flow rate will be over-discrete. An appropriate number of packs ensures that the mass flow of the spheres or packs is substantially continuous. This produces a suitable representation of the jet form for simulation. In an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the number of packs per second is 10. 6 One to 10 7 Between packages. This number can vary depending on the liquid flow rate to be analyzed using a Lagrange model.

[0021] In yet another embodiment, the second simulation unit is configured to perform thin fluid film simulation on the applied coating according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm. When using OpenFOAM... ® In a specific embodiment where the software implements the second simulation unit, thin fluid film simulation is performed based on a so-called surface film model. The surface film modeling library provides the ability to predict the complex behavior of thin films and can optionally be coupled in parallel with the overall flow (both continuous and discrete (particulate) phases). The film equations are solved on a separate grid region, typically defined at the surface region of the grid, i.e., through surface extrusion. The equations are described in two dimensions and can model behaviors such as transport over arbitrary geometries, including thermal effects and mass transfer. Sub-models of the surface film can include accumulation of particle sources, surface shear, contact angle forces, particle splashing, phase transitions, dripping, and curvature separation.

[0022] Preferably, the thin fluid film simulation includes rheological modeling methods. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second simulation unit is configured to perform rheological model simulations, particularly thixotropic rheological model simulations, on the applied coating, wherein the viscosity values ​​are spatially and temporally dependent viscosity values. The software is OpenFOAM. ® Includes a detailed model for Bingham plastic fluids. In materials science, Bingham plastics are viscoplastic materials that behave as rigid bodies under low stress but flow as viscous fluids under high stress.

[0023] Viscosity is defined as

[0024]

[0025] in,

[0026] And λ is a structural parameter, where,

[0027] Where a, b, c, and d are parameters, and denoted as shear rate.

[0028] These parameters are then fitted relative to the provided rheological data. This same model can also be applied to Newtonian fluids, i.e., fluids whose viscous stress generated by their flow is linearly related at every point to the local strain rate (i.e., the rate at which their deformation changes with time). For Newtonian fluids, .

[0029] In another embodiment, the thin fluid membrane simulation includes the solvent evaporation effect. This is particularly important for high-temperature conditions and / or high membrane surface curvature sections.

[0030] Preferably, in another embodiment, the modular solver unit is configured to control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit such that, after the second simulation phase of a simulation cycle, one or more additional simulation cycles consisting of corresponding additional first simulation phases and corresponding additional second simulation phases are executed, specifically, wherein a first region of the substrate coated during this simulation cycle and a corresponding additional region of the substrate coated during the additional simulation cycle have at least non-overlapping segments. Therefore, during the second simulation phase of multiple simulation cycles, the first simulation unit is not operated or is set to a paused state. This enables simulation of applying coating material to a substrate with a width greater than the width of the applicator head. After the first simulation cycle is completed, the applicator head of the coating application unit model returns to its starting position and is laterally shifted before a new simulation cycle begins. Therefore, applicator data indicating the lateral distance between two simulation cycles is necessary for implementing this embodiment. Furthermore, providing application data indicating the open time is also advantageous for this embodiment.

[0031] Therefore, the control device in the first aspect enables the coupling and decoupling of the simulation of the gas and droplet phases (which requires a three-dimensional approach) from the simulation of the deposited film (which can be simplified to a two-dimensional approach). This, in turn, allows for a simulation speed increase of at least 10 times when using the same hardware. The solver module implements a new modular setup that allows for joint analysis of the coating (e.g., paint) jet application process at small timescales and the deposited coating (e.g., paint) sag process at relatively large timescales. The required computation time (e.g., using an readily available multipurpose computer) is reduced from months (typically a very long time) to approximately two weeks. Therefore, decoupling the simulation phases allows for simulations over a longer period within a given constant simulation time window compared to current methods.

[0032] Therefore, the control device of the first aspect is advantageously configured to capture relevant physical parameters and their effects on the coating application process and the coating film flow process, and to enable further understanding of coating flow phenomena, while allowing parameter sensitivity studies with reduced processing time. It complements experimental characterization and can be used to optimize coating application characteristics. The control data provided by the control device can be used to control the coating application arrangement, as will be explained below.

[0033] A second aspect of the invention comprises a coating application arrangement for applying a coating material to a substrate. This coating application arrangement includes a control device according to the first aspect of the invention for generating and providing the control data as described above.

[0034] The coating application arrangement further includes a coating application unit comprising: a reservoir containing coating material; a coating supply unit in fluid communication with the reservoir; a drive unit configured to drive relative movement between the substrate and the coating supply unit; an input unit or input interface for receiving control data from a control device; and a controller configured to control the coating supply unit and the drive unit based on the received control data. Thus, the controller receives control data from the control device, wherein the control data indicates input data that has generated simulated coverage data, which is within a predetermined target coverage range at least in a predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model, the predetermined target coverage range itself indicating that the quality of the applied coating is sufficient, for example, in terms of coating thickness and coating uniformity.

[0035] Therefore, the coating application arrangement of the second aspect of the present invention has the advantages of the control device of the first aspect.

[0036] In this embodiment, the coating application arrangement is an overspray-free coating applicator. For example, the applicator head can be mounted on a movable arm or robot and can be configured to apply a coating (such as paint) directly onto the substrate. One or more nozzles are provided on the underside of the applicator head. Preferably, the nozzle orifice diameter is less than 1 mm, and more preferably about one-tenth of a millimeter. A measurement system can be provided to monitor the distance between the applicator head and the substrate. The measurement results are fed to a controller, and the position of the applicator head relative to the substrate can be adjusted based on the control data. This enables highly accurate and well-defined coatings and eliminates the need for a masking process to coat the substrate with different colors.

[0037] A third aspect of the invention is formed by a method for controlling the application of a coating material to a substrate, particularly a computer-implemented method. The method includes:

[0038] - Determine (i.e., identify or receive) applicator data indicating the operating parameters of the coating application unit, coating data indicating the material properties of the coating material, and substrate data indicating the morphological parameters and / or compositional parameters of the substrate.

[0039] - By using the applicator data, the coating data, and the substrate data to simulate coating application in a coating application unit model that indicates the coating application unit, and providing simulated coating application data, the simulation of coating application is performed according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, and the simulated coating application data indicates the simulated distribution of the coating on the substrate model indicating the substrate; and

[0040] - The simulated coating application data, the coating data, and the substrate data are used to simulate the coating film flow on the substrate model, and simulated coverage data is provided. The simulation of the coating film flow is performed according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm. The simulated coverage data indicates the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model.

[0041] - Selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit during the simulation cycle, such that in the first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit operate simultaneously, while in the second simulation phase following the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit operates; and

[0042] - When the simulated coverage data at the predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model is determined to be within the predetermined target coverage range, the determined application data and / or the determined coating data and / or the determined substrate data are provided as control data to control the application of coating material on the substrate.

[0043] Therefore, the method of the third aspect of the present invention has the advantages of the control device of the first aspect. Embodiments of the method of the third aspect will be disclosed below.

[0044] In another embodiment, the step of performing a simulation of coating application by the coating application unit includes performing a Lagrange-Euler multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application according to the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, including the simulation of the gas phase of the applied coating material.

[0045] In yet another embodiment, the step of simulating the flow of the coating film on the substrate includes performing a thin fluid film simulation on the applied coating according to the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm.

[0046] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method, particularly a computer-implemented method, is disclosed for controlling the operation of applying a coating material to a substrate. The method includes:

[0047] - A method for generating and providing control data, which performs the third aspect of the present invention;

[0048] - Receive the control data;

[0049] - Control at least one coating supply unit and drive unit based on the received control data.

[0050] The fifth aspect of the invention is formed by a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a control device according to the first aspect of the invention, cause the control device to perform the method of any one of the preceding third aspects and / or, when executed by a processor of a coating application arrangement according to the second aspect of the invention, cause the coating application arrangement to perform the method of the fourth aspect.

[0051] It should be understood that the methods, apparatus, arrangements and computer program products described above have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, particularly as defined in the dependent claims.

[0052] It should be understood that the preferred embodiments of the present invention may also be any combination of the dependent claims or the above embodiments and the corresponding independent claims.

[0053] These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent and will be illustrated with reference to the embodiments described below. Attached Figure Description

[0054] In the attached diagram:

[0055] Figure 1 An embodiment of a coating application arrangement for applying coating material to a substrate is illustrated schematically and exemplary, the coating application arrangement including a control device according to the invention;

[0056] Figure 2 An exemplary simulation of coating application is illustrated using an Eulerian-Lagrange multiphase computational kinetics simulation of coating application.

[0057] Figure 3 An exemplary viscosity-time plot is shown, which compares experimentally determined rheological data for a given coating material with a fitted curve obtained by fitting the data using a thixotropic model.

[0058] Figure 4 An example of a combined simulation process including two simulation cycles is shown;

[0059] Figure 5 The experimental results and simulation results of an exemplary application of the coating material to a substrate are shown.

[0060] Figure 6A flowchart of an exemplary method for controlling the application and arrangement of a coating according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0061] Figure 1 An embodiment of a coating application arrangement 200 for applying coating material 150 to a substrate 150 is illustrated schematically and exemplary, the coating application arrangement including a control device 100 according to the invention.

[0062] The control device 100 includes an input data determination unit 102, which is configured to determine (i.e., receive from an external unit or determine in a specific manner) applicator data AD indicating operating parameters of the coating application unit, coating data CD indicating material properties of the coating material, and substrate data SD indicating morphological parameters of the substrate. The substrate data may also indicate compositional parameters of the substrate.

[0063] The first simulation unit 104 is connected to the input data determination unit 102 and is configured to perform a simulation of coating application using a coating application unit model indicating the coating application unit, according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm A1. This simulation is performed using applicator data AD, coating data CD, and substrate data SD determined by the input data determination unit 102. The first simulation unit 104 is also configured to generate and provide simulated coating application data 106, which indicates the simulated distribution of the coating on the substrate model indicating the substrate. Therefore, the simulated coating application data 106 describes how the coating material model is applied to the substrate model based on the determined input data, and typically involves the simulation of both the droplet phase and the gas phase surrounding the droplet. The associated time resolution is in the microsecond range (e.g., 4 × 10⁻⁶). -6 The simulation was performed on a three-dimensional mesh and involved both the simulation of droplets of the coating material and the simulation of the gas phase surrounding the droplets. Figure 1 The first simulation unit 104 is configured to perform a Lagrange multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation on the coating application according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm A1, or more preferably, to perform a Lagrange-Euler multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation on the coating application according to the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, including the simulation of the gas phase of the applied coating material.

[0064] The determined applicator data AD represents the operating parameters of the actual applicator head 204 and includes data indicating the following: the number of nozzles in the applicator head, the size of the corresponding nozzle orifice (e.g., diameter), the relative distance between adjacent nozzle orifices, the relative distance D to the substrate or a reference position where the substrate is to be placed, the tilt angle relative to the substrate, the velocity and / or acceleration of the applicator head during spraying, and the mass flow rate distribution of the nozzle orifices determined by the internal configuration of the applicator head. The coating data further indicates the composition of the coating material (e.g., solvent type), the wetting ability of the coating material (e.g., the wetting angle between the coating material droplets and the substrate), the surface tension of the coating material (particularly the surface tension of the solvent), the density, viscosity, solvent evaporation rate, and thermal properties of the coating material (e.g., heat capacity). The substrate data indicates the size and / or shape of the substrate, its relative orientation to the applicator head, the tilt angle varying with position, and the wetting properties of the substrate. The substrate data may further include microstructural data indicating the microstructure of the substrate (e.g., indicating the roughness of the substrate). The more accurate the applicator data, coating data, and substrate data, the closer the corresponding models of the coating application unit, coating material, and substrate will be to the actual coating application unit, coating material, and substrate.

[0065] Figure 2 An exemplary simulation of coating application is illustrated using an Eulerian-Lagrange multiphase computational kinetics simulation of coating application. A first simulation unit 104 is configured to perform a simulation of coating application, wherein one or more coating material jets 154 are modeled using a series of spheres 155 with diameters ds corresponding to the diameters of the respective nozzle openings 156 of the applicator head 157. Figure 2 The simulation of coating application shown is performed using a predetermined set of applicator data and coating data CD indicating the characteristics of the applied coating material. The set of applicator data includes data about the applicator head, including the number of nozzles, the diameter of their respective openings, the spatial distribution of the openings, the angle relative to the substrate 153, and the moving speed of the applicator head 157.

[0066] A second simulation unit 108 is also provided, connected to the input data determination unit 102 and the first simulation unit 104, and configured to perform a simulation of coating film flow on a substrate model according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm A2. For this purpose, the second simulation unit 108 uses simulated coating application data 106 received from the first simulation unit 104, which defines the simulation start state of the coating material on the substrate. Then, further using coating data CD and substrate data SD, the second simulation unit 108 is configured to provide simulated coverage data 110 indicating the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model. The coating film flow simulation simulates the behavior of the coating material applied to the substrate. This behavior is influenced by factors such as the manner of application of the coating material (as given by the simulated coating application data 106), the position and shape of the substrate (e.g., due to gravity), the interaction between the applied coating material and the substrate (e.g., wetting angle), and the material properties of the coating material (e.g., viscosity). An exemplary second simulation performed by the second simulation unit 108 is based on OpenFOAM. ® The software platform defines a predefined algorithm for simulating coating film flow (e.g., a surface film model) that is executed on a two-dimensional mesh. The CFD-based simulation of the applied coating material, particularly the simulation of sagging processes, is performed using a so-called rheological modeling approach, which preferably includes thixotropic rheology, i.e., considering that the viscosity of the coating material may vary with pressure. For example, the coating material is modeled as a plastic Bingham fluid, which exhibits stiff-like properties under low stress and viscous-like properties under high stress. The experimentally obtained data is then fitted using the Bingham fluid model, such as... Figure 3 As shown.

[0067] Here, viscosity μ is defined as

[0068]

[0069] in, And λ is a structural parameter, where, Where a, b, c, and d are parameters, and denoted as shear rate.

[0070] In this particular example, μ is obtained by fitting the parameters relative to experimentally obtained or otherwise provided rheological data. ∞ = 0.039 Pa s, μ0 = 2.85 Pa The values ​​of s, a = 0.07, b = 1.39, c = 0.001, and d = 5 confirm the non-Newtonian properties of the coating material and the time and space dependence of the film viscosity.

[0071] The limitations imposed by surface tension restrict the possibility of increasing the time step, thus the time-correlated temporal resolution of this simulation of coating film flow is also in the microsecond range. However, the simulation of coating film flow only involves two-dimensional space, thus reducing the number of elements and complexity compared to the simulation of coating application.

[0072] The control device 100 further includes a modular solver unit 112 configured to selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 within a predetermined simulation cycle, such that in the first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 operate simultaneously, while in the second simulation phase following the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit 108 operates. As described above, the computational workload required to operate the first simulation unit, which performs the simulation in three-dimensional space, is significantly higher than that required to operate the second simulation unit; therefore, the overall simulation time can be greatly reduced, typically by a factor of 10 to 20.

[0073] Preferably, the modular solver unit 112 is configured to control the operation of the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 such that after the second simulation phase, one or more additional simulation cycles consisting of corresponding additional first simulation phases and corresponding additional second simulation phases are executed, in particular, wherein the first region of the substrate coated during the simulation cycle and the corresponding additional region of the substrate coated during the additional simulation cycle have at least non-overlapping segments. Figure 4 An example of such a simulation, comprising two simulation cycles, is shown. In this case, the applicator data also includes data indicating the lateral distance between the two spraying cycles. The applicator data may also include data indicating the time span between two consecutive spraying cycles, referred to as the "open time." The spraying cycle of the actual coating application unit corresponds to the first simulation phase of the simulation cycle of the coating application unit model. The time span between spraying cycles preferably corresponds to the duration of the second simulation phase, and the first simulation unit is set to a paused state.

[0074] exist Figure 4In this simulation according to the invention, the combined simulation begins with a first simulation phase 161.1 of a first simulation cycle 161. In this first simulation phase, a modular solver unit 112 controls the operation of a first simulation unit 104 and a second simulation unit 106, such that both the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 operate simultaneously. The application of the coating material is simulated by the first simulation unit 104 in three-dimensional space. The coating material is provided in the form of multiple jets, each jet being simulated as multiple spheres 155, each jet associated with a corresponding nozzle opening of the applicator head. In this particular example, 48 nozzle openings are simulated, wherein the volumetric flow rate of the coating material distributed across these 48 openings is 290 ml / min and the velocity of the applicator head is 0.73 m / s. Simultaneously, the flow of the applied coating material is simulated by the second simulation unit 108 in two-dimensional space using a thixotropic rheological method (see [link to simulation]). Figure 3 The duration of this first stage depends on the speed of the applicator head and the size of the substrate. These values ​​can be obtained from the determined input data, particularly from the applicator data and substrate data. After the applicator head reaches the end of the substrate in the simulation, the modular solver unit 112 controls the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in the second simulation phase 161.2 of the first simulation cycle 161, in which only the second simulation unit operates; that is, in this second simulation phase, the first simulation unit is placed in a paused state or otherwise temporarily stopped. In this second simulation phase 161.1, the flow of coating material on the substrate model 152 continues to be simulated. The duration of this second simulation phase 161.2 is controlled by the so-called open time parameter (i.e., the time elapsed between the application of two adjacent coats of coating material).

[0075] After the first simulation cycle is completed, the modular solver unit 112 again controls the operation of the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 in the second simulation cycle 162. The position of the applicator head has been shifted by a distance D0 perpendicular to the direction of movement relative to its position at the beginning of the first simulation cycle 161. The value of D0 and the width of the applicator head (i.e., the maximum distance between the two nozzle openings (which are located at both ends of the applicator head)) define the overlapping area of ​​the deposited coating. In the first simulation phase 162.1 of the second simulation cycle 162, the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 operate simultaneously. The coverage data obtained from the second simulation phase 161.2 of the first simulation cycle 161 is used as the starting point of the second simulation cycle, specifically in the overlapping area where the material coating is applied to the coated area of ​​the substrate model 152. After executing the first simulation phase 162.1 of the second simulation cycle, the modular solver unit 112 controls the operation of the first and second simulation units in the second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle 162, in which only the second simulation unit operates. Obtain the final coverage data as it changes with the input data.

[0076] For example, using OpenFOAM ® Software execution Figure 4 The diagram shows a CDF simulation of coating material application and flow. The first simulation phase 161.1 of the first simulation cycle 161 represents approximately 0.1 seconds of “real” time. The dielectric substrate geometry is 0.04 m long, and the simulation time is approximately 10 to 12 hours. The open time of only operating the second operating unit (i.e., the duration of the second simulation phase 162.1 of the first simulation cycle 161) is approximately 5.3 seconds of “real” time. For the same dielectric substrate geometry, the simulation time is approximately 20 hours, whereas it would have taken approximately 520 hours if the first simulation unit had not been paused during the second simulation phase 161.2.

[0077] The first simulation phase 162.1 of the second simulation cycle represents the second application of the coating material to the substrate 152, where the approximate simulation time is 10 hours. During the second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle, the simulation can be performed, for example, over the entire substrate geometry or over a reduced substrate geometry (e.g., approximately 0.01 m), as indicated by marked area 164. For example, this second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle simulates the long-term leveling of the two applied coatings, which typically lasts 2.5 minutes in “real time”, depending on the solvent evaporation conditions. The simulation time for the entire 0.04 m substrate geometry is approximately 25 seconds of “real” time per simulation cycle, or 1.25 minutes of “real” time per simulation cycle in the case of a reduced geometry. Two simulation cycles are usually sufficient, as they provide the necessary information about the coverage at the overlapping areas, which can be extrapolated to more than two further simulation cycles.

[0078] Typically, the substrate model 152 is not cut but completely surrounded by the gas phase, which mitigates or suppresses the effects of inflow / outflow boundary conditions in the simulation. If necessary or required, the simulation can include a k-ε turbulence model instead of a k-ω-SST turbulence model. The k-ε turbulence model is a two-equation model that gives a general description of turbulence through two transport equations. The first transport variable is the turbulent kinetic energy (k), and the second transport variable is the rate of dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy (ε). The k-ω-SST turbulence model (also known as the Mentel shear stress transport model) combines the k-ω and k-ε turbulence models, allowing the k-ω turbulence model to be used for the inner region of the boundary layer, while the k-ε turbulence model is used for free shear flow.

[0079] Figure 1 The control device 100 further includes a processing unit 114 connected to the input data determination unit 102 and the second simulation unit 108. The processing unit 114 is configured to provide determined application data AD and / or determined coating data CD and / or determined substrate data SD as control data 116 when the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area 164 of the substrate model 152 is within the predetermined target coverage range, so as to control the application of coating material 150 on the substrate 152. Figure 4The target region 164 shown is substantially perpendicular to the direction of coating material application and corresponds to a reduced substrate geometry of 0.01 m, on which the coverage data is simulated during the second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle 162. A predetermined target coverage range is provided, and the processing unit compares the simulated coverage on the target region with the target coverage. The target coverage range indicates the coverage of the coating material on the substrate, which has sufficient quality (e.g., in terms of thickness and / or uniformity). If the simulated coverage data matches the target coverage range, the input parameters used for simulation are considered suitable for controlling the parameters of the coating material application arrangement 200.

[0080] Figure 5 This comparison is shown in the figure.

[0081] For this experiment, the volume of the applied coating (e.g., coating material) is ,in, .

[0082] The speed of the applicator head is

[0083] The resulting dry paint film thickness is from Give,

[0084] Where Δy = 0.048 m (thickness of the applicator head) and x s = 0.38619 (solid volume fraction).

[0085] exist In this case, the theoretically calculated thickness is approximately 58 μm. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the thickness obtained by evaluating the coverage data using the CFD-based simulation process according to the present invention is approximately 59 μm, while experimental data of the applied coating material indicates a film thickness of approximately 53 μm. From Figure 5 As can be seen, there is good agreement between the simulated thickness of the coating layer applied using the same parameter values ​​used in the simulation and the experimentally determined thickness, within the uncertainty associated with the experimental method used to determine the thickness profile of the deposited coating material film. For this particular experiment, the simulation results at the overlap region 165 tend to be smoother than the experimental data, with a slight vertical offset of about 10%. For example, if the predetermined target coverage range is 50 μm to 65 μm, the parameters used in the simulation will be considered appropriate and will be provided as control data 116 to control the operation of the coating material application arrangement 200 for applying the coating material to the substrate. Figure 1An exemplary coating material application arrangement 200 is shown, and in addition to the control device 100, the coating material application arrangement also includes a coating application unit 202, which includes: a reservoir 206 containing coating material; at least one coating delivery unit 206 (e.g., an applicator head including a plurality of nozzle openings) in fluid communication with the reservoir 204; a drive unit 208 configured to drive relative movement between a substrate 152 and the coating delivery unit 206, the drive unit being, for example, a movable robotic arm; and a controller configured to receive control data 116 from the control device 100 and control the coating delivery unit 204 and the drive unit 208 according to the received control data 116.

[0086] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method 400 for controlling the operation of a coating application arrangement is shown. The method includes: in step 402, determining applicator data indicating operating parameters of a coating application unit, coating data indicating material properties of the coating material, and substrate data indicating morphological parameters and / or compositional parameters of the substrate. The method further includes: in step 404, performing a simulation of coating application using the applicator data, the coating data, and the substrate data through a coating application unit model indicating the coating application unit, and providing simulated coating application data, wherein the simulation of coating application is performed according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, and the simulated coating application data indicates the simulated distribution of the coating on the substrate model indicating the substrate; and in step 406, performing a simulation of coating film flow on the substrate model using the simulated coating application data, the coating data, and the substrate data, and providing simulated coverage data, wherein the simulation of coating film flow is performed according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, and the simulated coverage data indicates the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model. The method further includes: in step 408, selectively controlling the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit during a simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit operate simultaneously, while in a second simulation phase following the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit operates; and in step 410, providing determined application data and / or determined coating data and / or determined substrate data as control data when it is determined that the simulation coverage data at a predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range, to control the application of coating material on the substrate. The method further includes: in step 412, controlling the coating supply unit and driving unit of the coating application arrangement 200 according to the control data. A subset of steps 402 to 410 forms method 300 for controlling the application of coating material on a substrate (i.e., for generating and providing control data for controlling the application).

[0087] In summary, the present invention relates to a control device for controlling the application of a coating material onto a substrate. The control device includes: an input data determination unit configured to determine applicator data, coating data, and substrate data; a first simulation unit configured to perform a simulation of coating application according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm and provide simulated coating application data; and a second simulation unit configured to perform a simulation of coating film flow according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm and provide simulated coverage data. A modular solver unit is configured to control the operation of the first and second simulation units such that, in a first stage, both simulation units operate simultaneously, while in a second stage, only the second simulation unit operates.

[0088] By studying the accompanying drawings, this disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed invention.

[0089] The operations performed in the processes and methods disclosed herein may be implemented in different orders. Furthermore, the operations outlined are provided as examples only, and some of these operations may be optional, may be combined into fewer steps and operations, may be supplemented with more operations, or may be expanded into more operations without departing from the essence of the disclosed embodiments.

[0090] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a / an" does not exclude multiple / types.

[0091] A single unit or device can perform the functions of several items listed in the claims. The fact that certain measures are listed in different dependent claims does not indicate that combinations of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

[0092] Processes such as receiving graph databases, receiving queries, applying queries, and generating control data, which are performed by one or more units or devices, can be performed by any other number of units or devices. These processes can be implemented as program code devices and / or dedicated hardware for computer programs.

[0093] Computer program products can be stored / distributed on suitable media, such as optical or solid-state storage media provided with or as part of other hardware, but can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunications systems.

[0094] Any unit described herein can be a processing unit as part of a classical computing system. Processing units can include general-purpose processors and can also include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other special-purpose circuitry. Any memory can be physical system memory, which can be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination of both. The term "memory" can include any computer-readable storage medium, such as a non-volatile mass storage device. If the computing system is distributed, the processing and / or storage capabilities can also be distributed. A computing system can include multiple structures as "executable components." The term "executable component" is a structure that is well understood in the computing field to be software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, when implemented as software, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of an executable component can include software objects, routines, methods, etc., that can be executed on the computing system. This can include executable components in the computing system heap or on a computer-readable storage medium. The structure of an executable component can exist on a computer-readable medium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors of the computing system (e.g., by processor threads), it causes the computing system to perform functions. This structure can be directly read by a processor, for example, if the executable is binary, or it can be constructed to be interpretable and / or compileable, for example, whether in a single stage or multiple stages, thereby generating such binary that can be directly interpreted by the processor. In other cases, the structure can be hard-coded or hard-wired logic gates, implemented specifically or almost specifically in hardware, such as within a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other dedicated circuit. Thus, the term "executable" is a term for a structure well-known to those skilled in the art of computing, whether implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Any embodiments herein are described with reference to actions performed by one or more processing units of a computing system. If such actions are implemented in software, one or more processors direct the operation of the computing system in response to the execution of computer-executable instructions constituting the executable. The computing system may also include communication channels that allow the computing system to communicate with other computing systems via, for example, a network. A "network" is defined as one or more data links that enable the transfer of electronic data between computing systems and / or modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transmitted or provided to a computing system via a network or another communication connection (e.g., hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired and wireless), the computing system correctly treats that connection as a transmission medium. The transmission medium may include a network and / or a data link, which may be used to carry desired program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures, and may be accessed by a general-purpose computing system or a special-purpose computing system or a combination thereof.While not all computing systems require a user interface, in some embodiments, the computing system includes a user interface system for interaction with a user. The user interface, for example, acts as an input or output mechanism for the user via a display.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will understand that at least a portion of the present invention can be practiced in network computing environments with a variety of computing system configurations, including personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile phones, PDAs, pagers, routers, switches, data centers, wearable devices (such as glasses), etc. The present invention can also be practiced in distributed system environments, where, for example, local and remote computing systems linked by a network via hardwired data links, wireless data links, or a combination of hardwired and wireless data links jointly perform tasks. In a distributed system environment, program modules can reside on both local and remote memory storage devices.

[0096] Those skilled in the art will also understand that at least a portion of the present invention can be practiced in a cloud computing environment. A cloud computing environment can be distributed, but this is not required. When a cloud computing environment is distributed, it can be spread across multiple countries within an organization and / or have components across multiple organizations. In this specification and the appended claims, “cloud computing” is defined as a model for enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources, such as networks, servers, storage devices, applications, and services. The definition of “cloud computing” is not limited to any of the many other advantages that can be obtained from such a model when deployed. The computing system of the accompanying drawings includes various components or functional blocks that can implement the various embodiments disclosed herein as explained. These various components or functional blocks can be implemented on a local computing system or on a distributed computing system that includes elements residing in the cloud or aspects implementing cloud computing. These various components or functional blocks can be implemented as software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The computing system shown in the figures may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figures, and some of these components may be combined as needed.

[0097] Any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A control device (100) for controlling the application of a coating material (150) onto a substrate (152), the control device comprising: - Input data determination unit (102), which is configured to determine the applicator data (AD) indicating the operating parameters of the coating application unit (202), the coating data (CD) indicating the material properties of the coating material (150), and the substrate data (SD) indicating the morphological parameters and / or composition parameters of the substrate. - A first simulation unit (104), which is connected to the input data determination unit and is configured to perform a simulation of coating application using the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data through a coating application unit model indicating the coating application unit, and to provide simulated coating application data (106), wherein the simulation of coating application is performed according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm (A1), and the simulated coating application data indicates the simulated distribution of the coating on the substrate model indicating the substrate; as well as - A second simulation unit (108) is connected to the input data determination unit and the first simulation unit and is configured to use the simulated coating application data, the coating data and the substrate data to perform a simulation of the coating film flow on the substrate model, and to provide simulated coverage data (110). The simulation of the coating film flow is performed according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm (A2), and the simulated coverage data indicates the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model. The control device further includes: - A modular solver unit (112) configured to selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit within a predetermined simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit operate simultaneously, while in a second simulation phase following the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit operates; and - A processing unit (114) is connected to the input data determination unit (102) and the second simulation unit (108) and is configured to provide determined application data and / or determined coating data and / or determined substrate data as control data (116) when the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model is within the predetermined target coverage range, so as to control the application of coating material on the substrate.

2. The control device as described in claim 1, wherein, The first simulation unit is configured to perform a Lagrange multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation on the coating according to the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm.

3. The control device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first simulation unit is configured to perform a Lagrange-Euler multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation on the coating according to the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, including the simulation of the gas phase of the applied coating material.

4. The control device as described in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The first simulation unit is configured to perform a simulation on the coating, wherein the diameter (d) is used. s A series of spheres (155) corresponding to the diameter of the corresponding nozzle opening (156) are used to model one or more coating material jets (154).

5. The control device as described in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The second simulation unit is configured to perform thin fluid film simulation on the applied coating according to the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm.

6. The control device as described in claim 5, wherein, The second simulation unit is configured to perform rheological model simulations, particularly thixotropic rheological model simulations, on the applied coating, where the viscosity values ​​are spatially and temporally dependent viscosity values.

7. The control device as described in claim 5 or 6, wherein, This thin fluid membrane simulation includes the solvent evaporation effect.

8. The control device as described in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The modular solver unit is configured to control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit such that, after the second simulation phase, one or more additional simulation cycles consisting of corresponding additional first simulation phases and corresponding additional second simulation phases are executed, wherein, in particular, there are at least non-overlapping segments between the first region of the substrate coated during the simulation cycle and the corresponding additional region of the substrate coated during the additional simulation cycle.

9. A coating application arrangement (200) for applying a coating material (150) onto a substrate (152), the coating application arrangement comprising: - Control device (100) for generating and providing control data (116) according to any one of the preceding claims; as well as - Coating application unit (202), the coating application unit comprising: - Storage container (206), the storage container includes a coating material; - At least one coating supply unit (204) is in fluid communication with the reservoir (206); - A drive unit (208) configured to drive relative movement between the substrate (152) and the coating providing unit (204); - Controller (210), which is configured to receive the control data and control the one or more coating supply units and the drive unit according to the received control data.

10. A method (300) for controlling the application of a coating material (150) on a substrate (152), the method comprising: - Determine (402) the applicator data indicating the operating parameters of the coating application unit, the coating data indicating the material properties of the coating material, and the substrate data indicating the morphological parameters and / or composition parameters of the substrate; - The coating application unit model that indicates the coating application unit uses the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data to perform (404) simulation of coating application, and provides simulated coating application data, which is performed according to a predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, and the simulated coating application data indicates the simulated distribution of the coating on the substrate model that indicates the substrate; as well as - The coating application data, the coating data and the substrate data are used to perform (406) simulation of the coating film flow on the substrate model, and simulation coverage data is provided, the simulation of the coating film flow is performed according to a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, and the simulation coverage data indicates the simulated coating coverage of the substrate model; - Selectively control (408) the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit during the simulation cycle, such that in the first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit operate simultaneously, while in the second simulation phase following the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit operates; as well as - When the simulated coverage data at the predetermined target area of ​​the substrate model is determined to be within the predetermined target coverage range, the determined application data and / or the determined coating data and / or the determined substrate data are provided as control data to control the application of the coating material on the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The step of performing a simulation of coating application by the coating application unit includes performing a Lagrange-Euler multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application according to the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein, The step of performing a simulation of coating application by the coating application unit includes performing a Lagrange-Euler multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application according to the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm, including the simulation of the gas phase of the applied coating material.

13. The method as described in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein, The step of simulating the flow of the coating film on the substrate includes performing a thin fluid film simulation on the applied coating according to the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm.

14. A method (400) for controlling the operation of a coating application arrangement (200) for applying coating material to a substrate according to claim 9, the method comprising: - Perform the method (300) as described in any one of claims 10 to 13 above; - Control (412) the coating supply unit and the drive unit according to the control data 116.

15. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a control device, cause the control device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 13 and / or, when executed by a processor of a coating application arrangement, cause the coating application arrangement to perform the method as described in claim 14.

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