Liquid agent coating device

Abstract

A liquid agent coating device includes a coating nozzle capable of moving up and down relative to a substrate and capable of moving in a horizontal direction, a coating valve that switches between a first state in which liquid agent is supplied to the coating nozzle and a second state in which the supply of liquid agent to the coating nozzle is stopped, and a control device that controls them. The control device controls the coating nozzle to descend from above the substrate to a predetermined position of the substrate, and controls the coating valve to be switched to the first state at a predetermined supply start timing, then waits for a predetermined time to pass to switch the coating valve to the second state, and controls the coating nozzle to ascend after the leading end of the coating nozzle reaches the lower end and the coating valve is switched to the second state. The supply start timing is arbitrarily set by an operator and / or the control device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a liquid coating apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, liquid coating apparatuses have been known to include a coating nozzle and a coating valve. The coating nozzle is movable vertically relative to the substrate and can also move horizontally. The coating valve supplies liquid to the coating nozzle and stops supplying it through opening and closing operations. In Patent Document 1, in such a liquid coating apparatus, the timing for opening the coating valve (valve opening timing) is the same timing that is always repeated backward from the timing when the tip of the coating nozzle is in the descending position and the liquid is being applied.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-262713 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] However, setting the valve opening time to be the same backward from the coating liquid timing, as described above, can sometimes lead to undesirable conditions. For example, if the coating valve is open for a long time, the tip of the coating nozzle may remain at the descending end for a waiting period, which can sometimes increase the cycle time (process operation time). In addition, sometimes the coating liquid may leak from the tip of the coating nozzle due to the residual pressure inside the nozzle after the coating valve has closed.

[0007] This disclosure was made to solve such a problem, with the main purpose of eliminating the adverse conditions that arise when the opening timing of the coating valve is constant.

[0008] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0009] The liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein adopts the following scheme in order to achieve the above-mentioned main objectives.

[0010] The liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein includes:

[0011] The coating nozzle can move up and down relative to the substrate and can also move relative to the horizontal plane.

[0012] The coating valve switches between a first state where liquid agent is supplied to the coating nozzle and a second state where liquid agent supply to the coating nozzle is stopped; and

[0013] The control device controls the coating nozzle to descend from above the substrate to a predetermined position on the substrate, and controls the coating valve to switch to the first state at a predetermined supply start time, then waits for a predetermined time before switching the coating valve to the second state, and controls the coating nozzle to rise after the timing when the tip of the coating nozzle reaches the descending end and the coating valve is switched to the second state.

[0014] The timing of the supply start can be arbitrarily set by the operator and / or the control device.

[0015] In this liquid coating apparatus, the supply start timing is arbitrarily set by the operator and / or the control device. This eliminates undesirable conditions that arise when the supply start timing of the coating valve is constant. Furthermore, viscous fluids can be cited as examples of liquids. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the main parts of the liquid coating device 10.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the coating head 30.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the structure related to the control of the liquid coating apparatus 10.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the adhesive application process.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a valve opening timing setting procedure.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operating state of the coating head 30.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operating state of the coating head 30.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operating state of the coating head 30. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Preferred embodiments of the liquid coating apparatus of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the main parts of the liquid coating device 10. Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the general structure of the coating head 30. Figure 3This is a block diagram showing the structure related to the control of the liquid coating apparatus 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the left-right direction (X-axis), front-back direction (Y-axis), and up-down direction (Z-axis) are as follows: Figure 1 As shown.

[0025] The liquid coating apparatus 10 includes: a substrate conveying device 12, a coating head 30, a marking camera 54, and a control device 60.

[0026] The substrate conveying device 12 is a device for conveying and holding the substrate S. The substrate conveying device 12 includes support plates 14, 14 and conveyor belts 16, 16 (in... Figure 1 (Only one side is shown in the diagram). Support plates 14 and 14 are components that extend in the left-right direction, and... Figure 1 The plates are arranged at intervals. Conveyor belts 16, 16 are mounted in a loop on the left and right sides of the support plates 14, 14, with drive wheels and driven wheels positioned thereon. The substrate S is placed on the upper surface of the pair of conveyor belts 16, 16 and is conveyed from left to right. The substrate S can be supported from the back side by a plurality of upright support pins 18. Therefore, the substrate conveying device 12 also functions as a substrate support device.

[0027] The coating head 30 is detachably mounted on the front surface of the X-axis slider 22. The X-axis slider 22 is mounted on the front surface of the Y-axis slider 24. The Y-axis slider 24 is slidably mounted on a pair of left and right guide rails 25, 25 extending in the front-back direction. A pair of upper and lower guide rails 26, 26 extending in the left-right direction are provided on the front surface of the Y-axis slider 24. The X-axis slider 22 is slidably mounted on these guide rails 26, 26. The coating head 30 moves left and right in sync with the left-right movement of the X-axis slider 22, and moves forward and backward in sync with the forward and backward movement of the Y-axis slider 24. Furthermore, the X-axis and Y-axis sliders 22 and 24 are respectively powered by X-axis and Y-axis motors 22a and 24a (see reference). Figure 3 )drive.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, the coating head 30 includes: a holding member 32, a Z-axis slider 34, a head body 40, and a coating valve 50. The holding member 32 is a plate-shaped component with a disassembly / removal device 32a on its rear surface, and is detachably mounted to the front surface of the X-axis slider 22 via the disassembly / removal device 32a. The Z-axis slider 34 is an L-shaped component with a slider body 34a and an arm 34b, and the slider body 34a is mounted to the front surface of the holding member 32 in a manner that allows it to slide vertically. The Z-axis slider 34 is connected to a Z-axis motor 34c (see reference). Figure 3 The head body 40 will be described later. The coating valve 50 is an electromagnetic direction switching valve that connects the compressed air supply source 52 to the atmosphere via the syringe 42 of the head body 40.

[0029] The head body 40 includes: a sleeve 41, a syringe 42, an adapter 43, a coating nozzle 44, and a locking member 46. The sleeve 41 is rotatably mounted via a bearing in a hole that extends vertically through the arm 34b. An external gear 41a is integrally formed at the upper end of the sleeve 41. The syringe 42 is a bottomed cylindrical component that contains an adhesive (glue) as a viscous fluid. A short tube 42a extending vertically through the center of the bottom surface of the syringe 42 is provided. The adapter 43 is a cylindrical component that is fixed to the short tube 42a of the syringe 42. The adapter 43 is inserted into the sleeve 41 with its lower end protruding from the lower end of the sleeve 41. The coating nozzle 44 has a needle portion 44b fixed to the front end of the cylindrical retainer 44a. The coating nozzle 44 is secured by a nut 45 when inserted into the lower end of the adapter 43. Specifically, the flange 44c provided on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer 44a is clamped by the nut 45 and the lower end of the adapter 43, thereby allowing the applicator nozzle 44 to be detachably mounted to the lower end of the adapter 43. A stop 44d is provided on the retainer 44a. The stop 44d abuts against the substrate S during adhesive application, ensuring a constant gap between the tip of the needle 44b and the substrate S. This gap is set so that the adhesive discharged from the tip of the needle 44b is applied to the substrate S in a pre-designed shape. When the stop 44d abuts against the substrate S, the tip of the applicator nozzle 44 (in other words, the tip of the needle 44b) reaches its lower end. The engaging member 46, with the flange 42b located below the syringe 42 pressed from above, is fastened to the external gear 41a of the sleeve 41 by bolts 47. As a result, the sleeve 41 and the syringe 42 are fixed via the engaging member 46. A cap 48 covers the upper opening of the syringe 42. A connecting fitting 49 is screwed onto the cap 48, and a coating valve 50 and a compressed air supply source 52 are sequentially connected to the connecting fitting 49. The coating valve 50 is set to either an open (first state) or a closed (second state) state. If the coating valve 50 is open, compressed air flows from the compressed air supply source 52 into the syringe 42 to supply adhesive to the needle 44b. If the coating valve 50 is closed, atmospheric air flows into the syringe 42, stopping the supply of adhesive to the needle 44b.

[0030] in addition, Figure 2 The example shown illustrates a case where a coating nozzle 44 with a single needle 44b is mounted on an adapter 43, but in this case, the external gear 41a is kept stationary. As a result, the head body 40 containing the coating nozzle 44 does not rotate relative to the Z-axis slider 34. On the other hand, when a coating nozzle with multiple (e.g., two) needles is mounted on the adapter 43, the external gear 41a is rotated using a rotary motor (not shown), thereby changing the orientation of the two needles.

[0031] The marking camera 54 is disposed on the lower surface of the X-axis slider 22. The marking camera 54 moves in the XY direction along with the movement of the coating head 30. The marking camera 54 takes pictures of the reference marks attached to the substrate S or the adhesive coated on the substrate S within its lower field of view, and outputs the image to the control device 60.

[0032] The test coating unit 56 includes a paper medium 57 for test coating and is positioned in front of the substrate transport device 12. The paper medium 57 is wound from a roll of paper onto a winding roller via a winding device, with the new side for test coating exposed from the upper opening of the housing 58. The paper medium 57 is prepared to have an adhesive penetration level almost identical to that of the substrate S and is adjusted to the same height as the surface of the substrate S. The paper medium 57 is used to check the coating condition of the adhesive discharged from the needle portion 44b of the coating head 30.

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown, the control device 60 includes a CPU 62, a storage unit 64 (ROM, RAM, HDD, etc.), an input / output interface 66, etc., which are connected via a bus 68. The control device 60 outputs signals to the substrate conveying device 12, the X-axis motor 22a driving the X-axis slider 22, the Y-axis motor 24a driving the Y-axis slider 24, the Z-axis motor 34c driving the Z-axis slider 34, the coating valve 50, the marking camera 54, the test coating unit 56, and the display 70. Additionally, the control device 60 inputs images captured by the marking camera 54 and signals from the input device 72. Examples of input devices 72 include a keyboard and a mouse. Furthermore, each slider 22, 24, and 34 is equipped with a position sensor (not shown), and the control device 60 inputs position information from these position sensors and controls the motors 22a, 24a, and 34c of each slider 22, 24, and 34.

[0034] Next, the operation of the liquid coating apparatus 10 configured in this embodiment will be described, particularly the adhesive coating process on the substrate S. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of an adhesive application program executed by the CPU 62 of the control device 60. The program is stored in the storage unit 64 of the control device 60 and is executed after the substrate S has been transported to a predetermined position by the substrate transport device 12 and held, indicating that the coating process has been completed. Before executing the program, the control device 60 obtains a specified order for applying adhesive to multiple coating positions on the substrate S. Furthermore, the coating positions are set in correspondence with the positions of the mounting components.

[0035] When the CPU 62 starts the adhesive application program, it first sets the initial application position to the application target (S110). Next, the CPU 62 moves the needle 44b of the application nozzle 44 towards the application position designated as the application target (S120). Specifically, the CPU 62 controls the X-axis motor 22a and the Y-axis motor 24a to operate the X-axis slider 22 and the Y-axis slider 24, thereby positioning the needle 44b directly above the application position designated as the application target. At this time, the height of the tip of the needle 44b is set to a height that prevents it from colliding with surrounding components when moving in the XY directions (standby position).

[0036] Next, the CPU 62 controls the coating head 30 to apply adhesive from the needle 44b to the coating position (S130). Specifically, the CPU 62 controls the Z-axis motor 34c to lower the needle 44b on the Z-axis slider 34 from the standby position to the lowering end, and then raise it from the lowering end back to the standby position. Simultaneously, the CPU 62 switches the coating valve 50 from closed to open at a predetermined valve opening time (supply start time) to supply liquid adhesive to the needle 44b, and then waits for a predetermined coating time (the time it takes for compressed air to apply pressure to the adhesive) before switching the coating valve 50 from open to closed to stop the supply of liquid adhesive to the needle 44b. The valve opening time is stored in the storage unit 64 and read and used by the CPU 62. Furthermore, after the tip of the needle 44b reaches the lowering end and the coating valve 50 is switched to closed, the CPU 62 controls the Z-axis motor 34c to raise the needle 44b. The valve opening timing is set arbitrarily by the operator, as described later. The set valve opening timing applies to all coating positions on a substrate S.

[0037] Next, CPU 62 determines whether the application of adhesive to all coating positions has ended (S140). If it has not ended in S140, CPU 62 sets the unprocessed coating positions as coating targets (S150) and executes the processing after S120 again. On the other hand, if the application of adhesive to all coating positions has ended in S140, CPU 62 terminates the program.

[0038] Next, we will explain the situation regarding the operator setting the valve opening time. Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a valve opening timing setting procedure. The procedure is stored in the storage unit 64 of the control device 60 and begins when the operator instructs the user to retrieve the setting screen from the input device 72. The CPU 62 first displays the setting screen on the display 70 (S210). The operator uses the input device 72 to arbitrarily set the valve opening timing on the setting screen. The valve opening timing is set based on the height [mm] of the needle 44b from the descending end. The CPU 62 determines whether a valve opening timing has been input (S220); if not, it remains in standby mode. On the other hand, if a valve opening timing has been input in S220, the CPU 62 updates the previously stored valve opening timing in the storage unit 64 to the input valve timing (S230) and terminates the procedure.

[0039] Next, the relationship between valve opening timing and cycle time will be explained. Figure 6 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operating state of the coating head 30 performing the S130 process. Here, the valve opening timing is set to the time when the needle 44b reaches a predetermined height (e.g., 4mm or 5mm) from the descent end after the coating head 30 begins to descend. Alternatively, the height of the needle 44b can be determined based on the Z-axis command position or based on the detection signal from an encoder (not shown) mounted on the coating head 30. After the coating valve 50 opens, a predetermined coating time is waited for. During the period up to the elapsed coating time, compressed air continues to be supplied to the syringe 42 of the coating head 30. The predetermined coating time is set based on the coating diameter and viscosity of the adhesive. For example, a shorter coating time is set when using a low-viscosity adhesive, and a longer coating time is set when using a high-viscosity adhesive. Figure 6 This is an example of setting a relatively short coating time. In this example, the valve opening time is set to allow the coating time to elapse before the tip of the needle 44b of the coating nozzle 44 reaches the descending end. Therefore, there is a certain amount of time (residual pressure release time) from the end of the coating time when the coating valve 50 closes until the needle 44b reaches the descending end. This time is used to release the residual pressure in the syringe 42, thus preventing leakage after the needle 44b rises. In addition, the rising of the needle 44b can begin quickly after it reaches the descending end, thus making the cycle time suitable.

[0040] Figure 7 This is also a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operating state of the coating head 30 performing the S130 process. Here, the valve opening timing is set to... Figure 6 Same timing, but coating time set more... Figure 6Specifically, the coating time continues even after the needle 44b reaches the descending end. Therefore, from the time the needle 44b reaches the descending end until the coating time ends, the needle 44b waits at the descending end. In other words, the time from the tip of the needle 44b reaching the descending end until the start of its ascent (the waiting time at the descending end) is relatively long. As a result, the cycle time increases while productivity decreases.

[0041] In such Figure 7 In cases where the coating time is relatively long, the operator can suppress the increase in cycle time by setting the valve opening time earlier. Figure 8 This is a timing diagram illustrating an example of the operating state of the coating head 30 performing the S130 process, where the coating time is set to... Figure 7 Same length, but the valve opening time is set higher than... Figure 7 Good morning. Figure 8 In this configuration, the valve opening timing is set to the start of the descent of needle 44b. In other words, the valve opening timing is based on the waiting time at the descent end and... Figure 7 Compared to setting it to near zero, the result is that, with Figure 7 In contrast, it can suppress the increase in tempo.

[0042] In the embodiment described above, the valve opening time is arbitrarily set by the operator. Therefore, adverse conditions that occur when the valve opening time is constant can be eliminated.

[0043] In addition, Figure 6 In this design, the valve opening time is set by elapsed coating time before the tip of the coating nozzle 44 reaches the descending end. This allows the tip of the coating valve 50 to remain at the descending end for a period of time after the coating valve 50 is closed (residual pressure release time). Therefore, during this period, the residual pressure within the coating nozzle 44 decreases, preventing leakage after the nozzle 44 rises.

[0044] Moreover, in Figure 8 In this design, the valve opening timing is set such that the time from when the tip of the coating nozzle 44 reaches the descending end to when the coating nozzle 44 begins to rise is close to zero. This shortens the waiting time for the tip of the coating nozzle 44 to remain at the descending end, thus preventing an increase in cycle time.

[0045] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments in any way, and can be implemented in various ways as long as it falls within the technical scope of the present invention, which is self-evident.

[0046] For example, in the above embodiment, the valve opening timing is set by the operator, but it can also be set by the control device 60. For instance, the control device 60 may pre-store a correspondence between the type of adhesive and the valve opening timing in the storage unit 64, and set the valve opening timing based on the type of adhesive used, according to this correspondence. Since adhesives have different characteristics (e.g., viscosity) depending on their type, a suitable valve opening timing is pre-stored in the storage unit 64 in correspondence with the type of adhesive. In this way, a valve opening timing suitable for the type of adhesive can be set.

[0047] Alternatively, the control device 60 can sequentially use multiple predetermined provisional valve opening times to determine the adhesive application status of the coating nozzle 44 when setting the valve opening time, and store the provisional valve opening time with appropriate adhesive application status as the valve opening time in the storage unit 64. The provisional valve opening time can also be set to a standby position every 1 mm from the descending end of the needle 44b, for example. The adhesive application status can be determined by applying adhesive to the paper medium 57 of the test coating unit 56. The coating status can be determined, for example, by taking an image of the adhesive applied to the paper medium 57 by the marking camera 54, and judging the quality of the coating status based on the size of the adhesive diameter, the state of satellite droplets (droplets when adhesive scatters), etc. In this way, the valve opening time is set after confirming that the adhesive application status is appropriate through test coating, so it is difficult to cause adverse conditions due to the set valve opening time.

[0048] In the above embodiments, liquid coating apparatus 10 is shown as an example of the liquid coating apparatus of this disclosure, but a structure in which the working head used in the component mounting of a commonly known component mounting device (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-115910) is replaced with coating head 30 may also be used.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the valve opening timing is applied to all coating positions of a substrate S, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, if, for a substrate S, adhesive is initially applied using a coating nozzle 44 with a nozzle diameter of a [mm] and then switched to a coating nozzle 44 with a nozzle diameter of b [mm] midway through application, the valve opening timing can be preset for each nozzle diameter and applied accordingly. Alternatively, the valve opening timing can be preset for each coating position of a substrate S and applied accordingly.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the valve opening timing is set through a valve opening timing setting program, but it is not particularly limited to this. For example, the operator may also set the valve opening timing through a setting file that can be edited in a text file, and transmit and update it to the storage unit 64 of the control device 60 via a file transfer protocol.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the valve opening timing is set according to the height [mm] of the needle 44b from the descending end, but it is not particularly limited to this. For example, the valve opening timing may also be set to the moment [msec] after the expected time when the needle 44b reaches the descending end, back the coating time (or coating time + α). In this case, the expected time is preferably set in a way that minimizes the time from when the needle 44b reaches the descending end to when it rises (i.e., to zero or close to zero).

[0052] In the above embodiments, adhesives are exemplified as viscous fluids, but are not particularly limited to adhesives; for example, solder paste or conductive paste may also be used.

[0053] The liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein can also be configured as follows.

[0054] In the liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein, the supply start timing may also be set such that the time from when the tip of the coating nozzle reaches the descending end to when the rising of the coating valve begins is zero or close to zero. This minimizes the waiting time for the tip of the coating nozzle to remain at the descending end, thus preventing an increase in cycle time.

[0055] In the liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein, the supply start timing may also be set such that a predetermined time elapses before the tip of the coating nozzle reaches the descending end. This allows the tip of the coating valve to remain at the descending end for a period of time after the liquid supply to the coating nozzle is stopped. Therefore, during this period, the residual pressure inside the coating nozzle decreases, preventing liquid leakage from the tip of the coating nozzle.

[0056] In the liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein, the supply start timing may be set by the control device. The control device establishes a correspondence between the type of liquid and the supply start timing and stores it in a storage unit. Based on the type of liquid used, the supply start timing is set according to the correspondence. In this way, a supply start timing suitable for the type of liquid can be set.

[0057] In the liquid coating apparatus disclosed herein, the supply start timing may be set by the control device. When setting the supply start timing, the control device sequentially uses a plurality of predetermined provisional supply start timings to determine the coating condition of the coating nozzle on the liquid, and sets the provisional supply start timing at which the liquid coating condition is appropriate as the actual supply start timing. In this way, the supply start timing is set after confirming the appropriate liquid coating condition through test coating, for example, thus minimizing the occurrence of adverse conditions caused by the set supply start timing.

[0058] Industrial availability

[0059] The present invention can be used in a liquid coating apparatus for coating a liquid agent at a predetermined position on a substrate.

[0060] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0061] 10... Liquid coating device; 12... Substrate conveying device; 14... Support plate; 16... Conveyor belt; 18... Support pin; 22... X-axis slider; 22a... X-axis motor; 24... Y-axis slider; 24a... Y-axis motor; 25... Guide rail; 26... Guide rail; 30... Coating head; 32... Holding component; 32a... Disassembly and assembly device; 34... Z-axis slider; 34a... Slider body; 34b... Arm; 34c... Z-axis motor; 40... Head body; 41... Sleeve; 41a... External gear; 42... Syringe; 42a... Short tube; 42b... Convex... 43... Adapter; 44... Coating nozzle; 44a... Retainer; 44b... Needle; 44c... Flange; 44d... Stop; 45... Nut; 46... Engaging part; 47... Bolt; 48... Cap; 49... Connecting accessory; 50... Coating valve; 52... Compressed air supply source; 54... Marking camera; 56... Test coating unit; 57... Paper medium; 58... Housing; 60... Control device; 62... CPU; 64... Storage unit; 66... ​​Input / output interface; 68... Bus; 70... Display; 72... Input device; S... Substrate.

Claims

1. A liquid coating apparatus, comprising: The coating nozzle can move up and down relative to the substrate and can also move relative to the horizontal plane. The coating valve switches between a first state of supplying liquid agent to the coating nozzle and a second state of stopping the supply of liquid agent to the coating nozzle; and The control device controls the coating nozzle to descend from above the substrate to a predetermined position on the substrate, and controls the coating valve to switch to the first state after a predetermined supply start time, and then waits for a predetermined time before switching the coating valve to the second state. Furthermore, the control device controls the coating nozzle to rise after the timing when the tip of the coating nozzle reaches the descending end and the coating valve is switched to the second state. The supply start timing is arbitrarily set by the operator and / or the control device in such a way that the time from when the tip of the coating nozzle reaches the descending end to when the coating valve begins to rise is zero or close to zero.

2. The liquid coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The supply start timing is set such that a predetermined time elapses before the tip of the coating nozzle reaches the descending end.

3. The liquid coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The timing for the supply to begin is set by the control device. The control device establishes a correspondence between the type of liquid and the supply start time in the storage unit and stores it in advance. Based on the type of liquid used, the supply start time is set according to the correspondence.

4. The liquid coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The timing for the supply to begin is set by the control device. When setting the supply start time, the control device sequentially uses multiple predetermined provisional supply start times to determine the coating status of the coating nozzle on the liquid agent, and sets the provisional supply start time with an appropriate coating status of the liquid agent as the supply start time.

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