A paint coating preparation station

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a paint preparation station, comprising: a raw material storage module for storing multiple types of raw materials; a robot for selecting a raw material syringe according to paint preparation instructions and transferring the target raw material syringe to a batching module; the batching module is used for injecting the raw material in the target raw material syringe into a needle cylinder according to the paint preparation instructions; a stirring module for stirring the raw material in the needle cylinder and performing a viscosity test; a syringe manufacturing module for installing a piston rod for the needle cylinder to obtain a paint syringe. According to the present disclosure, the selection of raw materials can be completed by using a robot, and the prepared raw materials can be stored in a needle cylinder, and after stirring, a piston rod can be installed to obtain a paint syringe. The amount of paint can be accurately controlled during subsequent use, reducing waste of raw materials and paint. Moreover, no pipeline is used, and problems such as difficult pipeline cleaning and pipeline blockage do not occur.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of paint and coating formulation technology, and in particular to a paint and coating formulation workstation. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, paint and coating formulations can be done manually, but this is inefficient and prone to dosage errors, leading to a decline in the quality of the formulated paint and coatings. Automated machine formulation is also an option, typically using pipelines to automatically transport various raw materials. However, pipeline transport can cause pipeline contamination, and less fluid materials may clog the pipelines, making cleaning difficult and resulting in material accumulation and waste. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure proposes a paint and coating preparation workstation, including: a raw material storage module, a batching module, a mixing module, a syringe manufacturing module, and a robot;

[0004] The raw material storage module is used to store various types of raw materials, wherein each type of raw material is stored in a corresponding raw material syringe;

[0005] The robot is used to select a raw material syringe according to the paint preparation instructions and transfer the selected target raw material syringe to the dispensing module;

[0006] The ingredient dispensing module is used to inject the raw material from the target raw material syringe into the syringe according to the paint preparation instruction, and to transport the syringe to the stirring module along the X-direction conveying line;

[0007] The stirring module includes a stirring mechanism and a viscosity testing mechanism. The stirring mechanism is used to stir the raw material in the syringe and move away from the top of the syringe along the Y direction. The viscosity testing mechanism moves along the Y direction to the top of the syringe and performs a viscosity test. After the viscosity test is passed, the paint coating is obtained, and the syringe is conveyed to the syringe manufacturing module along the X direction conveyor line. The X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0008] The syringe manufacturing module is used to install a piston rod on the syringe to obtain a paint / coating syringe. The piston rod has an axial through hole for discharging the paint / coating when the piston rod and the syringe move axially relative to each other.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the raw material storage module includes a raw material storage platform and a raw material positioning and transfer mechanism, the paint and coating preparation workstation further includes a code reading mechanism, and the raw material syringe is sprayed with an identification code;

[0010] The raw material storage platform is used to store multiple raw material syringes;

[0011] The robot is also used to place the raw material syringe into the code reading mechanism for code reading, and after code reading, to place the raw material syringe into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism for sorting and storage.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the code reading mechanism includes a rotary code reading mechanism, which comprises a rotary motor, a syringe positioning plate, and a code reader.

[0013] The rotary motor is used to drive the syringe positioning plate to rotate, so that the raw material syringe placed on the syringe positioning plate rotates.

[0014] The barcode reader is used to read the identification code sprayed on the raw material syringe during the rotation of the raw material syringe.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the paint / coating preparation workstation further includes:

[0016] Multiple robot quick-change grippers and quick-change gripper master disks;

[0017] The robot is further used for:

[0018] The robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the syringe barrel of the raw material syringe is installed onto the quick-change gripper mother plate, and the syringe barrel of the raw material syringe is grasped, and the raw material syringe is placed from the raw material storage platform into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism; or

[0019] The robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the piston rod of the raw material injector is installed onto the quick-change gripper mother plate, and the piston rod of the raw material injector is grasped, transferring the raw material injector from the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism to the batching module.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the dispensing module includes a rotary dispensing mechanism, the turntable of which includes placement positions for multiple raw material syringes for placing multiple target raw material syringes.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the rotary dispensing mechanism is used for:

[0022] According to the paint and coating preparation instructions, rotate the target raw material syringe above the syringe;

[0023] According to the paint preparation instructions, the amount of raw material corresponding to the paint preparation instructions in the target raw material syringe is injected into the syringe;

[0024] The rotary dispensing mechanism weighs the raw material injected into the syringe using a weight sensor and controls the injection speed of the raw material using a raw material syringe pressing mechanism.

[0025] The injection rate of the raw material is determined by the formula. To determine, where V is the pressing speed of the raw material syringe pressing mechanism, m1 and m2 are the weights of raw material injected into the syringe per unit time, and m1 > m2, M is the dosage corresponding to the paint / coating preparation instruction, M T R is the variable speed threshold, R is the syringe radius, ρ is the raw material density, and m is the raw material weight measured by the weight sensor.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the stirring mechanism includes a stirring motor and a dispersing disc;

[0027] The stirring mechanism is used to drive the dispersing disk to rotate via the stirring motor, thereby stirring the mixture of multiple raw materials in the syringe.

[0028] The viscosity testing device is used to detect the viscosity of the paint coating obtained after stirring.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the stirring mechanism further includes a vacuuming mechanism.

[0030] The stirring mechanism is further used for:

[0031] After the syringe is sealed, the syringe is evacuated by the vacuuming mechanism, and the mixture of various raw materials in the syringe is stirred under vacuum.

[0032] In one possible implementation, a piston rod pressing mechanism, an optical fiber sensor, and a coding mechanism are used.

[0033] The piston rod pressing mechanism is used to press the piston rod down to enter the syringe;

[0034] The fiber optic sensor is used to detect whether there is paint coating at the top of the axial through hole of the piston rod, and to stop the piston rod from pressing down when there is paint coating at the top of the axial through hole;

[0035] The marking mechanism is used to spray a marking code onto the syringe to obtain the paint / coating syringe.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the paint and coating preparation workstation further includes: a frame;

[0037] The raw material storage module, the ingredient mixing module, the stirring module, the syringe manufacturing module, and the robot are mounted on the frame.

[0038] According to the paint preparation workstation of this disclosure, a syringe can be used to store raw materials, a robot can be used to select the raw materials, and a syringe can be used to hold the prepared raw materials. After stirring, a piston rod can be installed to obtain a paint syringe. Using a paint syringe to store the prepared paint allows for precise control of the paint dosage during subsequent spraying or scraping, reducing waste of raw materials and paint. Furthermore, the paint preparation workstation does not use pipelines, avoiding problems such as difficult pipeline cleaning and pipeline blockage. The syringe is easy to clean, has low raw material loss, and is suitable for automated sample preparation with many batches and small quantities. Moreover, the used raw material syringes can be recycled, cleaned, and reused to avoid waste. Vacuum stirring can also be used during the raw material stirring process to improve the appearance quality of subsequent samples and to test the viscosity of the paint, avoiding sample preparation difficulties caused by excessive viscosity. Furthermore, information from each work node can be recorded, and identification codes can be sprayed onto the paint syringes for easy traceability and retrieval of various information about the paint syringes.

[0039] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Other features and aspects of this disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0040] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the specification, serve to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure.

[0041] Figure 1 A block diagram of a paint and coating preparation workstation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0042] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a paint and coating preparation workstation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0043] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a rotating barcode reader mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0044] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A schematic diagram of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0045] Reference numerals: 1. Frame; 2. Raw material storage platform; 3. Raw material positioning and transfer mechanism; 4. Waste syringe frame; 5. Robot quick-change gripper; 6. Robot; 7. Rotary batching mechanism; 8. Mixing mechanism; 9. Piston rod pressing mechanism; 10. Inkjet coding mechanism; 11. Code reading mechanism; 12. Empty syringe feeding mechanism; 13. Paint / coating syringe storage mechanism; 14. Rotary motor; 15. Mounting plate; 16. Base plate; 17. Synchronous belt; 18. Bearing seat; 19. Syringe positioning plate; 20. Raw material syringe; 21. Code reader mounting bracket; 22. Code reader; 23. Robot base; 24. Mechanical arm; 25. Quick-change gripper master plate; 26. First robot quick-change gripper; 27. Second robot quick-change gripper. Detailed Implementation

[0046] Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote elements that have the same or similar functions. Although various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, they are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0047] The term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration.” Any embodiment illustrated herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other embodiments.

[0048] In this document, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. Furthermore, the term "at least one" in this document means any combination of at least two of any one or more elements. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C can mean including any one or more elements selected from the set consisting of A, B, and C.

[0049] Furthermore, to better illustrate this disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description. Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure can be practiced without certain specific details. In some instances, methods, means, components, and circuits well known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail in order to highlight the main points of this disclosure.

[0050] To overcome the difficulties in pipeline cleaning and the waste of raw materials caused by pipeline accumulation, this disclosure proposes a paint preparation workstation. This workstation uses a syringe to store raw materials, a robot to select the materials, and a syringe to hold the prepared materials. After mixing, a piston rod can be installed to obtain a paint syringe. Using the paint syringe to store the prepared paint allows for precise control of the paint dosage during subsequent spraying or scraping, reducing waste of raw materials and paint. Furthermore, since the paint preparation workstation does not use pipelines, it avoids problems such as difficult pipeline cleaning and pipeline blockage.

[0051] Figure 1 A block diagram of a paint and coating preparation workstation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, including: a raw material storage module, a batching module, a mixing module, a syringe manufacturing module, and a robot;

[0052] The raw material storage module is used to store various types of raw materials, wherein each type of raw material is stored in a corresponding raw material syringe;

[0053] The robot is used to select a raw material syringe according to the paint preparation instructions and transfer the selected target raw material syringe to the dispensing module;

[0054] The ingredient dispensing module is used to inject the raw material from the target raw material syringe into the syringe according to the paint preparation instruction, and to transport the syringe to the stirring module along the X-direction conveying line;

[0055] The stirring module includes a stirring mechanism and a viscosity testing mechanism. The stirring mechanism is used to stir the raw material in the syringe and move away from the top of the syringe along the Y direction. The viscosity testing mechanism moves along the Y direction to the top of the syringe and performs a viscosity test. After the viscosity test is passed, the paint coating is obtained, and the syringe is conveyed to the syringe manufacturing module along the X direction conveyor line. The X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0056] The syringe manufacturing module is used to install a piston rod on the syringe to obtain a paint / coating syringe. The piston rod has an axial through hole for discharging the paint / coating when the piston rod and the syringe move axially relative to each other.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the paint / coating preparation workstation may include a raw material storage module for storing multiple raw material syringes, each containing raw materials. Each raw material syringe may be labeled with an identification code. The robot can select the target raw material syringe from the raw material syringes according to the paint / coating preparation instructions. For example, based on the paint / coating preparation instructions, the required raw material type can be determined, and the identification codes of each raw material syringe can be read to determine which one or more of the raw material syringes are the required ones.

[0058] In one possible implementation, after identifying the target raw material syringe, the robot can place it in the dispensing module. The dispensing module then determines the amount of each raw material in the syringe according to the paint / coating preparation instructions, and accurately dispenses the appropriate amount into the syringe. Subsequently, the syringe containing multiple raw materials can be moved to the mixing module for stirring and viscosity testing. Once the viscosity test is passed, a piston rod can be attached to the syringe. This piston rod can be an axially through-hole piston rod, which, when attached to the syringe, forms a paint / coating syringe, i.e., a syringe containing the prepared paint / coating. When using the paint / coating in subsequent processes, the piston rod can move axially within the syringe to dispense the paint / coating. The distance the piston rod moves is proportional to the amount of paint / coating used; therefore, using the paint / coating syringe allows for precise control of the paint / coating dosage.

[0059] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a paint / coating preparation workstation according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the paint and coating preparation workstation further includes: a frame 1; the raw material storage module, the batching module, the mixing module, the syringe manufacturing module, and the robot are installed on the frame 1.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the raw material storage module includes a raw material storage platform 2 and a raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3. The paint and coating preparation workstation also includes a code reading mechanism 11, and the raw material syringes are coated with identification codes. The raw material storage platform 2 is used to store multiple raw material syringes. The robot 6 is also used to place the raw material syringes into the code reading mechanism 11 for code reading, and after code reading, to place the raw material syringes into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3 for classified storage. For example, raw material syringes containing raw materials with the same composition are placed in the same area, or raw material syringes containing raw materials of the same color are placed in the same area. This disclosure does not limit the method of classified storage. Furthermore, the robot 6 has a memory function and can record the storage position of various types of raw material syringes in the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3. Therefore, in the subsequent batching process, the required raw materials can be directly retrieved from the positioning and transfer mechanism 3 without having to search for the location of the required raw material syringes, thereby improving the continuity and efficiency of batching.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the raw material storage platform 2 can store multiple raw material syringes; in this example, it can store 20 raw material syringes. This disclosure does not limit the capacity of the raw material storage platform. Each raw material syringe can be affixed or sprayed with an identification code, such as a QR code or barcode. The identification code can be used to identify information about the raw material in the syringe, such as the type, color, and viscosity of the raw material. The robot 6 can place the multiple raw material syringes placed in the raw material storage platform 2 into the code reading mechanism for reading, and after obtaining the information about the raw material in the syringes, classify and store the syringes in the positioning and transfer mechanism 3.

[0062] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a rotating barcode reader mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the code reading mechanism includes a rotary code reading mechanism, which includes a rotary motor 14, a syringe positioning plate 19, and a code reader 22. The rotary motor 14 is used to drive the syringe positioning plate 19 to rotate, so that the raw material syringe 20 placed on the syringe positioning plate 19 rotates. The code reader 22 is used to read the identification code sprayed on the raw material syringe 20 during the rotation of the raw material syringe 20.

[0064] In one possible implementation, since the identification code (e.g., QR code or barcode) sprayed on the syringe of the raw material syringe may not be directly facing the reader 22, a rotary motor 14 can be used to drive the syringe positioning plate 19 to rotate. For example, the syringe positioning plate 19 can be driven to rotate via a synchronous belt 17, thereby driving the raw material syringe 20 to rotate. During the rotation of the raw material syringe 20, the reader 22 can read the identification code of the raw material syringe when the identification code is directly facing the reader 22. The reader 22 is mounted on the reader mounting bracket 21, the syringe positioning plate 19 is mounted on the bearing seat 18, the rotary motor 14 is mounted on the mounting plate 15, and the mounting plate 15, mounting bracket 21, and bearing seat 18 are all mounted on the base plate 16.

[0065] Figure 4A and Figure 4B A schematic diagram of a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the paint / coating preparation workstation further includes: multiple robot quick-change grippers and quick-change gripper master trays 25; the robot is further configured to: install the robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the syringe of the raw material syringe onto the quick-change gripper master tray 25, and grasp the syringe of the raw material syringe, placing the raw material syringe from the raw material storage platform 2 into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3; or install the robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the piston rod of the raw material syringe onto the quick-change gripper master tray 25, and grasp the piston rod of the raw material syringe, transferring the raw material syringe from the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3 to the dispensing module.

[0067] In one possible implementation, robot 6 may include a robotic arm 24 capable of moving the raw material syringe to a designated location, the robotic arm 24 being mounted on robot base 23. The robot quick-change gripper may include a quick-change gripper sub-disc, and the quick-change gripper sub-disc and quick-change gripper female disc 25 may be flanges, capable of being interconnected, for example, by threaded connection or magnetic connection, etc. This disclosure does not limit the connection method.

[0068] In one possible implementation, robot 6 can select a robot quick-change gripper according to specific usage requirements. For example, it can select the first robot quick-change gripper 26, that is, the robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the syringe of the raw material syringe, and grab the syringe of the raw material syringe from the raw material storage table 2, so that the raw material syringe is facing upward. Through the action of the robotic arm 24, it is placed into the rotary code reading mechanism for code reading. After code reading, it can be placed into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3 for classification and storage. During the storage process, the raw material syringe is placed upward to avoid raw material dripping and contaminating the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3.

[0069] In one possible implementation, during the dispensing process, robot 6 may select a second robot quick-change gripper 27 and grasp the piston rod of the raw material syringe. After rotating the raw material syringe downwards, it is placed in the dispensing module, for example, placed downwards on the turntable of the rotating dispensing mechanism 7, so that during the dispensing process, the raw material in the raw material syringe flows downwards into the syringe.

[0070] In this way, when sorting and storing raw material syringes, a robotic quick-change gripper corresponding to the syringe barrel can be used to grasp the syringe barrel, keeping the raw material syringe in an upward position. This allows it to be placed upwards in the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3, preventing raw material dripping. Furthermore, during the dispensing process, the quick-change gripper can be changed to grasp the piston rod of the raw material syringe, causing the syringe to rotate to a downward position and be placed into the dispensing module, allowing the raw material inside the syringe to flow downwards during the dispensing process.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the paint formulation instruction may include the type, ratio, formulation method, amount of thinner to be added, and the specifications and model of the test plate required for subsequent use after the paint formulation process is completed. This disclosure does not limit the specific content included in the paint formulation instruction. After determining the raw material syringe required for formulating the paint through the paint formulation instruction, robot 6 can select the required raw material syringe from the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism 3 based on the type of raw material syringe.

[0072] In this way, the robot can classify and store raw material syringes in the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism for later use. If a certain raw material syringe is needed during the preparation process, or if a raw material syringe in the batching module needs to be replaced, the robot can directly grab the corresponding raw material syringe from the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism without stopping the batching module's preparation process to wait for material loading. That is, the batching process can be completed without interruption, thus improving preparation efficiency.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the dispensing module includes a rotary dispensing mechanism 7. The rotary dispensing mechanism 7 has multiple placement positions for raw material syringes on its turntable, for placing multiple target raw material syringes. The robot 6 can place each type of target raw material syringe into the designated placement positions according to the paint / coating preparation instructions. The rotary dispensing mechanism 7 can then align the target raw material syringes at each placement position with the syringe barrel according to the paint / coating preparation instructions, and dispense the predetermined amount of raw material from each placement syringe according to the paint / coating preparation instructions.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the empty syringe feeding mechanism 12 can deliver the empty syringe to the weight sensor of the rotary dispensing mechanism 7. The rotary dispensing mechanism 7 is used to: rotate the target raw material syringe above the syringe according to the paint / coating preparation instruction; and inject the amount of raw material corresponding to the paint / coating preparation instruction into the syringe according to the paint / coating preparation instruction. The rotary dispensing mechanism weighs the raw material injected into the syringe using a weight sensor and controls the injection speed using a raw material syringe pressing mechanism. The injection speed is determined by formula (1).

[0075]

[0076] Where V is the pressing speed of the raw material syringe pressing mechanism, m1 and m2 are the weights of raw materials injected into the syringe per unit time, and m1 > m2, M is the dosage corresponding to the paint / coating preparation instruction, M T R is the variable speed threshold, R is the syringe radius, ρ is the raw material density, and m is the raw material weight measured by the weight sensor.

[0077] In one possible implementation, the syringe can be placed on a weight sensor below the rotating dispensing mechanism 7. When the raw material in the target raw material syringe is injected into the syringe, the target raw material syringe can be rotated to a position directly above the syringe, and the target raw material syringe can be pushed by the raw material syringe pressing mechanism to dispense the amount corresponding to the paint / coating preparation instruction. This amount can be positively correlated with the pushing distance of the piston rod of the target raw material syringe. By controlling the pushing distance of the piston rod of the target raw material syringe, the amount of raw material can be precisely controlled to match the amount required by the paint / coating preparation instruction. Furthermore, to control the amount more precisely, the weight sensor constantly weighs the syringe and the raw material contained inside. When the weight of the raw material measured by the weight sensor reaches a certain value (mm), the weight is adjusted accordingly. T Previously, the difference from the preset dosage was M. T Previously, the pressing speed could be increased at a faster rate, thus improving pressing speed and configuration efficiency. When the weight of the raw material measured by the weight sensor reaches MM... T Then, the material is pressed down at a slower speed to more precisely control the output of the raw material. The injection of raw material is stopped when the weight corresponding to the paint / coating preparation instruction is reached, further improving the accuracy of the raw material dosage.

[0078] In one possible implementation, when M T When the relationships between M and m1 and m2 are as follows, the present invention can more accurately control the amount of raw material injected into the syringe.

[0079] M T= a*M, where a≤0.3. When M≤100, a=0.2 is preferred. When 100<M, a=0.01 is preferred.

[0080] m1 = b * m2, where 5 ≤ k2 ≤ 20, and b = 10 is preferred.

[0081] In one possible implementation, M can be set to 500g, M T The values ​​can be set to 5g, m1 can be set to 5g / s, m2 can be set to 0.5g / s, R can be set to 25mm, and ρ can be set to 1.5g / cm. 3 When the difference between the raw material weight measured by the weight sensor and the preset amount is greater than 5 grams, the pressing speed of the syringe pressure plate is 1.7 (mm / s). When the difference between the raw material weight measured by the weight sensor and the preset amount is less than or equal to 5 grams, the pressing speed of the syringe pressure plate is 0.17 (mm / s).

[0082] In one possible implementation, M can be set to 50g, M T The values ​​can be set to 5g, m1 can be set to 5g / s, m2 can be set to 0.25g / s, R can be set to 25mm, and ρ can be set to 1.5g / cm. 3 When the difference between the raw material weight measured by the weight sensor and the preset amount is greater than 5 grams, the pressing speed of the syringe pressure plate is 1.7 (mm / s). When the difference between the raw material weight measured by the weight sensor and the preset amount is less than or equal to 5 grams, the pressing speed of the syringe pressure plate is 0.08 (mm / s).

[0083] In one possible implementation, the weight sensor can be replaced by an electronic scale.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the paint / coating preparation workstation further includes a waste syringe frame 4; the waste syringe frame 4 is used to collect used raw material syringes. After the raw material in the target raw material syringe on the rotating dispensing mechanism 7 is used up, the robot can collect the used raw material syringes into the waste syringe frame 4. In this example, the waste syringe frame 4 can hold 12 used raw material syringes, which facilitates centralized collection and cleaning of the used raw material syringes, allowing them to be reused and reducing material waste.

[0085] In one possible implementation, after injecting multiple raw materials into a syringe according to a predetermined ratio and dosage, the syringe can be transferred to a stirring module. The stirring module can mix the multiple raw materials in the syringe evenly and perform viscosity testing. The stirring mechanism and the viscosity testing mechanism can be arranged in parallel in the Y direction, thereby reducing the space occupied in the X direction, improving space utilization, and reserving sufficient space for the subsequent installation of the syringe manufacturing module.

[0086] In one possible implementation, the stirring mechanism 8 includes a stirring motor and a dispersing disc; the stirring mechanism is used to drive the dispersing disc to rotate via the stirring motor to stir the mixture of various raw materials in the syringe; the viscosity testing mechanism is used to detect the viscosity of the paint coating obtained after stirring.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the stirring mechanism 8 can stir the raw materials in the syringe using a motor and a stirring component. The stirring component may include a stirring rod, a dispersing disc, etc., and this disclosure does not limit the specific type of the stirring component. Further, the stirring mechanism 8 also includes a vacuuming mechanism. The stirring mechanism 8 is further used to: after sealing the syringe, perform vacuuming on the syringe using the vacuuming mechanism, and perform vacuum stirring on the mixture of multiple raw materials in the syringe. In the example, the stirring mechanism can be arranged on a linear module in the Y direction. The lower part of the stirring mechanism 8 may include a sealing ring or other sealing mechanism. The stirring mechanism can move along the linear module in the Y direction to directly above the syringe and move downwards, causing the sealing ring to press against the syringe, thereby sealing the syringe. Then, the syringe is vacuumed using the vacuuming mechanism. After vacuuming, stirring can be performed using the dispersing disc, i.e., vacuum stirring.

[0088] In one possible implementation, the vacuum stirring process allows the syringe to be placed in a vacuum environment for stirring, thereby reducing air bubbles introduced during stirring in the air. This results in a uniform and complete paint film thickness when the paint is scraped or sprayed, improving the appearance quality of the paint film.

[0089] In one possible implementation, after the stirring mechanism completes stirring 8, it can rise and move in the Y direction, moving away from directly above the syringe. Subsequently, the viscosity of the paint / coating can be detected by a viscosity testing mechanism. For example, the viscosity testing mechanism can be positioned on a linear module in the Y direction and moved along the linear module to directly above the syringe, where a viscosity test can then be performed. The viscosity testing mechanism may include a motor and a viscosity testing component, which may include a rotor and a stirring rod, etc. This disclosure does not limit the type of viscosity testing component. The viscosity testing mechanism can descend, immersing the viscosity testing component in the liquid surface. The motor can drive the viscosity testing component to rotate in the paint / coating, and the resistance encountered during rotation can be detected to determine the viscosity of the paint / coating. If the viscosity of the paint / coating is too high, a thinner can be added to the syringe, and the mixture can be stirred again, and the viscosity test can be repeated until it passes the viscosity test. This viscosity test avoids excessively high paint / coating viscosity, which could cause difficulties in sample preparation when using the paint / coating later.

[0090] In one possible implementation, after the paint coating in the syringe passes a viscosity test, the syringe can be transferred to a syringe manufacturing module to install a piston rod, thus obtaining a paint coating syringe. Because the paint coating has poor fluidity, it is difficult to draw it into the syringe after it has been prepared. Therefore, various raw materials can be prepared, stirred, and viscosified in the syringe to obtain the paint coating, allowing the paint coating preparation process to be completed directly in the syringe. The piston rod is then installed to obtain the paint coating syringe.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the piston rod can be a piston rod with an axial through hole.

[0092] In one possible implementation, the piston rod can be a transparent piston rod with an axial through hole.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the syringe manufacturing module includes: a piston rod pressing mechanism 9, an optical fiber sensor, and a coding mechanism 10; the piston rod pressing mechanism 9 is used to press down the piston rod to enter the syringe; the optical fiber sensor is used to detect whether there is paint coating at the top end of the axial through hole of the piston rod, and stops pressing down the piston rod when there is paint coating at the top end of the axial through hole; the coding mechanism 10 is used to spray an identification code onto the syringe to obtain the paint coating syringe.

[0094] In one possible implementation, as described above, the piston rod can be an axially through-hole piston rod. The piston rod pressing mechanism 9 can press the piston rod into the syringe to obtain a paint injector. The paint inside the paint injector can be expelled from the syringe by pushing the piston rod, causing the piston rod to move axially. A fiber optic sensor can detect whether there is paint at the top of the axial through-hole. If there is, the paint will block the light from the fiber optic sensor, causing a decrease in light transmittance. Therefore, when the fiber optic sensor detects a decrease in light transmittance, it indicates that the piston rod has reached the liquid surface of the paint and expelled the paint, and the air in the syringe has also been expelled. At this time, the piston rod can be stopped from pressing down. Furthermore, to improve the manufacturing efficiency of the paint injector and reduce the probability of paint rapidly overflowing from the top of the axial through-hole, the speed of piston rod pressing down can be controlled. For example, the piston rod can be pressed down faster before entering the syringe, and slower after entering the syringe. For example, the height of the syringe can be set. Before the piston rod descends to this height, the descent speed can be made faster to improve efficiency. After it falls below this height, the descent speed can be made slower to prevent paint from overflowing rapidly from the top of the axial through hole.

[0095] This method allows air to be expelled from the syringe, reducing air bubbles in the paint and coating, which facilitates precise control of the amount of paint and coating used in subsequent applications.

[0096] In one possible implementation, to ensure the complete preservation of information about the paint injector, an identification code, such as a QR code or barcode, can be printed onto the syringe by a coding mechanism 10. This allows the information of the paint injector to be retrieved during subsequent use by reading the identification code. In this example, if a power outage occurs during use, the information about the paint injector, such as its composition and proportions, can be obtained by reading the code. In subsequent use, the manufactured paint injector can be sent to a spraying or scraping mechanism, or it can be placed in a paint injector storage mechanism 13, awaiting manual removal for other purposes.

[0097] In one possible implementation, each process of the paint / coating preparation workstation described above can be recorded and stored in a database, and this information can be retrieved by reading the identification code of the paint / coating syringe. For example, the type of syringe used to select the target raw material, the time of selection, the time of batching by the batching module, the time of stirring and viscosity testing by the mixing module, the amount of thinner added during viscosity testing, the time of piston rod installation by the syringe manufacturing module, and the time of spraying the identification code, etc. This disclosure does not impose any time restrictions on each work node.

[0098] According to the paint preparation workstation of this disclosure, a syringe can be used to store raw materials, a robot can be used to select the raw materials, and a syringe can be used to hold the prepared raw materials. After stirring, a piston rod can be installed to obtain a paint syringe. Using a paint syringe to store the prepared paint allows for precise control of the paint dosage during subsequent spraying or scraping, reducing waste of raw materials and paint. Furthermore, the paint preparation workstation does not use pipelines, avoiding problems such as difficult pipeline cleaning and pipeline blockage. The syringe is easy to clean, has low raw material loss, and is suitable for automated sample preparation with many batches and small quantities. Moreover, the used raw material syringes can be recycled, cleaned, and reused to avoid waste. Vacuum stirring can also be used during the raw material stirring process to improve the appearance quality of subsequent samples and to test the viscosity of the paint, avoiding sample preparation difficulties caused by excessive viscosity. Furthermore, information from each work node can be recorded, and identification codes can be sprayed onto the paint syringes for easy traceability and retrieval of various information about the paint syringes.

[0099] It is understood that the embodiments mentioned above in this disclosure can be combined with each other to form combined embodiments without violating the principle and logic. Due to space limitations, this disclosure will not elaborate further. Those skilled in the art will understand that in the above methods of specific implementation, the specific execution order of each step should be determined by its function and possible internal logic.

[0100] The various embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used in this disclosure is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable other those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A paint coating preparation station, characterized in that include: Raw material storage module, ingredient dispensing module, mixing module, syringe manufacturing module, and robot; The raw material storage module is used to store various types of raw materials, wherein each type of raw material is stored in a corresponding raw material syringe; The robot is used to select a raw material syringe according to the paint preparation instructions and transfer the selected target raw material syringe to the dispensing module; The dispensing module includes a rotary dispensing mechanism, a raw material syringe pressing mechanism, and a weight sensor. It is used to rotate the target raw material syringe above the syringe according to the paint preparation instruction, inject the amount of raw material in the target raw material syringe corresponding to the paint preparation instruction into the syringe, and transport the syringe to the stirring module along the X-direction conveyor line. The rotary dispensing mechanism weighs the raw material injected into the syringe using a weight sensor and controls the injection speed of the raw material using a raw material syringe pressing mechanism. The injection speed of the raw material is determined by the formula wherein V is the pressing speed of the raw material injector pressing mechanism, m1 and m2 are the weight of the raw material injected into the syringe per unit time, and m1 > m2, M is the amount corresponding to the paint coating preparation instruction, M T is the variable speed threshold, R is the syringe radius, p is the raw material density, and m is the weight of the raw material weighed by the weight sensor. The stirring module includes a stirring mechanism and a viscosity testing mechanism. The stirring mechanism is used to stir the raw material in the syringe and move away from the top of the syringe along the Y direction. The viscosity testing mechanism moves along the Y direction to the top of the syringe and performs a viscosity test. After the viscosity test is passed, the paint coating is obtained, and the syringe is conveyed to the syringe manufacturing module along the X direction conveyor line. The X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other. The syringe manufacturing module is used to install a piston rod on the syringe to obtain a paint / coating syringe, including a fiber optic sensor; the piston rod has an axial through hole for discharging the paint / coating when the piston rod and the syringe undergo axial relative movement. The fiber optic sensor is used to detect whether there is paint coating at the top of the axial through hole of the piston rod, and stops the piston rod from pressing down when there is paint coating at the top of the axial through hole.

2. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The raw material storage module includes a raw material storage platform and a raw material positioning and transfer mechanism; the paint and coating preparation workstation also includes a code reading mechanism; and the raw material syringe is sprayed with an identification code. The raw material storage platform is used to store multiple raw material syringes; The robot is also used to place the raw material syringe into the code reading mechanism for code reading, and after code reading, to place the raw material syringe into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism for sorting and storage.

3. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The code reading mechanism includes a rotary code reading mechanism, which comprises a rotary motor, a syringe positioning plate, and a code reader. The rotary motor is used to drive the syringe positioning plate to rotate, so that the raw material syringe placed on the syringe positioning plate rotates. The barcode reader is used to read the identification code sprayed on the raw material syringe during the rotation of the raw material syringe.

4. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 2, characterized in that, The paint and coating preparation workstation also includes: multiple robot quick-change grippers and quick-change gripper master discs; The robot is further used for: The robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the syringe barrel of the raw material syringe is installed onto the quick-change gripper mother plate, and the syringe barrel of the raw material syringe is grasped, and the raw material syringe is placed from the raw material storage platform into the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism; or The robot quick-change gripper corresponding to the piston rod of the raw material injector is installed onto the quick-change gripper mother plate, and the piston rod of the raw material injector is grasped, transferring the raw material injector from the raw material positioning and transfer mechanism to the batching module.

5. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary dispensing mechanism includes multiple placement positions for raw material syringes on its turntable, for placing multiple target raw material syringes.

6. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stirring mechanism includes a stirring motor and a dispersing disc; The stirring mechanism is used to drive the dispersing disk to rotate via the stirring motor, thereby stirring the mixture of multiple raw materials in the syringe. The viscosity testing device is used to detect the viscosity of the paint coating obtained after stirring.

7. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 6, characterized in that, The stirring mechanism also includes a vacuuming mechanism. The stirring mechanism is further used for: After the syringe is sealed, the syringe is evacuated by the vacuuming mechanism, and the mixture of various raw materials in the syringe is stirred under vacuum.

8. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The syringe manufacturing module includes: a piston rod pressing mechanism and a coding mechanism; The piston rod pressing mechanism is used to press the piston rod down to enter the syringe; The marking mechanism is used to spray a marking code onto the syringe to obtain the paint / coating syringe.

9. The paint and coating preparation workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The paint and coating preparation workstation also includes: a frame; The raw material storage module, the ingredient mixing module, the stirring module, the syringe manufacturing module, and the robot are mounted on the frame.

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