A laser coating cleaning system and a cleaning method

CN118417252BActive Publication Date: 2026-08-11NANJING WAVELENGTH OPTO ELECTRONICS SCI & TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-04-11
Publication Date
2026-08-11

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

[0009]本发明提供一种激光镀膜清洗系统,是根据镀膜机内清洗工作专门开发的,适用于镀膜机内多角度、全方位的清洗,无需拆装镀膜机,有效克服了现有方法效率低、污染大、不适于大体积清洗等问题

Benefits of technology

[0050] 1. During laser cleaning, this system uses a scanning linear laser beam on the working surface, which improves cleaning efficiency. The length of this linear laser beam can be adjusted by adjusting the swing angle of the galvanometer. The laser pulse frequency, pulse width, and power of the YDFLP-CL-300-10-W fiber laser can be set separately. Finally, the laser beam is focused and emitted from the linear light outlet at the duckbill head to clean the internal surface of the coating machine.

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Abstract

This invention discloses a laser coating cleaning system and method. The laser coating cleaning system includes a coating cleaning head, a system support, and an electric scooter. The coating cleaning head has a flat, duckbill-shaped end with a linear light outlet and is protected by both positive and negative pressure gases. This ensures effective cleaning while protecting the lens and the surrounding environment. The coating cleaning head and the electric scooter are mounted on the front and rear side walls of the system support, respectively. Operators can easily move the scooter to the work area by controlling its direction with their feet. The system support is equipped with adjustable feet for posture adjustment. This invention is specifically developed for cleaning within a coating machine and is suitable for multi-angle, all-around cleaning within the coating machine. It eliminates the need to disassemble the coating machine, effectively overcoming the problems of low efficiency, high pollution, and unsuitability for large-volume cleaning in existing methods.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a laser coating cleaning system and cleaning method, belonging to the field of laser cleaning technology. Background Technology

[0002] In vacuum coating equipment, after a period of operation, the accumulated film layer on the surfaces of the internal components of the coating chamber becomes increasingly thick. Due to the thickness of the film layer, the stress within the film itself is high. Furthermore, the adhesion between films deposited at different times can easily cause the film layer on the component surface to detach, resulting in significant contamination of the sample surface during the coating process. This greatly affects the coating yield and also impacts the strength and sealing performance of vacuum component connections. Moreover, the accumulated film layer exhibits gas and oil vapor absorption and release phenomena, affecting the vacuum level of the coating chamber while simultaneously releasing adsorbed oil and gas, further severely impacting coating adhesion and increasing film absorption rate, leading to quality problems. Therefore, it is essential to clean the internal components of the chamber regularly. Pre-cleaning can reduce many problems and prevent numerous minor issues, significantly improving work efficiency and the coating quality of the vacuum coating machine. It can also greatly enhance the operational stability of all walls and other component surfaces in the vacuum system under various operating conditions.

[0003] Because it is an oxide dielectric film deposited by vacuum electron beam high-temperature evaporation, the film layer has high hardness. The commonly used sandpaper polishing method is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also has poor cleaning effect. If only sandblasting is used, because the surface hardness of aluminum alloy is not high, sand particles will be embedded in the sample surface during the sandblasting process and cannot be completely removed. These sand particles will fall off during the high-speed rotation of the component during the coating process, which will affect the yield of the coating.

[0004] In addition to these methods, there are solvent degreasing, acid or alkali etching, electrochemical cleaning, electropolishing, and ultrasonic cleaning. Solvent degreasing works by recognizing that the grease adhering to vacuum equipment parts can be categorized into two main types: animal and vegetable oils, and mineral oils. Alkaline solutions can chemically remove animal and vegetable oils, while organic solvents can remove mineral oils. However, in practice, both types of oil may be present simultaneously, requiring the use of various solvents for cleaning equipment parts. After degreasing, acid or alkali etching removes oxides from the metal surface. Since the equipment parts are already free of oil after heat treatment, acid and alkali etching can be performed directly to remove the oxide layer contamination left after vacuum annealing. Electrochemical polishing requires a standardized electrolyte formula and polishing procedure. After polishing, the parts are neutralized in 2%-5% ammonia water for 15-20 seconds, then rinsed with water, dehydrated with ethanol, and dried. Ultrasonic cleaning utilizes the void phenomenon created by ultrasound, altering the density of the cleaning medium to achieve a cleaning effect on vacuum coating equipment.

[0005] Most of the above cleaning methods not only require disassembling the internal parts of the coating machine, which consumes a lot of time and effort, but also inevitably cause pollution during the disassembly and assembly process, and consume a certain amount of cleaning materials, which is especially inconvenient when cleaning large objects. Therefore, developing a reasonable cleaning method, especially for cleaning the non-removable internal main body surfaces and functional structural components of the coating machine, has always been a weak point and pain point in the daily maintenance of coating machines.

[0006] Laser cleaning utilizes a focused laser beam to act on the surface of a material, generating a photoionization explosion cloud. Under the influence of the laser, the surface of the material undergoes physical and chemical reactions such as evaporation, flame formation, ionization, and explosion. This causes the contaminant layer and the workpiece's base layer to expand and contract, rapidly vaporizing or peeling off the surface contaminants, thus achieving surface cleaning. The process is as follows: Figure 1 As shown. Compared to traditional physical or chemical cleaning methods, laser cleaning has the advantages of being non-contact, requiring no consumables, producing no added pollution, having high control precision, and causing little or no damage.

[0007] However, during laser cleaning of the target object, the interaction between the laser and the material generates a series of ionization micro-explosions, which in turn create shock waves on the material surface. These shock waves cause reflection from the target object's surface, scattering contaminants in all directions. The reflection process is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, it not only pollutes the surrounding environment, but also contaminates the lens of the coating cleaning head, making it difficult to clean and resulting in a short service life.

[0008] In addition, existing laser cleaning methods include one method of using a fixed cleaning head, which is not suitable for immobile coating machines; and another method of manually holding the laser cleaning head to clean every corner inside the coating machine. However, using this cleaning method for a long time will not only cause the operator to inhale the contaminants generated by the laser cleaning during operation, but also make it difficult to stabilize the focus when manually cleaning large objects, affecting the cleaning effect and efficiency, and is also labor-intensive. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This invention provides a laser coating cleaning system, which is specifically developed for cleaning operations inside a coating machine. It is suitable for multi-angle and all-round cleaning inside the coating machine, without the need to disassemble the coating machine, and effectively overcomes the problems of low efficiency, high pollution, and unsuitability for large-volume cleaning in existing methods.

[0010] This design uses lasers to clean the interior and components of the coating machine.

[0011] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0012] A laser coating cleaning system includes a coating cleaning head, a system support, a robot mounting frame, a collaborative robot, a robot base, a 3D vision camera, a pulsed fiber laser, a control box, a host computer, a chiller, a fiber optic bracket, an air source device, and an electric balance vehicle.

[0013] The coating machine cleaning head includes a duckbill head, an integrated base, and a handle. The duckbill head is flat and duckbill-shaped, with one end being the light-emitting end and the other end being the connecting end. The duckbill head has a tapering structure from the connecting end to the light-emitting end. A positive pressure chamber is located inside the duckbill head, and symmetrical negative pressure chambers are located on the left and right sides of the positive pressure chamber. The positive and negative pressure chambers are not interconnected. The orientation of both the positive and negative pressure chambers is consistent with the direction from the connecting end to the light-emitting end of the duckbill head. The left and right sidewalls of the connecting end of the duckbill head have markings corresponding to the positive and negative pressure chambers. The negative pressure connector connects the negative pressure chambers on both sides of the pressure chamber, and the bottom of the duckbill head connection end is provided with a positive pressure connector that connects to the positive pressure chamber; the end of the duckbill head light-emitting end is provided with a linear light-emitting port that communicates with the positive pressure chamber, and the left and right sides of the light-emitting end of the duckbill head are respectively provided with dust suction holes that communicate with the negative pressure chambers on both sides; the connection end of the duckbill head is connected to the integrated base, and the positive pressure chamber inside the duckbill head communicates with the interior of the integrated base. The integrated base integrates a galvanometer motor, a galvanometer, and a field lens. The handle is installed at the bottom of the integrated base, and the bottom of the handle is provided with an optical fiber inlet.

[0014] The robot mounting frame is installed on the front side wall of the system bracket. The collaborative robot is mounted on the robot mounting frame via the robot base. The robot mounting frame is a liftable structure. A jig plate is provided on the front side wall of the system bracket on one side of the robot mounting frame. The side wall of the coating machine cleaning head integrated base is detachably connected to the hand end of the collaborative robot via a connector. The 3D vision camera is installed on the top of the hand end of the collaborative robot. The coating machine cleaning head is pressed against the side wall of the hand end of the collaborative robot.

[0015] A pulsed fiber laser includes an output end, an optical fiber, and an optical fiber head connected in sequence. The optical fiber head is inserted into the optical fiber inlet at the bottom of the handle of the coating machine cleaning head. The laser emitted from the optical fiber head passes through a galvanometer, a field mirror, and a positive pressure cavity in sequence before being emitted from the linear output port.

[0016] The system support frame is divided into upper and lower support platforms by partitions. The main operating unit and fiber optic bracket are both located on the upper support platform. The control box is connected to the main operating unit. The collaborative robot, 3D vision camera, pulsed fiber laser, chiller, and air supply device are all connected to and controlled by the control box and displayed by the main operating unit. The laser's output end is equipped with a water-cooling cavity. The inlet and outlet of the water-cooling cavity are connected to the inlet and outlet of the chiller through pipelines, forming a circulation to achieve water cooling. The output end of the pulsed fiber laser, the chiller, the control box, and the air supply device are located on the lower support platform. The air supply device includes a positive pressure device and a negative pressure device. The positive pressure device (providing compressed air) is connected to the positive pressure connector on the duckbill head through pipelines, and the negative pressure device is connected to all the negative pressure connectors on the duckbill head through pipelines. There are perforated enclosures on the left and right sides between the upper and lower support platforms.

[0017] The side wall of the electric balance scooter's pedal is connected to the bottom of the rear side wall of the system bracket. The bottom of the system bracket is equipped with wheels, and both ends of the bottom of the rear side wall of the system bracket are equipped with lifting feet. The top of the rear side wall of the system bracket is equipped with a push rod.

[0018] The integrated base also includes galvanometer drive lines, push-button switches, and switch lines, all of which utilize existing mature technologies. This application makes no improvements in these areas and therefore will not elaborate further. This application makes no improvements to the control box or operating host itself, directly employing existing technologies and will not elaborate further.

[0019] Note: In this application, the directional terms such as up and down, left and right, vertical, horizontal, front and back are all based on the relative positional relationships shown in the attached drawings.

[0020] The collaborative robot is located on the front side wall of the system support, and the electric self-balancing scooter is located on the rear side wall of the system support.

[0021] The direction from the connecting end to the light-emitting end of the duckbill nozzle is perpendicular to the direction from left to right. The direction from the connecting end to the light-emitting end is consistent with the light-emitting direction and also with the axis of the duckbill nozzle. The orientation of the positive pressure chamber and the negative pressure chamber refers to the airflow direction of the positive and negative pressure chambers, respectively.

[0022] The above-mentioned coating machine cleaning head has a simple and unique structure, small size, and light weight, with a total weight of approximately 1.2KG.

[0023] The aforementioned flat, duckbill-shaped duckbill head design features a narrow-front, wide-back sluice-shaped sealing cavity on the inside to ensure unobstructed light path. It can simultaneously provide positive and negative pressure gas protection while ensuring accessibility between complex components within the coating machine.

[0024] The narrow, linear light-emitting port at the tip of the aforementioned duckbill-shaped lens ensures laser passage while maximizing the protective gas pressure and outlet velocity within the slit-shaped sealed cavity, all while maintaining the same protective gas flow rate. This higher pressure and velocity better prevent cleaning dust from entering the optical path of the slit-shaped seal, effectively protecting the cleaning lens from contamination. Simultaneously, it blows clean surfaces, improving cleaning effectiveness and efficiency. In other words, positive pressure blowing combined with the slit-shaped light-emitting port better protects the lens and enhances cleaning performance and efficiency. Furthermore, negative pressure suction dust removal is integrated into the same structure, cleverly avoiding the adverse effects of short-circuiting between positive and negative pressure. The negative pressure effectively draws away and collects non-environmentally friendly dust, significantly reducing dust pollution and propagation at the light-emitting port, further protecting the lens and the surrounding environment.

[0025] The aforementioned coating machine cleaning head can be detachably connected to the end of the cooperating robot arm, allowing for handheld operation and enabling handheld cleaning of areas inaccessible to automatic cleaning.

[0026] The output end of the aforementioned galvanometer and field lens assembly is connected to the duckbill head, and the input end of the galvanometer and field lens assembly is connected to the inside of the handle. The galvanometer and field lens assembly can focus the laser beam emitted from the laser to form a high-energy-density linear scanning laser beam, which then passes through the positive pressure cavity and exits from the linear light outlet.

[0027] The aforementioned 3D vision camera includes a vision processing module, a 3D vision controller, and the 3D vision camera itself. In complex working environments, the 3D vision camera can guide: 1. Initial position adjustment and automatic correction of the collaborative robot's trajectory working surface; 2. Detection of potential collisions, providing collision avoidance signals to the collaborative robot, thus protecting the coating mechanism and the robot itself; 3. Automatic tracking of the cleaning focus to ensure cleaning effectiveness and improve cleaning efficiency. The 3D vision camera used in this application can be purchased directly from existing commercially available products.

[0028] The collaborative robot used in this application is a 6-axis robot. The collaborative robot's handpiece is also known as the operating end of the collaborative robot.

[0029] The aforementioned system support has a fixture plate on its front side wall, which is used to anchor the system to the coating machine during use.

[0030] The aforementioned electric self-balancing scooter is a mobile vehicle for the coating cleaning system. Operators can easily move the scooter to the work area by simply controlling its direction with their feet. The electric self-balancing scooter includes a pedal and wheels on both sides of the pedal, which is common knowledge and will not be described further in this application.

[0031] The lifting feet on the system support allow for easy adjustment of the system's attitude to ensure it matches the initial position.

[0032] To better balance cleaning efficiency and cleaning effect, the width of the linear light outlet on the duckbill head is 1±0.2mm and the length is 20±0.2mm.

[0033] To improve the smoke and dust removal effect, there are two dust suction holes on both sides of the light-emitting end of the duckbill head, and the dust suction holes on the left and right sides are symmetrically arranged, that is, there are a total of four dust suction holes on both sides of the light-emitting end of the duckbill head; the negative pressure connectors on the left and right side walls of the connecting end of the duckbill head are symmetrically arranged.

[0034] To further enhance environmental friendliness, the suction hole is a slender oval shape. The length of the suction hole is aligned with the direction from the duckbill head connection end to the light emission end. The interval between the suction hole and the linear light emission port is 2±0.02mm. The maximum length of the suction hole is 25±2mm, and the maximum width is 4±0.2mm.

[0035] As one specific implementation, the integrated base sidewall of the coating machine cleaning head is detachably connected to the end of the collaborative robot arm via an angled connector. This allows for handheld operation.

[0036] For ease of control, both lifting feet are driven by stepper motors controlled by a handwheel controller. The handwheel control of the lifting feet's raising and lowering is based on existing structures, and this application does not offer any significant improvements; therefore, it will not be elaborated upon further.

[0037] For ease of control and installation, the robot mounting frame includes a lead screw slide rail module, a lifting connecting plate, a robot support base, a robot mounting plate, and a module mounting plate. The lead screw slide rail module is longitudinally arranged and driven by a stepper motor controlled by a handwheel controller. The lead screw and the stepper motor shaft are connected via a coupling. The lifting connecting plate is a straight plate structure and is connected to the slider of the lead screw slide rail module. The robot support base is a right-angle corner structure formed by the perpendicular connection of a transverse mounting plate and a longitudinal mounting plate. The longitudinal mounting plate is connected to the lifting connecting plate, and the robot base is mounted on the transverse mounting plate via the robot mounting plate. One side of the module mounting plate is connected to the side wall of the lead screw slide rail module, and the other side is connected to the front side wall of the system bracket.

[0038] As is common knowledge, a lead screw slide guide module is equipped with a lead screw, and a slider is threaded onto the lead screw. This application does not make any special improvements to this module itself, so it will not be described in detail. Preferably, the effective stroke of the lead screw slide guide module is 200mm and the width is 160mm.

[0039] The aforementioned method allows the gearbox drive screw to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by rotating the handwheel clockwise and counterclockwise, thereby enabling the slider to move the collaborative robot up and down to match the height of various coating machine platforms.

[0040] Preferably, the pulsed fiber laser is a YDFLP-CL-300-10-W laser. One end of the aforementioned YDFLP-CL-300-10-W laser is the output end, and the other end is a fiber optic connector.

[0041] This invention enables laser cleaning within a coating machine to be performed manually. Guided by a 3D vision camera and linked with a collaborative robot, the laser cleaning head can be automatically controlled and operated via a program, autonomously cleaning various corners within the coating machine. On one hand, the collaborative robot can be controlled in three ways: setting movement coordinates via robot control software, manually dragging and dropping to read required coordinates, and graphical visual programming, offering flexibility. On the other hand, the fully automated cleaning operation of the collaborative robot can be used for extended periods, meeting specified cleaning requirements. The 3D vision camera B10 guides the initial positioning and adjustment; it also controls the collaborative robot B04 to avoid collisions, protecting the coating mechanism components and the robot itself; simultaneously, it can automatically track the cleaning focus, improving the efficiency of each cleaning cycle. Furthermore, the cleaning head can be detached for handheld operation, facilitating use in other working environments.

[0042] The method for cleaning the coating machine using the above system includes the following steps:

[0043] 1) Set the target point as the right angle of a right triangle inside the coating machine, with the vertical and horizontal dimensions taking 100mm to 150mm to form an isosceles triangle. Use a 3D vision camera to collect the spatial coordinates of the target point and the other two triangle vertices as initial position and attitude data and save them. Plan the partitioned cleaning blocks inside the coating machine. Set a target point as the right angle of a right triangle in each area, with the vertical and horizontal dimensions taking 100mm to 150mm to form an isosceles triangle. Use a 3D vision camera to collect the spatial coordinates of the target point and the other two triangle vertices as the area reference point. Create a robot drag cleaning trajectory for each area and save the corresponding trajectory data.

[0044] 2) The operator holds a push rod to control the direction of the electric balance vehicle, moving the coating cleaning system trolley to the corresponding work area. The operator confirms that the robot is in its initial position, confirms the coating machine position information, calls the corresponding application path program, connects and locks the jig connecting plate of the coating machine to the jig plate on the system bracket, adjusts the height of the feet and robot mounting frame to make the 3D image feature data of the initial position set and saved in the early stage consistent with the feature values ​​of the real-time 3D vision camera image (considered consistent within the error range of operation), locks the adjustment mechanism of the feet and robot mounting frame, and waits for the cleaning work to begin.

[0045] 3) When entering the automatic cleaning state, the system sequentially divides the area into zones. After entering each cleaning zone, the 3D vision camera first takes pictures of the target points in the corresponding area to collect actual data, compares and calculates the data with the pre-stored target point data, and controls the collaborative robot to make corresponding posture corrections to ensure the repeatability accuracy of the actual cleaning trajectory. Then, the automatic cleaning process in the area can be carried out according to the preset laser power frequency, pulse width, air source pressure, water flow speed and trajectory. The linear laser and compressed air are emitted from the linear light outlet at the same time, and the generated smoke and dust are sucked away through the dust suction hole and sent to the smoke and dust centralized treatment device.

[0046] 4) During the automatic cleaning process, the 3D vision camera simultaneously acquires 3D data according to a preset program, outputting the distance parameter between the camera and the cleaning point. The control program compares and adjusts the robot's posture to ensure the distance parameter matches the focal position. This dynamic process control reduces the accuracy requirements of the optical axis focal direction when the robot drags along the set trajectory, further reducing workload. High-precision automatic focal distance control also contributes to efficient cleaning. Simultaneously, extreme distance data within the output field of view is compared with the control program's warning data to provide corresponding alarms and necessary interruptions.

[0047] Before the automatic steps are started, the operator needs to manually drag and drop the robot to allow the robot controller to record the trajectory the robot has traveled during this period. The system generates trajectory files. During control programming, these trajectory files can be called through trajectory recording commands, so that the robot can reproduce the taught trajectory in the program. Through combination, editing and debugging, the automatic operation process is finally confirmed.

[0048] Any techniques not mentioned in this invention are based on existing technologies.

[0049] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0050] 1. During laser cleaning, this system uses a scanning linear laser beam on the working surface, which improves cleaning efficiency. The length of this linear laser beam can be adjusted by adjusting the swing angle of the galvanometer. The laser pulse frequency, pulse width, and power of the YDFLP-CL-300-10-W fiber laser can be set separately. Finally, the laser beam is focused and emitted from the linear light outlet at the duckbill head to clean the internal surface of the coating machine.

[0051] 2. Environmental design considerations aim to maximize the removal of splashed fumes and dust generated during cleaning. Previous methods for removing fumes and dust included: a. Installing a device for negative pressure suction at a location far from the cleaning surface, such as near the focusing lens outlet; b. Using a structure similar to a universal joint drain pipe for water or oil spraying on a machine tool for negative pressure suction on the working surface. Method a can achieve the removal of harmful fumes and dust from an environmental perspective, but it is still too far from the working surface where splashed fumes and dust are generated, resulting in low efficiency. Furthermore, under negative pressure, fumes and dust accumulate around the focusing lens, easily contaminating it. Method b, while seemingly lightweight and flexible due to its machine tool-like universal joint drain pipe structure, suffers from a small negative pressure channel (approximately 3mm diameter), a winding and somewhat long path, and a maximum pressure difference of only 1kg / cm², far lower than water or oil pressure, significantly reducing suction capacity and failing to effectively achieve environmentally friendly suction. This invention designs four dust suction holes on both sides of the linear light outlet of the duckbill head as suction channels during laser cleaning. It maximizes the diameter and number of channels within a limited space, and the channel openings are as close as possible to the working surface, greatly increasing the intake of splashed smoke and dust, and can send the splashed smoke and dust into a centralized smoke and dust treatment device.

[0052] 3. A new method of air blowing protection has been implemented. Simply blowing air to remove smoke and dust is not enough. a. Both the blown air and the generated splashed smoke and dust have their own fluid fields. The most difficult to control is the turbulence and eddies generated when the two fluid fields merge. This invention uses a combination of blowing and suction to keep the turbulence and eddies carrying smoke and dust away from the area that needs protection; b. When the cleaning head is working, clean and dry compressed air is continuously blown from the inside into the linear light outlet of the duckbill, creating positive pressure in the conical space inside the duckbill. This effectively prevents splashed smoke and dust from entering the optical path, thus protecting the lens inside the cleaning head.

[0053] 4. The laser coating cleaning system of this invention features non-contact operation, no consumables, no added pollution, high control precision, and minimal or no damage, ensuring cleaning efficiency. The coating cleaning head design achieves advantages such as lightweight construction, integrated air-blowing protection structure, and dust removal. Employing a 6-axis collaborative robot, it can achieve long-term automated cleaning operations, avoiding the instability of manual hand-held cleaning inside large coating machines. Simultaneously, the robot's working range is controllable, ensuring worker safety and cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, using a 3D vision robot to automatically track the cleaning system's focus allows for automatic collision avoidance guidance and control, while also guiding the initial position adjustment between the system support and the coating machine. Real-time monitoring of the working process improves the system's automation efficiency and accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the laser cleaning principle.

[0055] Figure 2This is a diagram of the laser cleaning process;

[0056] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the laser coating cleaning system of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the coating cleaning head of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the coating cleaning head of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the cleaning state of the coating cleaning head of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 7 for Figure 6 View from AA direction;

[0061] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the robot mounting frame structure of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting foot structure of the present invention;

[0063] Figure 10 This is a process diagram of the cleaning and coating machine of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 11 This is a comparison diagram showing the cleaning effect of different cleaning parameters on the inner wall of the same coating machine door according to the present invention;

[0065] Figure 12 This is the effect of hand polishing;

[0066] In the diagram, B01 is an electric balance scooter, B02 is a push rod, B03 is a robot mounting bracket, B04 is a collaborative robot, B05 is a coating cleaning head, B06 is a chiller, B07 is the output end of a pulsed fiber laser, B08 is a control box, B09 is the operating host, B10 is a 3D vision camera, B11 is a fiber optic bracket, B12 is a connector, B13 is a lifting foot, B14 is a jig plate, and B15 is a manual pulse generator; B05-1 is a handle, B05-2 is an integrated base, B05-3 is a duckbill head, B05-4 is a sealing plate, B05-5 is a negative pressure connector, B05-6 is the right protective cover, B05-7 is the left protective cover, B05-8 is the positive pressure connector, B05-9 is the fiber optic head, and B05-10 is a vibrator. Mirror, B05-11 is a field mirror, B05-12 is a push-button switch, B05-13 is an angled connector mounting hole, B05-31 is a linear light outlet, B05-32 is a dust suction hole, B05-34 is a negative pressure pipeline, B05-35 is a positive pressure pipeline, B05-36 is a galvanometer motor wire, B05-37 is a switch wire; B03-1 is a module mounting plate, B03-2 is a lead screw slide rail module, B03-3 is an 86 stepper motor, B03-4 is a coupling, B03-5 is a lifting connection plate, B03-6 is a robot support base, B03-7 is a robot mounting plate; B13-1 is a screw stepper motor, B13-2 is a foot; a is positive pressure, b is negative pressure, c is the surface to be cleaned, d is flue gas and dust. Detailed Implementation

[0067] To better understand the present invention, the following embodiments further illustrate the content of the present invention, but the content of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0068] The directional terms used in this application, such as up and down, left and right, horizontal, and vertical, are all based on the relative orientations or positional relationships shown in the attached drawings and should not be construed as absolute limitations on this application.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, a laser coating cleaning system includes a coating cleaning head, a system support, a robot mounting frame, a collaborative robot, a robot base, a 3D vision camera, a pulsed fiber laser, a control box, a host computer, a chiller, a fiber optic bracket, an air source device, and an electric balance vehicle.

[0070] like Figure 4-7As shown, the coating machine cleaning head includes a duckbill head, an integrated base, and a handle. The duckbill head is flat and duckbill-shaped, with one end being the light-emitting end and the other end being the connecting end. The duckbill head has a tapering structure from the connecting end to the light-emitting end. A positive pressure chamber is provided inside the duckbill head, and symmetrical negative pressure chambers are provided on both sides of the positive pressure chamber. The positive and negative pressure chambers are not interconnected. The orientation of both the positive and negative pressure chambers is consistent with the direction from the connecting end to the light-emitting end of the duckbill head. Negative pressure connectors are provided on the left and right side walls of the connecting end of the duckbill head, respectively communicating with the negative pressure chambers on both sides. The negative pressure connectors on the left and right side walls are symmetrically arranged. A positive pressure connector communicating with the positive pressure chamber is provided at the bottom of the connecting end of the duckbill head. Figure 4 As shown, the top of the duckbill head is equipped with a sealing plate for easy manufacturing and assembly. The light-emitting end of the duckbill head has a linear light-emitting port that communicates with the positive pressure cavity. The width of the linear light-emitting port is 1mm and the length is 20mm. Dust-collecting holes are provided on both the left and right sides of the light-emitting end of the duckbill head, communicating with the negative pressure cavities on both sides. There are two dust-collecting holes on each side, and they are symmetrically arranged, resulting in a total of four dust-collecting holes on both sides of the light-emitting end of the duckbill head. The dust-collecting holes are elliptical and elongated, with their length direction aligned with the direction from the connecting end of the duckbill head to the light-emitting end. The interval between the dust-collecting holes and the linear light-emitting ports is 2mm. The maximum length of the dust-collecting holes is 25mm, and the maximum width is 4mm. The connecting end of the duckbill head connects to the integrated base. The positive pressure cavity inside the duckbill head communicates with the interior of the integrated base, which integrates a galvanometer motor, a galvanometer, and a field lens. For ease of assembly, as shown... Figure 4 As shown, the tail end of the integrated base is made up of a detachable left cover and a right cover. The handle is installed at the bottom of the integrated base. The bottom of the handle is equipped with an optical fiber inlet. The inside of the handle is equipped with a button switch. The setting and control of the button switch can refer to existing mature technologies. The coating machine cleaning head has a simple and unique structure, small size and light weight, with a total weight of about 1.2KG.

[0071] The robot mounting frame is installed on the front side wall of the system bracket. The collaborative robot is mounted on the robot mounting frame via a robot base. The robot mounting frame is a liftable structure. A jig plate is provided on the front side wall of the system bracket on one side of the robot mounting frame. In use, it is anchored to the coating machine through the jig plate. The collaborative robot is a 6-axis robot. The side wall of the coating machine cleaning head integrated base is detachably connected to the hand end of the collaborative robot via an angle connector. The 3D vision camera is installed at the top of the collaborative robot hand end, and the coating machine cleaning head is pressed against the side wall of the collaborative robot hand end.

[0072] The pulsed fiber laser includes an output end, an optical fiber, and an optical fiber head connected in sequence. The optical fiber head is inserted into the optical fiber inlet at the bottom of the handle of the coating machine cleaning head. The laser emitted from the optical fiber head passes through a galvanometer, a field mirror, and a positive pressure cavity in sequence before being emitted from the linear output port. The pulsed fiber laser is a YDFLP-CL-300-10-W laser, and a manual pulse generator drives the pulsed fiber laser to generate laser light.

[0073] The system support is divided into upper and lower support platforms by partitions. The main operating unit and fiber optic bracket are both located on the upper support platform. The control box is connected to the main operating unit. The collaborative robot, 3D vision camera, pulsed fiber laser, chiller, and air supply device are all connected to and controlled by the control box and displayed by the main operating unit. The laser's output end is equipped with a water-cooling cavity. The inlet and outlet of the water-cooling cavity are connected to the inlet and outlet of the chiller through pipelines, forming a circulation to achieve water cooling. The output end of the pulsed fiber laser, the chiller, the control box, and the air supply device are located on the lower support platform. The air supply device includes a positive pressure device and a negative pressure device. The positive pressure device (providing compressed air) is connected to the positive pressure connector on the duckbill head through a positive pressure pipeline, and the negative pressure device is connected to all the negative pressure connectors on the duckbill head through a negative pressure pipeline. There are perforated enclosures on the left and right sides between the upper and lower support platforms.

[0074] The side wall of the electric balance scooter's pedal is connected to the bottom of the rear side wall of the system bracket. The bottom of the system bracket is equipped with wheels, and both ends of the bottom of the rear side wall of the system bracket are equipped with lifting feet. The lifting feet are driven to rise and fall by a screw stepper motor controlled by a handwheel controller. The lifting feet on the system bracket can be easily adjusted to ensure that the system's posture coincides with the initial position. A push rod is provided at the top of the rear side wall of the system bracket.

[0075] Figure 1 In the diagram, the side where the collaborative robot is located is the front side, and the side where the electric self-balancing scooter is located is the rear side. The direction of the duckbill head from the connecting end to the light-emitting end is perpendicular to the direction from left to right.

[0076] The aforementioned flat, duckbill-shaped nozzle design features a narrow-front, wide-rear sluice-shaped sealed cavity on the inner side to ensure unobstructed light path. This cavity can simultaneously provide positive and negative pressure gas protection while maintaining accessibility between complex components within the coating machine. The linear light exit port, while ensuring laser passage, maximizes the protective gas pressure and outlet velocity of the sluice-shaped sealed cavity under the same protective gas flow rate. The high protective gas pressure and high outlet velocity better prevent cleaning dust from entering the optical path of the sluice-shaped seal, effectively protecting the cleaning field lens from contamination. Simultaneously, it blows clean surfaces, improving the cleaning effect. In other words, positive pressure blowing combined with the slit light exit port better protects the lens and improves the cleaning effect. Furthermore, negative pressure suction dust removal is added, integrating positive pressure blowing, the slit light exit port, and suction dust removal into the same structure. The spatial design cleverly avoids the adverse effects of short-circuiting between positive and negative air pressures. The purpose of negative pressure is to suck away and collect the non-environmentally friendly dust, which greatly reduces the pollution and spread of dust at the light outlet, and is more conducive to the protection of the lens and the surrounding environment.

[0077] The output end of the aforementioned galvanometer and field lens assembly is connected to the duckbill head, and the input end of the galvanometer and field lens assembly is connected to the inside of the handle. The galvanometer and field lens assembly can focus the laser beam emitted by the laser to form a high-energy-density linear scanning laser beam.

[0078] The aforementioned 3D vision camera can guide: the initial positioning adjustment and automatic correction of the collaborative robot's trajectory working surface; detect possible collisions and provide collision avoidance signals to the collaborative robot, thus protecting the coating mechanism and the robot itself; automatically track the cleaning focus to ensure cleaning effect and improve cleaning efficiency; and monitor the work process in real time, improving the efficiency and accuracy of system automation.

[0079] The aforementioned electric balance vehicle is a mobile vehicle for the coating cleaning system. Operators can easily move the vehicle to the work area by simply controlling the direction of the vehicle with their feet.

[0080] Example 2

[0081] Based on Example 1, the following improvements were made: Figure 8As shown, the robot mounting frame includes a lead screw slide rail module, a lifting connecting plate, a robot support base, a robot mounting plate, and a module mounting plate. The lead screw slide rail module has an effective stroke of 200mm and a width of 160mm. The lead screw slide rail module is longitudinally arranged and driven by an 86-stepper motor controlled by a handwheel controller. The lead screw and the stepper motor shaft are connected by a coupling. The lifting connecting plate is a straight plate structure and is connected to the slider of the lead screw slide rail module. The robot support base is a right-angle corner structure formed by the vertical connection of a transverse mounting plate and a longitudinal mounting plate. The longitudinal mounting plate is connected to the lifting connecting plate, and the robot base is mounted on the transverse mounting plate through the robot mounting plate. One side of the module mounting plate is connected to the side wall of the lead screw slide rail module, and the other side is connected to the front side wall of the system bracket.

[0082] The cleaning of the interior of the laser coating machine using the aforementioned laser coating cleaning system includes the following steps:

[0083] 1) Set the target point as the right angle of a right triangle inside the coating machine, with 120mm vertically and horizontally to form an isosceles triangle. Use a 3D vision camera to collect the spatial coordinates of the target point and the other two vertices of the triangle as the initial position and attitude data and save them. Plan the partitioned cleaning blocks inside the coating machine. Set a target point as the right angle of a right triangle in each area, with 120mm vertically and horizontally to form an isosceles triangle. Use a 3D vision camera to collect the spatial coordinates of the target point and the other two vertices of the triangle as the area reference point. Create a robot drag cleaning trajectory for each area and save the corresponding trajectory data.

[0084] 2) The operator holds a push rod to control the direction of the electric balance vehicle, moving the coating cleaning system trolley to the corresponding work area. The operator confirms that the robot is in its initial position, confirms the coating machine position information, calls the corresponding application path program, connects and locks the jig connecting plate of the coating machine to the jig plate on the system bracket, adjusts the height of the feet and robot mounting frame to make the 3D image feature data of the initial position set and saved in the early stage consistent with the feature values ​​of the real-time 3D vision camera image (considered consistent within the error range of operation), locks the adjustment mechanism of the feet and robot mounting frame, and waits for the cleaning work to begin.

[0085] 3) When entering the automatic cleaning state, the system sequentially divides the area into zones. After entering each cleaning zone, the 3D vision camera first takes pictures of the target points in the corresponding area to collect actual data, compares and calculates the data with the pre-stored target point data, and controls the collaborative robot to make corresponding posture corrections to ensure the repeatability accuracy of the actual cleaning trajectory. Then, the automatic cleaning process in the area is carried out according to the preset laser power frequency of 200kHz, pulse width of 100ns, positive pressure of 3bar, negative pressure of -0.9bar and trajectory. Linear laser and compressed air are emitted from the linear light outlet at the same time. During laser cleaning, real-time blowing is formed to ensure the cleaning effect and efficiency. The generated smoke and dust are sucked away through the dust suction hole and sent to the smoke and dust centralized treatment device.

[0086] 4) During the automatic cleaning process, the 3D vision camera simultaneously acquires 3D data according to a preset program, outputting the distance parameter between the camera and the cleaning point. The control program compares and adjusts the robot's posture to ensure the distance parameter matches the focal position. This dynamic process control reduces the accuracy requirements of the optical axis focal direction when the robot drags along the set trajectory, further reducing workload. High-precision automatic focal distance control also contributes to efficient cleaning. Simultaneously, extreme distance data within the output field of view is compared with the control program's warning data to provide corresponding alarms and necessary interruptions.

[0087] The situation during the cleaning process is as follows: Figure 10 As shown, no dust or smoke was generated during the entire cleaning process, and there was no dust accumulation; the lenses remained uncontaminated. The pulsed fiber laser used was a YDFLP-CL-300-10-W MOPA fiber laser with adjustable pulse width and repetition frequency parameters, and an adjustable power range of 0-100%. Simultaneously, the movement speed of the collaborative robot (JAKA ZU 12) was also flexibly adjustable, from 0% to 100%. In actual use, the laser power, repetition frequency, pulse width, and other parameters can be adjusted according to the type of coating machine and the thickness of the coating layer to achieve better cleaning results. Figure 11 As shown, different cleaning parameters will produce different cleaning effects on the inner surface of the same coating machine. In the figure, the laser repetition frequency and pulse width are fixed, and only the running speed of the collaborative robot and the power percentage of the laser are changed. Figure 12To illustrate the effect of manual polishing, a comparison was made between the two methods. In rows 1-3, the laser power was 60% and the robot speed was 4%, resulting in noticeable textures and a slow cleaning speed. In row 4, the laser power was 70% and the robot speed was 6%, similar to manual polishing. In row 5, the laser power was 70% and the robot speed was 8%, again similar to manual polishing. In row 6, the laser power was 70% and the robot speed was 10%, similar to manual polishing (rows 4-6 showed no significant difference in cleaning effect). In row 7, the laser power was 70% and the robot speed was 14% (the cleaning effect was significantly weaker compared to rows 4-6). In row 8, the laser power was 80% and the robot speed was 10%. This comparison helps identify the most suitable cleaning parameters for the current coating machine and the current coating layer.

Claims

1. A laser coating cleaning system, characterized in that: Includes coating cleaning head, system bracket, robot mounting frame, collaborative robot, robot base, 3D vision camera, pulsed fiber laser, control box, host computer, chiller, fiber optic bracket, air source device and electric balance vehicle; The coating machine cleaning head includes a duckbill head, an integrated base, and a handle. The duckbill head is flat and duckbill-shaped, with one end being the light-emitting end and the other end being the connecting end. The duckbill head has a tapering structure from the connecting end to the light-emitting end. A positive pressure chamber is located inside the duckbill head, and symmetrical negative pressure chambers are located on both sides of the positive pressure chamber. The positive and negative pressure chambers are not interconnected, and their orientation is consistent with the direction from the connecting end to the light-emitting end of the duckbill head. Negative pressure connectors are located on the left and right side walls of the connecting end of the duckbill head, respectively, communicating with the negative pressure chambers on both sides. A positive pressure connector is located at the bottom of the connecting end of the duckbill head, communicating with the positive pressure chamber. The light-emitting end of the duckbill head has a linear light-emitting port that communicates with the positive pressure chamber. Dust extraction holes communicating with the negative pressure chambers on both sides are provided on the left and right sides of the light-emitting end; the connecting end of the duckbill head is connected to the integrated base, and the positive pressure chamber inside the duckbill head is communicating with the interior of the integrated base. The integrated base integrates a galvanometer motor, a galvanometer, and a field lens. The handle is installed at the bottom of the integrated base, and the bottom of the handle has an optical fiber inlet; the robot mounting frame is installed on the front side wall of the system bracket, and the collaborative robot is installed on the robot mounting frame via the robot base. The robot mounting frame is a height-adjustable structure, and a fixture plate is provided on the front side wall of the system bracket on one side of the robot mounting frame; the side wall of the coating machine cleaning head integrated base is detachably connected to the hand end of the collaborative robot via a connector; the 3D vision camera is installed at the hand end of the collaborative robot. The pulsed fiber laser includes an output end, an optical fiber, and an optical fiber head connected in sequence. The optical fiber head is inserted into the optical fiber inlet at the bottom of the handle of the coating machine cleaning head. The laser emitted from the optical fiber head passes through a galvanometer and a field mirror in sequence to form a high-energy-density linear laser, and then passes through a positive pressure cavity and is emitted from the linear output port. The system support frame is divided into upper and lower support platforms by partitions. The main operating unit and fiber optic brackets are both located on the upper support platform. The control box is connected to the main operating unit. The collaborative robot, 3D vision camera, pulsed fiber laser, chiller, and air supply device are all connected to and controlled by the control box and displayed by the main operating unit. The laser's output end is equipped with a water-cooling cavity, and the inlet and outlet of the water-cooling cavity are connected to the inlet and outlet of the chiller through pipelines to form a circulation. The output end of the pulsed fiber laser, the chiller, the control box, and the air supply device are located on the lower support platform. The air supply device includes a positive pressure device and a negative pressure device. The positive pressure device is connected to the positive pressure connector on the duckbill head through pipelines, and the negative pressure device is connected to all the negative pressure connectors on the duckbill head through pipelines. There are perforated enclosures on the left and right sides between the upper and lower support platforms. The side wall of the electric balance vehicle's pedal is connected to the bottom of the rear side wall of the system bracket. The bottom of the system bracket is equipped with wheels, and both ends of the bottom of the rear side wall of the system bracket are equipped with lifting feet. The top of the rear side wall of the system bracket is equipped with a push rod. The flat, duckbill-shaped tip has a narrow-front, wide-back sealed cavity on the inside to ensure unobstructed light path, and is protected by both positive and negative pressure gas. Linear laser and pressurized gas are simultaneously emitted from a linear light outlet; The linear light outlet, while ensuring laser passage and maintaining the same protective gas flow rate, increases the protective gas pressure and outlet velocity of the slatted sealing cavity, preventing cleaning dust from entering the optical path of the slatted seal and protecting the cleaning field mirror from contamination. At the same time, it blows the cleaning surface, improving the cleaning effect and efficiency. In addition, negative pressure suction dust removal is added, integrating positive pressure blowing, slit light outlet and negative pressure suction dust removal on the same structure, avoiding the adverse effects of positive and negative pressure short flow, and sucking away and collecting the environmentally unfriendly dust.

2. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the linear light outlet on the duckbill head is 1±0.2mm, and the length is 20±0.2mm.

3. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The number of dust suction holes on both sides of the light-emitting end of the duckbill head is two, and the dust suction holes on both sides are symmetrically arranged; the negative pressure connectors on the left and right side walls of the connecting end of the duckbill head are symmetrically arranged.

4. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The dust suction hole is long and narrow, and its length direction is consistent with the direction from the duckbill head connection end to the light emission end. The interval between the dust suction hole and the linear light emission port is 2±0.02mm, the length of the dust suction hole is 25±2mm, and the maximum width of the dust suction hole is 4±0.2mm.

5. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The integrated seat sidewall of the coating machine cleaning head is detachably connected to the end of the collaborative robot arm via an angle connector.

6. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Both lifting feet are driven by stepper motors controlled by a handwheel controller.

7. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The robot mounting frame includes a lead screw slide rail module, a lifting connection plate, a robot support base, a robot mounting plate, and a module mounting plate; The lead screw slide rail module is longitudinally arranged and driven by a stepper motor controlled by a handwheel controller; the lifting connecting plate is a straight plate structure and is connected to the slider of the lead screw slide rail module; the robot support base is a right-angle corner structure formed by the vertical connection of the transverse mounting plate and the longitudinal mounting plate, the longitudinal mounting plate is connected to the lifting connecting plate, and the robot base is mounted on the transverse mounting plate through the robot mounting plate; one side of the module mounting plate is connected to the side wall of the lead screw slide rail module, and the other side is connected to the front side wall of the system bracket.

8. The laser coating cleaning system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The pulsed fiber laser is a YDFLP-CL-300-10-W laser.

9. A cleaning method for a coating machine, comprising cleaning using the laser coating cleaning system according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: 1) Set the target point as the right angle of a right triangle inside the coating machine, with the vertical and horizontal dimensions taking 100mm~150mm to form an isosceles triangle. Use a 3D vision camera to collect the spatial coordinates of the target point and the other two triangle vertices as initial position and attitude data and save them. Plan the partitioned cleaning blocks inside the coating machine. Set a target point as the right angle of a right triangle in each area, with the vertical and horizontal dimensions taking 100mm~150mm to form an isosceles triangle. Use a 3D vision camera to collect the spatial coordinates of the target point and the other two triangle vertices as the area reference point. Create a robot drag cleaning trajectory for each area and save the corresponding trajectory data. 2) The operator holds a push rod to control the direction of the electric balance vehicle to move the coating cleaning system trolley to the corresponding work area, confirms that the robot is in the initial position, confirms the coating machine position information, calls the corresponding application path program, connects and locks the jig connecting plate of the coating machine to the jig plate on the system bracket, adjusts the height of the feet and robot mounting frame to make the 3D image feature data of the initial position set and saved in the early stage consistent with the feature values ​​of the real-time 3D vision camera image, locks the adjustment mechanism of the feet and robot mounting frame, and waits for the cleaning work to begin; 3) When entering the automatic cleaning state, the system sequentially divides the area into zones. After entering each cleaning zone, the 3D vision camera first takes pictures of the target points in the corresponding area to collect actual data, compares and calculates the data with the pre-stored target point data, and controls the collaborative robot to make corresponding posture corrections. Then, the automatic cleaning process in the area can be carried out according to the preset laser power frequency, pulse width, air source pressure, water flow speed and trajectory. The linear laser and compressed air are emitted from the linear light outlet at the same time, and the generated smoke and dust are sucked away through the dust suction hole and sent to the smoke and dust centralized treatment device. 4) During the automatic cleaning process, the 3D vision camera simultaneously collects 3D data according to the preset program, outputs the distance parameter between the camera and the cleaning point, and the control program compares and adjusts the robot's posture to ensure that the distance parameter matches the focal position. At the same time, it outputs the extreme distance data within the field of view and compares it with the data warned by the control program to give corresponding alarms and necessary interruptions.

Citation Information

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