Method for controlling a coating supply, control device and coating supply system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling paint supply. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a paint liquid level in a paint storage container; acquiring a coating liquid level in the coating circulating tank; determining whether the paint liquid level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold value; when the paint liquid level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold value, the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank is prompted to be reduced, and the paint in the paint storage container is prompted to be supplied to the paint circulation tank after the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank is reduced. The invention further relates to a control device for controlling the supply of paint and to a paint supply system. Therefore, coating waste can be reduced as much as possible on the premise that good spraying quality is kept, and the production cost is effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of paint supply management, and in general to a method for controlling paint supply, a control device for controlling paint supply, and a paint supply system. Background Art

[0002] In the automotive industry, vehicle manufacturing generally requires a coating process. The coating process generally involves coating operations on vehicles and their parts, such as paint spraying. Different types of coatings usually require corresponding coating storage containers, such as coating barrels, to provide coating raw materials for the corresponding spraying system.

[0003] In the coating process, coating properties, such as coating uniformity, are crucial to the quality of spraying. However, static coating in a coating barrel is prone to sedimentation and becomes uneven because there is a certain amount of solid powder in the coating, which will settle under the action of gravity. If the coating settles, the spraying quality will be reduced.

[0004] In order to prevent the paint from settling as much as possible, a special agitator and an actuator for driving the agitator can be set for the paint barrel, so that the paint can move in the paint barrel, thereby improving the uniformity of the paint. However, when the paint level in the paint barrel is lower than the agitator, the agitator can no longer effectively stir the paint. The current practice is generally to directly discard the remaining paint and replace it with a new paint barrel. However, as production increases, the frequency of replacement of paint barrels increases, and the remaining consumption of paint increases relatively. This is not desirable from the perspective of saving production costs.

[0005] Therefore, how to reduce production costs while maintaining good spraying quality is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a method, a control device and a paint supply system for controlling paint supply that can overcome at least one defect in the prior art, thereby reducing paint waste as much as possible while maintaining good spraying quality, thereby effectively reducing production costs.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a coating supply, the method comprising:

[0008] Obtaining the paint level in the paint storage container;

[0009] Get the paint level in the paint circulation tank;

[0010] determining whether the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold;

[0011] When the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold value: the paint level in the paint circulation tank is prompted to be lowered, and after the paint level in the paint circulation tank is lowered, the paint in the paint storage container is prompted to be supplied to the paint circulation tank.

[0012] In order to overcome at least one defect in the prior art, the present application proposes a targeted liquid level intervention mechanism, which can timely grasp the situation that the paint level is about to reach a level that is too low and cannot be stirred or cannot be fully stirred based on the real-time monitoring of the paint level in the paint storage container, and based on this, the remaining paint in the paint storage container is at least partially, preferably substantially completely, actively supplied to the paint circulation tank in the paint circulation system. The so-called "active intervention supply" means that according to the conventional operating mechanism, under the current operating state of the paint circulation system, there is no need to supply paint from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank. Under the liquid level intervention mechanism, the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is mandatory.

[0013] When the control device finds out that the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than the first threshold value, it prompts the switch from the conventional operation mechanism to the liquid level intervention mechanism, in which the paint level in the paint circulation tank is lowered by active intervention, and the paint in the paint storage container is supplied to the paint circulation tank by active intervention. In other words, in order to accommodate the paint from the paint storage container, the paint level in the paint circulation tank needs to be lowered in advance, so as to reserve a storage space for accommodating the remaining paint in the paint storage container in advance.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method includes: for the paint circulation tank, specifying an upper limit and a lower limit of a liquid level safety value; when the paint level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level safety value, prompting the end of the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank; when the paint level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level safety value, prompting the start of the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method includes: when the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold, causing the paint level in the paint circulation tank to be reduced until it is equal to or lower than a lower limit of a safe level value.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method includes: when the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold, increasing an upper limit of a safe liquid level in the paint circulation tank and / or decreasing a lower limit of a safe liquid level in the paint circulation tank.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method includes: after the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is completed, restoring the increased liquid level safety value upper limit and / or the decreased liquid level safety value lower limit for the paint circulation tank to the original value accordingly.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method includes: at least before supplying the paint in the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank, causing an agitator of the paint storage container to be activated so that the agitator agitates the paint in the paint storage container.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method includes: determining whether one or more of the following conditions are met: - the paint level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level safety value; - the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a second threshold, and the second threshold is lower than the first threshold; - the total duration of the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is greater than a time threshold; the method also includes: when it is determined that one or more conditions are met, prompting the end of the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method includes: causing the paint in the paint storage container to be supplied to the paint circulation tank in batches, wherein a single supply lasts for a first time period and a second time period is spaced between each two supplies, wherein the second time period is greater than the first time period.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method includes: specifying an upper limit and a lower limit of a liquid level alarm for a paint circulation tank; when the paint level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level alarm or equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level alarm, generating an alarm message and prompting the agitator in the paint circulation tank to be stopped.

[0022] In some embodiments, the method includes reducing the paint level in the paint circulation tank by causing the paint in the paint circulation tank to be supplied to a paint circulation pipeline that connects the paint circulation tank and the spraying device into a paint circulation loop.

[0023] In some embodiments, the method includes reducing the paint level in the paint circulation tank by causing a reverse paint supply from the paint circulation tank to the paint storage container.

[0024] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device for controlling the supply of paint, the control device comprising:

[0025] at least one storage module configured to store a series of computer executable instructions; and

[0026] at least one processing module configured to execute the series of computer executable instructions,

[0027] The series of computer executable instructions, when executed by a processing module, causes the processing module to perform the method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating supply system, the coating supply system comprising:

[0029] Paint storage containers;

[0030] Paint circulation tank;

[0031] Spraying device;

[0032] A paint supply line between a paint storage container and a paint circulation tank;

[0033] The paint circulation pipeline between the paint circulation tank and the spraying device; and

[0034] A control device, the control device being configured to execute the method according to some embodiments of the present invention so as to control the paint supply in a paint supply system, or the control device being configured as the control device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating supply system, the coating supply system comprising:

[0036] a plurality of paint supply systems, each paint supply system being configured as a paint supply system according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0037] a server, the server being configured to communicate with a control device of each paint supply system and obtain corresponding operation information from the corresponding control device;

[0038] A management terminal is configured to communicate with the server and display according to the management display scheme.

[0039] In some embodiments, the corresponding control device is configured to:

[0040] When it is found that the paint liquid level in the assigned paint storage container is equal to or lower than the first threshold, first operation information is generated and the first operation information is sent to the server; and / or

[0041] generating second operation information and sending the second operation information to the server when it is found that the paint level in the assigned paint storage container is equal to or lower than a second threshold value, and the second threshold value is lower than the first threshold value; and / or

[0042] When it is found that the paint liquid level in the assigned paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the liquid level alarm upper limit or equal to or lower than the liquid level alarm lower limit, third operation information is generated and sent to the server;

[0043] And the server is configured as:

[0044] Generate a corresponding management display scheme based on the received first operation information, so as to display the first prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal; and / or

[0045] generating a corresponding management display scheme based on the received second operation information so as to display the second prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal; and / or

[0046] A corresponding management display scheme is generated based on the received third operation information, so as to display the third prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The above and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the principles of the present invention by way of example. It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0048] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a coating supply system according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0049] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a control device according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 3 An exemplary flow chart of a method for controlling paint supply according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a further expansion solution of a paint supply system according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the present invention can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the present invention more complete and fully illustrate the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide more additional embodiments.

[0053] It should be understood that the terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. All terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used herein have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of simplicity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0054] Herein, the term "A or B" includes "A and B" and "A or B" rather than exclusively including only "A" or only "B", unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0055] In this document, the term "exemplary" means "used as an example, instance or illustration". Any implementation described as an example herein is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, the present invention is not limited by any stated or implied theory given in the above technical field, background technology, summary of the invention or detailed description.

[0056] In addition, for reference purposes only, the terms "first", "second" and the like may also be used herein, and "first" and "second" may also refer to multiple "firsts" and "seconds". For example, the terms "first", "second" and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0057] It should also be understood that when the term "include / comprise" is used in this article, it indicates the presence of the indicated features, integrals, steps, operations, units and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, units and / or components and / or their combinations. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) are used in this article according to their general meaning in the field to which the examples belong.

[0058] The present application relates to a method for controlling the supply of paint, a control device and a paint supply system, which can be deployed in various types of manufacturing plants to play a beneficial role in the supply of paint. In the present application, a manufacturing plant can be understood as an enterprise that can implement the production and / or processing of products or parts, and these manufacturing plants can, for example, involve various types of manufacturing industries. The following is an illustrative introduction to various aspects of the present application by taking a complete vehicle manufacturing plant as an example. It should be understood that various aspects of the present application can be applicable to other types of manufacturing plants, such as vehicle parts manufacturing plants, aircraft manufacturing plants, pharmaceutical plants, tool manufacturing plants, etc., and are not limited to the following specific embodiments.

[0059] Next reference Figures 1 to 4 Various aspects according to the present invention are described in detail.

[0060] First reference Figure 1, shows a schematic diagram of a paint supply system 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The paint supply system 100 can be deployed, for example, for a painting process flow of vehicle manufacturing.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, the paint supply system 100 may include a paint storage container 10, a paint circulation system 20, and a control device 30 for controlling the paint supply.

[0062] The paint storage container 10 can be arranged at the paint circulation system 20 as a paint bucket, for example, and a specific type of paint, for example, paint of a specific color, can be stored in the paint storage container 10. In order to prevent the paint from settling as much as possible, a special agitator 11 and an actuator 17 for driving the agitator 11 can be provided for the paint storage container 10, so that the paint moves in the paint storage container 10, thereby improving the uniformity of the paint.

[0063] The paint circulation system 20 may include a paint circulation tank 22, a spraying device 24, and a paint circulation pipeline 26 connected between the paint circulation tank 22 and the spraying device 24. A paint supply pipeline 15 may be provided between the paint storage container 10 and the paint circulation tank 22 so as to supply paint from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22. The spraying device 24 may be configured as a spraying robot deployed on a spraying station. Usually, a plurality of spraying devices 24 running in parallel may be deployed in a paint circulation system 20 so as to improve production efficiency. In order to prevent the paint from settling as much as possible, it is provided that: on the one hand, a special agitator 23 and an actuator 27 for driving the operation of the agitator 23 may be provided for the paint circulation tank 22, so as to move the paint in the paint circulation tank 22; on the other hand, the paint in the paint circulation system 20 may be caused to be in a circulating motion so as to prevent the paint from being undesirably precipitated in the paint circulation pipeline 26.

[0064] The control device 30 may be configured as one or more controllers, such as a PLC controller (i.e., a programmable logic controller) or a control host, for controlling the paint supply in the paint supply system 100. It should be understood that the control device 30 may be centrally stored in a central control room or distributedly deployed in a control cabinet next to the corresponding controlled object. In some embodiments, the control device 30 may be configured to control the operation of the agitator in the paint storage container 10. In some embodiments, the control device 30 may be configured to control the supply state of the paint supply pipeline 15 between the paint storage container 10 and the paint circulation tank 22. In some embodiments, the control device 30 may be configured to control the operation of the agitator in the paint circulation tank 22. In some embodiments, the control device 30 may be configured to control the supply state of the paint circulation pipeline 26 between the paint circulation tank 22 and the spraying device 24.

[0065] It should be understood that the paint supply system 100 shown in the drawings is extremely schematic. The paint supply system 100 may also additionally or alternatively include various types of functional devices, such as sensors, actuators, actuators, communication modules, etc. For example, various sensors, such as liquid level sensors, flow sensors, pressure sensors, viscosity sensors, temperature sensors, etc., may be arranged in the paint storage container 10, the paint circulation tank 22, and the corresponding pipelines to detect the operating status of the system in real time. In addition, pumps, valves, etc. may also be arranged in the corresponding pipelines to effectively control the supply of paint.

[0066] Next reference Figure 2 and 3 , shows an exemplary flow chart of a control device 30 and a method for controlling paint supply from the control device 30 side according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0067] The method for controlling paint supply according to some embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in a control device 30 according to some embodiments of the present invention, and the control device 30 may include at least one storage module 32, configured to store a series of computer executable instructions; and at least one processing module 34, configured to execute a series of computer executable instructions, wherein the series of computer executable instructions, when executed by the processing module, causes the processing module to execute the method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0068] The steps of the method presented below are intended to illustrate. In certain embodiments, the method can be completed with one or more additional undescribed steps, and / or without one or more discussed steps. In addition, the order of the steps shown in the figures and described below of the method is not intended to be limited.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, the method for controlling the paint supply may include the following steps:

[0070] S10: Obtain the paint level in the paint storage container 10. The control device 30 can obtain the paint level in the paint storage container 10 detected by the level sensor assigned to the paint storage container 10. The control device 30 can receive detection data representing the current paint level from the corresponding level sensor by means of wireless communication means or wired communication means, such as field bus.

[0071] S20: Obtain the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22. The control device 30 can obtain the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22 detected by the level sensor provided to the paint circulation tank 22. The control device 30 can receive detection data representing the current paint level from the corresponding level sensor by means of wireless communication means or wired communication means, such as field bus.

[0072] S30: Find out whether the paint level in the paint storage container 10 is equal to or lower than the first threshold. The control device 30 can compare the acquired paint level with the pre-stored first threshold to find out whether the paint level is equal to or lower than the first threshold. The selection of the first threshold can be associated with the arrangement height of the agitator in the paint storage container 10. Generally, the paint level at the first threshold level should at least be stirred by the agitator. In some embodiments, the paint level at the first threshold level can be at least at the stirring paddle of the agitator. In some embodiments, the first threshold can be selected to correspond to 3%-15%, preferably 5%-10% of the volume of the paint storage container 10. In some embodiments, the first threshold can be selected to be 30L to 50L.

[0073] S40: When the paint liquid level in the paint storage container 10 is equal to or lower than the first threshold: prompting the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 to be lowered, and prompting the paint in the paint storage container 10 to be supplied to the paint circulation tank 22 after the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 is lowered.

[0074] In some embodiments, the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22 can be reduced by causing the paint in the paint circulation tank 22 to be supplied to the paint circulation pipeline 26, which connects the paint circulation tank and the spraying device to form a paint circulation loop. In other words, more paint is supplied to the paint circulation system 20, thereby further accelerating the paint circulation speed in the paint circulation system 20, which is beneficial for preventing the paint in the paint circulation pipeline 26 from settling.

[0075] Additionally or alternatively, the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22 may be reduced by causing a reverse paint supply (eg, Figure 1 For this purpose, a two-way valve may be provided in the paint supply pipeline 15 between the paint storage container 10 and the paint circulation tank 22 so as to allow reverse paint supply from the paint circulation tank 22 to the paint storage container 10.

[0076] In order to avoid the problem that the paint level in the paint storage container 10 cannot be stirred or cannot be fully stirred due to being too low, the present application proposes a targeted liquid level intervention mechanism, which can timely grasp the situation that the paint level is about to enter a too low level and cannot be stirred or cannot be fully stirred based on the real-time monitoring of the paint level in the paint storage container 10, and based on this, the remaining paint in the paint storage container 10 is actively supplied to the paint circulation tank 22 in the paint circulation system 20 - at least partially, preferably substantially all. The so-called "active intervention supply" means that according to the conventional operation mechanism, under the current operation state of the paint circulation system 20, there is no need to supply paint from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22. Under the liquid level intervention mechanism, the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 is mandatory.

[0077] When the control device 30 finds out that the paint liquid level in the paint storage container 10 is equal to or lower than the first threshold value, it prompts the switch from the conventional operation mechanism to the liquid level intervention mechanism, in which the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 is actively intervened to be lowered, and the paint in the paint storage container 10 is actively intervened to be supplied to the paint circulation tank 22. That is, in order to accommodate the paint from the paint storage container 10, the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 needs to be lowered in advance, so as to reserve the accommodation space for accommodating the remaining paint of the paint storage container 10 in advance.

[0078] In some embodiments, the control device 30 may specify an upper limit and a lower limit of a liquid level safety value for the paint circulation tank 22. That is, the control device 30 may pre-store an upper limit and a lower limit of a liquid level safety value for the paint circulation tank 22. When the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22 is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level safety value, the control device 30 may prompt the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 to end / stop. When the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22 is equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level safety value, the control device 30 may prompt the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 to start. In order to control the start and end of the paint supply, the control device 30 may control the operation of corresponding valves, pumps, agitators and other functional components, which will not be repeated here.

[0079] Additionally or alternatively, the control device 30 may specify an upper limit of the liquid level alarm and a lower limit of the liquid level alarm for the paint circulation tank 22. That is, the control device 30 may pre-store an upper limit of the liquid level alarm and a lower limit of the liquid level alarm for the paint circulation tank 22. When the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level alarm or equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level alarm, the control device 30 may generate an alarm message and cause the agitator in the paint circulation tank 22 to be stopped.

[0080] Advantageously, the following sub-steps may be provided in method step S40:

[0081] S41: when the paint liquid level in the paint storage container 10 is equal to or lower than the first threshold, increase the upper limit of the liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank 22 and / or reduce the lower limit of the liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank 22.

[0082] S42: The paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 is caused to decrease until it is equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level safety value (here, the lower limit of the liquid level safety value decreased in sub-step S41).

[0083] Advantageously, by lowering the lower limit of the liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank 22 and simultaneously increasing the upper limit of the liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank 22, the accommodation space in the paint circulation tank 22 that can accommodate the remaining paint from the paint storage container 10 can be further expanded. In some embodiments, it is also possible to only lower the lower limit of the liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank 22, or only increase the upper limit of the liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank 22, so as to expand the accommodation space. Advantageously, the expanded accommodation space can accommodate substantially all of the remaining paint. This effectively reduces paint waste, thereby effectively reducing production costs.

[0084] Advantageously, in order to maintain a good spraying quality as much as possible, a sub-step S43 may be additionally provided in method step S40: at least before the paint in the paint storage container 10 is supplied to the paint circulation tank 22, the agitator of the paint storage container 10 is prompted to be started so that the agitator stirs the paint in the paint storage container 10. Additionally or alternatively, it may be provided that: the interval time from the last stirring is found out, and if the interval time is less than a predetermined time range, such as 5 minutes or 10 minutes, the paint is allowed to be directly supplied from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 without starting the agitator. This is also beneficial for reducing operating costs.

[0085] Advantageously, the method for controlling the paint supply may include step S50: checking whether one or more of the following conditions are satisfied, and when it is found that one or more of the conditions are satisfied, causing the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 to be terminated.

[0086] In some embodiments, the condition may include that the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank 22 is equal to or higher than an upper limit of a liquid level safety value.

[0087] In some embodiments, the condition may include the paint level in the paint storage container 10 being equal to or below a second threshold, wherein the second threshold may be a level significantly lower than the first threshold, and advantageously, the second threshold may be set to zero level, i.e., 0L, thereby allowing all remaining paint to be supplied to the paint circulation tank 22.

[0088] In some embodiments, the condition may include that the total duration of the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 is greater than the time threshold. Advantageously, the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 can be carried out in batches. That is, not all the remaining paint is supplied to the paint circulation tank 22 at one time, but it is carried out in batches and only a portion of the paint is supplied each time. This batch supply can effectively avoid providing too much paint to the paint circulation tank 22 at one time, which makes the paint performance, such as uniformity or viscosity, in the paint circulation system 20 deteriorate. In some embodiments, it is stipulated that the supply is carried out in the first time period in the supply cycle of each batch, and the supply is suspended in the second time period. Advantageously, it can be stipulated that the second time period is greater than the first time period, especially greater than twice, three times or five times of the first time period. Advantageously, it can be stipulated that the stirring of the agitator can be kept in the supply cycle of each batch. Thus, on the one hand, it can be allowed that as much remaining paint as possible can be supplied to the paint circulation system 20, and on the other hand, the good performance of the paint in the paint circulation system 20 can be maintained.

[0089] Advantageously, the method for controlling the paint supply may include step S60: after the paint supply from the paint storage container 10 to the paint circulation tank 22 is completed, the upper limit of the liquid level safety value and the lower limit of the liquid level safety value for the paint circulation tank 22 are restored. That is, the control device 30 may cause the liquid level intervention mechanism to switch to the normal operation mechanism. To this end, the upper limit of the liquid level safety value and the lower limit of the liquid level safety value may also be restored to the settings of the normal operation mechanism accordingly.

[0090] Next, refer to Figure 4 , further introduces the further expansion scheme of the paint supply system 100'. The coating process flow can generally include the following: Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple paint supply systems 100 such as the paint supply system 100' shown in the figure, each paint supply system 100 can be responsible for the spraying operation of a type of paint, such as a color of paint. Figure 4 In the embodiment, Figure 1 The overall paint supply system 100 ′ introduced is referred to as the paint supply system 100 , and the entirety of a plurality of paint supply systems 100 is referred to as the overall paint supply system 100 ′. Figure 4 The overall paint supply system 100 ′ exemplarily shows only two paint supply systems 100 , and it should be understood that the overall paint supply system 100 ′ may include a greater number of paint supply systems 100 .

[0091] The paint supply system 100' may include a plurality of paint supply systems 100, a server 40 and a management terminal 50. The server 40 may be configured as a local server or a cloud server to communicate with the control device 30 of the corresponding paint supply system 100, and obtain corresponding operation information from the control device 30. The server 40 may be configured to generate a management display scheme for the management terminal 50 based on the acquired operation information, and the management display scheme is configured to cause the display to be performed on the management terminal 50 according to the management display scheme. Thus, the staff can promptly understand the operation status of the production site. This is also beneficial to the improvement of production efficiency.

[0092] In some embodiments, the corresponding control device 30 can be configured to generate first operation information when it is found that the paint liquid level in the assigned paint storage container 10 is equal to or lower than the first threshold value, and send the first operation information to the server 40. Advantageously, the server 40 can generate a corresponding management display scheme based on the received first operation information, so as to display the first prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal 50, so as to prompt the staff that the paint storage container 10 is about to run out and needs to be replaced.

[0093] In some embodiments, the corresponding control device 30 may be configured to generate second operation information when it is found that the paint liquid level in the paint storage container 10 is equal to or lower than the second threshold value, and send the second operation information to the server 40. Advantageously, the server 40 may generate a corresponding management display scheme based on the received second operation information, so as to display the second prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal 50, so as to prompt the staff that the paint storage container 10 has been used up and needs to be replaced as soon as possible.

[0094] In some embodiments, the corresponding control device 30 can be configured to generate third operation information, i.e., alarm information, when it is found that the paint level in the paint circulation tank 22 is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level alarm or equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level alarm, and send the third operation information to the server 40. Advantageously, the server 40 can generate a corresponding management display scheme based on the received third operation information, so as to display the third prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal 50, so as to prompt the staff to go to the site as soon as possible to conduct fault inquiry.

[0095] In some embodiments, the server can be configured to generate a prompt instruction for the mobile terminal, and the prompt instruction is configured to send a prompt message to the corresponding mobile terminal. Preferably, a working group is automatically created for a determined plurality of associated mobile terminals, and task information description is provided within the working group, such as which subsystem's paint storage container needs to be replaced.

[0096] In some embodiments, the server may receive feedback information from a management terminal, such as a mobile terminal, and update the management display scheme based on the feedback information, such as eliminating the corresponding prompt information. Advantageously, the feedback information from the management terminal, such as a mobile terminal, may include location information or picture information sent by the staff at the production site, so as to make it clear that the staff has started to deal with the relevant faults. Advantageously, the feedback information from the mobile terminal may include task resolution information sent by the staff at the production site, so as to make it clear that the staff has resolved the relevant tasks.

[0097] In some embodiments, the server may receive feedback information from a management terminal, such as a mobile terminal, including a task resolution start time point and / or a task resolution end time point. Additionally or alternatively, the server may determine the working time of the staff member for processing the corresponding task based on the task resolution start time point and the task resolution end time point, and automatically record the corresponding work content and working time in the work order of the relevant staff member.

[0098] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the invention may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the supply of a coating, It is characterized in that The method comprises: Obtaining the paint level in the paint storage container; Get the paint level in the paint circulation tank; determining whether the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold; When the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold value: the paint level in the paint circulation tank is prompted to be lowered, and after the paint level in the paint circulation tank is lowered, the paint in the paint storage container is prompted to be supplied to the paint circulation tank.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The method comprises: For paint circulation tanks, the upper and lower limits of liquid level safety values ​​are specified; When the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level safety value, the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is terminated; When the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level safety value, the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is started.

3. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The method comprises: when the paint liquid level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold, causing the paint liquid level in the paint circulation tank to be reduced until it is equal to or lower than a lower limit of a liquid level safety value.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, It is characterized in that The method comprises: when the paint liquid level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a first threshold, increasing an upper limit of a liquid level safety value in a paint circulation tank and / or decreasing a lower limit of a liquid level safety value in the paint circulation tank.

5. The method according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The method includes: after the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is completed, restoring the increased liquid level safety value upper limit and / or the decreased liquid level safety value lower limit for the paint circulation tank to the original value accordingly.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The method includes: at least before supplying the paint in the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank, causing an agitator of the paint storage container to be started so that the agitator agitates the paint in the paint storage container.

7. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The method comprises: determining whether one or more of the following conditions are met: -The paint level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level safety value; - the paint level in the paint storage container is equal to or lower than a second threshold value, the second threshold value being lower than the first threshold value; - the total duration of the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank is greater than the time threshold; The method further includes causing the paint supply from the paint storage container to the paint circulation tank to be terminated when it is ascertained that the one or more conditions are met.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The method includes: causing the paint in the paint storage container to be supplied to the paint circulation tank in batches, wherein a single supply lasts for a first time period and a second time period is spaced between each two supplies, wherein the second time period is greater than the first time period.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The method comprises: For paint circulation tanks, the upper and lower limits of liquid level alarms are specified; When the paint level in the paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the upper limit of the liquid level alarm or equal to or lower than the lower limit of the liquid level alarm, an alarm message is generated and the agitator in the paint circulation tank is stopped.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The paint level in the paint circulation tank is lowered in the following manner, that is, the paint in the paint circulation tank is supplied to the paint circulation pipeline, which connects the paint circulation tank and the spraying device into a paint circulation loop.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that The paint level in the paint circulation tank is lowered in such a way that a reverse paint supply from the paint circulation tank to the paint storage container is initiated.

12. A control device for controlling the supply of paint, It is characterized in that The control device comprises: at least one storage module configured to store a series of computer executable instructions; and at least one processing module configured to execute the series of computer executable instructions, Wherein, the series of computer executable instructions, when executed by a processing module, causes the processing module to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A coating supply system, It is characterized in that The coating supply system comprises: Paint storage containers; Paint circulation tank; Spraying device; A paint supply line between a paint storage container and a paint circulation tank; The paint circulation pipeline between the paint circulation tank and the spraying device; and A control device configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 in order to control the supply of paint in a paint supply system, or the control device is configured as a control device according to claim 13.

14. A coating supply system, It is characterized in that The coating supply system includes: a plurality of paint supply systems, each paint supply system being configured as a paint supply system according to claim 13; a server, the server being configured to communicate with a control device of each paint supply system and obtain corresponding operation information from the corresponding control device; A management terminal is configured to communicate with the server and display according to the management display scheme.

15. The coating material supply system according to claim 14, It is characterized in that The corresponding control device is configured as follows: When it is found that the paint liquid level in the assigned paint storage container is equal to or lower than the first threshold, first operation information is generated and the first operation information is sent to the server; and / or generating second operation information and sending the second operation information to the server when it is found that the paint level in the assigned paint storage container is equal to or lower than a second threshold value, and the second threshold value is lower than the first threshold value; and / or When it is found that the paint liquid level in the assigned paint circulation tank is equal to or higher than the liquid level alarm upper limit or equal to or lower than the liquid level alarm lower limit, third operation information is generated and sent to the server; And the server is configured as: Generate a corresponding management display scheme based on the received first operation information, so as to display the first prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal; and / or generating a corresponding management display scheme based on the received second operation information so as to display the second prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal; and / or A corresponding management display scheme is generated based on the received third operation information, so as to display the third prompt information on the visual interface of the management terminal.

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