Coating apparatus, coating method, light irradiation apparatus, light irradiation method, and coating system

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a coating device capable of coating a film-forming liquid with high precision on the side surfaces of workpieces of various shapes, the coating device 10 coating a film-forming liquid on the side surfaces of a workpiece 2, the coating device 10 comprising a coating unit 20, a movement mechanism 30, a table 40, and a coating control unit 50; the coating unit (20) includes a coating roller (21), a drive unit (22), and a liquid discharge unit (23). The coating control unit (50) has a function of controlling a rotation operation of the coating roller (21) by the drive unit (22), an ejection operation of the film-forming liquid by the liquid ejection unit (23), and an operation of moving the coating unit (20) relative to the workpiece (2) while bringing the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller (21) into contact with or close to the side surface of the workpiece (2) by the movement mechanism (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a coating apparatus, a coating method, a light irradiation apparatus, a light irradiation method, and a coating system. More specifically, it relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method capable of coating a film-forming liquid onto the side of a workpiece of various shapes, such as a non-circular lens, a light irradiation apparatus and a light irradiation method capable of irradiating light onto the side of a workpiece of various shapes to cure the film-forming liquid, and a coating system including these apparatuses. Background Technology

[0002] In optical equipment such as cameras and microscopes, to prevent light incident on the lenses used in these devices from being reflected off the lens surface and outer peripheral surface, thus preventing glare and ghosting, an anti-reflective coating, such as a black coating, is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the lens. This coating process is also known as the ink coating process.

[0003] Because the lenses used in optical equipment come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, the ink coating process is not easily automated. In addition, because the ink coating process requires high coating precision, skilled workers often use tools such as pens and brushes to apply the coating manually, which makes it difficult to improve work efficiency. In view of this issue, for example, the following patent documents 1 and 2 disclose coating apparatuses for achieving efficiency in the coating process.

[0004] The coating apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is configured to apply a coating material such as ink to the outer peripheral surface of a circular plate roller, transfer the coating material applied to the roller to the outer peripheral surface of a circular plate transfer roller, and then apply the coating material transferred to the transfer roller to the outer peripheral surface of a lens. However, the coating apparatus of the roller transfer method described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it cannot coat the entire circumference of non-circular optical elements such as small coin-shaped lenses in one process. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the coating apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is proposed, which includes a holding mechanism for holding the spherical surface of a small coin-shaped lens, a rotating mechanism for rotating the holding mechanism, a coating wafer for applying a lens coating material to the lens, a coating supply device for supplying the lens coating material to the coating wafer, a pressing means for pressing the coating wafer onto the small coin-shaped lens, and a position adjusting means for adjusting the position of the pressing means. According to the coating apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the coating wafer can be pressed onto the outer peripheral surface of the rotating coin-shaped lens while coating the lens with a coating material, and the coating can be applied to the outer peripheral surface of the non-circular coin-shaped lens.

[0005] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve In recent years, in addition to the aforementioned optical lenses for cameras, microscopes, etc., there is a need to develop devices that can precisely coat the outer periphery of thin lenses with light-blocking materials, such as so-called smart glasses (wearable devices in the form of glasses), which are non-circular and asymmetrical in shape, and can display various information on the lens portion. For example, imagine using the coating apparatus described in Patent Document 2 to coat the light-shielding material on the outer peripheral surface of the thin lens, which would result in the coating wafer being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the rotating thin lens while the light-shielding material is being coated. Among the thin lenses of the aforementioned smart glasses, there are also lenses with a convex or concave curved portion in a part of them. The coating apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has the problem that, when coating a thin lens having such a curved portion, it is difficult to press the coating wafer along the curved portion of the thin lens, which is being rotated. Furthermore, the coating apparatus described in Patent Document 2 also has the problem that its application is limited to coating the outer peripheral surface of the lens.

[0006] In addition, when the light-shielding material uses a material containing an ultraviolet curing agent, it is necessary to apply the light-shielding material to the outer peripheral side of the thin lens and then irradiate the thin lens with ultraviolet light (also known as UV light) to cure the light-shielding material. However, in the case of thin lenses, where a part of the workpiece has a curved section, it is difficult to irradiate the side of such workpiece with ultraviolet light evenly, which can easily lead to uneven irradiation and problems such as floating or wrinkling on the cured film.

[0007] Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-142577 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-156260 Summary of the Invention The methods and effects of solving the problem The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a coating apparatus and coating method capable of applying a film-forming liquid with high precision to the side surface of workpieces of various shapes. In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a light irradiation device that can uniformly irradiate the sides of workpieces of various shapes and form a cured film without defective parts. Another object of the present invention is to provide a coating system that can save space and efficiently perform the process of applying a film-forming liquid to the side of a workpiece and curing it.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the coating apparatus (1) of the present invention is a coating apparatus for applying a film-forming liquid to the side of a workpiece, characterized in that the coating apparatus comprises: Coating unit; A means for moving the coating unit, which moves the coating unit in the XYZθ direction; A worktable is provided, which has a setting area for the moving means of the coating unit and a coating operation area for the workpiece, and The coating control unit moves the coating unit and the moving means of the coating unit, and simultaneously controls the action of applying the film-forming liquid to the side of the workpiece. The coating unit includes: Coating roller; The drive unit drives the coating roller to rotate in the θ direction; and The liquid ejection section sprays the film-forming liquid onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller; The control unit is equipped with functions for controlling: The rotational motion of the coating roller performed by the drive unit; The ejection action of the film-forming liquid performed by the liquid ejection section; and The function of the coating unit moving means to bring the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller into contact with or close to the side of the workpiece, while simultaneously moving the coating unit relative to the workpiece.

[0009] According to the above-described coating apparatus (1), it is configured to simultaneously rotate the coating roller and spray the film-forming liquid onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, while bringing the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller into contact with or close to the side of the workpiece, and simultaneously moving the coating unit relative to the workpiece. Furthermore, the coating unit moving means is configured to move the coating unit in the XYZθ directions. Moreover, each action performed by the coating unit and the coating unit moving means is controlled by the coating control unit. Therefore, according to the above-described coating apparatus (1), regardless of the shape of the workpiece, the film-forming liquid can be applied to the side surfaces of workpieces that are circular, non-circular, asymmetrical, or otherwise irregularly shaped. Furthermore, the side surfaces of the workpiece include not only the outer peripheral side surfaces, i.e., the end faces, but also the inner side surfaces of holes formed within the plane of the workpiece. Therefore, the types of workpieces that can be coated are expanded, and the film-forming liquid can be applied to the side surfaces of workpieces of various shapes with high precision.

[0010] Furthermore, the coating apparatus (2) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the coating apparatus (1), The liquid ejection section is configured as a distributor equipped with ejection nozzles; The coating control unit is equipped with a function to control: The action of the distributor spraying the film-forming liquid from the spray nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller; The coating unit moving means performs an action that maintains the relative position of the side of the workpiece and the spray nozzle at a predetermined positional relationship, while simultaneously moving the coating unit relative to the workpiece.

[0011] According to the coating apparatus (2) described above, the coating control unit controls the action of spraying the film-forming liquid from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller by the distributor, and the action of maintaining the relative position of the side of the workpiece with respect to the nozzle at a predetermined position by the coating unit moving means, while simultaneously moving the coating unit relative to the workpiece. Therefore, it is possible to spray the film-forming liquid from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller while maintaining the relative position of the side of the workpiece with respect to the nozzle at the predetermined positional relationship. With this structure, the film-forming liquid sprayed from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller will not drip from the coating roller, and the film-forming liquid can be coated onto the side of the workpiece with a uniform thickness from the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. Furthermore, by using the distributor, maintenance of the apparatus becomes easier. Furthermore, the coating apparatus (3) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned coating apparatus (2), The specified positional relationship is either that the direction of the spray nozzle is normal to the side of the workpiece, or that the direction of the spray nozzle is inclined from the normal direction to a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the coating roller.

[0012] According to the coating apparatus (3) described above, the film-forming liquid can be smoothly and quantitatively sprayed from the spray nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. Furthermore, by positioning the spray nozzle in a direction that is more inclined than the normal direction to the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the coating roller, the phenomenon of the film-forming liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle climbing back onto the spray nozzle can be prevented, thus suppressing deviations in the spraying amount and improving spraying stability. Furthermore, the coating apparatus (4) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned coating apparatus (2) or (3), The distributor comprises a distributor valve having a liquid injection section for injecting the film-forming liquid and an air supply section for supplying air. The ejection nozzle is a needle nozzle.

[0013] According to the above-described coating apparatus (4), the distributor is configured to include the distributor valve, and the ejection nozzle is configured to be a needle nozzle. With this configuration, a small amount of the film-forming liquid can be ejected from the needle nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. Therefore, the film-forming liquid can be precisely coated from the coating roller onto the side of the workpiece with a thin and uniform thickness.

[0014] In addition, the coating apparatus (5) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (4), the coating roller is rotated in the opposite direction to the moving direction of the coating unit, and the film forming liquid is sprayed from the liquid ejection part onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. According to the above-described coating apparatus (5), the film-forming liquid sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the coating roller is coated onto the side surface of the workpiece at a position further back in the moving direction of the coating unit than the contact point or proximity point between the coating roller and the workpiece. With this configuration, the film-forming liquid transferred from the coating roller onto the workpiece is coated without being pressed by the coating roller. Therefore, by adjusting conditions such as the amount of film-forming liquid sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the coating roller, the film thickness of the film-forming liquid coated onto the side surface of the workpiece can be adjusted.

[0015] In addition, the coating apparatus (6) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (5), the coating unit moving means is composed of an orthogonal robot and a vertically rotating robot capable of moving in the vertical and rotational directions. The coating unit is mounted on the vertical rotating robot.

[0016] According to the above-described coating apparatus (6), the orthogonal robot can perform high-precision movement of the coating unit in the XY plane. Furthermore, the vertical rotating robot can perform high-precision movement of the coating unit in the Z-axis direction and rotation in the θ direction. In addition, the movement means can be constructed from a general-purpose robot, thus reducing apparatus costs. Furthermore, the coating apparatus (7) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (6), the coating unit comprises: Mounting components for mounting the coating roller, the drive unit, and the liquid ejection unit; and a support unit for supporting the mounting components in a manner that allows them to move in the horizontal direction; The support portion includes a clearance mechanism for moving the mounting component in the horizontal direction to avoid external forces acting on the coating roller.

[0017] According to the above-described coating apparatus (7), the coating roller is configured to contact the workpiece, and when an external force acts on the coating roller from the horizontal direction, the mounting component is moved in the horizontal direction by the avoidance mechanism to avoid the external force. According to this configuration, when the coating roller contacts the workpiece, the force exerted by the coating roller on the workpiece can be reduced, thereby protecting the workpiece from damage. In addition, the coating apparatus (8) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (7), the setting worktable has a mounting part in the coating operation area that is capable of installing and removing a fixing component for adsorbing and fixing the workpiece.

[0018] The suction part for adsorbing and fixing the workpiece is connected to the fixing part. According to the above-described coating apparatus (8), since the mounting table has the mounting portion in the coating operation area, the fixing component corresponding to the type of workpiece can be installed and removed from the mounting portion. Furthermore, since the suction portion is connected to the fixing component, various workpieces can be precisely adsorbed and fixed at a predetermined position in the coating operation area using the fixing component. Additionally, since it is adsorption-fixed, the contact area between the fixing component and the workpiece can be reduced.

[0019] In addition, the coating apparatus (9) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (8), a cleaning component for removing the film forming liquid adhering to the coating roller is provided in the coating operation area. The coating control unit has the function of controlling: The action of rotating the coating roller performed by the drive unit; and The coating unit moving means performs the action of bringing the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller into contact with the side of the cleaning component, while maintaining the relative position of the side of the cleaning component and the liquid spraying part in a predetermined positional relationship, and moving the coating unit relative to the cleaning component.

[0020] According to the above-described coating apparatus (9), the coating roller is rotated while the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller contacts the side of the cleaning member using the coating unit moving means. The relative position of the side of the cleaning member and the liquid ejection part is maintained at a predetermined positional relationship, and the coating unit moves relative to the cleaning member. With this configuration, the film-forming liquid remaining on the coating roller can be removed using the cleaning member. Therefore, after coating the side of the workpiece, cleaning the coating roller allows for the next coating operation to be performed in a cleaned state, thereby stabilizing the coating quality.

[0021] Furthermore, the coating apparatus (10) involved in this invention is characterized in that, in any one of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (9), The workpiece is a thin plate-shaped workpiece with a curved section on the side that becomes the coating part; The radius of the coating roller is set to be below the minimum radius of curvature in the curved portion of the workpiece. According to the above-described coating apparatus (10), since the radius of the coating roller is set to be below the minimum radius of curvature in the curved portion of the workpiece, it is possible to coat the workpiece with good precision without producing missing portions of the film-forming liquid on the side of the workpiece having the curved portion. Furthermore, the coating apparatus (11) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the above-mentioned coating apparatuses (1) to (10), the coating control unit controls the movement of the coating unit performed by the moving means according to a numerical control program that includes the movement trajectory data of the coating roller made based on the workpiece shape data.

[0022] According to the coating apparatus (11) described above, the control unit controls (numerically controls) the movement of the coating unit performed by the moving means based on a numerical control program that includes movement trajectory data of the coating roller generated based on the workpiece shape data. With this configuration, even if the workpiece has various curved shapes such as non-circular or asymmetrical shapes, the film-forming liquid can be applied to the side of the workpiece with good accuracy. Furthermore, the coating method (1) involved in this invention is a coating method in which a film-forming liquid is applied to the side of a workpiece, characterized in that... The coating method includes a coating process in which the coating roller is rotated while in a state where it is in contact with or close to the side of the workpiece, the film-forming liquid is sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, and the coating roller is moved relative to the workpiece, thereby coating the side of the workpiece with the film-forming liquid. According to the above coating method (1), after the film forming liquid is sprayed from the liquid spraying part onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, it is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller to the side of the workpiece. Therefore, compared with the method of directly spraying the film forming liquid from the liquid spraying part to the side of the workpiece and coating it, the film forming liquid can be coated on the side of the workpiece with high precision.

[0023] In addition, the coating method (2) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned coating method (1), the coating roller is rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the coating roller relative to the workpiece, and the film forming liquid is sprayed from the liquid spraying part onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. According to the above coating method (2), the film-forming liquid sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the coating roller is coated onto the side of the workpiece at a position closer to the rear of the coating unit relative to its moving direction than the contact point or proximity point between the coating roller and the workpiece. With this configuration, the film-forming liquid transferred from the coating roller onto the workpiece is coated without being pressed by the coating roller. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of film-forming liquid sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the coating roller, the film thickness of the film-forming liquid coated onto the side of the workpiece can be adjusted.

[0024] Furthermore, the coating method (3) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described coating method (1) or (2), As the liquid ejection section, a distributor equipped with ejection nozzles is used; While maintaining the relative position of the side of the workpiece and the nozzle at a predetermined position, the film-forming liquid is meteredly sprayed from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller via the distributor.

[0025] According to the above coating method (3), the film-forming liquid is quantitatively sprayed from the spray nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship between the side of the workpiece and the spray nozzle using the dispenser. With this configuration, the film-forming liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller will not drip off the coating roller, and the film-forming liquid can be coated onto the side of the workpiece with a uniform thickness from the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller. Furthermore, the coating method (4) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the above-described coating methods (1) to (3), A coating unit moving means is used to move the coating unit, which includes the coating roller and the liquid ejection section, in the XYZθ direction. According to a numerical control program that includes the movement trajectory data of the coating roller generated based on the workpiece shape data, the movement of the coating unit in the XYZθ direction, performed by the coating unit moving means, is controlled to apply the film-forming liquid to the side of the workpiece.

[0026] According to the above coating method (4), the coating unit, moved by the moving means, is controlled in the XYZθ direction according to the numerical control program to coat the film-forming liquid onto the side of the workpiece. With this configuration, regardless of the shape of the workpiece, even circular, non-circular, asymmetrical, irregular, or complex-shaped workpieces, the film-forming liquid can be coated with good precision onto the side of the workpiece. Furthermore, the film-forming liquid can be coated not only on the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece but also on the sides of holes formed within the workpiece surface, thus expanding the range of workpieces to which it is applicable. Furthermore, the light irradiation device (1) involved in this invention is a light irradiation device for curing a film-forming liquid coated on the side of a workpiece, characterized in that the light irradiation device comprises: A light irradiation unit having a light emitting surface that emits light that solidifies the film-forming liquid; A workpiece receiving fixture is configured to face the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit; The workpiece receiving fixture has a receiving part capable of receiving the workpiece; The receiving part has a shape similar to that of the workpiece. The side of the receiving portion serves as a light-reflecting surface to reflect a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface and illuminate the side of the workpiece.

[0027] According to the aforementioned light irradiation device (1), since the receiving portion of the workpiece receiving fixture has a shape similar to the workpiece, and its side surface is the light reflecting surface, even if the workpiece has various shapes, the light emitted from the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit towards the workpiece, i.e., the active energy line, can be reflected by the light reflecting surface on the side surface of the receiving portion and irradiate the side surface of the workpiece. That is, regardless of the shape of the workpiece, the side surface of the workpiece can be irradiated with light at a uniform intensity, i.e., uneven irradiation can be eliminated, and a cured film without defects such as floating or wrinkles can be formed on the side surface of the workpiece.

[0028] Furthermore, depending on the shape of the receiving part, the side surface of the receiving part can be either an inner side or an outer side. For example, when the receiving part is a concave shape such as a hole, cavity, recess, or collapse, the inner side (inner peripheral side) of the receiving part becomes the light-reflecting surface. On the other hand, when the receiving part is convex, the outer side (outer peripheral side) of the receiving part becomes the light-reflecting surface.

[0029] In addition, the light irradiation device (2) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the light irradiation device (1) described above, the light reflecting surface is covered by a light reflecting material.

[0030] According to the above-described light irradiation device (2), since the light reflecting surface is covered by the light reflecting material, the light emitted from the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit can be reflected efficiently.

[0031] In addition, the light irradiation device (3) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the light irradiation device (1) or (2) described above, the light reflecting surface is mirror-processed.

[0032] According to the above-described light irradiation device (3), since the light reflecting surface is mirror-processed, the light emitted from the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit can be mirror-reflected, i.e., reflected normally. Therefore, the normal reflectivity of the light on the light reflecting surface can be increased, and the side of the workpiece can be irradiated with more uniform light.

[0033] In addition, the light irradiation device (4) of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the above-mentioned light irradiation devices (1) to (3), it includes a light irradiation moving means for moving the light irradiation unit and the workpiece receiving fixture relative to each other.

[0034] According to the above-described light irradiation device (4), by using the light irradiation moving means, the side of the workpiece can be irradiated while the light irradiation unit and the workpiece receiving fixture are moved relative to each other. Furthermore, by providing the light irradiation moving means, a smaller light irradiation unit can be used, achieving cost reduction and space saving. Additionally, the light irradiation moving means can be either a means of moving the light irradiation unit relative to the workpiece receiving fixture, or a means of moving the workpiece receiving fixture relative to the light irradiation unit.

[0035] In addition, the light irradiation method (1) of the present invention is characterized in that any one of the light irradiation devices (1) to (3) is used to emit light from the light emission surface of the light irradiation unit, and a portion of the emitted light is reflected by the light reflection surface of the receiving part of the workpiece receiving fixture to irradiate the side of the workpiece contained in the receiving part, thereby solidifying the film forming liquid coated on the side of the workpiece.

[0036] According to the above-described light irradiation method (1), the receiving portion of the workpiece receiving fixture used in this method has a shape similar to that of the workpiece, and its side surface is the light reflecting surface. Therefore, even if the workpiece has various shapes, light emitted from the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit towards the workpiece can be reflected by the light reflecting surface on the side surface of the receiving portion and irradiate the side surface of the workpiece. That is, regardless of the shape of the workpiece, light irradiation can be uniformly performed on the side surface of the workpiece, i.e., uneven irradiation can be suppressed, and a cured film without defects such as floating or wrinkles can be formed on the side surface of the workpiece.

[0037] Furthermore, the light irradiation method (2) involved in this invention is characterized in that, in the above-described light irradiation method (1), The light is emitted from the light-emitting surface while the light irradiation unit and the workpiece receiving fixture move relative to each other.

[0038] According to the above-described light irradiation method (2), the side of the workpiece can be irradiated while the light irradiation unit and the workpiece receiving fixture move relative to each other. Furthermore, since it is a relative movement method, a small light irradiation device can be used in the light irradiation unit, allowing for space-saving light irradiation.

[0039] Furthermore, the coating system (1) involved in this invention is a coating system comprising any one of the coating devices (1) to (11) and any one of the light irradiation devices (1) to (3) mentioned above, characterized in that, The light irradiation device is disposed in the coating operation area where the workbench is set, and has a light irradiation moving means for moving the light irradiation unit relative to the workpiece receiving fixture. The receiving portion of the workpiece receiving fixture has a hole shape. The side of the receiving part is the light-reflecting surface. A lifting-type workpiece holding means is provided at the location of the receiving part to hold the workpiece; The workpiece holding means includes a holding table for holding the workpiece and a lifting means for raising and lowering the holding table.

[0040] According to the above-described coating system (1), since the light irradiation device is provided in the coating operation area where the worktable is set, the actions of applying the film-forming liquid to the side of the workpiece using the coating unit and curing the applied film-forming liquid using the light irradiation unit can be performed in the coating operation area. Therefore, the process of applying the film-forming liquid to the side of the workpiece and curing it can be performed efficiently and in a space-saving manner.

[0041] Specifically, the workpiece is held on the holding table, and the lifting means positions the holding table above the workpiece receiving fixture. The coating unit then performs the coating operation. After coating, the holding table is lowered to house the workpiece in the receiving section. Then, the light irradiation unit is moved relative to the workpiece receiving fixture using the light irradiation moving means, and light irradiation is applied to the side of the workpiece to solidify the film forming liquid. Therefore, the coating and curing processes can be performed efficiently without moving the workpiece in a plane (X, Y directions).

[0042] Furthermore, the coating system (2) of the present invention is characterized in that the coating system (1) comprises: Workpiece storage means: for storing the workpiece before the film-forming liquid is applied and the workpiece after the film-forming liquid has cured; and A workpiece transfer means for transferring the workpiece between the workpiece receiving means and the holding table; The workpiece storage means and the workpiece transfer means are configured on the workbench.

[0043] According to the above coating system (2), the workpiece before the film-forming liquid is applied can be transferred from the workpiece receiving mechanism to the holding table by the workpiece transfer means, and the workpiece after the film-forming liquid has cured can be transferred from the holding table to the workpiece receiving means. Therefore, the workpiece transfer operation can be performed efficiently between the workpiece receiving means and the holding table.

[0044] Furthermore, the coating system (3) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned coating system (2), the workpiece storage means comprises: Material rack: capable of stacking trays for storing multiple said workpieces; and Removal and placement means: used to remove from the rack or place into the tray; The workpiece transfer means transfers the workpiece between the tray removed from the rack by the removal and placement means and the holding worktable.

[0045] According to the above-described coating system (3), since the workpiece storage means includes the rack and the removal and placement means, multiple workpieces can be stored in the rack in a space-saving manner, and can be appropriately removed from the rack and placed into the tray. In addition, the workpiece transfer means enables efficient transfer of the workpiece between the tray removed from the rack and the holding table.

[0046] Furthermore, the coating system (4) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described coating system (3), The workpiece transfer method comprises: Hand: used to hold the workpiece; and Transfer robot: It is capable of moving the hand in the XYZ directions; The hand has at least two holding portions for holding the workpiece.

[0047] According to the above coating system (4), since the hand of the workpiece transfer means has two holding parts, the workpiece before the film-forming liquid is applied can be held by one of the holding parts and transferred from the workpiece receiving means to the holding table, and the workpiece after the film-forming liquid is cured can be held by the other holding part and transferred from the holding table to the workpiece receiving means. The workpiece before the film-forming liquid is applied and the workpiece after the film-forming liquid is cured can be efficiently transferred in one reciprocating motion.

[0048] Furthermore, the coating system (5) of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described coating system (4), The tray has a mounting portion for placing the workpiece; The coating system includes an upward pushing means for pushing the workpiece upward from the mounting portion of the tray that has been removed from the rack by the removal and placement means; The coating system is configured such that the workpiece, which is pushed upward from the mounting portion by the pushing means, is held in the holding portion of the hand.

[0049] According to the above-described coating system (5), since the workpiece can be pushed upward from the mounting portion of the tray by the pushing means, the workpiece stored in the tray can be easily held in the holding portion of the hand. Attached Figure Description

[0050] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the main structure of the coating apparatus according to embodiment (1) of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The main view.

[0052] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The right view.

[0053] Figure 4 The diagram shows an instance of a workpiece that is the object to be coated. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view along line bb in (a).

[0054] Figure 5 The figure shows an example of a fixed component that can be attached to or detached from the workbench mounting section. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view along line bb in (a).

[0055] Figure 6 This is a front view showing the main components of the coating unit that constitutes the coating apparatus according to embodiment (1).

[0056] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The right view.

[0057] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of each part of the coating apparatus involved in embodiment (1).

[0058] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates the coating operation of the coating apparatus according to embodiment (1), and also illustrates the operation of the coating roller and the liquid ejection section relative to the workpiece.

[0059] Figure 10 (a) and (b) are enlarged sectional views of the outer periphery of the workpiece after coating.

[0060] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing operations performed by the coating control unit of the coating apparatus according to embodiment (1). Figure 12 This is a top view showing the main components of the coating system involved in embodiment (2).

[0061] Figure 13 yes Figure 12 The main view of the central part.

[0062] Figure 14 yes Figure 12 Right view of the main part.

[0063] Figure 15 yes Figure 12 Left view of the main part.

[0064] Figure 16 The diagram shows the main components of the light irradiation device constituting the coating system according to embodiment (2). (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view when the workpiece is coated, (c) is a front view when the light is irradiated, and (d) is a right view when the light is irradiated.

[0065] Figure 17 This is a diagram used to illustrate the movement of the light irradiation unit relative to the workpiece receiving fixture in the light irradiation device. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view along line bb in (a).

[0066] Figure 18 The figure shows an example of the hand of the transfer robot constituting the coating system involved in embodiment (2), (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a right view.

[0067] Figure 19 This is a block diagram illustrating a structural example of the main functional components of the coating system involved in embodiment (2).

[0068] Figure 20This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing actions performed by the control unit of the coating system involved in embodiment (2).

[0069] Figure 21 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing actions performed by the control unit of the coating system involved in embodiment (2).

[0070] Figure 22 The diagram is used to illustrate the configuration of the light irradiation device according to another embodiment. (a) is a partial top view showing the state in which the workpiece is housed in the workpiece housing fixture, and (b) is a cross-sectional view along line bb in (a). Detailed Implementation

[0071] Hereinafter, embodiments of the coating apparatus, coating method, light irradiation apparatus, light irradiation method, and coating system involved in the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the embodiments described below represent preferred specific examples of the present invention and impose various technically preferred limitations, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless specifically stated in the following description.

[0072] Figure 1 This is a top view showing the main components of the coating apparatus according to embodiment (1) of the present invention. Figure 2 for Figure 1 The main view, Figure 3 for Figure 1 The right view.

[0073] Figure 4 The diagram shows an example of a workpiece as the object to be coated. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view along line bb in (a). The coating apparatus 10 is an apparatus for applying a film-forming liquid to the side of the workpiece 2.

[0074] Figure 4 The workpiece 2 shown is an example of a non-circular smart glasses lens with a curved portion having a concave-convex shape on its outer periphery, and the coated portion is the outer peripheral side 2a. The workpiece 2 may also be constructed by overlapping multiple lens layers, etc., depending on its lens function.

[0075] In this embodiment, we envision the case where workpiece 2 is a thin lens for smart glasses, but workpiece 2 is not limited to lenses for smart glasses. Workpiece 2, as an applicable object, can be circular, non-circular, symmetrical, or asymmetrical in shape, including lenses, glass, mirrors, films, resin panels, stamped metal sheets, and various sheet-shaped components such as resin substrates and glass substrates for electronic circuits. The size of workpiece 2 is not particularly limited, and workpieces of various sizes can be used as coating targets. Furthermore, the thickness t of workpiece 2 is not particularly limited; for example, in the case of a lens for smart glasses, the thickness t of workpiece 2 is approximately 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

[0076] In addition, workpiece 2 is not limited to the outer peripheral side 2a, that is, the end face becoming the coating part. In other ways, workpieces with one or more holes formed in the plane, and the inner sides of these holes becoming the coating parts, such as grinding carriers and other fixtures used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, can also become coating objects.

[0077] Additionally, the film-forming liquid 3 (refer to) applied to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 Figure 9 , 10 For example, it is an optical coating used to prevent light spots, ghosting, etc., caused by reflections at the periphery of the workpiece 2 in a thin lens. In addition, the composition and other characteristics of the film-forming liquid 3 can be appropriately changed according to the specifications of the workpiece 2, the purpose of coating, etc.

[0078] The coating apparatus 10 includes a coating unit 20 (see Figures 2 and 3); a moving mechanism 30 that moves the coating unit 20 in the XYZθ directions; a worktable 40 having a mounting area 41 for mounting the moving mechanism 30 and the like; and a coating operation area 42 for mounting workpieces 2 and the like. The moving mechanism 30 is an example of a means of moving the coating unit.

[0079] Furthermore, the coating apparatus 10 also includes a coating control unit 50 (see reference 50). Figure 2 , 3 ( ), used to make the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30 move, and at the same time control the movement of the coating film forming liquid 3 on the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0080] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown, the coating unit 20 comprises a coating roller 21; a drive unit 22 that drives the coating roller 21 to rotate; and a liquid ejection unit 23 that sprays the film-forming liquid 3 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. The specific configuration of the coating unit 20 will be described later.

[0081] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the moving mechanism 30 is mounted on the setting platform 35, which is configured in the setting area 41 of the worktable 40.

[0082] The moving mechanism 30 is composed of a four-axis combined robot, which includes an orthogonal robot 31 with XY2 axes mounted on the mounting platform 35 and a vertically rotating (ZR) robot 34 capable of moving along the vertical (Z) direction and the rotation (θ) direction.

[0083] The orthogonal robot 31 is composed of a Y-axis robot 32 and an X-axis robot 33.

[0084] The Y-axis robot 32 comprises a Y-axis linear guide 32a mounted on a mounting platform 35 and a Y-axis bracket 32b that moves on the Y-axis linear guide 32a. The Y-axis linear guide 32a includes a ball screw mechanism, a motor, and an encoder.

[0085] The X-axis robot 33 comprises an X-axis linear guide 33a mounted on a Y-axis bracket 32b and positioned orthogonal to the Y-axis linear guide 32a, and an X-axis slider 33b that moves on the X-axis linear guide 33a. The X-axis linear guide 33a includes a ball screw mechanism, a motor, and an encoder. Furthermore, a vertically rotating robot 34 is mounted on the X-axis slider 33b.

[0086] The vertical rotary robot 34 includes a ball screw spline shaft mechanism, a motor, a Z-axis encoder, and a θ-axis rotary encoder, and is configured to simultaneously perform vertical (Z)-direction movement and θ-direction rotational movement of its shaft 34a. A coating unit 20 is mounted at the lower end of the shaft 34a of the vertical rotary robot 34. Therefore, the entire coating unit 20 is constructed by the vertical rotary robot 34 rotating or moving up and down around its shaft 34a. Both the orthogonal robot 31 and the vertical rotary robot 34 can be constructed from known robots.

[0087] Furthermore, the composition of the moving mechanism 30 is not limited to a combination of the orthogonal robot 31 and the vertical rotating robot 34, but can also be composed of one or more other robots that are capable of moving in the XYZθ directions.

[0088] The workbench 40 has a setting area 41 and a coating operation area 42. The setting area 41 is equipped with a setting platform 35 and a valve controller 26 for controlling the operation of the liquid spraying part 23. The coating operation area 42 is equipped with a mounting part 43, which can install and remove fixing parts 44 for fixing the workpiece 2 and cleaning parts 46 for cleaning the coating roller 21. The mounting part 43 is, for example, made of a generally rectangular metal plate, and has a plurality of threaded holes 43a for mounting fixing parts 44 formed at predetermined intervals on its top surface.

[0089] The cleaning component 46 is used to remove the film forming liquid 3 that adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 after the film forming liquid 3 is applied to the side of the workpiece 2. It is made of a component made of a material that can absorb, adsorb, wipe, and scrape off the film forming liquid 3. Figures 1-3 The cleaning component 46 shown has a generally disc-shaped shape. By rotating and moving the coating roller 21 along its outer circumferential surface, the cleaning component 46 wipes away the film-forming liquid 3 adhering to the coating roller 21.

[0090] The coating control unit 50 consists of one or more computer devices that control the operation of each part of the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30. It includes an arithmetic unit 50a, a storage unit 50b, an input unit 50c, an output unit 50d, and a power supply unit 50e. It is connected to the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30 via a communication line (not shown).

[0091] The arithmetic unit 50a is configured to include one or more central processing units (CPUs), and has the function of performing arithmetic processing based on signals obtained from the input unit 50c, data read from the storage unit 50b, programs, etc., and outputting signals controlling the operation of each part of the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30 from the output unit 50d to each part.

[0092] The storage unit 50b consists of a program memory (ROM) and a data memory (RAM), storing the motion program of the moving mechanism, the motion program of the coating roller, the motion program of the liquid ejection part, the workpiece shape (coordinate) data, and the setting, input and calculation data, etc., which are the data and programs required for controlling the operation of each part of the coating device 10.

[0093] The input unit 50c is composed of an input interface, which is used to acquire signals from various parts of the coating apparatus 10 and transmit them to the arithmetic unit 50a.

[0094] The output unit 50d consists of an output interface, which is used to receive the results of the calculation and processing performed by the arithmetic unit 50a, and output signals to cause each part of the coating device 10 to operate.

[0095] Furthermore, the functional configuration of the coating control unit 50 will be described later.

[0096] Figure 5 The figure shows an example of a fixing member 44 that can be attached to and detached from the mounting part 43 of the worktable 40. (a) is a top view and (b) is a sectional view along line bb of (a).

[0097] The fixing component 44 is manufactured according to the type of each workpiece 2. The fixing component 44 includes a base 44a fixed to the mounting part 43, a surrounding wall part 44b erected on the base 44a, and a recess 44c formed in the surrounding wall part 44b. A suction passage 44d communicating with the recess 44c is formed in the surrounding wall part 44b. The upper part of the surrounding wall part 44b on which the workpiece 2 is placed is shaped to be slightly smaller than the outer shape of the workpiece 2. A pipe (not shown) extending from the suction pump (suction part) is installed on the opening 44da of the suction passage 44d of the surrounding wall part 44b.

[0098] A plurality of threaded holes 44aa are formed on the base 44a, and the positions of these threaded holes 44aa are designed such that when the base 44a is positioned in a predetermined position on the mounting portion 43, the positions of the threaded holes 43a on the mounting portion 43 coincide. According to this structure, the fixing member 44 can be fixed in the predetermined position on the mounting portion 43 with screws.

[0099] After the workpiece 2 is placed and positioned on the enclosure 44b of the fixing member 44 installed on the mounting part 43, the air in the recess 44c is attracted by the suction path 44d, and the workpiece 2 is adsorbed and fixed on the enclosure 44b.

[0100] The workpiece 2 can be positioned using a positioning fixture that places it at a predetermined position on the enclosure portion 44b. For example, a fixture with a shape that can engage with the outer peripheral surface of the enclosure portion 44b and the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 can be used. Alternatively, the positioning of the workpiece 2 toward the fixing member 44 can be performed manually by an operator or by using an automated positioning configuration such as an operating robot (not shown).

[0101] Figure 6 This is a front view showing the main components of the coating unit 20 that constitutes the coating apparatus 10 according to embodiment (1). Figure 7 To indicate Figure 6 The right view shows the main components of the coating unit 20.

[0102] The coating unit 20 is composed of a coating roller 21, a drive unit 22 that drives the coating roller 21 to rotate in the θ direction, and a liquid ejection unit 23 that sprays film forming liquid 3 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21.

[0103] The coating roller 21 is a resin roller in a roughly disc shape, inserted into the roller mounting shaft 21a. The radius of the coating roller 21 is set to be less than or equal to the minimum radius of curvature of the curved portion of the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2. When the workpiece 2 is a lens for smart glasses, the radius is typically set to about 2 to 5 mm. In order to enable the film-forming liquid 3 sprayed from the liquid ejection section 23 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 to be quickly transferred and coated onto the side surface of the workpiece 2, it is preferable that the coating roller 21 has a small diameter. In addition, the thickness (height) of the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 is preferably designed to be slightly thicker than the thickness of the workpiece 2. Furthermore, the material of the coating roller 21 is not limited to resin; it can also be made of rubber, metal, etc.

[0104] The drive unit 22 is composed of a small servo motor or other rotary motor, and the rotational force of the rotary motor is transmitted to the coating roller 21 via the roller mounting shaft 21a. Therefore, the coating roller 21 is configured to rotate around the roller mounting shaft 21a (Z-axis) via the drive unit 22, and the coating unit 20 as a whole is configured to rotate in the θ direction around the shaft 34a (Z-axis) via the vertical rotating robot 34.

[0105] The liquid ejection section 23 is composed of a distributor that functions to dispense a metering amount of film-forming liquid 3. The liquid ejection section 23 includes a pneumatically operated distributor valve 24, which has a liquid injection section 24a for injecting the film-forming liquid 3 and an air supply section 24b for supplying air; an ejection nozzle 25 mounted on the top of the distributor valve 24; and a valve controller 26 that controls the operation of the distributor valve 24 (see reference). Figures 1-3 ).

[0106] One end of a pneumatically pumped syringe 24c filled with film-forming fluid 3 is mounted on the liquid injection unit 24a. The other end of the syringe 24c is connected to a valve controller 26 via an air tube 24d. The valve controller 26 has the function of controlling the supply amount of film-forming fluid 3 from the syringe 24c to the distributor valve 24 by air pressure.

[0107] One end of an air pipe 24e is installed on the air supply unit 24b, and the other end of the air pipe 24e is connected to the valve controller 26. The valve controller 26 has the function of controlling the amount of film-forming liquid 3 ejected from the ejection nozzle 25 of the distributor valve 24 by air pressure.

[0108] The nozzle 25 is composed of a fine needle-shaped nozzle. The nozzle 25 is inclined upwards relative to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. Therefore, the distributor valve 24 is positioned above the coating roller 21. Thus, when the coating roller 21 contacts or approaches the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2, the nozzle 25 or the distributor valve 24 (i.e., the liquid ejection section 23) will not be an obstruction. Furthermore, the nozzle orifice 25a at the tip of the nozzle 25 is positioned to contact or approach the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21, and the film-forming liquid 3 is ejected from the nozzle orifice 25a onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. Additionally, the ejection method of the liquid ejection section 23 is not limited to pneumatic methods such as the distributor valve 24; other ejection methods are also possible.

[0109] In addition, the coating unit 20 includes a mounting component 27, which mounts the coating roller 21, the drive unit 22 and the liquid spraying unit 23; and a support unit 28, which supports the mounting component 27 in a manner that allows it to move (slide) in a predetermined horizontal direction (arrow A direction).

[0110] The mounting component 27 comprises a shaft support 27a that rotatably supports the roller mounting shaft 21a; a mounting plate 27b for mounting the drive unit 22 coaxially with the roller mounting shaft 21a; a support plate 27c that supports the liquid ejection unit 23 in a predetermined inclined position; and a mounting portion 27d for mounting these components and is L-shaped when viewed from the side. With this configuration, the coating roller 21, the drive unit 22, and the liquid ejection unit 23 are mounted on the mounting component 27 and integrated into one unit.

[0111] The support portion 28 comprises a linear guide rail 28a disposed in the horizontal direction; a linear block 28b slidably mounted on the linear guide rail 28a; support plates 28c and 28d supporting both sides of the linear guide rail 28a; and a base 28e supporting the support plates 28c and 28d. The base 28e of the support portion 28 is mounted on the shaft portion 34a of the vertically rotating robot 34, and the linear block 28b is mounted on the upper part of the mounting portion 27d. Therefore, the mounting member 27 is configured to move together with the linear block 28b along the configuration direction of the linear guide rail 28a.

[0112] Furthermore, the support portion 28 has a mechanism portion 29. The avoidance mechanism portion 29 is, for example, a mechanism used to move the mounting member 27 in the horizontal direction (arrow A direction) to avoid when the coating roller 21 is pressed against the side of the workpiece 2 and an external force is applied to the coating roller 21.

[0113] The avoidance mechanism 29 is composed of elastic members 29a disposed on the left and right sides of the mounting portion 27d. One end of the elastic member 29a is mounted on the support plate portion 28c, and the other end of the elastic member 29a is mounted on the mounting portion 27d. The elastic member 29a is, for example, composed of a tension spring.

[0114] By using the avoidance mechanism 29 including the elastic member 29a, for example, when the coating roller 21 is pressed against the side of the workpiece 2, when an external force is applied to the coating roller 21, the elastic member 29a can absorb the external force (pressing pressure) while keeping the coating roller 21 in a state that is properly pressed against the side of the workpiece 2.

[0115] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of each part of the coating apparatus 10 involved in embodiment (1).

[0116] The coating control unit 50 includes a coating roller control unit 51, a liquid ejection control unit 52, and a movement mechanism control unit 53.

[0117] The coating roller control unit 51 has the function of controlling the rotational movement of the coating roller 21, which is performed by the drive unit 22 provided in the coating unit 20. The coating roller control unit 51 is configured to, for example, output a rotation command to the drive unit 22 at a predetermined time when the coating operation begins, acquire the encoder signal of the drive unit 22 driven according to the rotation command, and perform feedback control.

[0118] The liquid ejection control unit 52 has the function of controlling the operation of the ejection film forming liquid 3 via the valve controller 26 through the distributor valve 24 of the liquid ejection unit 23.

[0119] The liquid ejection control unit 52 controls the output of a liquid ejection command to the valve controller 26 at a predetermined time when the coating operation begins. Then, the valve controller 26 adjusts the air pressure according to the liquid ejection command, and controls the supply amount of film-forming liquid 3 from the syringe 24c to the distributor valve 24 and the ejection amount of film-forming liquid 3 ejected from the ejection nozzle 25.

[0120] The moving mechanism control unit 53 has a numerical control program that uses the moving trajectory data (coordinate data) of the coating roller 21, which is made using the shape data of the workpiece 2, to control the movement of the coating unit 20 in the XY direction of the orthogonal robot 31 constituting the moving mechanism 30, the movement of the coating unit 20 in the Z direction of the vertical rotating robot 34, and the θ rotation action.

[0121] The mobile mechanism control unit 53 is configured to output a motion command in the Z-axis direction and a rotation command in the θ direction of the axis 34a to the vertical rotating robot 34 at a predetermined time when the coating action is performed, and to perform feedback control while receiving the Z-axis encoder signal and the θ rotation encoder signal of the vertical rotating robot 34 that are performing actions based on these commands.

[0122] Furthermore, the motion mechanism control unit 53 controls the output of motion commands to the Y-axis bracket 32b to the Y-axis robot 32 or to the X-axis slider 33b to the X-axis robot 33 at predetermined times during the coating operation. Additionally, the motion mechanism control unit 53 is configured to perform feedback control while receiving encoder signals from the Y-axis robot 32 and the X-axis robot 33 that are operating based on these commands.

[0123] Furthermore, the moving mechanism control unit 53 has the function of making the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 contact or approach the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 through the moving mechanism 30, and making the coating unit 20 move relative to the workpiece 2 while maintaining the relative position of the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 and the liquid spraying part 23 at a predetermined positional relationship.

[0124] Maintaining the specified positional relationship means, for example, during the coating operation, that the orientation of the liquid ejection section 23 (i.e., the distributor valve 24, the ejection nozzle 25) relative to the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 is maintained at a certain angle (e.g., the normal direction or the orientation at a specified angle) relative to the tangent line passing through the contact point (or proximity point) between the workpiece 2 and the coating roller 21.

[0125] use Figure 9 This describes the operation of the coating unit 20 during the coating process.

[0126] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates the operation of the coating unit 20 when coating workpiece 2 is being applied, showing the movement of the coating roller 21 and the liquid ejection section 23 relative to workpiece 2.

[0127] Figure 9 (A) shows the state in which the coating roller 21 moves counterclockwise along the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 in order to start the action of coating the film forming liquid 3 on the workpiece 2 from position a) in the figure, passing through positions b), c), d), e), f), and returning to position a) in the figure.

[0128] In other words, the moving mechanism 30 controls the movement of the coating unit 20 to rotate counterclockwise. At this time, as... Figure 9 As shown in (B), the liquid ejection section 23 (i.e., distributor valve 24, ejection nozzle 25) is maintained in the direction of the normal line Ln, which is perpendicular to the tangent line Lt passing through the contact point T of the workpiece 2 and the coating roller 21.

[0129] In addition, in sync with the overall movement control of the coating unit 20, the film forming liquid 3 is meteredly sprayed from the spray nozzle 25 of the distributor valve 24, and the coating roller 21 is controlled to rotate at a certain speed in a clockwise direction (i.e., in the opposite direction to the movement direction of the coating unit 20).

[0130] Therefore, as Figure 9 As shown in the enlarged view of (B)b), the film-forming liquid 3 sprayed from the spray nozzle 25 onto the coating roller 21 is transferred onto the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 on a side further back than the contact point T between the coating roller 21 and the workpiece 2 (the rearward side relative to the moving direction of the coating unit 20).

[0131] Therefore, the film-forming liquid 3, after being transferred from the coating roller 21 to the workpiece 2, is coated without being pressed by the coating roller 21. Thus, by adjusting the amount of film-forming liquid 3 sprayed from the nozzle 25 of the liquid ejection section 23 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21, the film thickness of the film-forming liquid 3 coated on the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 can be easily controlled, thereby improving the adjustment accuracy of the film thickness of the film-forming liquid 3.

[0132] in addition, Figure 9 (B) shows an example in which the direction of the nozzle 25 of the liquid ejection section 23 is maintained in the direction of the normal line Ln perpendicular to the tangent Lt of the contact point T between the workpiece 2 and the coating roller 21, but the direction of the nozzle 25 is not limited to this.

[0133] In other forms, such as Figure 9 As shown in (C), the orientation of the nozzle 25 can also be maintained in a positional relationship that is inclined from the normal Ln direction to the opposite direction (counterclockwise) to the rotation direction (clockwise) of the coating roller 21. By adopting Figure 9 The configuration of the ejector nozzle 25 shown in (C) can prevent the film-forming liquid 3 ejected from the ejector nozzle 25 from climbing up the ejector nozzle 25, suppress the deviation of the ejection amount, and improve the ejection stability.

[0134] In addition, the rotation direction of the coating roller 21 is not limited to the opposite direction of the movement direction of the coating unit 20. Depending on the type of workpiece 2 and the coating conditions, it can also rotate in the same direction as the movement direction of the coating unit 20.

[0135] Thus, the coating control unit 50 is configured to control the rotation of the coating roller 21 during the coating operation and to quantitatively spray the film-forming liquid 3 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. In addition, while performing these controls in parallel, the coating control unit 50 also controls the overall rotation (spinning) of the coating unit 20 so that the orientation of the liquid spraying part 23 relative to the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 is maintained in the same state, while simultaneously moving the coating roller 21 along the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0136] Figure 10 (a) and (b) are enlarged cross-sectional views of the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 after the film-forming liquid 3 has been applied.

[0137] Figure 10(a) indicates that the film-forming liquid 3 is only applied to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2. Figure 10 (b) indicates the state in which the film-forming liquid 3 is applied with the outer peripheral side 2a and its periphery of the workpiece 2 slightly overlapping.

[0138] According to the coating device 10, such as Figure 10 As shown in (a), a film forming liquid 3 can be applied to the outer peripheral side surface 2a with a coating width less than or equal to the thickness of the workpiece 2, or as shown in (a). Figure 10 As shown in (b), a film-forming liquid 3 is applied to the periphery of the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2. Furthermore, the film thickness of the applied film-forming liquid 3 can be, for example, from a few μm to less than 100 μm, but the film thickness is not limited to this range and can be adjusted according to the type and purpose of the workpiece 2.

[0139] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing operation performed by the coating control unit 50 of the coating apparatus 10 according to embodiment (1). Furthermore, this processing operation illustrates an example of the coating operation for a workpiece 2.

[0140] First, in step S1, the coating control unit 50 reads the numerical control program of the coating unit 20 corresponding to the workpiece 2 to be coated, and proceeds to step S2.

[0141] The numerical control program described above includes the data and procedures required for controlling the coating of the outer peripheral surface 2a of the workpiece 2 using the coating roller 21. This data includes, for example, data such as the shape of the workpiece 2, the movement coordinates, movement distance, and movement speed of the coating roller 21, as well as data such as the coordinates when the rotation of the coating roller 21 is turned on / off, the rotation direction of the coating roller 21, and the rotation speed. Furthermore, this data includes the data required for controlling the coordinates of the coating roller 21 and the amount of film-forming liquid 3 sprayed when the action of spraying the film-forming liquid 3 by the liquid ejection unit 23 is turned on / off. The movement coordinate data of the coating roller 21 is created, for example, based on the shape data of the workpiece 2 produced by CAD or the like, the coordinate data of the coating operation area 42 of the moving mechanism 30, and other coating conditions. The numerical control program described above is created according to the type of each workpiece 2.

[0142] In step S2, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 (orthogonal robot 31 and vertical rotating robot 34) to move the coating unit 20 to the origin position of the moving mechanism 30.

[0143] In step S3, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to move the coating unit 20 to the starting position of the coating operation. Through the movement of the coating unit 20, the coating roller 21 is positioned opposite to the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2, which is the coating start position.

[0144] In step S4, the coating control unit 50 controls the rotation of the coating roller 21. That is, the coating control unit 50 sends a rotation command to the drive unit 22 of the coating unit 20, initiating the rotation of the coating roller 21 at a predetermined speed in a predetermined direction. The predetermined rotation direction is, for example, the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the coating unit 20 relative to the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0145] In step S5, the coating control unit 50 controls the spraying of the film-forming liquid 3 by the liquid spraying unit 23. That is, the coating control unit 50 sends a liquid spraying command to the valve controller 26, and the valve controller 26 begins to control the operation of quantitatively spraying the film-forming liquid 3 from the spray nozzle 25 of the distributor valve 24 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21.

[0146] In step S6, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to begin the coating operation on the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 performed by the coating unit 20. Specifically, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to bring the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 into contact with or near the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2, and maintains the relative position of the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 and the nozzle 25 of the distributor valve 24 at a predetermined positional relationship (e.g., in the normal direction or at a predetermined angle). Simultaneously, it begins to control the rotational movement (revolution) of the coating unit 20 along the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the coating roller 21. Step S6 is the coating process of applying the film-forming liquid 3 to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0147] Then, in step S7, the coating control unit 50 determines whether the coating operation on the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 is completed. For example, the coating control unit 50 determines the completion of the coating operation by determining whether the position of the coating roller 21 has reached the coating end position or returned to the coating start position.

[0148] If the coating action is not completed, continue the coating action. In step S7, if it is determined that the coating action is completed, proceed to step S8.

[0149] In step S8, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to move the coating unit 20 to a predetermined position, such as the starting position of the coating action.

[0150] In step S9, the coating control unit 50 controls the rotation of the coating roller 21 to stop and the spraying of the film-forming liquid 3 by the liquid spraying unit 23 to stop.

[0151] In step S10, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to begin moving the coating unit 20 to the position of the cleaning component 46. This means that the coating unit 20 moves to the position where the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning component 46.

[0152] In step S11, the coating control unit 50 controls the rotation of the coating roller 21 while the coating unit 20 is moving to the position of the cleaning member 46.

[0153] In step S12, when the coating control unit 50 reaches the position where the coating roller 21 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning component 46, it further controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to start a wiping action that causes the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 to reciprocate along the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning component 46.

[0154] Then, in step S13, the coating control unit 50 determines whether the wiping action is completed. If it is determined that the wiping action is completed in step S13, then proceed to step S14.

[0155] In step S14, the coating control unit 50 controls the movement of the moving mechanism 30 to move the coating unit 20 to the origin position of the moving mechanism 30, and then the process ends.

[0156] In addition, the cleaning process of the coating roller 21 in steps S9 to S13 can be performed during each coating operation of the workpiece 2, or it can be performed after multiple coating operations are completed.

[0157] According to the coating apparatus 10 of the above embodiment (1), it is configured such that, while rotating the coating roller 21 and spraying the film-forming liquid 3 onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21, the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 is brought into contact or close to the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 by the moving mechanism 30, and the relative position between the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 and the liquid spraying part 23 is maintained at a predetermined positional relationship, while the coating unit 20 is rotated and moved along the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece 2. Furthermore, the actions of the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30 are controlled by the coating control unit 50.

[0158] Therefore, according to the coating apparatus 10, a complex mechanical structure is not required, and film-forming liquid 3 can be applied to the outer peripheral surfaces of circular, non-circular, and other irregularly shaped workpieces regardless of their shape. Furthermore, film-forming liquid 3 can be applied not only to the outer peripheral surface 2a of the workpiece 2, but also, for example, to the sides of holes formed in the plane of the workpiece 2. That is, the types of workpieces 2 that can be applied are expanded, and film-forming liquid 3 can be applied with high precision to the sides of workpieces 2 of various shapes. In addition, compared with the method of directly spraying film-forming liquid 3 from the liquid ejection section 23 onto the outer peripheral surface 2a of the workpiece 2, film-forming liquid 3 can be applied with high precision to the outer peripheral surface 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0159] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, the coating control unit 50 controls the spraying action of the film-forming liquid 3 from the spray nozzle 25 to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 via the distributor valve 24. Therefore, the film-forming liquid 3 can be sprayed quantitatively from the spray nozzle 25 to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. With this structure, the film-forming liquid 3 sprayed from the spray nozzle 25 to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21 will not drip off the coating roller 21, and the film-forming liquid 3 can be coated on the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 with a uniform thickness from the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. In addition, the maintenance of the apparatus is also made easier.

[0160] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, the liquid ejection unit 23 includes a distributor valve 24, in other words, it is configured as a distributor in the form of a metering valve, and the ejection nozzle 25 is configured as a needle nozzle. With this configuration, a small amount of film-forming liquid 3 can be ejected from the needle nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21. Therefore, the film-forming liquid 3 can be applied from the coating roller 21 to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 with a thin and uniform thickness.

[0161] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, the film-forming liquid 3 sprayed from the liquid ejection section 23 onto the coating roller 21 is positioned closer to the rear side relative to the moving direction of the coating unit 20 than the contact point (or proximity point) between the coating roller 21 and the workpiece 2. Based on this configuration, as... Figure 9 As shown in (B), the film-forming liquid 3 can be applied to the workpiece 2 without being pressed by the coating roller 21 after being transferred from the coating roller 21. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of film-forming liquid 3 sprayed from the liquid ejection section 23 to the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller 21, the film thickness of the film-forming liquid 3 applied to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 can be adjusted.

[0162] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, the orthogonal robot 31 can perform high-precision movement of the coating unit 20 in the XY plane, and the vertical rotation robot 34 can perform high-precision movement of the coating unit 20 in the Z-axis direction and rotation in the θ direction. Moreover, the movement mechanism 30, including these components, can be constructed from general-purpose robots, thus reducing apparatus costs.

[0163] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, since the coating unit 20 has a clearance mechanism 29, it is configured such that when the coating roller 21 contacts the workpiece 2, and an external force acts on the coating roller 21 from the horizontal direction, the clearance mechanism 29 causes the mounting member 27 to move in the horizontal direction to avoid the force, and the elastic member 29a absorbs the external force. With this configuration, the pressing pressure when the coating roller 21 contacts the workpiece 2 can be reduced, and the workpiece 2 can be protected from damage.

[0164] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, since the worktable 40 has a mounting section 43 in the coating operation area 42, the fixing component 44 corresponding to the type of workpiece 2 can be mounted and detached onto the mounting section 43. Additionally, since the suction tube is connected to the fixing component 44, various workpieces 2 can be precisely and accurately adsorbed and fixed in the coating operation area 42 using the fixing component 44. Furthermore, because it is adsorption-fixed, the contact area between the fixing component 44 and the workpiece 2 can be reduced.

[0165] Furthermore, the coating apparatus 10 includes a cleaning component 46 within the coating operation area 42. After the coating operation on the workpiece 2 is performed, the cleaning component 46 can be used to wipe away any residual film-forming liquid 3 on the coating roller 21. Therefore, the next coating operation can be performed in a clean state, thus stabilizing the coating quality.

[0166] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, since the radius of the coating roller 21 is set to be less than or equal to the smallest radius of curvature in the curved portion of the workpiece 2, no missing portions of the film-forming liquid 3 will be generated on the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2, which has multiple curved portions with different radii of curvature, and high-precision coating will be performed.

[0167] Furthermore, according to the coating apparatus 10, the coating control unit 50 is configured to control (numerically control) the movement of the coating unit 20 performed by the moving mechanism 30 based on a numerical control program that includes movement trajectory data of the coating roller 21 generated based on the shape data of the workpiece 2. With this configuration, even if the workpiece 2 is non-circular and has various curved shapes, the film-forming liquid 3 can be coated with high precision on the outer peripheral surface 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0168] The embodiments of the present invention (1) have been described in detail above, but the above description is only an example of the present invention. Without departing from the scope of the present invention, various improvements or changes can be made to the configuration of the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30, and to the control operation of the coating control unit 50 on the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30, and these are of course included within the scope of the present invention. Figure 12 This is a top view showing the main components of the coating system involved in embodiment (2). Figure 13 yes Figure 12The main view of the main part. Figure 14 yes Figure 12 The right view of the main part. Figure 15 yes Figure 12 Left view of the main part like Figures 12-15 As shown, the coating system 60 comprises a coating device 10A, a light irradiation device 70, a workpiece storage device 80, a workpiece transfer device 90, and a workpiece holding device 65, which are mounted on the setting worktable 62 of the frame 61.

[0169] The worktable 62 has a setting area 63 for the coating device 10A, the workpiece receiving device 80, and the workpiece transfer device 90, and a coating operation area 64 for the workpiece holding device 65 and the light irradiation device 70. Furthermore, the workpiece receiving device 80 is an example of a workpiece receiving means, the workpiece transfer device 90 is an example of a workpiece transfer means, and the workpiece holding device 65 is an example of a workpiece holding means.

[0170] Since the coating apparatus 10A is substantially the same in structure and function as the previously described coating apparatus 10 and its main components, the components with the same function are marked with the same symbols, and their descriptions are omitted here.

[0171] The coating apparatus 10A includes a coating unit 20A and a moving mechanism 30A that enables the coating unit 20A to move along the XYZθ directions. The structure and function of the coating unit 20A and the moving mechanism 30A are substantially the same as those of the coating unit 20 and the moving mechanism 30 described above, so the same symbols are used to mark the components with the same function, and their descriptions are omitted here.

[0172] The coating apparatus 10A is configured to correct various control data, such as the movement coordinates (X, Y coordinates), of the coating roller 21 based on the image information (position, orientation, and other coordinate information) of the workpiece 2 captured by the camera 11 positioned above the holding table 65a.

[0173] The light irradiation device 70 includes a light irradiation unit 71, a workpiece receiving fixture 72, and a light irradiation moving device 73. (See reference...) Figure 16 , Figure 17 The structure of the light irradiation device 70 is explained. The light irradiation moving device 73 is an example of a light irradiation moving means.

[0174] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing the main components of the light irradiation device 70 that constitutes the coating system 60. (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view of the workpiece during coating, (c) is a front view of the light irradiation device, and (d) is a right view of the light irradiation device.

[0175] in addition, Figure 17This is a diagram used to illustrate the movement of the light irradiation unit 71 relative to the workpiece receiving fixture 72 in the light irradiation device 70. (a) is a top view and (b) is a cross-sectional view along line bb in (a).

[0176] The light irradiation unit 71 is composed of a unit capable of irradiating light as an active energy ray, such as a unit that irradiates ultraviolet light (e.g., UV light in the UV-A wavelength region) capable of curing a film-forming liquid 3 containing an ultraviolet curable resin.

[0177] The light irradiation unit 71 has a light emitting surface 71b that emits light to the bottom surface of the frame 71a, such as Figure 17 As shown in (b), inside the frame 71a, there is a light source 71e that emits light toward the light emission surface 71b and a heat dissipation part 71f that dissipates heat from the light source 71e.

[0178] Additionally, a fan 71c for generating airflow within the frame is provided on the upper surface of the frame 71a, and a light diffusion prevention component 71d is provided on the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the frame 71a. The light diffusion prevention component 71d is a component used to prevent light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b from diffusing outwards.

[0179] The light-emitting surface 71b is a rectangular shape with a specified width and length (in this case, it is...). Figure 12 , 18 The light source unit 71e, as shown (with a rectangular shape extending along the X-axis), is composed of multiple LEDs (in this case, ultraviolet (UV) LEDs) arranged towards the light emission surface 71b. Therefore, the light irradiation unit 71 enables linear (UV) light irradiation with a specified width and length. Furthermore, the light irradiation unit 71 can be a single unit or multiple units connected together. In addition to ultraviolet LED light sources, the light source unit 71e can also use ultraviolet (UV) lamp light sources, or light sources other than ultraviolet light.

[0180] The workpiece receiving fixture 72 is positioned opposite the light emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71. The workpiece receiving fixture 72 is mounted, for example, on a mounting table provided on the setting worktable 62.

[0181] like Figure 17 As shown, the workpiece receiving fixture 72 is composed of a plate-shaped component that is thicker than the workpiece 2, and has a receiving portion 72a that can receive the workpiece 2.

[0182] The receiving portion 72a, viewed from above, has a hole shape and is composed of a hole similar in shape to the workpiece 2. Furthermore, the inner peripheral side 72b of the hole in the receiving portion 72a serves as a light reflecting surface for reflecting a portion of the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b and illuminating the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 housed within the receiving portion 72a.

[0183] Therefore, as Figure 17 As shown in (b), the hole, which serves as the receiving part 72a, is a cone-shaped structure with its inner peripheral side surface 72b inclined at a predetermined angle, such that the hole diameter gradually decreases from the top surface of the workpiece receiving fixture 72 toward the bottom surface. In addition, the inner peripheral side surface 72b of the hole, which serves as the light reflecting surface, is covered by a light reflecting material 72c.

[0184] Furthermore, there is no particular limitation on the distance (gap) between the inner peripheral side surface 72b of the hole in the receiving part 72a, i.e., the light reflecting surface, and the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 housed in the receiving part 72a, but it is preferred to be as short (narrow) as possible in order to suppress the attenuation of reflected light. Therefore, the shape of the hole in the receiving part 72a is preferably a similar shape that is slightly larger than the workpiece 2.

[0185] In addition, the light-reflecting material 72c covering the inner peripheral side 72b is preferably a material with excellent reflective properties to UV and other light, such as metal materials such as aluminum, silver foil, or metal plates with high light reflective properties of 80% or more, more preferably 85% or more, and more preferably 90% or more, or resin materials such as fluorine resin.

[0186] Additionally, the inner peripheral side 72b of the hole, i.e., the light-reflecting surface, can also be mirror-finished. For example, the light-reflecting material 72c covering the light-reflecting surface can also be made of mirror-finished aluminum, silver, or other metal materials, or other resin materials. Mirror finishing can be performed, for example, by cutting, grinding, or vapor deposition, but it can also be done by other methods.

[0187] The light irradiation moving device 73 is a mechanism for moving the light irradiation unit 71 relative to the workpiece receiving fixture 72, and has a Y-axis robot 74 that can reciprocate the light irradiation unit 71 along the Y-axis direction.

[0188] The Y-axis robot 74 is composed of single-axis robots, such as Figure 16 As shown, the device includes a Y-axis linear guide rail 74a mounted on a setting worktable 62 and a Y-axis bracket 74b that moves along the Y-axis linear guide rail 74a. The Y-axis bracket 74b has a shape extending along the X-axis direction, with one end mounted on the Y-axis linear guide rail 74a and the other end slidably mounted on a parallel guide rail 74c arranged parallel to the Y-axis linear guide rail 74a. A light irradiation unit 71 is mounted on the Y-axis bracket 74b.

[0189] like Figure 16 , 17As shown, the workpiece holding device 65 is disposed at the position of the hole in the receiving portion 72a that constitutes the workpiece receiving fixture 72. The workpiece holding device 65 is composed of a lifting device capable of holding the workpiece 2, including a holding table 65a for holding the workpiece 2 and a lifting device 65b for lifting the holding table 65a. The lifting device 65b is an example of a lifting mechanism.

[0190] The holding table 65a is a table with a shape smaller than the hole of the receiving part 72a, and is provided with an attraction hole 65e for adsorbing and holding the workpiece 2.

[0191] The lifting device 65b includes a support shaft 65c, which is arranged along the Z-axis in a state where it is inserted through the worktable 62 and supports and holds the worktable 65a at its upper end; and a Z-axis robot 65d, which is arranged below the worktable 62 and moves (lifts) the support shaft 65c in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis robot 65d may be composed of, for example, a single-axis robot or a robot cylinder.

[0192] like Figure 16 As shown in (b), during the coating operation, the workpiece 2 is held on the holding table 65a. The holding table 65a is positioned at a specified height above the workpiece receiving fixture 72 by the lifting device 65b. The coating unit 20A then applies the film forming liquid 3 to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2.

[0193] After coating, the lifting device 65b lowers the holding table 65a so that the workpiece 2 is housed in the receiving portion 72a of the workpiece receiving fixture 72. Then, as... Figure 16 (b) Figure 17 As shown, the light irradiation unit 71 is moved relative to the workpiece receiving fixture 72 by the light irradiation moving device 73, that is, scanning is performed on the workpiece 2 housed in the receiving part 72a, and light irradiation is performed by the light irradiation unit 71.

[0194] During the scan, such as Figure 17 As shown in the magnification of (b), a portion of the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 is reflected by the light reflecting material 72c of the inner peripheral side surface 72b of the receiving portion 72a, and is uniformly irradiated onto the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the entire circumference of the workpiece 2.

[0195] like Figure 15 As shown, the workpiece storage device 80 includes a rack 82 capable of storing a tray 81 for holding multiple workpieces 2 in a stacked manner; and a take-out and placement mechanism 83 for taking out and placing the tray 81 from the rack 82. The take-out and placement mechanism 83 is an example of a take-out and placement means.

[0196] The rack 82 includes a rack body 82a, which has multiple partitions for stacking and storing trays 81; and a lifting device 82b, which lifts the rack body 82a.

[0197] The lifting device 82b comprises a Z-axis robot 82c and a linear axis 82d arranged in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis robot 82c is, for example, a single-axis robot. The lifting device 82b can raise the rack body 82a to the height of the shelf portion that is taken out and placed into the tray 81 by the take-out and put-in mechanism 83.

[0198] In this embodiment, such as Figure 12 As shown, the tray 81 is configured to hold 2 rows and 4 columns of 8 workpieces 2 in the X-axis direction. That is, the tray 81 has 8 holding portions 81a, and a hole smaller than the workpiece 2 is formed in the center of the holding portion 81a.

[0199] like Figure 15 As shown, the take-out and placement mechanism 83 includes a pallet conveying section 83a for placing and transporting the pallet 81, and an X-axis robot 83b for moving the pallet conveying section 83a along the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the take-out and placement mechanism 83 includes a pushing device 83c that pushes the workpiece 2 placed on the placement section 81a of the pallet 81 pulled out from the rack 82 by the pallet conveying section 83a upwards from the placement section 81a. The pushing device 83c is an example of a pushing means.

[0200] The pallet conveying unit 83a has a shape that allows it to enter and exit the interior of the rack body 82a, for example, it has a two-pronged fork shape and is mounted on the X-axis slider of the X-axis robot 83b.

[0201] The X-axis robot 83b is a single-axis robot and is installed on the upper part of the setting platform 83d, which is equipped on the setting worktable 62.

[0202] The pushing device 83c is composed of one or more robot cylinders 83e arranged in the setting table 83d facing the X-axis direction. By the cylinder lifting action of the robot cylinder 83e, the workpiece 2 placed on the tray 81 placing part 81a can be pushed upward.

[0203] like Figure 12 As shown, the workpiece transfer device 90 is composed of a hand 91 for holding the workpiece 2 and a transfer robot 92 that enables the hand 91 to move along the XYZ directions.

[0204] like Figures 13-15 As shown, the transfer robot 92 is installed on the setting platform 93, which is mounted on the setting workbench 62.

[0205] The transfer robot 92 is a three-axis combined robot, including an XY2-axis orthogonal robot 94 mounted on the mounting platform 93 and a vertical robot 95 capable of moving in the vertical (Z-axis) direction. Since the orthogonal robot 94 has a configuration and function that are substantially the same as the orthogonal robot 31 that constitutes the moving mechanism 30 of the aforementioned coating apparatus 10, its description is omitted.

[0206] The vertical robot 95 is equipped with a ball screw spline shaft mechanism, a motor, and a Z-axis encoder, and is configured to perform vertical (Z-axis) movement. A hand 91 is mounted on its lower end. The vertical robot 95 can move the hand 91 in the up-down (Z-axis) direction, and the orthogonal robot 94 can move the hand 91 in the XY-axis direction.

[0207] Furthermore, the transfer robot 92 is not limited to a combination of orthogonal robot 94 and vertical robot 95, but can also be composed of one or more other robots, such as horizontal multi-joint robot, vertical multi-joint robot, parallel linkage robot, etc.

[0208] Figure 18 The diagram shows the hand 91 of the transfer robot 92 constituting the coating system 60 according to embodiment (2), (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a right view.

[0209] The hand 91 has holding portions 91a on both the left and right sides to hold the workpiece 2. The holding portions 91a are composed of claw members in the shape of two forks, and are configured to support both sides of the workpiece 2 by means of the holding portions 91a.

[0210] In addition, the hand 91 is equipped with a lifting device 91b that can raise and lower at least one of the holding parts 91a. The lifting device 91b is, for example, composed of a small robot cylinder.

[0211] Figure 19 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 100 of each part of the coating system 60 involved in the control implementation method (2).

[0212] The coating device 10A, workpiece holding device 65, light irradiation device 70, workpiece storage device 80 and workpiece transfer device 90 constituting the coating system 60 are controlled by the control unit 100.

[0213] The control unit 100 is a computer device comprising hardware including at least one processor, main memory, storage for operating programs of each device, input interface, output interface, and power supply. For example, the control unit 100 may be configured to include one or more programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

[0214] The control unit 100 includes a coating control unit 50A that controls the operation of various parts of the coating apparatus 10A, a light irradiation control unit 75 that controls the operation of various parts of the light irradiation apparatus 70, a storage control unit 85 that controls the operation of various parts of the workpiece storage apparatus 80, and a transfer control unit 96 that controls the operation of various parts of the workpiece transfer apparatus 90. Each control unit of the control unit 100 is connected via a communication path 101, thereby enabling the transmission and reception of various data and control signals. Furthermore, the coating control unit 50A and the light irradiation control unit 75 control the operation of various parts of the workpiece holding apparatus 65.

[0215] The control performed by the coating control unit 50A is the same as that performed by the coating control unit 50 of the coating apparatus 10 described above, namely, controlling the movement of the coating roller 21, controlling the spraying of the film-forming liquid by the distributor valve 24, and controlling the movement of the moving mechanism 30A. In addition, the coating control unit 50A also moves the holding table 65a of the workpiece holding device 65 to a predetermined height position (coating position) (see reference). Figure 16 (b) motion control, etc.

[0216] The light irradiation control unit 75 controls the movement of the Y-axis robot 74 of the light irradiation moving device 73, and controls the relative movement of the light irradiation unit 71 relative to the workpiece receiving fixture 72 and the emission of UV light from the light emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71.

[0217] For example, the light irradiation control unit 75 emits UV light from the light emission surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71, and simultaneously controls the reciprocating movement of the light irradiation unit 71 on the receiving portion 72a of the workpiece receiving fixture 72 at a predetermined speed (scanning control). Furthermore, the light irradiation control unit 75 also moves the holding table 65a of the workpiece holding device 65 to a height position (light irradiation position) of the receiving portion 72a of the workpiece receiving fixture 72 (see reference). Figure 16 (c) and (d) motion control, etc.

[0218] The storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the lifting device 82b of the rack 82 to adjust the height position of the rack body 82a, for example, to adjust the shelf position of the pallet 81 that is being taken out and placed to the height position of the pallet conveying unit 83a.

[0219] In addition, the storage control unit 85 controls the movement of the X-axis robot 83b of the take-out and put-in mechanism 83, takes the pallet conveying unit 83a out of the rack body 82a and puts it in, and controls the take-out or return of the pallet 81.

[0220] In addition, the storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the robot cylinder 83e of the push-up device 83c, and also controls the operation of the pallet 81 placed by the pallet conveying unit 83a of the take-out and placement mechanism 83 to push the workpiece 2 upward.

[0221] The transfer control unit 96 controls the movements of the orthogonal robot 94 and the vertical robot 95 that constitute the transfer robot 92, so that the hand 91 moves to the position of the tray 81 taken out from the material rack 82 (workpiece receiving position) and controls the movement of the hand 91 to hold the workpiece 2.

[0222] In addition, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movements of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91, and performs the actions of holding the workpiece 2 in the workpiece receiving position of the workpiece receiving device 80, moving the workpiece 2 held in the hand 91 to the position of the holding table 65a of the workpiece holding device 65, and placing it on the holding table 65a.

[0223] In addition, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91. After holding the workpiece 2 placed on the holding worktable 65a with the hand 91, the hand 91 is moved to the workpiece receiving position of the workpiece storage device 80, and the operation of the hand 91 holding the workpiece 2 is controlled to return to the tray 81.

[0224] Since the hand part 91 has two holding parts 91a, one of the holding parts 91a is used to transfer the workpiece 2 from the position of the tray 81 to the holding table 65a, and the other holding part 91a is used to transfer the workpiece 2 from the holding table 65a to the tray 81.

[0225] After the workpiece 2, which has undergone light irradiation treatment, is placed from the holding table 65a to another holding section 91a, the operation of placing the workpiece 2 held in one holding section 91a back onto the holding table 65a can be performed. Therefore, the time required for transferring the workpiece 2 can be shortened, allowing the workpiece 2 to proceed to the next coating process, thereby improving operational efficiency.

[0226] Figure 20 , 21 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing operations performed by the control unit 100 of the coating system 60 according to embodiment (2). Furthermore, each part of the coating apparatus 10A, workpiece holding device 65, light irradiation device 70, workpiece receiving device 80, and workpiece transfer device 90 is configured in its initial position after being powered on.

[0227] In step S21, the storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the material rack 82 and the take-out and put-in mechanism 83 of the workpiece storage device 80, pulling the tray 81 from the material rack 82 to the designated workpiece receiving position. Additionally, the workpiece 2 before coating is placed on the mounting portion 81a of the tray 81.

[0228] In the next step S22, the storage control unit 85 actuates the robot cylinder 83e of the push device 83c, causing the workpiece 2 of the transfer object to be pushed upward from the loading part 81a of the tray 81 at the front end of the robot cylinder 83e.

[0229] Next, in step S23, the coating control unit 50A controls the operation of the lifting device 65b of the workpiece holding device 65, causing the holding table 65a to move (rise) to the height position of the coating process. Additionally, steps S22 and S23 can be performed simultaneously.

[0230] Next, in step S24, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90 to transfer the workpiece 2 to be transferred from the tray 81 to the holding table 65a.

[0231] Specifically, firstly, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91, causing the hand 91 to move to the position of the tray 81 that has been pulled out to the workpiece receiving position. In step S22, after inserting a holding part 91a of the hand 91 under the workpiece 2 which is in a state where it has been pushed up from the placement part 81a of the tray 81, the workpiece 2 is placed on this holding part 91a. At this time, the hand 91 can be moved upward to place the workpiece 2 on a holding part 91a, or the front end of the robot cylinder 83e can be moved downward to place the workpiece 2 on the holding part 91a.

[0232] Next, the transfer control unit 96 activates each part of the transfer robot 92, moving the hand 91, which holds the workpiece 2, to the position of the holding table 65a. Then, with one holding part 91a of the hand 91 positioned on the holding table 65a, the hand 91 is moved downwards to reposition the workpiece 2 from one holding part 91a onto the holding table 65a. Then, the hand 91 moves from under the holding table 65a to the position of the tray 81 (workpiece receiving position).

[0233] After step S24, in step S25, the storage control unit 85 causes the robot cylinder 83e of the push device 83c to actuate, so that the workpiece 2 of the next transfer object is pushed up from the loading part 81a of the tray 81.

[0234] In the next step S26, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90. In step S25, the workpiece 2 of the next transfer object, which is in the state of being pushed upward from the loading part 81a of the tray 81, is placed on a holding part 91a of the hand 91 and is ready to stand by.

[0235] On the other hand, after step S24, the coating control unit 50A controls the operation of each part of the coating device 10A in step S27, and starts the operation of coating the film forming liquid 3 on the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 held on the holding table 65a, and controls the coating operation.

[0236] Furthermore, the processing steps for the coating operation on workpiece 2 performed by the coating control unit 50A are the same as previously described. Figure 11 The processing actions of steps S1 to S9 are basically the same, so their description is omitted here. In addition, the coating control unit 50A is configured to correct various control data such as the movement coordinates of the coating roller 21 based on the image information (position, orientation and other coordinate information) of the workpiece 2 captured by the camera 11 arranged above the holding worktable 65a.

[0237] After the coating process in step S27 is completed, in step S28 the light irradiation control unit 75 controls the operation of the lifting device 65b of the workpiece holding device 65, so that the holding table 65a moves (lowers) to the height position of the light irradiation process, that is, the height position of the workpiece 2 being housed in the receiving part 72a of the workpiece receiving fixture 72.

[0238] In the next step S29, the light irradiation control unit 75 controls the operation of the light irradiation unit 71 and the light irradiation moving device 73 of the light irradiation device 70 to irradiate the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 housed in the housing 72a with ultraviolet light to cure the film forming liquid 3.

[0239] That is, the light irradiation control unit 75 starts to emit UV light as an active energy line from the light emission surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 toward the workpiece receiving fixture 72.

[0240] In addition, the light irradiation control unit 75 controls the movement of the Y-axis robot 74 of the light irradiation moving device 73, so that the light irradiation unit 71, which is in the initial position, moves in the Y-axis direction ( Figure 12 The light emitting surface 71b moves back and forth at a specified speed. Through this action, the light emitting surface 71b moves back and forth (scans) on the workpiece 2 housed in the housing 72a at a specified speed.

[0241] Then, a portion of the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 toward the workpiece receiving fixture 72 irradiates the inner peripheral side surface 72b of the receiving part 72a and is reflected to irradiate the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2, and the curing reaction of the film forming liquid 3 coated on the outer peripheral side surface 2a proceeds.

[0242] In addition, the specified speed is set to ensure the irradiation time required for the film-forming liquid 3 coated on the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 to cure, based on the emission conditions such as the intensity of UV light.

[0243] After the light irradiation process in step S29 is completed, the coating control unit 50A controls the operation of the lifting device 65b of the workpiece holding device 65 in step S30, so that the holding table 65a moves (rises) to the height position of the coating process.

[0244] Next, in step S31, the transfer control unit 96 determines whether the workpiece 2 on the holding table 65a can be replaced. If it is determined that the workpiece 2 can be replaced, that is, the processing in steps S26 and S30 is completed, and the process proceeds to step S32. On the other hand, if it is determined that at least one of the processing in steps S26 and S30 has not been completed, the process waits until the processing in steps S26 and S30 is completed.

[0245] In step S32, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90 to perform the workpiece 2 replacement operation on the worktable 65a.

[0246] First, the transfer control unit 96 controls the actions of each part of the transfer robot 92. In step S26, the hand 91, which is waiting at the workpiece receiving position and has a workpiece 2 placed on one holding part 91a, is moved to the position of the holding table 65a. Next, after inserting the other holding part 91a of the hand 91 under the holding table 65a, the hand 91 is moved upward to transfer the coated workpiece 2 from the holding table 65a to the other holding part 91a.

[0247] Next, after moving the hand 91 so that one of the holding parts 91a of the hand 91 is on the holding table 65a, the hand 91 is moved downward to reposition the workpiece 2, which was placed in the state of holding part 91a before coating, onto the holding table 65a.

[0248] Then, the hand 91 is moved from below the holding table 65a, so that the hand 91, which is in the state of having finished coating the workpiece 2 placed on another holding part 91a, is moved to the tray 81 at the workpiece receiving position. That is, the hand 91 is moved so that the other holding part 91a is placed on the placing part 81a of the tray 81.

[0249] In step S32 above, after the workpiece 2 on the holding table 65a is changed, as follows: Figure 21 As shown, for the workpiece 2 newly held on the holding worktable 65a, the same coating control and light irradiation control as in steps S27 to S30 are performed by the coating control unit 50A and the light irradiation control unit 75.

[0250] Furthermore, these steps S27 to S30, including the coating process and the light irradiation process, are performed simultaneously, such as... Figure 21 As shown, the storage control unit 85 and the transfer control unit 96 control the action of changing the workpiece 2 to the hand 91.

[0251] That is, in step S33, the storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the push device 83c, so that the upper end of the robot cylinder 83e protrudes from the tray 81's placement part 81a located under the other holding part 91a of the hand 91, so that the workpiece 2 that has finished coating is placed in the other holding part 91a of the hand 91 is held in the state of the upper end of the robot cylinder 83e.

[0252] Next, in step S34, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90, causing the hand 91 to temporarily move away from the tray 81 (along... Figure 12 (Avoid movement in the Y-axis direction).

[0253] In the next step S35, the storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the push device 83c, causing the upper end of the robot cylinder 83e, which is in the state of holding the workpiece 2 after coating, to descend and place the workpiece 2 after coating onto the placement part 81a of the tray 81.

[0254] In the next step S36, the storage control unit 85 determines whether there is a workpiece 2, i.e. an uncoated workpiece 2, in the tray 81 located at the workpiece receiving position. If it determines that there is a workpiece 2, the process proceeds to step S37.

[0255] In step S37, the storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the push-up device 83c to push the next transfer object workpiece 2 upward from the loading part 81a of the tray 81.

[0256] In the next step S38, the transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90, and places the workpiece 2, the next transfer target, which was pushed upward from the loading part 81a of the tray 81 in step S37, into a holding part 91a of the hand 91 and puts it into standby mode.

[0257] On the other hand, in step S36, if the receiving control unit 85 determines that there is no next workpiece 2 to be transferred on the tray 81, in other words, all workpieces 2 on the tray 81 have been coated, then proceed to step S39.

[0258] In step S39, the storage control unit 85 controls the operation of the material rack 82 and the take-out and put-in mechanism 83 of the workpiece storage device 80 to perform the tray 81 replacement operation. That is, the operation of storing the tray 81 containing the coated workpiece 2 into the material rack 82 and pulling the tray 81 containing the uncoated workpiece 2 out of the material rack 82 is performed. After that, the processing described in steps S37 and S38 above is performed.

[0259] Next, in step S40, the transfer control unit 96 determines whether the workpiece 2 on the holding worktable 65a can be replaced. If it is determined that the workpiece 2 can be replaced, that is, the processing of steps S38 and S30 is completed, then it returns to step S32.

[0260] The transfer control unit 96 controls the movement of the transfer robot 92 and the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90 to perform the workpiece 2 replacement operation on the worktable 65a. The process is repeated until the coating and light irradiation processes of all the workpieces 2 stored in the trays 81 of the material rack 82 are completed.

[0261] According to the light irradiation device 70 of the coating system 60 in the above embodiment (2), the receiving portion 72a of the workpiece receiving fixture 72 has a shape similar to that of the workpiece 2, and its inner peripheral side surface 72b becomes a light reflecting surface. Therefore, even if the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 has a curved shape, the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 toward the workpiece 2 can be reflected by the light reflecting surface of the inner peripheral side surface 72b of the receiving portion 72a and irradiate the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2. That is, regardless of the shape of the workpiece 2, the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 can be irradiated with high uniformity, and uneven irradiation can be suppressed. Therefore, the film forming liquid 3 coated on the outer peripheral side surface 2a of the workpiece 2 can be cured without producing defects such as floating or wrinkles, and a cured film without defects can be formed.

[0262] Furthermore, according to the light irradiation device 70, since the light-reflecting surface of the inner peripheral side 72b of the housing 72a is covered by the light-reflecting material 72c, the light emitted from the light-emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 can be effectively reflected.

[0263] Furthermore, according to the light irradiation device 70, since the light-reflecting material 72c covering the light-reflecting surface is mirror-finished, light emitted from the light-emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 can undergo specular reflection, i.e., orthogonal reflection. Therefore, the reflectivity of light on the light-reflecting surface can be increased, and the side of the workpiece 2 can be irradiated with more uniform light.

[0264] Furthermore, according to the coating system 60, since the light irradiation device 70 is provided in the coating operation area 64 where the worktable 62 is set, the actions of applying the film-forming liquid 3 to the side of the workpiece 2 using the coating unit 20A and curing the applied film-forming liquid 3 by light irradiation using the light irradiation unit 71 can be performed in the coating operation area 64. Therefore, the process of applying the film-forming liquid 3 to the side of the workpiece 2 and curing it can be performed in a space-saving and efficient manner.

[0265] Specifically, while holding the workpiece 2 on the holding table 65a, the lifting device 65b positions the holding table 65a above the workpiece receiving fixture 72, and the coating operation of the coating unit 20A is performed. After coating, the holding table 65a is lowered so that the workpiece 2 is received in the receiving part 72a. Then, the light irradiation unit 71 is moved relative to the workpiece receiving fixture 72 using the light irradiation moving device 73, and the light irradiation unit 71 is irradiated simultaneously, which can cure the film forming liquid 3 coated on the side of the workpiece 2.

[0266] Therefore, the coating and curing processes can be performed efficiently without moving the workpiece 2 on the horizontal plane (i.e., in the X and Y directions).

[0267] In addition, the coating system 60 includes a workpiece storage device 80 and a workpiece transfer device 90, which are mounted on the setting worktable 62.

[0268] Therefore, the workpiece 2 before the film-forming liquid 3 is applied can be transferred from the workpiece receiving device 80 to the holding table 65a, and the workpiece 2 after the film-forming liquid 3 has been cured can be transferred from the holding table 65a to the workpiece receiving device 80. Thus, the transfer of the workpiece 2 between the workpiece receiving device 80 and the holding table 65a can be performed efficiently.

[0269] Furthermore, according to the coating system 60, since the workpiece storage device 80 has a rack 82 and a take-out and put-in mechanism 83, multiple workpieces 2 can be stored in the rack 82 in a space-saving manner, and can be appropriately taken out from the rack 82 and placed into the tray 81. In addition, the workpiece transfer device 90 can efficiently transfer the workpieces 2 between the tray 81 led out from the rack 82 and the holding table 65a.

[0270] Furthermore, according to the coating system 60, since the hand 91 of the workpiece transfer device 90 has two holding parts 91a, one holding part 91a can hold the workpiece 2 before the coating liquid 3 is applied and transfer it from the workpiece receiving device 80 to the holding table 65a, and the other holding part 91a can hold the workpiece 2 after the coating liquid 3 has been cured and transfer it from the holding table 65a to the workpiece receiving device 80. The workpiece 2 before the coating liquid 3 is applied and the workpiece 2 after the coating liquid 3 has been cured can be transferred efficiently in one reciprocating motion.

[0271] Furthermore, according to the coating system 60, the workpiece storage device 80 is configured to include an upward pushing device 83c, which pushes the workpiece 2 upward from the tray 81's mounting portion 81a taken out from the material rack 82 by the take-out and placement mechanism 83, and holds the workpiece 2 pushed upward from the mounting portion 81a by the upward pushing device 83c by the holding portion 91a of the hand 91.

[0272] Since the workpiece 2 can be pushed up from the mounting portion 81a of the tray 81 by the pushing device 83c, the workpiece 2 stored in the tray 81 can be easily held on the holding portion 91a of the hand portion 91.

[0273] The embodiments (2) of the present invention have been described in detail above, but the above description is only an example of the present invention. Various improvements or changes can be made to the configuration of each device constituting the coating system 60 and the control operations of each device performed by the control unit 100 without departing from the scope of the present invention, and these are of course included within the scope of the present invention.

[0274] In addition, in the coating system 60 of the above embodiment (2), the case of setting one coating unit 20A and setting one receiving part 72a on the workpiece receiving fixture 72 has been described, but the number of coating units 20A and the number of receiving parts 72a set on the workpiece receiving fixture 72 can also be two or more.

[0275] For example, in other embodiments, the coating system may be configured to have two or more coating units 20A, which simultaneously and synchronously coat the film forming liquid 3 on the outer peripheral side surface 2a of two or more workpieces 2, and two or more receiving parts 72a are provided on the workpiece receiving fixture 72 to house two or more workpieces 2, and the light irradiation unit 71 simultaneously irradiates the two or more workpieces.

[0276] In addition, in the coating system 60 of the above embodiment (2), the light irradiation device 70 is provided in the coating operation area 64 of the worktable 62. After the coating device 10A applies the film forming liquid 3 to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2, the light irradiation device 70 is used to quickly irradiate the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 to solidify the film forming liquid 3. However, the configuration of the light irradiation device 70 is not limited to this.

[0277] In other embodiments, the light irradiation device 70 may also be set on a different workbench than the setting workbench 62, and be configured as a separate device.

[0278] In this configuration, two or more receiving sections 72a may be provided on the workpiece receiving fixture 72, and two or more workpieces 2 may be received in each receiving section 72a. The light irradiation unit 71, which has a light emitting surface 71b that can cover the multiple receiving sections 72a, can then irradiate the multiple workpieces 2 at one time.

[0279] Furthermore, the receiving portion 72a can be shaped as a hole formed in a portion of its bottom surface, or it can be formed as a bottomed cavity. In the case of a hole formed in a portion or a bottomed cavity, it is preferable to form a support portion, such as a convex shape, for supporting the workpiece 2 in a portion of the bottom. Additionally, an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing the workpiece 2 can also be provided on the support portion. Furthermore, it can be configured to include a shutter for closing the hole in the receiving portion 72a when light irradiates it.

[0280] Furthermore, in the aforementioned light irradiation apparatus 70, the method of curing the film-forming liquid 3 applied to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2 has been described. However, the light irradiation apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the method of curing the film-forming liquid 3 applied to the outer peripheral side 2a of the workpiece 2. In other types of light irradiation apparatuses, the application of curing the film-forming liquid applied to the inner side of a hole formed in the plane of the workpiece is also applicable.

[0281] Figure 22 The diagram is used to illustrate the configuration of a light irradiation device according to another embodiment. (a) is a partial top view showing the state in which the workpiece is housed in the workpiece housing fixture, and (b) is a cross-sectional view along line bb in (a), showing the state during light irradiation.

[0282] Figure 22 The workpiece 2A shown has a hole 2b in its plane, and a film 3 is coated on the inner surface 2c of the hole 2b.

[0283] The workpiece receiving fixture 72A has a receiving portion 72d capable of receiving workpiece 2A. The receiving portion 72d has a shape similar to that of workpiece 2A, and at this time, it has a shape similar to that of the hole 2b of workpiece 2A. The side of the receiving portion 72d is a light reflecting surface used to reflect a portion of the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b of the light irradiation unit 71 and irradiate the inner side surface 2c of the hole 2b of workpiece 2A.

[0284] More specifically, the receiving portion 72d has a protrusion in a generally frustum-shaped form, which can be inserted into the hole 2b of the workpiece 2A when there is a gap. The outer peripheral side 72e of the protrusion of the receiving portion 72d serves as a light-reflecting surface to reflect a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface 71b and irradiate the inner side 2c of the hole 2b of the workpiece 2A. Moreover, the outer peripheral side 72e of the protrusion, which serves as a light-reflecting surface, is covered by a light-reflecting material 72c.

[0285] Then, as Figure 22 As shown in (b), the light irradiation unit 71 is moved relative to the workpiece receiving fixture 72A, that is, while scanning the workpiece 2A housed in the receiving part 72d, the light irradiation unit 71 performs light irradiation. Through this light irradiation, a portion of the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b is reflected by the light reflecting material 72c of the outer peripheral side surface 72e of the receiving part 72d, and uniformly irradiates the entire inner side surface 2c of the hole 2b of the workpiece 2A, thus achieving the same effect as in the above embodiment.

[0286] In addition, the light irradiation unit 71 is configured to emit UV light from the light emitting surface 71b, but the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b is not limited to UV light. In other ways, the light emitted from the light emitting surface 71b can also be an active energy line in a wavelength region other than ultraviolet light that can cure the film forming liquid 3.

[0287] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the case where the film-forming liquid 3 applied to the workpiece 2 is an optical coating has been described. However, the film-forming liquid 3 is not limited to an optical coating. It may also be various coatings such as water-based coatings containing resins for the purpose of protecting the sides of the workpiece 2 or reinforcing the workpiece 2.

[0288] [Industry availability] This invention can be widely applied to multiple industrial fields, such as: the manufacturing and assembly processes of lenses used in smart glasses, AR glasses, VR glasses / goggles, etc.; the manufacturing processes of thin plate jigs such as grinding carriers used in semiconductor manufacturing; and the manufacturing and processing processes of electronic circuit boards using various thin plate substrates, etc.

[0289] Symbol Explanation 2.2A workpiece 2a Outer peripheral side 2b hole 2c Inner side 3. Film-forming liquid 10, 10A Coating Device 11 cameras 20, 20A Coating Unit 21 Coating Roller 21a Roller mounting shaft 22 Drive Unit 23 Liquid ejection section 24 Distributor Valve 24a Liquid Injection Section 24b Air Supply Department 24c syringe 24d, 24e Trachea 25. Spray nozzle 25a Nozzle port 26 Valve Controller 27 Installation Components 27a Shaft support section 27b Mounting section 27c Support plate section 27d Installation Department 28 Support section 28a linear guide rail 28b Direct-acting block 28c, 28d Support plate section 28e base 29. Alternating Distance Mechanism Department 29a Elastic component 30, 30A Moving Mechanism (Coating Unit Moving Means) 31 Orthogonal Robots 32 Y-axis robot 32a Y-axis linear guide 32b Y-axis bracket 33 X-axis robots 33a X-axis linear guide 33b X-axis slider 34 Vertical Rotating Robot 34a Shaft 35 Setting Platform 40 workbenches 41 Setting Area 42 Coating work area 43 Installation Department 43a Threaded hole 44 Fixed components 44a Base 44aa threaded hole 44b Enclosure section 44c recess 44d Attraction Path 44da Mouth 46 Cleaning components 50, 50A Coating Control Section 50a Arithmetic Unit 50b Storage Section 50c Input Section 50d output unit 50e Power Supply Section 51 Coating Roller Control Section 52 Liquid ejection control unit 53. Movement Mechanism Control Department 60 Coating System 61 racks 62. Set up the workbench 63 Set Area 64 Coating work area 65. Workpiece holding device (workpiece holding mechanism) 65a Keep the worktable 65b Lifting device (lifting mechanism) 65c support shaft 65dZ-axis robot 65e suction hole 70 Light Irradiation Device 71 Light Illumination Units 71a frame 71b Light Emission Surface 71c fan 71d Light diffusion prevention component 71e Light Source Section 71f heat sink 72, 72A Workpiece receiving fixture Containment Departments 72a and 72d 72b Inner circumferential side 72c light-reflecting material 72e Outer peripheral side 73. Moving device for light irradiation (moving mechanism for light irradiation) 74 Y-axis robot 74a Y-axis linear guide 74b Y-axis bracket 74c parallel guide rail 75 Light Irradiation Control Unit 80. Workpiece storage device (workpiece storage mechanism) 81 pallets 81a mounting section 82 Material rack 82a Material rack main body 82b Lifting device 82c Z-axis robot 82d linear axis 83. Retrieval and insertion mechanism (retrieval and insertion means) 83a Pallet Transport Department 83b X-axis robot 83c Push-up Device 83d setup platform 83e Robot Cylinder 85 Storage Control Department 90. Workpiece transfer device (workpiece transfer mechanism) 91 Hands 91a Holding section 91b Lifting device 92 Transfer Robot 93 Setting Platform 94 Orthogonal Robots 95 Vertical Robots 96 Transfer Control Unit 100 Control Unit 101 Communication Path

Claims

1. A coating apparatus for applying a film-forming liquid to the side of a workpiece, characterized in that, The coating apparatus includes: Coating unit; A means for moving the coating unit, which enables the coating unit to move in the XYZθ directions; A worktable is provided, which has at least a setting area for the moving means of the coating unit and a coating operation area for the workpiece. as well as The coating control unit moves the coating unit and the moving means of the coating unit, and simultaneously controls the action of applying the film-forming liquid to the side of the workpiece. The coating unit includes: Coating roller; The drive unit drives the coating roller to rotate in the θ direction; and The liquid ejection section sprays the film-forming liquid onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller; The coating control unit has the function of controlling: The rotational motion of the coating roller performed by the drive unit; The ejection action of the film-forming liquid performed by the liquid ejection section; and The coating unit moving means enables the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller to contact or approach the side of the workpiece, while simultaneously causing the coating unit to move relative to the workpiece.

2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid ejection section is configured as a distributor equipped with ejection nozzles. The coating control unit has the function of controlling: The action of the dispenser spraying the film-forming liquid from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller; and The coating unit moving means maintains a predetermined positional relationship between the side of the workpiece and the spray nozzle, while simultaneously moving the coating unit relative to the workpiece.

3. The coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The specified positional relationship is either the orientation of the nozzle relative to the side of the workpiece being a normal direction, or the orientation of the nozzle being inclined from the normal direction to a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the coating roller.

4. The coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The distributor is configured with a distributor valve having a liquid injection section for injecting the film-forming liquid and an air supply section for supplying air. The ejection nozzle is a needle nozzle.

5. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The coating apparatus is configured to rotate the coating roller in the opposite direction to the movement direction of the coating unit, while simultaneously spraying the film-forming liquid from the liquid ejection section onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller.

6. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The coating unit's movement mechanism is composed of an orthogonal robot and a vertically rotating robot capable of movement in both vertical and rotational directions. The coating unit is mounted on the vertical rotating robot.

7. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The coating unit includes: The mounting component includes the coating roller, the drive unit, and the liquid ejection unit. A support portion that supports the mounting component in a manner that allows it to move in the horizontal direction; The support includes a clearance mechanism that allows the mounting component to move in the horizontal direction to avoid an external force acting on the coating roller in the horizontal direction.

8. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The workbench is equipped with a mounting section in the coating operation area that allows for the installation and removal of fixing components for adsorbing and securing the workpiece.

9. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, A cleaning component is provided in the coating operation area to remove the film-forming liquid adhering to the coating roller; The coating control unit has the function of controlling: The action of rotating the coating roller performed by the drive unit; The coating unit moves to bring the outer circumferential surface of the coating roller into contact with the side of the cleaning component, while maintaining the relative position of the side of the cleaning component and the liquid spraying part at a predetermined positional relationship, and simultaneously moving the coating unit relative to the cleaning component.

10. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The workpiece is a thin plate-shaped workpiece with curved sections on the sides that become the coating area. The radius of the coating roller is set to be below the minimum radius of curvature in the curved portion of the workpiece.

11. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The coating control unit controls the movement of the coating unit performed by the coating unit movement means based on a numerical control program that includes movement trajectory data of the coating roller generated based on the shape data of the workpiece.

12. A coating method for applying a film-forming liquid to the side of a workpiece, characterized in that, The application method includes: A coating process in which the coating roller is rotated while in contact with or near the side of the workpiece, and the film-forming liquid is sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller, while the coating roller is moved relative to the workpiece, thereby coating the side of the workpiece with the film-forming liquid.

13. The application method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The coating roller is rotated in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the coating roller relative to the workpiece, while the film-forming liquid is sprayed from the liquid ejection section onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller.

14. The application method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, As the liquid ejection section, a dispenser with ejection nozzles is used; While maintaining the relative position of the side of the workpiece and the nozzle at a predetermined position, the film-forming liquid is meteredly sprayed from the nozzle onto the outer peripheral surface of the coating roller via the distributor.

15. The application method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, A coating unit moving means is used to move the coating unit, which includes the coating roller and the liquid ejection section, in the XYZθ direction. The film-forming liquid is applied to the side of the workpiece by controlling the movement of the coating unit in the XYZθ direction by the coating unit moving means, according to a numerical control program containing the movement trajectory data of the coating roller generated based on the shape data of the workpiece.

16. A light irradiation device for curing a film-forming liquid coated on the side of a workpiece, characterized in that, The light irradiation device includes: A light irradiation unit having a light emitting surface that emits light that solidifies the film-forming liquid; A workpiece receiving fixture is configured to face the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit; The workpiece receiving fixture has a receiving part capable of receiving the workpiece; The receiving part has a shape similar to that of the workpiece. The side of the receiving part becomes a light-reflecting surface for reflecting a portion of the light emitted from the light-emitting surface and illuminating the side of the workpiece.

17. The light irradiation device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The light-reflecting surface is covered with a light-reflecting material.

18. The light irradiation device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The light-reflecting surface is mirror-finished.

19. The light irradiation device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that, The light irradiation device includes a light irradiation movement means for moving the light irradiation unit and the workpiece receiving fixture relative to each other.

20. A method for irradiating light, characterized in that, It uses the light irradiation device of claim 16 to emit light from the light emitting surface of the light irradiation unit; and A portion of the emitted light is reflected by the light-reflecting surface of the receiving portion of the workpiece receiving fixture, illuminating the side of the workpiece housed in the receiving portion, thereby solidifying the film-forming liquid applied to the side of the workpiece.

21. The light irradiation method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The light irradiation unit moves relative to the workpiece receiving fixture while the light is emitted from the light emission surface.

22. A coating system comprising the coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and the light irradiation apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that, The light irradiation device is disposed in the coating operation area where the workbench is set, and has a light irradiation moving means for moving the light irradiation unit relative to the workpiece receiving fixture. The receiving portion of the workpiece receiving fixture has a hole shape. The side of the receiving part is the light-reflecting surface. A lifting workpiece holding means capable of holding the workpiece is provided at the location of the receiving part. The workpiece holding means includes a holding table for holding the workpiece and a lifting means for raising and lowering the holding table.

23. The coating system according to claim 22, characterized in that, The coating system includes: A workpiece storage method for storing the workpiece before the film-forming liquid is applied, and the workpiece after the film-forming liquid has cured; and A workpiece transfer means that transfers the workpiece between the workpiece receiving means and the holding table; The workpiece storage means and the workpiece transfer means are configured on the workbench.

24. The coating system according to claim 23, characterized in that, The workpiece storage method includes: A rack capable of stacking and storing trays for multiple said workpieces; and The means of removing and placing the material from the rack and placing it into the tray; The workpiece transfer means transfers the workpiece between the tray removed from the rack by the removal and placement means and the holding worktable.

25. The coating system according to claim 24, characterized in that, The workpiece transfer method comprises: Hands, used to hold the workpiece; A transfer robot that can move the hand in the XYZ directions; The hand has at least two holding parts for holding the workpiece.

26. The coating system according to claim 25, characterized in that, The tray has a mounting portion for placing the workpiece. The coating system includes an upward pushing means that pushes the workpiece upward from the mounting portion of the tray taken out of the material rack by the removal and placement means. The workpiece, which is pushed upward from the mounting portion by the pushing means, is held in the holding portion of the hand.

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