Tape pasting device

Abstract

To provide a tape pasting device that can quickly and reliably paste tape.SOLUTION: A tape pasting device 1 includes an articulated robot 10, an end effector 20, and a control device 30. The end effector 20 includes a reel 40, a transport device 50 that transports a leading edge of a tape material from a standby position to an application position by holding the tape material by a holding portion, and a pressing member 60. The transport device 50 includes a guide portion that guides the leading edge of the tape material held by the holding portion towards the pasting position. The control device 30 pastes the tape material to a workpiece W by transporting the leading edge of the tape material protruding from the guide portion using the transport device 50 to the pasting position, and after pressing the tape material against the workpiece W using the pressing member 60, releases the gripping of the tape material by a gripping portion to move the pressing member 60 along the tape material towards a base end side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tape application device. [Background technology]

[0002] As an apparatus capable of applying a tape material to a workpiece using an articulated robot, for example, a tape application machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This tape application machine includes a roller that presses the surface of the tape material to apply it to the workpiece, and a guide that guides the tape material toward the roller, and is configured such that the roller continuously applies the tape material unwound from the reel while pressing it along an application path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-65833 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The conventional tape application machine is configured to supply the tape toward the roller by rotating the reel, so the tip of the tape is likely to move around, and there is a risk that the tip of the tape cannot be reliably supplied to the vicinity of the roller. As described above, the conventional tape application device may not be adequately adapted to the application of long tape, which is currently widely used, the application of tape deep inside a workpiece, the application of tape while avoiding protrusions on a workpiece, etc., and this tendency is particularly noticeable depending on the material, thickness, width, and presence or absence of release paper of the tape, so there is room for further improvement in terms of reliably applying the tape.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a tape application device that can apply a tape quickly and reliably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved by a tape application device comprising a multi-joint robot, an end effector provided at the tip of an arm of the multi-joint robot, and a control device for controlling the multi-joint robot and the end effector, wherein the end effector comprises a reel on which a tape material having an adhesive layer on one side is wound, a transport device which clamps the tape material unwound from the reel with a clamping section and transports the tip of the tape material from a retracted position to a joining position, and a pressing member which presses the tape material transported to the transport device against a workpiece to apply it, the transport device comprising a guide section which guides the tip side of the tape material clamped by the clamping section toward the joining position, and the control device transports the tip of the tape material protruding from the guide section to the joining position by the transport device and presses it against the workpiece with the pressing member, and then releases the clamping of the tape material by the clamping section and moves the pressing member along the tape material toward the base end side, thereby applying the tape material to the workpiece.

[0007] In this tape application device, it is preferable that the end effector further includes a cutting device that cuts the tape material between the guide portion and the pressing member, and it is preferable that the control device, after adhering the tape material to the workpiece, clamps the tape material with the clamping portion and cuts it with the cutting device.

[0008] The pressing member is preferably a roller that rolls along the tape material. In this case, the transport device preferably transports the tape material from the retracted position to the joining position along a tangent line of the pressing member.

[0009] The transport device may include an air injection section that injects air onto one side of the tape material that protrudes from the tip side of the guide section, and a holding section that holds the other side of the tape material. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a tape application device can be provided that can quickly and reliably apply tape material. For example, the tape material can be reliably applied regardless of the material of the tape material, the length of the tape piece to be applied to the workpiece, the depth of the application position from the workpiece surface, the unevenness of the workpiece surface, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a tape application device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of FIG. 1 as seen from another direction. [Figure 4] 3 is an enlarged perspective view for explaining the operation of the main part shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is an enlarged perspective view for explaining another operation of the main part shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is an enlarged perspective view for explaining still another operation of the main part shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a main part of a tape application device according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a tape application device (hereinafter, simply referred to as "application device") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the application device 1 includes an articulated robot 10, an end effector 20 attached to the articulated robot 10, and a control device 30 for controlling the articulated robot 10 and the end effector 20, and can apply a tape material to a workpiece W mounted on a mounting table 100. Although the shape and size of the workpiece W are not particularly limited, the workpiece W in this embodiment is formed in a belt shape, and tape materials can be applied to a plurality of predetermined positions of the workpiece W along the longitudinal direction of the workpiece W.

[0013] The articulated robot 10 has a multi-axis (e.g., 4- to 7-axis) structure in which multiple arms 11 are rotatably connected via joints, and an end effector 20 is detachably attached to a rotation mechanism 12 at the tip of the arm 11.

[0014] Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the end effector 20 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the end effector 20 shown in Fig. 2, seen from another direction. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the end effector 20 includes a bracket 21 attached to the rotation mechanism 12 of the arm 11. The bracket 21 is fastened and fixed with a bolt so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis of the rotation mechanism 12.

[0015] The end effector 20 includes a reel 40 on which tape material T is wound, a conveying device 50 that conveys the tape material T unwound from the reel 40, a pressing member 60 that presses the tape material T conveyed by the conveying device 50 against a workpiece W to adhere it thereto, and a cutting device 70 that cuts the tape material T.

[0016] The tape material has an adhesive layer on one side of a thin strip-shaped (e.g., about 0.9 mm thick) base material made of, for example, a felt material or a sponge material, and is wound around a reel 40 so that this adhesive layer contacts the other side of the inner base material. The reel 40 is rotatably supported by the bracket 21, and the tape material T unwound from the reel 40 is folded back by the guide roll 41 so that the other side opposite the adhesive layer contacts the outer circumferential surface of the guide roll 41, and is guided to the conveying device 50.

[0017] The transport device 50 includes a main body 51, a clamping section 52 provided at the tip side of the main body 51, and a guide section 53 provided at the tip side of the clamping section 52, and transports a tip T1 of the tape material T from a retracted position shown in FIG. 3 to an application position which is a position in the vicinity of a pressing member 60 described later. The main body 51 is a linear actuator in which a movable block 51b is provided so as to be movable forward and backward along a guide rail 51a, and the tape material T folded back by the guide roll 41 passes through the lower surface side of the guide rail 51a (the side opposite to the movable block 51b) and extends along the movement direction of the movable block 51b. The guide rail 51a is fixed to a bracket 21.

[0018] The clamping unit 52 includes a movable piece 52a provided at the tip (lower end) of a rod of a driving device 52c such as an air cylinder, and a fixed piece 52b supported by the driving device 52c. The clamping unit 52 is fixed to the tip of the movable block 51b of the main body 51 so as to move integrally with the movable block 51b. The movable piece 52a is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to the advancing and retreating direction of the movable block 51b of the main body 51, and clamps the tape material T protruding from the tip side of the main body 51 in the thickness direction between the movable piece 52a and the fixed piece 52b.

[0019] Guide portion 53 includes a flat guide plate 53a and a guide roller 53b that holds tape material T between guide plate 53a. Guide portion 53 is fixed to fixed piece 52b so as to be located at the tip side of clamping portion 52, and guides the tip side of tape material T held by clamping portion 52 toward the application position.

[0020] The pressing member 60 is made of a cylindrical roller, and is rotatably supported by an arm 61 that is rotatably attached to the bracket 21. The pressing member 60 is biased forward by a spring member 62. The pressing member 60 is preferably a roller that rolls along the tape material T so that the entire tape material T can be pressed with a desired pressing force to reliably attach it to the workpiece W, but may also be a block-shaped member that slides along the tape material T.

[0021] The cutting device 70 is equipped with a cutting blade 71 for cutting the tape material T, and a drive device 72 such as an air cylinder for reciprocating the cutting blade 71. By moving the cutting blade 71 in the thickness direction of the tape material T, the tape material T can be cut between the guide portion 53 and the pressing member 60.

[0022] Next, a method of performing a tape application operation using the application device 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, the control device 30 (see FIG. 1) lowers the movable piece 52a of the clamping portion 52 in the direction of the arrow A to clamp the tape material T between the movable piece 52a and the fixed piece 52b (see FIG. 3), and then operates the arm 11 of the articulated robot 10 to move the pressing member 60 to a position above the workpiece. Next, the control device 30 operates the conveying device 50 to move the movable block 51b of the main body 51 in the direction of the arrow B. As a result, the tip T1 of the tape material T moves from the original retracted position P1 to the application position P2 shown in FIG. 5.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the tip side of the tape material T guided by the guide portion 53 extends in a straight line so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pressing member 60 between the retracted position P1 and the application position P2 so as to be interposed between the pressing member 60 and the workpiece W, and the conveying device 50 conveys the tape material T along the tangent to the pressing member 60 from the retracted position P1 toward the application position P2.

[0024] 5 in the direction of arrow C, causing the control device 50 to press the tip T1 of the tape material T against the workpiece W with the pressing member 60. The position at which the pressing member 60 presses the tape material T is preferably a position at which the tip T1 can be reliably attached to the workpiece W, and for example, it is preferable that the outer circumferential surface of the pressing member 60 and the tape material T come into contact with each other at a position about 1 to 2 mm on the base end side from the tip T1 of the tape material T.

[0025] In this way, after the lower surface side (one surface side having an adhesive layer) of the tip T1 of the tape material T is attached to the workpiece W, the movable piece 52a of the clamping part 52 is moved up and down in the direction of the arrow D to release the clamping of the tape material T, and the tape material T is made ready to be fed from the reel to the pressing member 60. Then, by moving the pressing member 60 in the direction of the arrow E along the upper surface of the tape material T toward the base end side, the pressing member 60 moves along the surface of the workpiece W while pressing the tape material T. In this way, the pressed portion of the tape material T can be attached to the workpiece W. In parallel with the movement of the pressing member 60 to attach the tape material T, the control device 30 causes the movable block 51b of the main body 51 to retreat to the original position shown in FIG. 4.

[0026] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 30 lowers the movable piece 52a of the clamping unit 52 in the direction of the arrow F to clamp the tape material T again, and operates the cutting device 70 while applying tension to the tape material T, and cuts the tape material T by moving the cutting blade 71 in the direction of the arrow G. The cutting position of the tape material T by the cutting blade 71 may be between the guide unit 53 and the pressing member 60, but if the distance from the guide unit 53 is long, the tape material T protruding from the guide unit 53 after cutting is likely to sag under its own weight, so it is preferable that the cutting position is, for example, 20 to 25 mm from the guide unit 53 to the tip side of the tape material T. This ensures the direction and necessary length of the part of the tape material T protruding from the guide unit 53 after cutting, and allows the next tape material T to be quickly and easily attached. The base end side of the attached tape material T can be pressed by the pressing member 60 after cutting, so that the entire cut tape material T can be reliably attached to the workpiece W. The total length of the tape material T attached to the workpiece W is, for example, about 70 mm.

[0027] According to the tape application device 1 of this embodiment, the supply of the tape material T to the vicinity of the pressing member 60 is not performed by rotating the reel 40, but by the conveying device 50 clamping the tape material T unwound from the reel 40 with the clamping section 52 and conveying the tip T1 of the tape material T from the retracted position P1 to the application position P2, so that the tape material T can be reliably supplied to the vicinity of the pressing member 60 and quickly and easily applied to the workpiece W, regardless of the thickness or material of the tape material T. The conveyance of the tape material T from the retracted position P1 to the application position P2 is preferably performed along a tangent to the pressing member 60 made of a roller as in this embodiment, whereby the tape material T can be easily and reliably applied to the workpiece W.

[0028] In the case where the tape material T is thin and easily deformed, such as cellophane tape, as shown in FIG. 7, the tape material T may be configured to include an air injection unit 80 that injects air onto one side (the side having an adhesive layer) of the tape material T that protrudes from the tip side of the guide unit 53, and a holding unit 81 that holds the other side of the tape material T. The holding unit 81 is a flexible band-shaped member that extends from the guide unit 53 toward the pressing member 60, and the tip of the holding unit 81 is curved in an arc shape along the outer circumferential surface of the pressing member 60. The central angle of the arc-shaped portion of the holding unit 81 is preferably about 45 degrees. The pressing member 60 can press the tape material T via the holding unit 81, and after the tip T1 of the tape material T is attached to the workpiece, the tape material T is pressed sequentially from the tip T1 toward the base end side, so that the tape material T of a desired length can be reliably attached to the workpiece.

[0029] The air injection unit 80 is, for example, an injection nozzle, and in a state where the tip T1 of the tape material T is pressed against the work by the pressing member 60, air is injected from an injection port 80a toward one side of the portion of the tape material T whose other side is held by the holding unit 81. This prevents the tape material T from curling up, and allows the tape material T to be forcibly spread out in a band shape and applied to the work, so that the tape material T can be applied quickly and reliably. In Fig. 7, the same components as those in Fig. 5 and the like are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0030] The tape application device 1 of each of the above embodiments can reliably apply the entire tape material to the workpiece regardless of the thickness or material of the tape material T, the length of the tape piece to be applied, the depth of the application location from the workpiece surface, the unevenness of the workpiece surface, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Tape material application device 10 Articulated Robot 11 Arm 20 End Effector 30 Control device 40 Reels 50 Transport device 52 Clamping part 53 Guide part 60 Pressing member 70 Cutting device 80 Air injection part 81 Holding part Double work T Tape Material P1 Evacuation position P2 Attachment position

Claims

1. Articulated robots and an end effector provided at the tip of an arm of the articulated robot; a control device for controlling the articulated robot and the end effector, The end effector includes: a reel on which a tape material having an adhesive layer on one surface is wound; a conveying device that conveys the leading end of the tape material from a retracted position to a joining position by clamping the tape material unwound from the reel with a clamping portion; a pressing member that presses the tape material conveyed by the conveying device onto the workpiece to attach it to the workpiece; the conveying device includes a guide portion that guides a tip side of the tape material clamped by the clamping portion toward the joining position, The control device transports the tip of the tape material protruding from the guide portion to the application position using the conveying device and presses it against the workpiece using the pressing member, and then releases the clamping portion from the tape material and moves the pressing member along the tape material toward the base end, thereby applying the tape material to the workpiece.

2. The end effector further includes a cutting device that cuts the tape material between the guide portion and the pressing member, 2. The tape application device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls the tape to be clamped by the clamping section and cut by the cutting device after the tape has been applied to the workpiece.

3. 2. The tape application device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a roller that rolls along the tape.

4. 4. The tape application device according to claim 3, wherein the transport device transports the tape from the retracted position to the application position along a tangent line of the pressing member.

5. 2. The tape application device according to claim 1, wherein the transport device comprises an air injection section that injects air onto one side of the tape protruding from the tip side of the guide section, and a holding section that holds the other side of the tape.

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