Sticking apparatus provided in robot arm and sticking method

Abstract

To provide a sticking device provided in a robot arm and a sticking method, capable of sticking a film to an object in a close contact state, even if an uneven part is arranged in the object.SOLUTION: A sticking device 10 provided in a robot arm is provided in a robot arm R for sticking a film 40 arranged on an object 30 to the object 30. A sticking device 10 includes a bag body 12 capable of pressing a film 40 arranged on an object 30 and capable of expanding and contracting, and a spherical body 13 stored in the bag body 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a bonding device provided on a robot arm and a bonding method. [Background technology]

[0002] A known application device provided on a robot arm includes a roller-shaped pressing member that contacts the film and presses it against a flat or curved object. By pressing the film against the object with the pressing member, the film can be applied to the object (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-117291 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the application device in Patent Document 1 applies a film to a flat or curved object by pressing the film against the object with a roller-shaped pressing member, which makes it difficult to apply the film to an object with uneven surfaces, for example.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an application device and application method equipped on a robot arm that can apply a film in close contact with an object even if the object has uneven portions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means. (1) The application device provided on a robot arm according to the present invention is an application device provided on a robot arm that applies a film placed on an object to the object, and includes a stretchable bag body that can press the film placed on the object, and an object contained in the bag body.

[0007] According to this configuration, an object is contained in a stretchable bag. The bag containing the object can press the film placed on the object. Therefore, by pressing the bag against the film, the bag containing the object can adhere the film to the object in a conformal state. This allows the film to be attached to the object in an adhered state, even if the object has an uneven portion.

[0008] (2) In the above aspect, the object may have plastic modification.

[0009] According to this configuration, the object is provided with plastic modification. Plastic modification refers to the property of not undergoing plastic deformation or brittle fracture in a range of a first force or greater, for example. Therefore, by providing the object with plastic modification, the hardness of the object can be ensured so that the film can be pressed against the object in accordance with the object. This ensures that the object (specifically, the bag) has the adhesion force that allows the film to conform to the object.

[0010] (3) In the above aspect, the object may be smaller in width than the smallest recess provided in the target object.

[0011] With this configuration, the object is smaller than the width of the minimum recess provided in the target object. Therefore, the object can fit along the gap of the minimum recess. This allows the film to be tightly attached to the target object provided with the minimum recess.

[0012] (4) The application method according to the present invention is <1> The method for attaching a film using the attaching device provided on the robot arm described in the above includes a first step of arranging the film in correspondence with the object by pressing the film placed on the object with the bag containing the object, and a second step of tightly adhering the film to the object with the bag containing the object.

[0013] According to this method, in the first step, a film placed on an object is pressed into contact with a bag containing the object, thereby aligning the film so that it conforms to the object. In the second step, the bag containing the object presses the film against the object. This allows the film to be attached in a tightly adhered state to the object, even if the object has an uneven surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, even if an object has an uneven portion, the film can be attached in a state of being in close contact with the object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a robot arm equipped with a joining device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged schematic view of an object to which a film is attached by the attachment device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example in which the bag body of the embodiment is brought closer to the film. [Figure 4] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams illustrating a first step and a second step of the application method of the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a photograph showing a sphere of the example placed in a recess of an object. [Figure 6] 10 is a photograph showing the state in which a film is attached to an object using a bag containing a sphere according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a photograph showing a sphere of the comparative example placed in a recess of an object. [Figure 8]10 is a photograph showing a state in which a film is attached to an object using a bag containing a sphere according to a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, a description will be given of a bonding device provided on a robot arm according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the bonding device provided on a robot arm may be referred to as the "bonding device." <Laminating device> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot arm equipped with a bonding device. As shown in Fig. 1, the bonding device 10 is attached to, for example, a robot arm R and used as a robot hand. The robot arm R is, for example, a multi-joint robot having multiple movable axes. The bonding device 10 is provided as a robot hand at the tip Ra of the robot arm R. The bonding device 10 is movable in three dimensional directions, X, Y, and Z, and can also rotate under the control of the robot arm R.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged view of an object to which a film is to be attached by the attachment device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the attachment device 10 can move facing (along) the surface 31 of the object 30. The object 30 has, for example, a three-dimensional surface 31 on which an uneven portion 32 is provided. The surface 31 includes a flat surface and a curved surface. In the embodiment, the object 30 will be described taking as an example an object having a three-dimensional surface 31 on which an uneven portion 32 is provided, but is not limited to this shape.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the application device 10 is a device that applies a film 40 placed on an object 30 to the object 30. The film 40 is applied by the application device 10 in a state where it is placed on the surface 31 of the object 30, for example. The film 40 may be, for example, a commonly used car wrapping film, but is not limited to a car wrapping film. Hereinafter, applying the film 40 to the surface 31 of the object 30 may be referred to as "applying the film 40 to the object 30." The film 40 has the property of softening when warmed (heated).

[0019] The application device 10 includes, for example, a bag body 12, an object 13, an air vent unit 14, a contact determination unit 15, and a heating unit (not shown). In the embodiment, an example in which the application device 10 includes the contact determination unit 15 and the heating unit will be described, but this is not limiting. Depending on the use of the application device 10, there may be cases in which the application device 10 does not need to include the contact determination unit 15 or the heating unit.

[0020] <Bag body> The bag body 12 is provided in a sealed state at the tip portion Ra of the robot arm R via a base (not shown). The bag body 12 is formed, for example, in a bag shape. The bag body 12 is capable of pressing the film 40 arranged on the object 30. The bag body 12 is formed to be flexible and stretchable. From these viewpoints, examples of suitable materials for the bag body 12 include silicone, natural rubber, nylon, vinyl chloride, and polyurethane. An example of a bag made of natural rubber is a latex balloon (a common rubber balloon). An example of a bag made of nylon is a foil balloon. An example of a bag made of vinyl chloride is a deco balloon. An example of a bag made of polyurethane is a balloon for a surgical catheter. It is preferable that the bag body 12 is also heat resistant. The heat resistance temperature is preferably 80°C or higher, more preferably 100°C or higher, and even more preferably 200°C or higher, with no particular upper limit. Note that the material of the bag body 12 is not limited to the examples given above.

[0021] <Object (sphere)> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, objects 13 are contained in a bag 12. The number of objects 13 contained in the bag 12 is selected depending on the area of ​​the film 40 to be attached to the target object 30. Examples of the shape of the objects 13 include spheres and cylinders. In the embodiment, the objects 13 will be described as spheres 13. An example in which a large number of spheres 13 are contained in the bag 12 will be described. The spheres 13 include not only perfectly spherical spheres but also ellipsoidal spheres.

[0022] The reason why a sphere 13 was selected as the object 13 is as follows. That is, the length and width of the cylinder are different. Therefore, when the object 13 is a cylinder, depending on the orientation of the cylinder in the uneven portion 32 of the target object 30, the cylinder may or may not fit inside the recess (groove) 32a. This makes it impossible to properly attach the film 40 to the uneven portion 32. Furthermore, the cylinder has sharp points on the edge of the circumferential surface. Therefore, the film 40 may be damaged by the sharp points of the cylinder.

[0023] In contrast, the surface of the sphere 13 is formed into the same curved surface. Therefore, by using the sphere 13 as the object 13, the sphere 13 can be stably inserted into the interior of the recess 32a, and the film 40 can be properly attached to the uneven portion 32 by the sphere 13. Furthermore, the sphere 13 does not have any sharp points. Therefore, there is no risk that the sphere 13 will damage the film 40. Therefore, the sphere 13 was selected as the object 13. Hereinafter, the object 13 will be described as the "sphere 13."

[0024] The sphere 13 has plastic deformability. "Plastic deformability" means "the property of not undergoing plastic deformation or brittle fracture in a range of a first force or greater." The range of a first force or greater is a range of forces that can ensure the hardness of the sphere 13 so that the film 40 can be pressed against (aligned with) the object 30. In other words, the sphere 13 has a hardness that does not cause plastic deformation or brittle fracture when the film 40 is pressed against (aligned with) the object 30, for example. The first force is typically 4 N / cm from the viewpoint of stability when applying the film 40. 2 More than 7N / cm, preferably 7N / cm 2 More preferably, 10N / cm 2 That's all.

[0025] Examples of materials for the plastically deformed spheres 13 include metals (iron, steel), rubber, resin, rubber-coated metals, and glass (including tempered glass). Among the spheres 13 made of rubber, for example, hard rubber spheres 13, soft rubber spheres 13, and rubber-coated metal spheres 13 can recover from a crushed state. Therefore, these spheres 13 can also be pressed against the object 30 with the film 40 conforming to their shape without undergoing plastic deformation or brittle fracture. Furthermore, it is preferable that the spheres 13 have heat resistance so that they do not undergo thermal denaturation even when the film is attached while being heated. The heat resistance of the spheres 13 is preferably 100°C or higher, more preferably 120°C or higher, and even more preferably 140°C or higher. There is no particular upper limit. Note that the material of the spheres 13 is not limited to the examples given above.

[0026] The diameter of the sphere 13 is selected, for example, based on the recess with the smallest width among the uneven portions 32 provided on the object 30. The recess with the smallest width is the recess 32a. Hereinafter, the recess 32a may be referred to as the minimum recess 32a. In other words, the diameter of the sphere 13 is selected to be smaller than the width W of the minimum recess 32a, for example.

[0027] Specifically, the diameter of the sphere 13 is selected to be smaller than the width W of the minimum recessed portion 32a, and is preferably 1 / 3 or more, more preferably 1 / 2 or more, and even more preferably 1 / 1.5 or more of the width W of the minimum recessed portion 32a. Therefore, the sphere 13 can fit into the gaps between the recessed portions including the minimum recessed portion 32a in the uneven portion 32. In addition, the diameter of the spheres 13 is selected to be as large as possible so that the pressing force required to reliably attach the film 40 along the unevenness 32 of the object 30 can be applied. The number of spheres 13 to be accommodated in the bag 12 is adjusted appropriately based on the area of ​​the object 30.

[0028] <Air vent> As shown in FIG. 1 , the air vent unit 14 is provided on the bag 12 side at the tip end Ra of the robot arm R, for example. The air vent unit 14 is preferably connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via an exhaust path and communicates with the interior of the bag 12. The vacuum pump can vent air from the interior of the bag 12. The bag 12 can supply air to the interior of the bag 12 by, for example, opening an open valve (not shown). Note that in the embodiment, a vacuum pump is described as a suitable example of the air vent unit 14 that vents air from the interior of the bag 12, but this is not limiting. As another example, for example, it is not necessary to evacuate the air from the interior of the bag 12 until a vacuum is created with the vacuum pump. Furthermore, the bag 12 may be attached to the tip end Ra of the robot arm R with the air already evacuated from the interior of the bag 12. Note that the air vent unit 14 is not necessarily provided as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired, and a bag 12 from which the air has been evacuated may be used.

[0029] <Contact determination section> The contact determination unit 15 is provided on the robot arm R side, for example, at the tip end Ra of the robot arm R. The contact determination unit 15 determines whether the film 40 of the bag body 12 and the numerous spheres 13 has come into contact with the target object 30 with an appropriate pressing force. As the contact determination unit 15, for example, a force sensor, a camera (both not shown), or the like is used. Note that the contact determination unit 15 is not limited to the example shown.

[0030] The force sensor detects the torque generated when the bag body 12 containing the numerous spheres 13 presses (contacts) the film 40 appropriately against the object 30, and determines that the bag body 12 has properly contacted the film 40. The force sensor is a commonly used sensor. The camera photographs the object 30 and stores the photographed image in advance. The camera compares the image photographed when attaching the film 40 to the object 30 with the pre-stored image to determine whether the film 40 has come into contact with the object 30. The camera is a commonly used camera.

[0031] <Heating part> The heating unit (not shown) is a device that warms (heats) the film 40. Examples of the heating unit include a heat gun, a dryer, and an induction heater. The heating unit is provided, for example, in a position where it can warm the film 40. Note that the heating unit is not limited to the example shown.

[0032] A heat gun or dryer is preferably used when, for example, the material of the numerous spheres 13 is metal. The heat gun or dryer uses air heat to warm the film 40. In other words, when the material of the numerous spheres 13 is metal, using a heat gun or dryer allows the film 40 to be suitably attached to the target object 30. A heat gun or dryer is a commonly used device.

[0033] An IH appliance is preferably used when, for example, the material of the numerous spheres 13 is glass. When the material of the numerous spheres 13 is metal, the numerous spheres 13 become magnetized, which affects the attachment of the film 40. When the material of the numerous spheres 13 is glass, magnetization by the IH appliance can be suppressed. In other words, when the material of the numerous spheres 13 is glass, using an IH appliance allows the film 40 to be attached to the target object 30 in an appropriate manner. IH appliances are commonly used. Note that the heating unit is useful when attaching a film that requires heating, and may be omitted for films that do not require heating.

[0034] <How to apply> Next, a method for attaching a film to an object 30 using the attachment device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example in which the bag body is brought close to the film. First, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, a film 40 is placed on a surface 31 of an object 30. The surface 31 of the object 30 is formed, for example, three-dimensionally and has an uneven portion 32. The film 40 placed on the surface 31 of the object is heated with a heating unit (for example, a heat gun). In this state, the robot arm R is operated to move the attachment device 10 toward the film 40 from above, as indicated by arrow A.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the first and second steps of the attachment method. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, in the first step, the robot arm R is continuously operated to bring the film 40 into contact with the surface 31 of the object 30 while pressing it against the surface 31 of the object 30 using the bag 12 containing a large number of spheres 13. Thus, the film 40 is deformed and placed along the surface 31 (including the uneven portion 32) of the object 30. If the surface 31 of the object 30 has a curve, for example, the film 40 is heated with a heat gun and stretched to fit the curved surface. In a state in which the bag body 12 is in contact with the film 40, the contact determination unit 15 determines that the bag body 12 has contacted the film 40 with an appropriate pressing force.

[0036] Next, in the second step, air is removed from inside the bag body 12 by the air vent 14. Thus, the numerous spheres 13 contained inside the bag body 12 are fixed in place, for example, by a jamming effect. This allows the film 40 to be reliably attached to the object 30 in a state where it is in close contact with the numerous fixed spheres 13. After the film 40 has been attached to the object 30, an open valve (not shown) is opened. By opening the open valve, air is supplied into the bag body 12, thereby releasing the jamming effect of the numerous spheres 13. After releasing the jamming effect of the numerous spheres 13, the robot arm R is operated to move the attachment device 10 away from the object 30. This completes the application method for applying the film 40 to the object 30 using the application device 10.

[0037] Next, an example and a comparative example in which the film 40 is attached to the uneven portion 32 of the object 30 using the attachment device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. <Example> FIG. 5 is a photograph of the sphere of the example placed in the recess of the object. As shown in Fig. 5, in this example, the object 30 has a curved three-dimensional surface 31, and the surface 31 is provided with an uneven portion 32. The sphere 13 is selected to have the largest possible shape within a range smaller than the width W of the recess (smallest recess) 32a of the uneven portion 32. Iron and resin are selected as the material for the sphere 13. A film 40 is attached to the object 30 using a bag 12 (see Fig. 1) containing the sphere 13.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a photograph showing the state in which the film is attached to the object using the bag containing the sphere of the example. As shown in FIG. 6, the film 40 was reliably attached to the object 30 in a state where it was in close contact with the uneven portion 32 of the object 30 .

[0039] <Comparative Example> FIG. 7 is a photograph of a comparative example sphere placed in a recess of an object. As shown in Fig. 7, in the comparative example, the target object 30 is the same as in the example. The sphere 50 was selected to have a shape larger than the width W of the recess (smallest recess) 32a of the uneven portion 32. The material of the sphere 50 was selected to be the same as in the example, that is, iron and resin. A film 40 was attached to the target object 30 in a bag 12 (see Fig. 1) containing the sphere 50.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a photograph showing a state in which a film is attached to an object using a bag containing a sphere as a comparative example. 8, it was not possible to attach the film 40 so as to conform to the uneven portion 32 of the object 30. The film 40 was attached with gaps occurring in the recesses 32a of the uneven portion 32, etc.

[0041] <Modification> In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the application device 10 is provided with the contact determination unit 15, but there are cases in which the application device 10 does not need to be provided with the contact determination unit 15. For example, if the position of the film 40 placed on the target object 30 is determined and the positioned film 40 is fixed by the application device 10, the contact determination unit 15 can be made unnecessary.

[0042] Furthermore, when film 40 is repeatedly and sequentially attached to a plurality of objects 30, the position of each object 30 is the same each time. Therefore, it is possible to omit the step of determining by contact determination unit 15 whether bag body 12 containing a large number of spheres 13 has contacted film 40 with an appropriate pressing force.

[0043] As described above, according to the application device 10 of the embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, a large number of spheres 13 are accommodated in the bag body 12. The bag body 12 accommodating the large number of spheres 13 is stretchable and can press the film 40 arranged on the object 30. Therefore, by bringing the bag body 12 into contact with the film 40 while pressing it against the film 40, the bag body 12 accommodating the large number of spheres 13 can tightly fit the film 40 to the object 30 in a conformal manner. As a result, even if the object 30 has an uneven portion 32, the film 40 can be attached to the object 30 in a tightly adhered state.

[0044] Here, when bag body 12 containing many spheres 13 is pressed against film 40 to make contact, air can be removed from inside bag body 12 by air vent section 14. Therefore, many spheres 13 can be fixed inside bag body 12 by a so-called jamming effect. This allows film 40 to be reliably attached to object 30 with many fixed spheres 13 in close contact with object 30.

[0045] Furthermore, spheres 13 are provided with plastic modification. Therefore, the hardness of spheres 13 can be ensured so that film 40 can be pressed by spheres 13 in correspondence with object 30. As a result, the adhesive force that causes film 40 to correspond to object 30 can be ensured by bag body 12 containing spheres 13.

[0046] Furthermore, the diameter of the sphere 13 is selected to be smaller than the width W of the minimum recessed portion 32a. Therefore, the sphere 13 can fit into the gaps in the uneven portion 32, including the minimum recessed portion 32a. This allows the film 40 to be tightly attached to the object 30, which has the minimum recessed portion 32a.

[0047] As described above, according to the application method of the embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, in a first step, film 40 placed on object 30 is brought into contact with bag 12 containing a large number of spheres 13 in a pressed state, thereby aligning film 40 so as to conform to object 30. In a second step, film 40 is brought into close contact with object 30 by bag 12 containing a large number of spheres 13. This allows film 40 to be applied in a tightly contacted state to object 30 even if object 30 has an uneven portion.

[0048] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0049] In addition, within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described modifications may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10. Pasting device (pasting device attached to a robot arm) 12 Bag body 13 Sphere (object) 30 Objects 31 Surface 32 Uneven part 32a Recess (minimum recess) 40 Film R Robot Arm

Claims

1. A bonding device provided on a robot arm that bonds a film placed on an object to the object, a stretchable bag body that can press the film placed on the object; An object contained in the bag body, 1. A sticking device provided on a robot arm.

2. the object is provided with a plastic modification; 2. The application device provided on the robot arm according to claim 1.

3. The object is smaller than the width of the smallest recess provided in the object; 3. The sticking device provided on the robot arm according to claim 1.

4. 2. The method for attaching a tape using the attaching device provided on the robot arm according to claim 1, a first step of placing the film on the target object by pressing the bag containing the object against the film; and a second step of tightly contacting the film with the object using the bag containing the object. A method of application characterized by the above.

Images