Tape application device

Abstract

To provide a tape application device that is less restricted by the placement of the tape material. [Solution] A tape application device comprising a multi-joint robot and an end effector provided at the tip of the arm of the multi-joint robot, wherein the end effector 20 comprises a reel 40 around which tape material T having an adhesive layer on one side is wound, a dispensing device 50 for dispensing the tape material T from the reel 40, a spraying device 60 for guiding the tip of the tape material T by blowing gas from a nozzle 62 onto one side of the dispensed tape material T, a pressing unit 71 for pressing the guided tip of the tape material T against the surface to be applied to the object, and a cutting device 80 for cutting the tape material T, wherein the tape material T is applied to the surface by moving the pressing unit 71 along the tape material T after pressing the tip of the tape material T.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tape material pasting device.

Background Art

[0002] As a device capable of pasting a tape material onto an adherent surface of an adherent object using an articulated robot, for example, a tape material pasting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This device includes a conveying device that conveys a tape material fed out from a reel by an end effector provided at the tip of an arm of an articulated robot, and a pressing member that presses and pastes the conveyed tape material onto a workpiece.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above conventional tape material pasting device, the conveying device sandwiches the tape material by a sandwiching portion and conveys the tip of the tape material from the retracted position to the pasting position, so that the tape material can be surely supplied near the pressing member, and pasting onto the workpiece can be performed quickly and easily. On the other hand, when pasting a tape material on a narrow or deep part of the adherent object, or when the unevenness of the adherent surface of the adherent object is large, etc., there is a possibility that the sandwiching portion may interfere with the adherent object and pasting may become difficult.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tape material pasting device that is less restricted by pasting positions.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved by a tape application device comprising an articulated robot and an end effector provided at the tip of the arm of the articulated robot, wherein the end effector comprises a reel around which a tape material having an adhesive layer on one side is wound, a dispensing device for dispensing the tape material from the reel, a spraying device for guiding the tip of the tape material by blowing gas from a nozzle onto the one side of the dispensed tape material, a pressing unit for pressing the guided tip of the tape material against the surface to be applied to an object, and a cutting device for cutting the tape material, wherein the pressing unit moves along the tape material after pressing the tip of the tape material to apply the tape material to the surface to be applied.

[0007] The tape application device may further include a plate-shaped or block-shaped holding member positioned opposite the nozzle portion with the tape material in between, and holding the other side of the tape material to which the gas has been blown. In this configuration, the pressing portion is preferably provided at the lower end of the holding member. The spraying device can bend the tip of the tape material so that the pressing portion faces inward by spraying gas at an acute angle to the direction in which the tape material is dispensed, with the tip of the dispensed tape material positioned below the pressing portion. Preferably, the lower part of the holding member is provided with a pair of protruding pieces that are spaced apart downward, and the pressing portion is preferably protruding from between the pair of protruding pieces. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tape application device that is not restricted by the application position, and for example, tape can be easily and reliably applied to application positions with significant unevenness, application positions set on surfaces that are steeply angled to about 120 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, and application positions near significantly protruding structural parts. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is a perspective view of a tape application device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a front view showing the main parts of the tape application device. [Figure 3] This is a side view of the main part shown in Figure 2, viewed in the direction of arrow A. [Figure 4] This is a side view of the main part shown in Figure 2, viewed in the direction of arrow B. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a magnified view of the main part shown. [Figure 6] Figure 1 shows a perspective view and a side view of the main components to illustrate the operation of the tape application device. [Figure 7] Figure 1 shows a perspective view and a side view of the main components to illustrate other operations of the tape application device. [Figure 8] Figure 1 shows a perspective view and a side view of the main components to illustrate further operations of the tape application device. [Figure 9] Figure 1 shows a perspective view and a side view of the main components to illustrate further operations of the tape application device. [Figure 10] Figure 1 shows a perspective view and a side view of the main components to illustrate further operations of the tape application device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a tape material application device (hereinafter simply referred to as the "application device") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the application device 1 comprises an articulated robot 10 and an end effector 20 attached to the articulated robot 10, and can apply tape material T to the application surface 101 of an object to be applied 100 by operating control of a control device (not shown). In this embodiment, a wire harness 102 is placed on the application surface 101, and the wire harness 102 can be fixed to the object to be applied 100 by applying tape material T so as to straddle the wire harness 102. However, the application device 1 can also be used for purposes other than fixing the wire harness 102, such as simply applying it to the application surface 101.

[0011] The articulated robot 10 has a multi-axis (for example, 4 to 7 axes) structure in which multiple arms 11 are rotatably connected via joints, and an end effector 20 is detachably attached to the rotating mechanism 12 at the tip of the arm 11.

[0012] Figure 2 is a front view of the end effector 20 shown in Figure 1. Figures 3 and 4 are side views of the end effector 20 shown in Figure 2, viewed in the direction indicated by arrows A and B, respectively. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the end effector 20 comprises a bracket 21 attached to the rotating mechanism 12 shown in Figure 1 by bolts or the like, and a reel 40, a dispensing device 50, a spraying device 60, a holding member 70, and a cutting device 80 supported by the bracket 21.

[0013] The reel 40 is wound with a tape material T having an adhesive layer on one side so that it can be unwound. The tape material T used in this embodiment is an insulating tape made of polyvinyl chloride or the like. The type of tape material T is not particularly limited and may be felt material or sponge material, for example, and can be appropriately selected depending on the application.

[0014] The pay-out device 50 includes guide rollers 51a and 51b, a drive motor 52, drive rollers 53a, 53b, and 53c, and a pressing roller 55 facing the drive roller 53c. The driving force of the drive motor 52 is transmitted to the drive roller 53a via gears 56a, 56b, and 56c, and is also transmitted to the drive roller 53b via gears 56a, 56b, 56d, and 56e. Further, it is transmitted to the drive roller 53c via an endless belt 54 wound between the drive rollers 53b and 53c. The leading end portion of the tape material T wound around the reel 40 is guided by the guide rollers 51a and 51b and is paid out downward by the driving of the drive rollers 53a and 53c. The pressing roller 55 is a driven roller biased toward the drive roller 53c by a spring material (not shown) and sandwiches the tape material T between it and the drive roller 53c.

[0015] The spraying device 60 includes a flexible pipe 61 connected to a pressurized gas supply source (not shown) and a nozzle portion 62 connected to the tip of the pipe 61, and guides the leading end portion of the tape material T by maintaining a state in which a pressurized gas such as compressed air is sprayed onto one surface (the surface having the adhesive layer) of the tape material T paid out by the operation of the pay-out device 50. In FIGS. 3 and 4, a part of the pipe 61 is shown by a two-dot chain line with its illustration omitted.

[0016] The holding member 70 is a plate-shaped or block-shaped member arranged to face the nozzle portion 62 with the tape material T paid out from the pay-out device 50 sandwiched therebetween, and holds the other surface (the surface opposite to the surface having the adhesive layer) of the tape material T onto which gas is sprayed from the nozzle portion 62.

[0017] At the lower part of the holding member 70, a pressing portion 71 and a pair of projecting pieces 72, 73 are provided. The pressing portion 71 is composed of a cylindrical roller rotatably supported around a rotation axis parallel to the width direction of the tape material T. The pressing portion 71 may be formed by a block-shaped member or the like that slides along the tape material T. The pair of projecting pieces 72, 73 are respectively arranged on the nozzle portion 62 side and the side opposite to the nozzle portion 62 with the pressing portion 71 interposed therebetween, and are provided so that the distance between them widens downward. The pressing portion 71 is arranged so that its lower part projects from the pair of projecting pieces 72, 73.

[0018] The cutting device 80 includes a cutting blade 81 for cutting the tape material T and a driving device 82 such as an air cylinder for reciprocating the cutting blade 81 in the horizontal direction. The cutting blade 81 has a V-shaped cutting edge, and the tape material T can be cut by moving the cutting blade 81 in the thickness direction of the tape material T. The driving device 82 may be another actuator such as a linear actuator.

[0019] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the nozzle 62 in FIG. 3, and shows a state in which a pressurized gas is being sprayed from the nozzle 62. As shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle 62 is positioned and its injection direction is set so as to inject a pressurized gas toward the lower part of the holding member 70. By injecting the pressurized gas in a state where the tip of the tape material T fed out by the feeding device 50 is positioned below the pressing portion 71, the tip of the tape material T can be curved so that the pressing portion 71 is on the inner side and guided directly below the pressing portion 71. Thus, by guiding the tip of the tape material T using the blowing of the pressurized gas from the nozzle 62, it becomes difficult to be restricted when attaching the tape material T, and the tape material T can be easily and surely attached to the adherent surface 101.

[0020] The angle α formed between the feeding direction of the tape material T and the injection direction of the nozzle 62 is preferably an acute angle, whereby the tip of the tape material T can be smoothly curved while surely maintaining the state in which the tape material T is held by the holding member 70. It is more preferable to set the above angle α in the range of 30 to 80 degrees.

[0021] From the state shown in Figure 5, when the articulated robot 10 (see Figure 1) moves the end effector 20 in the direction of arrow C, the tip of the tape material T is guided directly below the pressing part 71 by its curvature, so that the pressing part 71 can reliably press the tip of the tape material T against the adhesion surface 101 of the adherend 100. After this, by stopping the injection of pressurized gas from the nozzle 62 and moving the pressing part 71 along the tape material T toward the base end of the tape material T, the tape material T can be fed out and attached to the adhesion surface 101.

[0022] The length of the tape material T to be attached to the surface 101 can be set to the desired length by operating the cutting device 80 at an appropriate timing while the pressing unit 71 is moving, moving the cutting blade 81 fixed to the rod 82a of the drive unit 82 from the retracted position shown in Figure 5 in the direction of arrow D to cut the tape material T. After the tape material T has been cut and the application is complete, the feeding device 50 can be operated to feed out the tip of the tape material T to below the pressing unit 71, thereby allowing the application of the next piece of tape material T to proceed.

[0023] Next, a method for fixing a wire harness to the surface of an object to be attached using the attachment device 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 10. In Figures 6 to 10, (a) is an overall perspective view of the attachment device 1, and (b) is a side view of the main part of (a), showing only the wire harness and omitting the illustration of the object to be attached.

[0024] First, in the state shown in Figure 5, the end effector 20 is moved to the vicinity of the attachment position of the wire harness, and then lowered in the direction of arrow C, so that the tip of the tape material T is pressed against the surface to be attached by the pressing part 71, as shown in Figure 6.

[0025] Next, by moving the pressing portion 71 along the surface to be attached to the wire harness 102, the portion of the tape material T pressed by the pressing portion 71 is attached to the surface, as shown in Figure 7.

[0026] Next, by slightly raising the end effector 20 so that the pressing part 71 goes over the wire harness 102, and continuing to move the pressing part 71 in the same direction, the tape material T is attached to the wire harness 102 circumferentially, as shown in Figure 8. At this point, the tape material T is cut by the operation of the cutting blade 83.

[0027] After the pressing part 71 has moved over the wire harness 102, the pressing part 71 is continued to move along the surface to be attached, so that the pressing points of the tape material T by the pressing part 71 are adhered to the surface, as shown in Figure 9. Then, by continuing to press with the pressing part 71 up to the cut end of the tape material T, the entire cut tape material T is attached to the surface to be attached so as to straddle the wire harness 102, as shown in Figure 10, thereby fixing the wire harness 102.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, a pair of protruding pieces 72 and 73 are provided on both sides of the pressing portion 71 in the direction of movement. Therefore, when the pressing portion 71 shown in Figures 7 and 9 is adjacent to the wire harness 102, the pair of protruding pieces 72 and 73 can be used to press the tape material T into the gap between the wire harness 102 and the surface to be attached. This increases the adhesion between the tape material T and the wire harness 102, making the fixing of the wire harness 102 more secure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] 1. Tape application device 10 Articulated Robots 11 Arms 20 End Effectors 40 reels 50 Feeding device 60 Spraying device 62 Nozzle section 70 Retaining member 71 Pressing part 72,73 Overhang piece 80 Cutting device 100 Adherent 101 Adhering surface 102 Wire Harness T-tape material

Claims

1. Articulated robots and The articulated robot includes an end effector provided at the tip of the arm of the aforementioned articulated robot, The aforementioned end effector is, A reel on which tape material having an adhesive layer on one side is wound, A dispensing device for dispensing the tape material from the reel, A spraying device that sprays gas from a nozzle onto one side of the unwound tape material to guide the leading edge of the tape material, A pressing part that presses the tip of the guided tape material against the surface of the object to be adhered, The system includes a cutting device for cutting the aforementioned tape material, A tape application device that applies tape to a surface by moving the pressing part along the tape after pressing the leading edge of the tape.

2. The system further comprises a plate-shaped or block-shaped holding member positioned opposite the nozzle portion with the tape material in between, and holding the other side of the tape material to which the gas is blown, The pressing portion is provided at the lower end of the holding member, The tape application device according to claim 1, wherein the spraying device, with the leading edge of the unwound tape material positioned below the pressing portion, sprays gas at an acute angle to the unwound direction of the tape material, thereby curving the leading edge of the tape material so that the pressing portion faces inward.

3. The lower part of the retaining member is provided with a pair of protruding pieces that are spaced further apart downwards. The tape application device according to claim 2, wherein the pressing portion protrudes from between a pair of the protruding pieces.

4. A method for fixing a wire harness to an object, comprising using a tape application device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and applying tape material so as to straddle the wire harness placed on the surface of the object to be fixed, thereby fixing the wire harness to the object.

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