Sealant Dispensing Device

Abstract

To stably coat a sealing agent.SOLUTION: A sealing agent discharge device 1 includes a seal gun 2 which discharges a sealing agent to an object 100, a movement control part 10 which relatively moves the seal gun and the object, and a discharge control part 12 which controls a discharge amount of the seal agent discharged from the seal gun, in which a movement speed of the seal gun is controlled based on a volume of the sealed sealing agent that is discharged from the seal gun and seals the object and a volume change amount of a sealing agent pool before the sealing agent is discharged from the seal gun and seals the object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealant discharging device. [Background technology]

[0002] The sealant discharge device applies the sealant contained in a cartridge to an object. The sealant discharge device measures the cross-sectional area of ​​the sealant applied to the object, and feedback controls the amount of sealant discharged based on the measured value (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-119232 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The sealant discharge device described in Patent Document 1 measures the cross-sectional area of ​​the sealant applied to the target object. However, depending on the sealant discharge device, a sealant pool may form after the sealant is discharged and before the sealant seals the target object.

[0005] In such a case, the sealant dispensing device described in Patent Document 1 cannot take into account the amount of sealant accumulated in the sealant reservoir, and therefore there is a risk that the sealant cannot be applied stably.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a sealant dispensing device capable of stably dispensing a sealant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the sealant dispensing device of the present invention includes a seal gun that dispenses a sealant onto an object, a movement control unit that moves the seal gun and the object relatively, and a discharge control unit that controls the amount of sealant dispensed from the seal gun, and the movement control unit ,before A change in the volume of the sealant pool discharged from the seal gun before sealing the object. In quantity Based on this, the movement speed of the seal gun is controlled so as to return the radius of the sealant pool to the target radius, the shape of the sealant pool is modeled as a hemisphere or a quarter sphere to derive the volume change of the sealant pool, and the sealant forming the sealant pool becomes uniform in thickness by penetrating into the gap between the seal gun and the object as the seal gun moves, thereby sealing the object.

[0010] It is preferable that a measuring device be provided for measuring the distance to the sealant reservoir, and that the movement control unit derive an amount of change in volume of the sealant reservoir based on a measurement result by the measuring device.

[0011] The seal gun may eject the sealant forward in the direction of movement. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to stably apply the sealant. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a sealant discharging device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a seal gun. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating detailed configurations of a cartridge receiving portion, a cartridge, and a nozzle adapter. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating control of the movement speed of a seal gun. [Figure 6]11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the shape of a sealant reservoir. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a state in which air bubbles are mixed into a sealing agent. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the measurement results of a measuring instrument depending on the presence or absence of air bubbles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a sealant discharging device 1. In Fig. 1, the flow of signals is indicated by dashed arrows.

[0016] 1, the sealant discharging device 1 includes a seal gun 2, a robot arm 3, and a control device 4. The seal gun 2 discharges and applies a sealant to an object 100 based on the control of the control device 4. The configuration of the seal gun 2 will be described in detail later.

[0017] The robot arm 3 has multiple joints, and the seal gun 2 is fixed to the tip of the robot arm 3. An actuator is provided at each joint of the robot arm 3. The robot arm 3 drives the actuators under the control of the control device 4 to move the seal gun 2 to any position and at any speed.

[0018] The control device 4 is a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), a ROM in which programs and the like are stored, a RAM as a work area, etc. The control device 4 functions as a movement control unit 10, a discharge control unit 12, a cartridge exchange control unit 14, and an air bubble detection unit 16 by expanding the programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing them.

[0019] The movement control unit 10 controls the driving of actuators provided at each joint of the robot arm 3. This allows the robot arm 3 to move the seal gun 2 to any position and at any speed.

[0020] The discharge control unit 12 controls the amount of the sealant discharged from the seal gun 2 onto the target object 100 .

[0021] The cartridge exchange control unit 14 controls the driving of the seal gun 2 and the robot arm 3 when the cartridge 24 (see FIG. 2) of the seal gun 2 is exchanged.

[0022] The air bubble detection unit 16 detects air bubbles mixed in the sealant S discharged from the seal gun 2.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the seal gun 2. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the seal gun 2. In Fig. 2, the laser emitted from the measuring device 33 is shown by a dashed line. In Fig. 3, the portion shown in cross section is hatched.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seal gun 2 includes a support plate 21, a rail 22, a cartridge receiving portion 23, a cartridge 24, a nozzle chuck 25, a nozzle adapter 26, a nozzle 27, an actuator 28, a rod 29, a pusher 30 and a pressing plate 31.

[0025] In the following description, the direction in which the pusher 30 moves (the direction in which the nozzle adapter 26 and the nozzle 27 extend) will be referred to as the sliding direction. In addition, in the sliding direction, the direction in which the pusher 30 is pushed in (the direction from the actuator 28 toward the nozzle 27) will be referred to as the leading end direction, and the direction in which the pusher 30 is pulled back (the direction from the nozzle 27 toward the actuator 28) will be referred to as the terminal end direction.

[0026] The support plate 21 is formed in a plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. A through hole 21a penetrating in the sliding direction is formed in the center of the support plate 21. The support plate 21 is supported at the tip of the robot arm 3. In other words, the seal gun 2 is supported by the robot arm 3 via the support plate 21.

[0027] Two rails 22 are fixed to the lower surface 21b of the support plate 21. The two rails 22 are provided at symmetrical positions on the support plate 21 with the through hole 21a therebetween, and extend in the sliding direction.

[0028] A cartridge receiving portion 23 is fixed to the distal end of each of the two rails 22. A through hole 23a penetrating in the sliding direction is formed in the center of the cartridge receiving portion 23. A cartridge 24 is inserted into the through hole 23a from the support plate 21 side.

[0029] The cartridge 24 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a tip portion 24a is formed in a semispherical shape. A protruding portion 24b protruding in a cylindrical shape is formed in the center of the tip portion 24a.

[0030] The cartridge 24 contains a sealant S. A plunger 24c is provided in the cartridge 24 so as to be movable in a sliding direction. The cartridge 24 seals the sealant S together with the plunger 24c. The sealant S is, for example, a two-liquid mixed sealant that hardens when two different liquids are mixed. In this embodiment, the seal gun 2 is configured to replace the entire cartridge 24 when the sealant S contained in the cartridge 24 runs out. A general-purpose cartridge 24 is used.

[0031] The through hole 23a of the cartridge receiving portion 23 is formed with a cartridge receiving groove 23b that is recessed in a semi-spherical shape to match the shape of the tip end 24a of the cartridge 24. A first tapered portion 23c is formed in the center of the cartridge receiving groove 23b toward the tip end. The shape of the through hole 23a will be described in detail later.

[0032] A nozzle chuck 25 is fixed to a lower surface 23d of the cartridge receiving portion 23. The nozzle chuck 25 has a through hole 25a formed therein, which penetrates in the sliding direction. The axial center of the through hole 25a is positioned coaxially with the axial center of the through hole 23a of the cartridge receiving portion 23. A nozzle adapter 26 is inserted into the through hole 25a of the nozzle chuck 25.

[0033] The nozzle adaptor 26 is formed in a cylindrical shape. An end portion 26a in the end direction of the nozzle adaptor 26 is inserted into the protruding portion 24b of the cartridge 24. The nozzle adaptor 26 is also formed with a through hole 26b penetrating in the sliding direction. The through hole 26b communicates with the internal space of the cartridge 24. The shape of the end portion 26a will be described in detail later.

[0034] A plurality of ball grooves 25b are formed on the inner wall surface of the through hole 25a of the nozzle chuck 25. Furthermore, ball grooves 26c are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle adapter 26 at positions facing the ball grooves 25b of the nozzle chuck 25. The ball grooves 26c are formed longer in the sliding direction than the ball grooves 25b. A ball 26d is disposed between the ball grooves 25b and the ball grooves 26c. The nozzle adapter 26 is supported by the nozzle chuck 25 via the balls 26d so as to be movable in the sliding direction.

[0035] A nozzle 27 is connected to the tip end of the nozzle adaptor 26. The nozzle 27 is formed with a through hole 27a penetrating in the sliding direction and is formed into a cylindrical shape as a whole. The through hole 27a communicates with the through hole 26b of the nozzle adaptor 26.

[0036] Nozzle 27 has an inclined surface 27c inclined with respect to the sliding direction at tip 27b in the tip direction. Tip 27b is formed in a V-shape with the tip cut out into two.

[0037] An actuator 28 is fixed to the upper surface 21c of the support plate 21. The actuator 28 is fixed so that its tip is inserted into the through-hole 21a of the support plate 21. A rod 29 is housed inside the actuator 28 so as to be movable in the sliding direction. The actuator 28 is driven based on the control of the discharge control unit 12 and the cartridge exchange control unit 14 to move the rod 29 in the sliding direction.

[0038] A pusher 30 is attached to the tip of the rod 29. The pusher 30 is formed in a semispherical shape with a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cartridge 24. As the rod 29 moves, the pusher 30 presses the plunger 24c of the cartridge 24 in the tip direction.

[0039] A space communicating with the tip side (plunger 24c side) is formed inside the pusher 30. The space formed inside the pusher 30 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). The pusher 30 can suck the plunger 24c by driving the vacuum pump.

[0040] The two rails 22 are inserted through a pressing plate 31. The pressing plate 31 is formed in a plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. The pressing plate 31 is formed with a through hole 31a through which the rail 22 is inserted, and is movable along the rail 22. The pressing plate 31 also has a through hole 31b formed along the sliding direction, the through hole 31b having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the pusher 30 and smaller than the outer diameter of the cartridge 24.

[0041] The pressing plate 31 is controlled to move by the control device 4 via an actuator (not shown), and moves in the tip direction to sandwich the cartridge 24 together with the cartridge receiving portion 23 .

[0042] In the seal gun 2 thus configured, when the pusher 30 is moved in the tip direction based on the control of the discharge control unit 12, the sealant S contained inside the cartridge 24 is pressed via the plunger 24c. Then, the sealant S is discharged and applied to the target object 100 from the tip 27b of the nozzle 27 through the through hole 26b and the through hole 27a by the pressing force of the pusher 30.

[0043] The seal gun 2 is also provided with a measuring instrument support part 32, a measuring instrument 33, and a nozzle support part 34. The measuring instrument support part 32 is fixed to the tip direction side of the cartridge receiving part 23. The measuring instrument 33 is fixed to the tip of the measuring instrument support part 32.

[0044] The measuring instrument 33 is a distance measuring sensor that can measure the distance to the position where the laser is reflected by emitting a laser and receiving the emitted laser. The measuring instrument 33 irradiates the laser toward the tip portion 27b of the nozzle 27, more specifically, toward the sealant S discharged from the nozzle 27.

[0045] Moreover, the measuring instrument 33 is connected to the control device 4 and outputs the measurement result to the control device 4. The control device 4 (the discharge control unit 12, see FIG. 1) can grasp the discharge amount of the sealant S by receiving the distance from the nozzle 27 to the sealant S (a sealant pool S1 described later).

[0046] The nozzle support part 34 has one end fixed to the measuring instrument support part 32 and the other end engaged with the nozzle 27. In this way, the nozzle support part 34 holds the nozzle 27.

[0047] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining detailed configurations of the cartridge receiving portion 23, the cartridge 24, and the nozzle adapter 26. Note that Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the cartridge receiving portion 23, the cartridge 24, and the nozzle adapter 26.

[0048] 4, the protruding portion 24b of the cartridge 24 is formed in a tapered shape in which the outer diameter gradually decreases toward the tip in the sliding direction. The inside of the protruding portion 24b that penetrates in the sliding direction is divided into a second tapered portion 24d and a first large diameter portion 24e.

[0049] The second tapered portion 24d has an inner diameter that gradually increases toward the tip in the sliding direction, and has a screw groove formed therein. The first large diameter portion 24e is located on the tip side of the second tapered portion 24d and is formed so as to be continuous with the second tapered portion 24d.

[0050] The first large diameter portion 24e is formed to have an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the second tapered portion 24d at a position continuous with the first large diameter portion 24e. The first large diameter portion 24e is formed to have a constant diameter along the sliding direction.

[0051] The end portion 26a of the nozzle adapter 26 is divided into a third tapered portion 26e and a second large diameter portion 26f. The third tapered portion 26e has an outer diameter that gradually decreases toward the end in the sliding direction. The taper angle of the third tapered portion 26e is the same or approximately the same as the taper angle of the second tapered portion 24d of the cartridge 24.

[0052] The outer diameter of the end of the third tapered portion 26e closest to the terminal end is smaller than the smallest inner diameter of the second tapered portion 24d. Also, the outer diameter of the end of the third tapered portion 26e closest to the tip end is larger than the largest inner diameter of the second tapered portion 24d. Therefore, when the cartridge 24 is inserted into the nozzle adapter 26, the second tapered portion 24d of the cartridge 24 abuts against the third tapered portion 26e of the nozzle adapter 26. This makes it possible to easily replace the cartridge 24 without the need to screw in the cartridge 24 in the seal gun 2. Also, even if the cartridge 24 is not screwed in, leakage of the sealant S between the cartridge 24 and the nozzle adapter 26 can be suppressed when the sealant S is discharged.

[0053] The second large diameter portion 26f is formed to have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the third tapered portion 26e at a position continuous with the second large diameter portion 26f. The second large diameter portion 26f is formed to have an outer diameter equal to or substantially equal to the inner diameter of the first large diameter portion 24e of the cartridge 24. The second large diameter portion 26f is formed to have a constant diameter along the sliding direction. Therefore, when the cartridge 24 is inserted into the nozzle adapter 26, the first large diameter portion 24e of the cartridge 24 abuts against the second large diameter portion 26f of the nozzle adapter 26. This allows the seal gun 2 to prevent the sealant S from leaking between the cartridge 24 and the nozzle adapter 26 when the sealant S is discharged, even if the cartridge 24 is not screwed in.

[0054] The first tapered portion 23c of the cartridge receiving portion 23 has an inner diameter that gradually decreases toward the tip direction in the sliding direction. The inner diameter (maximum inner diameter) of the end portion on the terminal side of the first tapered portion 23c is larger than the outer diameter of the end portion on the tip side of the protruding portion 24b of the cartridge 24. The inner diameter (minimum inner diameter) of the end portion on the tip side of the first tapered portion 23c is smaller than the outer diameter of the end portion on the tip side of the protruding portion 24b of the cartridge 24. Therefore, when the cartridge 24 is inserted into the nozzle adapter 26, the protruding portion 24b of the cartridge 24 abuts against the first tapered portion 23c of the cartridge receiving portion 23, and a force toward the inside in the radial direction acts. As a result, the first large diameter portion 24e of the cartridge 24 is pressed against the second large diameter portion 26f of the nozzle adapter 26, and leakage of the sealant S between the cartridge 24 and the nozzle adapter 26 can be further suppressed.

[0055] The following describes the control of the movement speed of the seal gun 2. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the control of the movement speed of the seal gun 2. As shown in Fig. 5, when discharging and applying the sealant S to the target 100, the movement control unit 10 tilts the seal gun 2 so that the inclined surface 27c of the nozzle 27 is parallel to the target 100.

[0056] Furthermore, the movement control unit 10 separates the inclined surface 27c of the nozzle 27 from the target object 100 by a predetermined distance (coating thickness). Thereafter, the discharge control unit 12 drives the actuator 28 to discharge the sealant S from the tip 27b of the nozzle 27. Furthermore, while the sealant S is being discharged, the movement control unit 10 moves the sealing gun 2 parallel to the target object 100 in the direction in which the sealant S is discharged (to the right in FIG. 5). In other words, the sealing gun 2 discharges the sealant S forward in the movement direction.

[0057] The sealant S discharged from the seal gun 2 forms a sealant pool S1 by forming a V-shape such that the tip 27b of the nozzle 27 is notched. Thereafter, the sealant S forming the sealant pool S1 enters the gap between the inclined surface 27c and the object 100 as the seal gun 2 moves. As a result, the sealant S is applied to the object 100 with a uniform thickness, and the object 100 is sealed with the sealant S. In the following, the sealant S that has sealed the object 100 is referred to as the sealed sealant S2.

[0058] And, even while the sealant S is entering the gap between the inclined surface 27c and the target object 100, new sealant S continues to be discharged from the seal gun 2, so that the sealant pool S1 continues to be formed all the time.

[0059] Here, the viscosity of the sealant S may change in a short period of time. If the viscosity of the sealant S changes, the amount of the sealant S discharged from the seal gun 2 will change if the pushing speed of the pusher 30 is constant. If the moving speed of the seal gun 2 is constant, the amount of the sealant S discharged will change, and there is a risk that the sealant S will not be applied uniformly to the target object 100.

[0060] Therefore, the movement control unit 10 controls the movement speed of the sealing gun 2 based on the volume of the sealing agent S2 after sealing and the amount of change in volume of the sealing agent pool S1 before it is discharged from the sealing gun 2 and used to seal the target object 100.

[0061] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the sealant reservoir S1. As shown in Fig. 6, the sealant discharge device 1 may discharge a sealant S (shown as S11 in the figure) to a joint between two objects 100 arranged in parallel. In such a case, the sealant reservoir S1 has a substantially hemispherical shape.

[0062] Furthermore, the sealant discharging device 1 may discharge the sealant S (shown as S12 in the drawing) to the joint between two objects 100 that are arranged vertically. In such a case, the sealant pool S1 has a substantially quarter-sphere shape.

[0063] In this way, since the shape of the sealant reservoir S1 is approximately hemispherical or approximately quarter-spherical, it is possible to model the shape of the sealant reservoir S1 as a hemisphere or quarter-spherical shape. Note that, although the following describes a case where the shape of the sealant reservoir S1 is modeled as a hemisphere, the same method can be applied even when modeled as a quarter-spherical shape.

[0064] When the shape of the sealant reservoir S1 is modeled as a hemisphere, the volume of the sealed sealant S2 and the volume change of the sealant reservoir S1 before it is discharged from the seal gun 2 and seals the target object 100 can be expressed by the following equation (1) based on the relationship of conservation of volume.

[0065] (A×V×t)+0.5×4 / 3π×rt 3 -0.5×4 / 3π×r 3 =D×t (1) Here, A is the cross-sectional area of ​​the sealed sealant S2. V is the moving speed of the seal gun 2. t is the time for which the seal gun 2 is moved and the time for which the sealant S is discharged. rt is the radius of the sealant pool S1 after t seconds. r is the target radius of the sealant pool S1. D is the amount of sealant S discharged per unit time.

[0066] In the above formula (1), (A×V×t) is the volume of the sealing agent S2 that has sealed the target object 100 for t seconds, where A is a known value.

[0067] In addition, in the above formula (1), 0.5×4 / 3π×rt 3 -0.5×4 / 3π×r 3is the amount of change in the volume of the sealant pool S1. Here, r is a preset value. Also, rt is derived based on the measurement result of the measuring device 33.

[0068] In addition, in the above formula (1), D×t is the amount of sealing agent S discharged from the seal gun 2 in t seconds. In other words, the above formula (1) shows the relationship that the sum of the volume of the sealed sealant S2 and the amount of change in the volume of the sealant reservoir S1 is the amount of sealing agent S discharged from the seal gun 2.

[0069] Next, the following equation (2) is derived from the above equation (1). V = D / A + (r 3 -rt 3 )×2 / 3π / A / t (2)

[0070] The above formula (2) determines the moving speed V of the sealing gun 2 for returning the radius of the sealing agent pool S1 to the target radius r after t seconds.

[0071] Then, the movement control unit 10 specifies the movement speed V of the seal gun 2 as a value obtained by multiplying a preset reference speed V0 by an override Or (1 to 100%). Note that the reference speed V0 is set so that the override Or is 50% when there is no change in the volume of the sealant reservoir S1. In other words, V=V0×Or / 100 and D / A=50 / 100 are substituted into formula (2).

[0072] Then, the override Or can be expressed as the following equation (3). Or = 50 + A × (r 3 -rt 3 )×2 / 3π / A / t / V0×100 (3)

[0073] Then, the movement control unit 10 derives the override Or using equation (3) every t seconds, and controls the movement speed of the seal gun 2 based on the derived override Or.

[0074] In this way, the sealant dispensing device 1 controls the moving speed of the sealing gun 2 based on the volume of the sealed sealant S2 and the amount of change in the volume of the sealant pool S1 before it is discharged from the sealing gun 2 and seals the target object 100. This allows the sealant dispensing device 1 to stably apply the sealant S to the target object 100 even if the viscosity of the sealant S changes in a short period of time.

[0075] In addition, since the movement control unit 10 controls the movement speed of the seal gun 2 based on the volume conservation relationship, i.e., the above equation (1), the amount of sealant S discharged from the seal gun 2 can be accurately adjusted.

[0076] Moreover, by modeling the shape of the sealant pool S1, the calculation load on the movement control unit 10 can be reduced.

[0077] Incidentally, air bubbles may be mixed into the sealant S. Furthermore, air bubbles may be mixed into the sealant S when replacing the cartridge 24. If air bubbles are mixed into the sealant S, and the sealant S is applied to the target object 100 as is, the thickness of the sealant S will be thin only in the area where the air bubbles are present (cavities will be formed), and the sealing property of the sealant S will deteriorate.

[0078] Therefore, the air bubble detection unit 16 detects whether or not air bubbles are mixed in the sealing agent S discharged from the seal gun 2, that is, detects the presence or absence of air bubbles.

[0079] 7 is a diagram for explaining a state in which air bubbles B are mixed into the sealant S. Here, in this embodiment, the sealant S discharged from the seal gun 2 is discharged along the central ridge (front surface side) of the sealant pool S1 because the through hole 27a of the nozzle 27 is formed so that the cross section changes from a circular cross section to a rectangular cross section in the tip direction, and thus, when air bubbles B are mixed in, the air bubbles B are brought to the axial center. Then, because the tip 27b of the nozzle 27 is formed in a V shape, when the air bubbles B are discharged from the nozzle 27, they are discharged along the central ridge (front surface side) of the sealant pool S1.

[0080] Therefore, when air bubbles B are mixed in the sealant S, the air bubbles B will be discharged near the surface of the sealant reservoir S1. When the air bubbles B are discharged near the surface of the sealant reservoir S1, the portion of the sealant reservoir S1 where the air bubbles B were present will become depressed. Therefore, the air bubble detection unit 16 detects the presence or absence of air bubbles B based on the detection result of the measuring instrument 33.

[0081] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the measurement results of the measuring instrument 33 depending on whether or not there is an air bubble B. In Fig. 8, the solid line indicates the case where there is no air bubble B, and the dashed line indicates the case where there is an air bubble B. As shown in Fig. 8(a), when there is no air bubble B mixed in the sealant S, the radius of the sealant pool S1 changes gradually. On the other hand, when there is an air bubble B mixed in the sealant S, the radius of the sealant pool S1 changes suddenly at the position where the air bubble B was mixed in.

[0082] The air bubble detection unit 16 applies high-pass filtering to the detection result of the measuring instrument 33. Note that the high-pass filtering may be performed using an analog filter, FFT, or the like. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when the value after the high-pass filtering is equal to or less than a preset threshold value, the air bubble detection unit 16 determines that an air bubble B is mixed in the sealant S.

[0083] When the air bubble detection unit 16 determines that air bubbles B are mixed in the sealant S, the movement control unit 10 stops the movement of the seal gun 2, and the discharge control unit 12 stops the drive of the actuator 28. However, the processing when the air bubble detection unit 16 determines that air bubbles B are mixed in the sealant S is not limited to this. For example, the movement control unit 10 may be configured to output the position where the air bubble detection unit 16 found that air bubbles B were mixed in the sealant S. Furthermore, when the air bubble detection unit 16 determines that air bubbles B are mixed in the sealant S, it may be configured to output a signal indicating an error.

[0084] In this way, the sealant discharging device 1 judges whether or not air bubbles B have been mixed into the sealant S based on the distance to the sealant pool S1 before the sealant S is discharged from the sealing gun 2 and seals the target object 100. This makes it possible to directly detect whether or not air bubbles B have been mixed into the sealant S before the sealant S seals the target object 100. In this way, the sealant discharging device 1 can accurately detect air bubbles B mixed into the sealant S.

[0085] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the nozzle adaptor 26 and the nozzle 27 are provided as separate bodies. However, the nozzle adaptor 26 and the nozzle 27 may be integrally formed as a nozzle portion.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the movement control unit 10 controls the movement of the seal gun 2. However, the movement control unit 10 may move the seal gun 2 and the target object 100 relatively. For example, the movement control unit 10 may control the movement of the target object 100. [Industrial Applicability]

[0088] The present invention can be used in a sealant discharging device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1. Sealant Dispensing Device 10 Movement control section 12 Discharge control section 16 Air bubble detector 24 Cartridge 26 Nozzle adapter (nozzle part) 27 Nozzle (nozzle part)

Claims

1. A seal gun that dispenses a sealant onto an object; A movement control unit that moves the seal gun and the target object relatively; a discharge control unit for controlling a discharge amount of the sealing agent discharged from the seal gun; Equipped with The movement control unit is controlling a moving speed of the seal gun so as to return a radius of the sealant pool to a target radius based on a volume change amount of the sealant pool before the sealant pool is discharged from the seal gun and used to seal the object; A shape of the sealant reservoir is modeled as a hemisphere or a quarter sphere to derive a volume change amount of the sealant reservoir; The sealant forming the sealant reservoir penetrates into the gap between the seal gun and the object as the seal gun moves, thereby becoming a uniform thickness and sealing the object.

2. A measuring device is provided for measuring a distance to the sealant reservoir, The movement control unit is The sealant dispensing device according to claim 1 , wherein an amount of change in volume of the sealant reservoir is calculated based on a result of measurement by the measuring device.

3. The seal gun includes:

3. The sealant discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the sealant is discharged forward in a moving direction.

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