Nozzle cleaning device and adhesive application device

Abstract

To provide a nozzle cleaning device suitable for cleaning a mouth part of a nozzle of a dispenser which applies an adhesive.SOLUTION: A nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment is a device which cleans a mouth part of a nozzle provided at a dispenser of an adhesive application device. The nozzle cleaning device includes: a cleaning device body; a sheet-like wiping member which is supplied in a rolled state and wipes and cleans the mouth part of the nozzle; and a take-up mechanism which pulls the sheet-like wiping member from a roll and takes up the sheet-like wiping member via a wiping work position where cleaning is performed. The sheet-like wiping member is rotatably held in a cassette. The cleaning device body has an attachment part to which the cassette is detachably attached.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a nozzle cleaning device and an adhesive application device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the rotor of a permanent magnet type rotating electric machine, adhesive is applied to the inner surface of a plurality of magnet insertion holes provided so as to penetrate the rotor core in the axial direction, and permanent magnets are inserted into the magnet insertion holes and fixed by adhesion. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of applying adhesive to the magnet insertion holes of such a rotor core by using a spatula. However, such an adhesive application method using a spatula makes it very difficult to apply adhesive to small holes, narrow places, or parts with complex shapes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-159361 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, adhesive application devices equipped with jet-type dispensers that apply adhesive without contact have been developed. These adhesive application devices are equipped with a small-diameter nozzle on the dispenser, and apply adhesive by discharging liquid adhesive into fine particles that are continuously discharged from the nozzle mouth. However, with this type of dispenser, as the adhesive is repeatedly discharged, adhesive may adhere to the periphery of the nozzle mouth, causing liquid pools, which may cause problems with the application work.

[0005] Therefore, in a dispenser having this type of nozzle, a nozzle cleaning device that can automatically and appropriately clean the nozzle opening is desired. In view of the above, there is provided a nozzle cleaning device suitable for cleaning the nozzle opening of a dispenser that applies adhesive, and an adhesive application device equipped with the nozzle cleaning device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A nozzle cleaning device according to an embodiment is a device for cleaning the mouth of a nozzle provided in a dispenser of an adhesive application device, and comprises a cleaning device main body, a sheet-shaped wiping member that is supplied wound in a roll and wipes the mouth of the nozzle to clean it, and a winding mechanism that pulls out the sheet-shaped wiping member from the roll and winds it up through a wiping work position where cleaning is performed, the sheet-shaped wiping member being rotatably held in a cassette, and the cleaning device main body is configured to have an attachment section to which the cassette is removably attached.

[0007] The adhesive application device of the embodiment is a device that applies adhesive to a workpiece, and includes a work holding section that holds the workpiece, a dispenser that ejects liquid adhesive from a nozzle to apply it to the workpiece, a moving mechanism that freely moves the dispenser relative to the work holding section, a control device that controls the moving mechanism and the dispenser to perform the application of adhesive to the workpiece, and the above-mentioned nozzle cleaning device that cleans the mouth of the nozzle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment, and is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an adhesive application device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic overall configuration of an adhesive application device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic view of the dispenser and its surroundings on the right side; [Figure 4] Enlarged front view showing the appearance of the dispenser [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an adhesive application device; [Figure 6]A perspective view showing the appearance of the nozzle cleaning device from the left front. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the cleaning device body and the cassette in a separated state, seen from the right rear; [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cleaning device body; [Figure 9] Perspective view of the cassette DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an adhesive application device that applies adhesive to magnet insertion holes of a rotor core as a workpiece will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rotor core 1 as a workpiece is formed by punching an electromagnetic steel sheet into a predetermined shape, i.e., a substantially disk shape, and stacking a plurality of the punched electromagnetic steel sheets into a cylindrical shape. As shown partially in Fig. 2, the rotor core 1 is formed with a shaft hole 1a located at the center and into which a rotating shaft (not shown) is inserted, and a plurality of magnet insertion holes 1b located near the outer periphery and into which permanent magnets (not shown) are inserted and adhesively fixed, penetrating in the axial direction. The magnet insertion holes 1b are formed in a flat shape, i.e., a shape that is narrow and elongated.

[0010] First, the overall configuration of an adhesive application device 2 according to this embodiment, which applies adhesive to the inner surface of the magnet insertion hole 1b formed in the rotor core 1, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Figs. 1 to 3 show a schematic external configuration of the adhesive application device 2 according to this embodiment. This adhesive application device 2 comprises a base 3 having a horizontal rectangular platform upper surface, on which are arranged four work standby units (first to fourth) 4 to 7, two work holders (first and second) 8 and 9, four jet dispensers 10, four robots 11 serving as a moving mechanism, two robots 12 according to this embodiment, and a magnet insertion hole 13. of A nozzle cleaning device 12 is provided.

[0011] 5, the adhesive applicator 2 includes a transport mechanism 13 for transporting the rotor core 1, an image sensor 14, an operation panel 15, a winding mechanism 16 provided in the nozzle cleaning device 12 described later, a counting unit 17, etc. The adhesive applicator 2 is further provided with a control device 25 for controlling the entire device. The control device 25 includes a computer, and controls each mechanism to automatically and repeatedly apply the adhesive to the rotor core 1 in sequence. The adhesive applicator 2 has its own XYZ coordinate system, and when necessary in the following description, the front-back direction in the drawing of the base 3 will be described as the X direction, the left-right direction as the Y direction, and the up-down direction as the Z direction.

[0012] 1 and 2, the first to fourth work standby sections 4 to 7 are provided at the left front, left rear, right rear, and right front sections of the base 3, respectively, and are configured to hold the rotor core 1 to which the adhesive application work is performed. The first work holding section 8 is provided at the left center section of the base 3, i.e., halfway between the first work standby section 4 and the second work standby section 5, and the second work holding section 9 is provided at the right center section of the base 3, i.e., halfway between the third work standby section 6 and the fourth work standby section 7.

[0013] The transport mechanism 13 carries the rotor core 1 into the first work waiting section 4, transports it from the first work waiting section 4 to the first work holding section 8, transports it from the first work holding section 8 to the second work waiting section 5, transports it from the second work waiting section 5 to the third work waiting section 6, transports it from the third work waiting section 6 to the second work holding section 9, transports it from the second work holding section 9 to the fourth work waiting section 7, and then transports it out for the next process. By performing this transport in sequence, there are always six rotor cores 1 in the adhesive application device 2.

[0014] At this time, as will be described in detail later, in the first work holding unit 8, adhesive is applied to the magnet insertion holes 1b on one surface of the rotor core 1, and in the second work holding unit 9, adhesive is applied to the magnet insertion holes 1b on the other surface of the rotor core 1. Also, in the second work waiting unit 5, the rotor core 1 is turned upside down and sent to the third work holding unit 6.

[0015] 3 etc., the workpiece holders 8, 9 are configured to hold the rotor core 1 so that its central axis is vertical, and to freely rotate the held rotor core 1 about the central axis by a rotation drive mechanism including a motor. In this case, the workpiece holders 8, 9 are configured to move the rotor core 1 so that the magnet insertion holes 1b to which the adhesive is applied are successively positioned at predetermined application positions, and at each application position, the direction in which the magnet insertion holes 1b extend, i.e., the longitudinal direction, is aligned with, for example, the X-direction, which is the front-rear direction.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1 etc., in this case, each of the robots 11 is a known Cartesian coordinate type robot, and includes a Z-axis moving mechanism 18 and a Y-axis moving mechanism 19. The Z-axis moving mechanism 18 is configured to move a moving body 21, which is provided movably along a Z-axis rail 20 extending in the vertical direction, in the vertical direction by a drive mechanism using a Z-axis motor as a drive source. The Y-axis moving mechanism 19 is configured to support the Z-axis moving mechanism 18 movably along a Y-axis rail 22 extending in the horizontal direction, and to move the Z-axis moving mechanism 18 in the horizontal direction by a drive mechanism using a Y-axis motor as a drive source.

[0017] Incidentally, the Y-axis rail 22 of the Y-axis movement mechanism 19 is supported above the base 3 via a so-called gate-shaped support portion 24, but in Figs. 1 to 3, the portion extending in the Y-axis direction of the support portion 24 is shared by the robots 11 located on the left and right. The four robots 11 described above are provided at the front and rear portions on the left and right sides of the base 3, respectively. The two robots 11 located at the front and rear portions on the left side work together to apply adhesive to the first workpiece holder 8, and the two robots 11 located at the front and rear portions on the right side work together to apply adhesive to the second workpiece holder 9.

[0018] A dispenser 10, which will be described below, is attached to the moving body 21. This allows the robot 11 to freely move the dispenser 10 to any position in the Y direction, i.e., the left-right direction, and the Z direction, i.e., the up-down direction. In this case, the robot 11 positions a nozzle (described later) of the dispenser 10 above the application position, i.e., above a predetermined magnet insertion hole 1b of the rotor core 1 held by the work holders 8 and 9. This executes an application operation in which the adhesive is applied from above to the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion hole 1b in a non-contact manner.

[0019] The dispenser 10 applies the adhesive in a non-contact manner and is a well-known jet-type dispenser that atomizes the liquid adhesive and ejects it from a nozzle 28. In FIG. 4, the adhesive particles are indicated by the symbol A. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the dispenser 10 includes a main body 26, a syringe 27 for storing the liquid adhesive, and the like. A downward nozzle 28 is provided at the lower end of the main body 26. In this embodiment, the nozzle 28 has a very small inner diameter, for example, 0.1 mmφ. The adhesive used has a viscosity of about 100 Pa·s. The adhesive may be colored in a predetermined manner to improve visibility in the inspection process.

[0020] Although not shown in detail, the main body 26 includes, within a rectangular case, a liquid chamber to which adhesive is supplied from the syringe 27, and a valve actuator, for example of a piezo-driven type, which atomizes the adhesive in the liquid chamber and extrudes a predetermined amount of droplets to be linearly and continuously ejected downward from the nozzle 28. The dispenser 10 is attached to a mounting flange of the moving body 21 of the robot 11. At this time, the nozzle 28 of the dispenser 10 is arranged in a form slightly inclined at 4° to 10° with respect to the vertical axis, i.e., the Z axis.

[0021] As a result, adhesive A is injected from the nozzle 28 in an oblique direction and applied to the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion hole 1b of the rotor core 1. The image sensor 14 is, for example, a CCD camera or the like, and is capable of photographing the upper surface of the rotor core 1 at the work holders 8, 9. From the image captured by the image sensor 14, it is possible to align the magnet insertion hole 1b before adhesive application and to check whether the adhesive application to the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion hole 1b after adhesive application has been performed properly.

[0022] Now, the nozzle cleaning device 12 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 9. The two nozzle cleaning devices 12 are for cleaning the mouths of the nozzles 28 of the dispensers 10, and as shown in Fig. 2, are provided on the base 3 on the left side of the first work holder 8 and on the right side of the second work holder 9, respectively. The left nozzle cleaning device 12 cleans the nozzles 28 of the two dispensers 10 at the front and rear on the left side, and the right nozzle cleaning device 12 cleans the nozzles 28 of the two dispensers 10 at the front and rear on the right side.

[0023] As shown in Figs. 6 to 9, the nozzle cleaning device 12 is configured to include a cleaning device main body 29, a cassette 31 that holds roll paper 30 as a sheet-like wiping member, and the winding mechanism 16. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the cleaning device main body 29 is configured to have an L-shaped front view, integrally having a bottom wall portion 29a and a side wall portion 29b that rises upward from the side of the bottom wall portion and extends forward, on a mounting base portion 32. The upper surface portion of the bottom wall portion 29a is configured as a mounting portion 29c to which a cassette 31, which will be described later, is detachably mounted. The mounting base 32 is provided on the base 3 so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and the cleaning device main body 29 is provided on the mounting base portion 32 via a plurality of coil springs 33 as biasing members.

[0024] In the mounting portion 29c, a positioning recess 34 is located on the bottom wall portion 29a and serves as a positioning portion for positioning the cassette 31. The positioning recess 34 has an inverted T-shaped cross section and is a groove extending in the left-right direction, opening like a slit on the top surface of the figure and opening on the right surface of the figure. The bottom wall portion 29a is provided with a locking mechanism 35 located at the right end in the figure for preventing the cassette 31 from coming off when the cassette 31 is mounted. The locking mechanism 35 is configured to lock and unlock the cassette 31 when the cassette 31 is mounted by rotating a knob portion 35a. The cassette 31 is mounted on the cleaning device main body 29 on the left and right surfaces facing outward from the base 3.

[0025] Further, the cleaning device main body 29 is provided with a winding motor 36, a winding drive shaft 37, and a belt transmission mechanism 38, which constitute the winding mechanism 16. The winding motor 36 is located at the front end side of the side wall portion 29b, and is provided so that its rotating shaft penetrates the side wall portion 29b and protrudes to the outer surface side. The winding drive shaft 37 is rotatably supported at the center side of the side wall portion 29b, and is provided so that its base end penetrates the side wall portion 29b and protrudes to the outer surface side. As shown in FIG. 6, the belt transmission mechanism 38 is configured by stretching a belt 38c between a driving pulley 38a attached to the rotating shaft of the winding motor 36 and a driven pulley 38b attached to the base end of the winding drive shaft 37 on the outer surface side of the side wall portion 29b. In this way, the driving force of the winding motor 36 is transmitted to the winding drive shaft 37.

[0026] 7 and 9, the cassette 31 is provided with a case 39 in which the roll paper 30 is removably set. The case 39 is integral with a horizontally long rectangular side wall 39a and an inverted T-shaped vertical wall 39b extending from the center of the inner surface of the side wall 39a to the left in Fig. 9. The upper end of the vertical wall 39b is slightly higher than the upper end of the side wall 39a, and a receiving member 40 made of, for example, rubber is provided at this upper end portion to designate this portion as a wiping position 43.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 9, a roll mounting shaft 41 and a winding shaft 42 as a winding section are provided on the inner surface of the side wall 39a of the case 39, located on both sides of the vertical wall 39b. A roll of roll paper 30 as a sheet-like wiping member is inserted into the roll mounting shaft 41 and is rotatably held thereon. The leading end of the roll paper 30 is pulled out from the roll and passes through the upper surface of the receiving member 40, i.e., the wiping position 43, and is connected to the winding shaft 42, for example, by an adhesive tape. Although not shown, the cassette 31 is provided with a lever member for preventing the roll paper 30 attached to the roll mounting shaft 41 and the roll paper 30 wound around the winding shaft 42 from falling out.

[0028] The cassette 31 described above is detachably mounted in the mounting portion 29c of the cleaning device main body 29. At this time, as shown in Fig. 7, the lower end of the vertical wall portion 39b of the cassette 31 is inserted into the positioning recess 34 provided in the mounting portion 29c from the opening on the right side of the positioning recess 34, and by rotating the knob portion 35a after insertion, the cassette 31 is locked in a positioning state and prevented from falling out by the locking mechanism 35. This mounting also connects the winding shaft 42 of the cassette 31 to the winding drive shaft 37 of the cleaning device main body 29. The winding shaft 42 is thus connected to the winding mechanism 16, and the roll paper 30 of the cassette 31 is wound onto the winding shaft 42 by the drive of the winding motor 36.

[0029] After the roll paper 30 has been used, the cassette 31 is removed from the mounting portion 29c. To remove the cassette 31, the locking mechanism 35 is unlocked by rotating the knob 35a, and the lower end of the vertical wall portion 39b of the cassette 31 is pulled out from the positioning recess 34, thereby removing the cassette 31. Note that multiple cassettes 31, for example two, are prepared for each nozzle cleaning device 12, and the roll paper 30 can be set in advance in a spare cassette 31 that is not being used.

[0030] When the nozzle cleaning device 12 configured as described above cleans the mouth of the nozzle 28 of the dispenser 10, the robot 11 moves the dispenser 10 to the top of the wiping position 43, and the mouth of the nozzle 28 is pressed against the upper surface of the roll paper 30 placed at the wiping position 43, i.e., against the portion placed on the upper surface of the receiving member 40. At this time, the coil spring 33 as a biasing member presses the mouth of the nozzle 28 with a constant force against the surface of the roll paper 30. In this state, the roll paper 30 is wound by the winding mechanism 16 and the surface is moved, thereby performing the cleaning operation, i.e., cleaning of the nozzle 28.

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a schematic electrical configuration of the adhesive application device 2, with the control device 25 at the center. The control device 25 controls the workpiece holders 8 and 9, the dispensers 10, the robots 11, the transport mechanism 13, and the winding mechanism 16 of the nozzle cleaning device 12. The control device 25 also receives signals from the operation panel 15, the image sensor 14, and the counter 17. The counter 17 counts how many times the cleaning operation has been performed in each nozzle cleaning device 12. When the number of cleaning operations reaches a predetermined number, which indicates that it is near the time to replace the roll paper 30, the control device 25 notifies the user by displaying a message on the operation panel 15, for example, that it is time to replace the roll paper 30, i.e., the cassette 31.

[0032] The control device 25 controls the workpiece holders 8 and 9, the dispensers 10, the robots 11, the transport mechanism 13, the winding mechanism 16, etc., based on a control program and operation data input in advance, sensor signals input in real time, etc. In this way, the control device 25 applies adhesive to the magnet insertion holes 1b of the rotor core 1 as described above, and also executes the cleaning operation of the nozzles 28 of the dispensers 10 by the nozzle cleaning device 12.

[0033] In the adhesive applicator 2 of this embodiment, the control device 25 applies adhesive to the rotor cores 1 supplied to the workpiece holders 8 and 9. This application is performed by moving and positioning the rotor core 1 in the rotational direction so as to match the position of the magnet insertion hole 1b to which the adhesive is to be applied, that is, the extension direction, and then, while moving the dispenser 10 with the rotor core 1 in this position, continuously injecting fine particles A of adhesive from a nozzle 28 positioned diagonally upward to the inner wall surface of the magnet insertion hole 1b to apply the adhesive. In this case, efficient application is performed by two robots 11, that is, two dispensers 10, at each of the workpiece holders 8 and 9.

[0034] Here, when the adhesive application work on one surface of the rotor core 1 is completed in the work holding unit 8, the transport mechanism 13 transports the rotor core 1 to the next second work standby unit 5 and turns it upside down, and the rotor core 1 that was waiting in the first work standby unit 4 is transported to the work holding unit 8. Similarly, when the adhesive application work on the other surface of the rotor core 1 is completed in the work holding unit 9, the transport mechanism 13 transports the rotor core 1 to the next fourth work standby unit 7, and the inverted rotor core 1 that was waiting in the third work standby unit 5 is transported to the work holding unit 9.

[0035] In this embodiment, the rotor core 1 is carried into the workpiece holding units 8 and 9 as described above. 、 At the time of carrying out, the coating operation is temporarily stopped, and the nozzle cleaning device 12 performs a cleaning operation on each nozzle 28 of the dispensers 10. In this case, the nozzle cleaning device 12 on the left side cleans the nozzles 28 of the two dispensers 10 on the left side, and the nozzle cleaning device 12 on the right side cleans the nozzles 28 of the two dispensers 10 on the right side. The cleaning operation by the nozzle cleaning device 12 is performed as follows.

[0036] That is, the robot 11 stops the dispenser 10 above the wiping position 43, and the surface of the rolled paper 30 is pressed against the mouth of the nozzle 28. At this time, the cleaning device main body 29 is supported via the coil spring 33, so that the surface of the rolled paper 30 can be pressed against the mouth of the nozzle 28 with a constant force. In this state, the winding mechanism 16 winds up a constant amount of the rolled paper 30, and the wiping position 43, that is, the surface of the rolled paper 30 on the receiving member 40, is moved a constant length. As a result, the mouth of the nozzle 28 is wiped by the rolled paper 30, and dirt on the mouth of the nozzle 28 is transferred to the rolled paper 30 side, and cleaning is performed. In this case, the winding operation of the winding mechanism 16 wipes the mouth of the nozzle 28 at the same time as the winding, so that wiping can always be performed with a new and clean surface.

[0037] This cleaning operation is performed on the two dispensers 10 in turn. In this case, after the cleaning operation is completed, the roll paper 30 is wound up by the winding mechanism 16, so that a new, clean surface of the roll paper 30 can be placed at the wiping operation position 43, i.e., on the receiving member 40. Then, as the cleaning operation is repeated, the remaining roll paper 30 becomes less. In this embodiment, the counter 17 counts the number of cleaning operations performed, and the control device 25 issues a notification to encourage replacement when the counted number reaches a predetermined number. In this way, the worker, upon hearing the notification, can remove the old cassette 31 from the cleaning device main body 29 and install the cassette 31 with the new roll paper that has been prepared in advance. The cassette 31 replacement operation can be performed while the robot 11 is applying adhesive.

[0038] According to the nozzle cleaning device 12 of this embodiment, the following actions and effects can be obtained. That is, the nozzle cleaning device 12 includes a cleaning device main body 29, a cassette 31 that holds a roll paper 30, a mounting section 29c to which the cassette 31 is detachably mounted, and a winding mechanism 16. As a result, the mouth of the nozzle 28 of the dispenser 10 is wiped with the roll paper 30, thereby removing any puddles of adhesive A adhering to the mouth of the nozzle 28 and cleaning the mouth of the nozzle 28. At this time, the roll paper 30 is supplied in a rolled state and is wound up by the winding shaft 42 after passing through the wiping operation position 43 where the roll is pulled out and cleaning is performed. This makes it possible to perform the cleaning operation while constantly supplying an unused clean portion of the roll paper 30 to the wiping operation position 43, which is effective.

[0039] The rolled paper 30 is rotatably held in the cassette 31 and removably mounted in this state to the mounting portion 29c of the cleaning device main body 29, so that the rolled paper 30 can be easily replaced by removing the old cassette 31 and mounting a new cassette 31. In this case, the replacement of the rolled paper 30 becomes extremely easy, for example, because the replacement can be performed without stopping the operation of the adhesive application device 2. As a result, the nozzle cleaning device 12 of this embodiment has the excellent effect of automatically and appropriately cleaning the mouth of the nozzle 28 of the dispenser 10.

[0040] In this embodiment, the dispenser 10 is stopped above the wiping position 43, the surface of the rolled paper 30 is pressed against the mouth of the nozzle 28, and in this state, the surface of the rolled paper 30 is moved by the winding mechanism 16 to clean the mouth of the nozzle 28. This eliminates the need for the dispenser 10 to perform complex operations during cleaning, and the mouth of the nozzle 28 is wiped at the same time as the winding operation of the winding mechanism 16 winds up the rolled paper 30, so that wiping can always be performed with a new, clean surface.

[0041] In this embodiment, the cleaning device main body 29 is mounted on the mounting base 32 via the coil spring 33, and is configured to press the surface of the rolled paper 30 against the opening of the nozzle 28 with a constant force. This allows the surface of the rolled paper 30 to be constantly pressed against the opening of the nozzle 28 with a constant force while wiping, preventing the pressing force from being too strong or too weak and ensuring stable wiping.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cassette 31 is provided with a winding shaft 42 around which the roll paper 30 is wound, and with the cassette 31 attached to the attachment portion 29c, the winding shaft 42 is configured to be connected to the winding mechanism 16 provided on the cleaning device main body 29. As a result, the winding shaft 42 is driven by the winding mechanism 16 on the cleaning device main body 29 side, so there is no need to provide a mechanism for driving the winding shaft 42 on the cassette 31 side, and the cassette 31 can be configured to be small, lightweight, and therefore inexpensive.

[0043] In the nozzle cleaning device 12 of this embodiment, the mounting part 29c of the cleaning device body 29 is configured to be provided with a positioning recess 34 for positioning and fixing the cassette 31 when it is attached. According to this, when the cassette 31 is mounted, the cassette 31 is positioned relative to the mounting part 29c by the positioning recess 34, so that it can be mounted in a reliably positioned state.

[0044] Furthermore, the adhesive application device 2 of this embodiment can provide the following actions and effects. That is, the adhesive application device 2 of this embodiment can perform application work in which liquid adhesive A is discharged from the nozzle 28 onto the rotor core 1 of the workpiece holders 8, 9 while the dispenser 10 is freely moved by the robot 11. Furthermore, by providing the nozzle cleaning device 12 according to this embodiment described above, the dispenser 10 can be moved to a wiping work position by the robot 11, and cleaning work for the opening of the nozzle 28 can be effectively performed.

[0045] In particular, the adhesive application device 2 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of dispensers 10 for each workpiece holder 8, 9, and configured so that the application work for the rotor core 1 is performed by the plurality of dispensers 10, and also configured so that a single nozzle cleaning device 12 performs a cleaning work for the plurality of dispensers 10. The nozzle cleaning device 12 cleans each nozzle 28 when the rotor core 1 is carried in and out of the workpiece holders 8, 9. This allows cleaning of a plurality of dispensers 10 by a single nozzle cleaning device 12. Moreover, the nozzles 28 can be cleaned at the timing when the rotor core 1 is carried in and out, that is, when the application work is not being performed, and the cleaning work can be performed efficiently without incurring a loss of time due to stopping the application work.

[0046] Furthermore, the adhesive applicator 2 of this embodiment is provided with a counter 17 that counts the number of cleanings in the nozzle cleaning device 12, and when the number of times counted by the counter 17 reaches a predetermined number, a notification is issued to encourage replacement of the cassette 31. This allows the worker to know the appropriate time to replace the paper roll 30, and therefore the cassette 3, and allows the worker to easily replace the paper roll 30, and therefore the cassette 31.

[0047] In the above embodiment, roll paper 30 is used as the sheet-like wiping member, but the sheet-like wiping member is not limited to being made of paper, and may be made of cloth, nonwoven fabric, or the like, and any material suitable for wiping the mouth of the nozzle 28 can be used. The configuration of the nozzle cleaning device, for example the shape and structure of the cassette case, can also be modified in various ways. A winding mechanism can also be provided on the cassette side. Various modifications are also possible in the configuration of the positioning portion and the urging member.

[0048] In the above embodiment, a two-axis Cartesian coordinate robot is used as the moving mechanism, i.e., the robot, in the adhesive application device 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a three-axis or more articulated robot may be used. In addition, as the moving mechanism, a mechanism for moving the dispenser in the X direction, or a configuration for freely changing the angle of the dispenser, i.e., the angle of the nozzle relative to the hole, may be added. A configuration in which the application work is performed while moving the work side relative to the nozzle of the dispenser may be used. One or three or more dispensers and robots may be provided to perform the application work. In the above embodiment, the rotor core 1 of the rotor of the rotating electric machine is given as an example of the target to which the adhesive is applied, but the work is not limited thereto, and various changes are possible regarding the shape of the hole, etc.

[0049] The above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] In the drawings, reference numeral 1 is a rotor core (work), 2 is an adhesive application device, 8 and 9 are work holding sections, 10 is a dispenser, 11 is a robot (moving mechanism), 12 is a nozzle cleaning device, 13 is a conveying mechanism, 16 is a winding mechanism, 17 is a counting section, 25 is a control device (alarm section), 28 is a nozzle, 29 is the cleaning device main body, 29c is an attachment section, 30 is a roll paper (sheet-like wiping member), 31 is a cassette, 33 is a coil spring (biasing member), 34 is a positioning recess (positioning section), 40 is a receiving member, 42 is a winding shaft (winding section), 43 is a wiping operation position, and A is an adhesive.

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying adhesive to a workpiece, comprising: A workpiece holding unit that holds the workpiece; A dispenser that applies a liquid adhesive to the workpiece by discharging the liquid adhesive from a nozzle; A moving mechanism that freely moves the dispenser relative to the workpiece holding portion; a control device that controls the moving mechanism and the dispenser to apply adhesive to the workpiece; a nozzle cleaning device for cleaning an opening of a nozzle provided in the dispenser, the nozzle cleaning device includes a cleaning device main body, a sheet-like wiping member that is supplied in a rolled state and wipes the mouth of the nozzle for cleaning, and a winding mechanism that pulls out the sheet-like wiping member from the roll and winds it up by passing it through a wiping operation position where cleaning is performed, The sheet-shaped wiping member is rotatably held in a cassette, the cleaning device body is configured to have a mounting portion to which the cassette is detachably mounted, A plurality of the dispensers are provided for one of the workpiece holders, and the plurality of dispensers are configured to perform coating work on the workpiece, and a single nozzle cleaning device is configured to perform cleaning work on the plurality of dispensers, When the workpiece is carried in and out of the workpiece holding unit, cleaning of each nozzle is performed by the nozzle cleaning device. Adhesive application device.

2. With the nozzle stopped at the wiping position, a surface of the sheet-shaped wiping member is pressed against an opening of the nozzle, 2. The adhesive applying device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the sheet-like wiping member is moved by the winding mechanism in this state, thereby performing cleaning.

3. 3. An adhesive applying device according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member for pressing the surface of said sheet-like wiping member against the opening of said nozzle with a constant force.

4. the cassette is provided with a winding section around which the sheet-like wiping member is wound, The adhesive application device according to claim 1 , wherein the winding section is configured to be connected to the winding mechanism provided in the cleaning device main body when a cassette is attached to the mounting section.

5. The adhesive applying device according to claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion is provided with a positioning portion for positioning and fixing the cassette.

6. A counting unit that counts the number of cleanings in the nozzle cleaning device; The adhesive applicator according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that issues a notification to prompt the user to replace the sheet-like wiping member when the number of times counted by the counter reaches a predetermined number.

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