Hole-closing seal attachment device and hole-closing seal attachment method

Abstract

To provide a hole-closing seal attachment device capable of reducing suction failure of a hole-closing seal, and of attaching a hole-closing seal to a through-hole opened in a narrow space as well.SOLUTION: There are provided a seal supply device 10a comprising a tape holding part 2, a seal peeling part 3 and a tape winding part 4; and a pad drive part 10b comprising a suction pad 5 and a drive part 6. The drive part comprises a first drive part 61 for moving the suction pad in a longitudinal direction orthogonal to a suction face 521, and a second drive part 62 for moving the first drive part in a lateral direction. The second drive part is fixed to a body part 7. A pair of press rollers 71 for guiding a tape 1 provided with a seal, that is transferred to the seal peeling part in a pressing state from front and rear sides thereof are attached thereto by fixing the second drive part to the body part of the seal supply device. The suction pad sucks a hole-closing seal 11 peeled by the seal peeling part, and attaches onto an outer peripheral face of the through-hole KN by operating the first drive part and the second drive part in order, after stopping a winding operation of the tape winding part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hole closing seal application device and a hole closing seal application method, and more particularly to a hole closing seal application device and a hole closing seal application method used to apply a hole closing seal to the outer peripheral surface of a through hole formed in a vehicle body panel, thereby closing the through hole. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a large number of through holes (e.g., clip holes for mounting parts) are formed in the body panels of a vehicle for mounting various parts. Depending on the type (specification) of the vehicle, some of these through holes are not used for mounting parts and are left open. In such cases, noise and dust from outside the vehicle can enter the vehicle interior through the open through holes, which can easily cause problems such as a decrease in quietness and air cleanliness inside the vehicle. For this reason, a hole-closing seal is affixed to the outer peripheral surface of the open through holes to block the through holes.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hole closing seal application device and a hole closing seal application method used to close through holes formed in a body panel of a vehicle with a hole closing seal. As shown in Figures 9 to 12, the hole closing seal application device 100 includes a tape holding section 102 that rotatably holds a seal-attached tape 101, in which hole closing seals 101a are attached at predetermined intervals to a strip-shaped release tape 101b, in a roll shape, a seal peeling section 103 that pays out the seal-attached tape 101 in a certain direction while folding it back to peel off the hole closing seals 101a from the release tape 101b, and a release tape from which the hole closing seals 101a have been peeled off. The hole sealing seal application device 100 includes a seal supply device 100a having a tape winding unit 104 that winds up only the hole sealing seal 101b, an suction pad 105 that adsorbs the hole sealing seal 101a peeled off by the seal peeling unit 103 and adheres it to the outer peripheral surface of a through hole opened in a body panel of a vehicle (not shown), and a pad drive device 100b having a movable unit 106 that moves the suction pad 105 forward and backward from an adsorption position (P1) to an application position (P2).

[0004] The suction pad 105 also adsorbs the hole closing seal 101a which has stopped after a predetermined amount of the feed direction front portion 101am has been peeled off from the release tape 101b by the seal peeling part 103. Between the main body part 107 of the seal supply device 100a and the movable part 106 of the pad driving device 100b, there is provided a turning mechanism 108 which turns the seal supply device 100a in a direction in which the seal peeling part 103 moves away from the adsorption position (P1) of the suction pad 105 in accordance with the forward movement F of the suction pad 105, and turns the seal supply device 100a in a direction in which the seal peeling part 103 moves closer to the adsorption position (P1) of the suction pad 105 in accordance with the retreating movement R of the suction pad 105. The pad driving device 100b is provided with an electric cylinder 109 that is disposed adjacent to the seal supplying device 100a and moves the suction pad 5 in the forward and backward directions and simultaneously rotates the seal supplying device 100a via a rotating mechanism 108.

[0005] According to the hole closing seal application device 100, after the suction pad 105 has adsorbed the hole closing seal 101a whose feed direction front portion 101am has been peeled off by a predetermined amount from the release tape 101b by the seal peeling section 103, the seal supply device 100a is rotated when the suction pad 105 advances or retreats, thereby reducing or avoiding interference between the suction pad 105 and the seal peeling section 103 and preventing the hole closing seal 101a from shifting position relative to the suction pad 105 or falling off. As a result, the hole closing seal 101a can be applied to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole opened in the vehicle body panel to close the through hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-55617 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the hole closing seal attachment device 100 and the hole closing seal attachment method of Patent Document 1 have the following problems. That is, in the hole closing seal application device 100 and hole closing seal application method of Patent Document 1, the tape winding section 104 winds up the release tape 101b, thereby rotating the roll-shaped sealed tape 101 rotatably held by the tape holding section 102, and while the sealed tape 101 is unwound in a certain direction, it is folded back at the seal peeling section 103 and only the front portion 101am in the feed direction of the hole closing seal 101a is peeled off from the release tape 101b, and then the winding by the tape winding section 104 is stopped.

[0008] However, since the seal supply device 100a is rotated around the axis of the tape holding part 102 after winding by the tape winding part 104 is stopped, an inertial force acts on the roll-shaped seal tape 101 in the winding direction, and the unwound seal tape 101 is likely to become slack. This causes variations in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 101a whose feed direction front side portion 101am has been peeled off from the release tape 101b by the seal peeling part 103, resulting in a problem of poor suction of the hole closing seal 101a by the suction pad 105.

[0009] Furthermore, the pad driving device 100b is provided with an electric cylinder 109 that is disposed adjacent to the seal supplying device 100a and moves the suction pad 5 in the forward and backward directions and simultaneously rotates the seal supplying device 100a via a rotating mechanism 108, which increases the overall length and width of the hole closing seal application device 100. Therefore, the hole closing seal application device 100 has a problem in that it is difficult to apply the hole closing seal 101a to a through hole opened in a vehicle body panel that is located in a narrow space.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a hole sealing seal application device and a hole sealing seal application method that can reduce poor suction of hole sealing seals by suction pads and easily apply hole sealing seals to through holes opened in vehicle body panels that are located in narrow spaces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, a hole closing seal attaching device and a hole closing seal attaching method according to the present invention have the following configurations. (1) A seal supply device having a tape holding section which rotatably holds a sealed tape, which is a strip-shaped release tape with hole closing seals affixed at predetermined intervals, wound in a roll, a seal peeling section which pays out the sealed tape held by the tape holding section in a certain direction while folding it back at an acute angle to peel off a front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction from the release tape, and a tape winding section which winds up only the release tape from which the hole closing seal has been peeled off; a suction pad that adsorbs the hole closing seal peeled off by the seal peeling unit and adheres it to an outer peripheral surface of a through hole opened in a body panel of a vehicle, and a pad drive device having a drive unit that reciprocates the suction pad from a standby position to a sticking position via a suction position, the drive unit includes a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface, and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, and the second drive unit is fixed to a main body of the seal supply device; A pair of pressure rollers are attached to the main body portion to guide the seal-attached tape transferred to the seal peeling portion while pressing the tape from the front and back, With the front portion of the hole sealing seal in the feed direction peeled off from the release tape by the seal peeling unit, the winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped, and then the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence so that the suction pad adsorbs the hole sealing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit, and the hole sealing seal is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole.

[0012] In the present invention, the drive unit has a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface, and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, the second drive unit is fixed to the main body unit of the seal supply device, and the main body unit is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers that guide the sealed tape transferred to the seal peeling unit while pressing it from the front and back, and after the winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped with the front portion of the hole sealing seal in the feed direction peeled off from the release tape in the seal peeling unit, the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence so that the suction pad adsorbs the hole sealing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off in the seal peeling unit and the hole sealing seal is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole, thereby reducing poor adsorption of the hole sealing seal by the suction pad and enabling the hole sealing seal to be easily attached even to through holes opened in a vehicle body panel that is located in a narrow space.

[0013] That is, the drive unit has a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, the second drive unit is fixed to the main body of the seal supply device, and in a state where the front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction is peeled off from the release tape by the seal peeling unit, the winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped, and then the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence, so that the suction pad adsorbs the hole closing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit and the hole closing seal is affixed to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole, and the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence without rotating the seal supply device in a direction away from the suction pad, so that the suction pad can be moved to an affixing position away from the seal supply device by operating the first drive unit and the second drive unit in sequence. Therefore, as long as there is a space through which the suction pad, the first drive unit, and the second drive unit can pass, the suction pad can be brought close to a through hole opened in a vehicle body panel that exists in a narrow space, and the hole closing seal can be easily affixed.

[0014] In addition, the main body is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers that guide the sealed tape transferred to the seal peeling section while pressing it from both sides, so that even if the roll of sealed tape rotatably held in the tape holding section does not stop immediately due to inertia and is excessively unwound when the winding operation of the tape winding section is stopped, the pressure rollers press the sealed tape from both sides to restrain it, thereby reducing or avoiding slack in the sealed tape in the seal peeling section located downstream of the pressure rollers. This makes it less likely that variation will occur in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal, and reduces poor suction of the hole closing seal by the suction pad.

[0015] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hole sealing seal application device that can reduce poor suction of hole sealing seals by suction pads and can easily apply hole sealing seals to through holes opened in vehicle body panels that are located in narrow spaces.

[0016] (2) In the hole closing seal application device described in (1), The main body portion is characterized in that a turn-up angle adjustment roller formed so as to be able to adjust the turn-up angle of the sealed tape that is turned up at the seal peeling portion is attached downstream of the pressure roller.

[0017] In the present invention, the main body is provided with a fold angle adjustment roller downstream of the pressure roller, which is formed to be capable of adjusting the fold angle of the sealed tape that is folded back at the seal peeling section, so that the attachment position of the fold angle adjustment roller relative to the main body can be adjusted to increase the parallelism between the hole seal whose forward portion in the feed direction is peeled off at the seal peeling section and the suction surface of the suction pad. This improves the suction force of the suction pad on the hole seal, and increases the stability when the suction pad suctions the hole seal. As a result, poor suction of the hole seal seal by the suction pad can be further reduced.

[0018] (3) In the hole closing seal application device according to (1) or (2), The suction pad includes a rubber pad that suctions the hole closing seal, The adhesive surface of the rubber pad that adheres to the hole closing seal is formed so that the length in the width direction of the seal tape is greater than the length in the feed direction of the seal tape.

[0019] In the present invention, the suction pad includes a rubber pad that suctions the hole-closing seal, and the suction surface of the rubber pad that suctions the hole-closing seal is formed such that the length in the width direction of the sealed tape is greater than the length in the feed direction of the sealed tape, so that even if the front portion in the feed direction of the hole-closing seal peeled off at the seal peeling section is curved downward at the leading end side in the feed direction of the sealed tape due to the tendency of the sealed tape to curl when it was wound in a roll, it is possible to avoid a reduction in the contact area between the suction surface of the suction pad and the hole-closing seal. Therefore, the necessary suction force of the suction pad on the hole-closing seal can be maintained, and the stability when the suction pad suctions the hole-closing seal can be increased. As a result, poor suction of the hole-closing seal by the suction pad can be further reduced.

[0020] (4) In the hole closing seal application device according to any one of (1) to (3), a tape detector that detects the amount of movement of the seal-attached tape from when the hole closing seal attached to the seal-attached tape being transferred to the seal peeling section passes until when the next hole closing seal passes is attached to the seal-attached tape, the tape detector being attached to the seal-attached tape being transferred to the seal peeling section being attached to the seal peeling section being attached to the seal-attached tape The amount of winding of the tape winding section in one go is approximately the same as the amount of movement of the sealed tape detected by the tape detector.

[0021] In the present invention, the main body is provided with a tape detector downstream of the pressure roller, which detects the amount of movement of the sealed tape from when a hole closing seal attached to the sealed tape being transported to the seal peeling section passes until the next hole closing seal passes, and the amount of winding of the tape take-up section in one go is substantially the same as the amount of movement of the sealed tape detected by the tape detector. Therefore, even if the sealed tape being transported to the seal peeling section is somewhat loose, the tape take-up section can suppress overwinding, and the hole closing seal whose forward portion in the feed direction has been peeled off in the seal peeling section can be stopped at an appropriate position. Therefore, the variation in the stop position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal is less likely to occur, and the positional deviation of the hole closing seal from the suction position of the suction pad and the drop of the hole closing seal can be further reduced. As a result, the suction pad can further reduce poor suction of the hole closing seal.

[0022] (5) In the hole closing seal application device according to any one of (1) to (4), The first driving unit and the second driving unit are each formed as a thin guided cylinder having a thin cylinder case portion and a movable portion that advances and retreats together with a guide rod relative to the cylinder case portion, The cylinder case parts are arranged so that the thicknesses of the case front surface and the case back surface are substantially the same and the case front surface and the case back surface of the cylinder case parts are substantially on the same plane, The movable portion of the second drive unit is connected to a rear surface of a case of a cylinder case of the first drive unit via a connecting bracket having a substantially L-shaped cross section.

[0023] In the present invention, the first driving unit and the second driving unit are each formed as a thin guided cylinder having a thin cylinder case portion and a movable portion that advances and retreats with a guide rod relative to the cylinder case portion, and the thicknesses of the case front and case back of both cylinder case portions are formed to be approximately the same, and the case front and case back of both cylinder case portions are arranged so that they are approximately on the same plane, and the movable portion of the second driving unit is connected to the case back of the cylinder case portion of the first driving unit via a connecting bracket having a substantially L-shaped cross section, so that the trajectory of the moving portion of the first driving unit and the trajectory of the moving portion of the second driving unit can be limited to a narrow range on approximately the same plane. Therefore, the first driving unit and the second driving unit can easily advance and retreat in the narrow space of the vehicle body panel without interfering with the vehicle body panel. As a result, the first driving unit and the second driving unit can bring the suction pad close to the through hole opened in the vehicle body panel that exists in the narrow space, and the hole closing seal can be more easily attached.

[0024] (6) In the hole closing seal application device according to any one of (1) to (5), a tape storage section having a pair of left and right regulating plates and storing the tape with the seal wound in a roll shape in a gap between the regulating plates while regulating the tape with the seal in the width direction; a mounting bracket for mounting the suction pad to the first driving section; and a folded tape guide section for guiding the tape with the seal in the width direction at the seal peeling section, the folded tape guide section being provided in a number of units corresponding to an outer diameter dimension of the hole closing seal; The tape storage section, the mounting bracket, and the folded tape guide section are each formed so as to be detachable from the same direction.

[0025] In the present invention, a tape storage section has a pair of left and right regulating plates and stores the sealed tape wound in a roll shape in the gap between the regulating plates while regulating it in the width direction, a mounting bracket that mounts a suction pad to a first drive section, and a folded tape guide section that guides the sealed tape in the width direction at a seal peeling section, and the tape storage section, mounting bracket, and folded tape guide section are each formed to be detachable from the same direction, so that a hole closing seal suitable for the hole diameter can be easily applied to through holes of different diameters by simply replacing the tape storage section, mounting bracket, and folded tape guide section from the same direction in a common hole closing seal application device, and the through holes can be reliably blocked. Therefore, in the application of hole closing seals of different outer diameters, the production cost for the application operation can be further reduced while reducing the poor suction of the hole closing seal by the suction pad.

[0026] (7) In the hole closing seal application device according to any one of (1) to (6), One end of the main body is attached to a tip of a robot arm via a tool changer, a camera that photographs the through hole and the hole closing seal attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole, and an image processing unit that determines the hole position of the through hole photographed by the camera and the affixed position of the hole closing seal, The control unit of the robot corrects the attachment position data of the suction pad on the robot arm based on the position information of the through hole determined by the image processing unit, and displays an abnormality in the attachment of the hole sealing sticker on the display unit of the robot based on the position information of the hole sealing sticker determined by the image processing unit.

[0027] In the present invention, one end of the main body is attached to the tip of the robot arm via a tool changer, and includes a camera that photographs the through hole and the hole closing seal attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole, and an image processing unit that determines the hole position of the through hole photographed by the camera and the attachment position of the hole closing seal, and the control unit of the robot corrects the attachment position data of the suction pad on the robot arm based on the position information of the through hole determined by the image processing unit, and displays an attachment abnormality of the hole closing seal on the display unit of the robot based on the position information of the hole closing seal determined by the image processing unit, so that the attachment work of the hole closing seal by the suction pad can be performed more accurately based on the accurate position information of the through hole photographed by the camera, and the goodness or badness of the blocking of the through hole with the hole closing seal can be confirmed on the display unit of the robot. Therefore, the hole closing seal can be accurately attached even to the through hole opened in the vehicle body panel that is present in a narrow vehicle space that is difficult for the worker to visually check, and the goodness or badness of the blocking by the hole closing seal can be confirmed.

[0028] (8) A seal supply device having a tape holding section which rotatably holds a sealed tape, which is a strip-shaped release tape with hole closing seals affixed at predetermined intervals, wound in a roll, a seal peeling section which pays out the sealed tape in a certain direction while folding it back at an acute angle to peel off the front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction from the release tape, and a tape winding section which winds up only the release tape from which the hole closing seal has been peeled off; a pad drive device including a suction pad that adsorbs the hole closing seal peeled off by the seal peeling unit and sticks it to an outer circumferential surface of a through hole opened in a body panel of a vehicle, and a drive unit that reciprocates the suction pad from a standby position, via a suction position, to a sticking position, A method for attaching a hole closing seal by attaching the hole closing seal adsorbed to the suction pad to an outer peripheral surface of the through hole, comprising: the drive unit includes a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface, and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, and the second drive unit is fixed to a main body of the seal supply device; A pair of pressure rollers are attached to the main body portion to guide the seal-attached tape transferred to the seal peeling portion while pressing the tape from the front and back, With the front portion of the hole sealing seal in the feed direction peeled off from the release tape by the seal peeling unit, the winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped, and then the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence so that the suction pad adsorbs the hole sealing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit, and the hole sealing seal is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole.

[0029] In the present invention, the drive unit has a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface, and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, the second drive unit is fixed to the main body unit of the seal supply device, and the main body unit is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers that guide the sealed tape transferred to the seal peeling unit while pressing it from the front and back, and after the winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped with the front portion of the hole sealing seal in the feed direction peeled off from the release tape in the seal peeling unit, the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence so that the suction pad adsorbs the hole sealing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off in the seal peeling unit and the hole sealing seal is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole, thereby reducing poor adsorption of the hole sealing seal by the suction pad and enabling the hole sealing seal to be easily attached even to through holes opened in a vehicle body panel that is located in a narrow space.

[0030] That is, the drive unit has a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, the second drive unit is fixed to the main body of the seal supply device, and in a state where the seal peeling unit peels off the front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction from the release tape, the winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped, and then the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated in sequence, so that the suction pad adsorbs the hole closing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit and the hole closing seal is affixed to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole, and the first drive unit and the second drive unit are operated without rotating the seal supply device in a direction away from the suction pad, so that the suction pad can be moved to an affixing position away from the seal supply device by operating the first drive unit and the second drive unit. Therefore, as long as there is a space through which the suction pad, the first drive unit, and the second drive unit can pass, the suction pad can be brought close to a through hole opened in a vehicle body panel that exists in a narrow space, and the hole closing seal can be easily affixed.

[0031] In addition, the main body is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers that guide the sealed tape transferred to the seal peeling section while pressing it from both sides, so that even if the roll of sealed tape rotatably held in the tape holding section does not stop immediately due to inertia and is excessively unwound when the winding operation of the tape winding section is stopped, the pressure rollers press and restrain the sealed tape from both sides, thereby reducing or avoiding slack in the sealed tape downstream of the pressure rollers. This makes it less likely that variation will occur in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal, and reduces poor suction of the hole closing seal by the suction pad.

[0032] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for applying a hole sealing seal that can reduce poor suction of the hole sealing seal by the suction pad and can easily apply a hole sealing seal to a through hole opened in a vehicle body panel that is located in a narrow space. Effect of the Invention

[0033] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hole sealing seal application device and a hole sealing seal application method that can reduce poor suction of hole sealing seals by suction pads and easily apply hole sealing seals to through holes opened in vehicle body panels that are located in narrow spaces. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a hole closing seal attachment device of a first embodiment according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view taken along an arrow A shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is an explanatory diagram for adjusting the fold-back angle of the seal tape in the seal peeling section of the hole closing seal application device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of part B shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is an exploded assembly view of a pad driving unit of the hole closing seal application device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a front view of a hole closing seal attachment device of a second embodiment according to the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a side view as viewed from arrow C in Figure 6. [Figure 8] 7 is a circuit configuration diagram relating to image processing of the hole closing sticker affixing device shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a front view of a hole closing seal attachment device described in Patent Document 1. [Figure 10] 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the hole closing seal attaching device shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a side view taken along the arrow V shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a detailed view of a part W shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] Next, a hole closing seal affixing device and a hole closing seal affixing method, which are preferred embodiments of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration and operation method of the hole closing seal affixing device of the first and second examples according to this embodiment will be described in detail, and then the hole closing seal affixing method using this hole closing seal affixing device will be described.

[0036] <Hole closing seal attachment device of the first embodiment> First, the configuration and operation method of a hole closing seal application device of a first example according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 shows a front view of a hole closing seal application device of a first example according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a side view seen from the arrow A shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an explanatory diagram for adjusting the folding angle of the sealed tape in the seal peeling section of the hole closing seal application device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a detailed perspective view of part B shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows an exploded assembly diagram of the pad drive section of the hole closing seal application device shown in Fig. 1.

[0037] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a hole closing seal application device 10 of a first example according to this embodiment is a hole closing seal application device 10 including: a tape holding unit 2 that rotatably holds a sealed tape 1, in which hole closing seals 11 are affixed at predetermined intervals to a strip-shaped release tape 12, in a rolled-up state; a seal peeling unit 3 that pays out the sealed tape 1 held by the tape holding unit 2 in a fixed direction while folding it back at an acute angle to peel off a feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 from the release tape 12; and a seal supply device 10a that has a tape winding unit 4 that winds up only the release tape 12 from which the hole closing seal 11 has been peeled off; an suction pad 5 that adsorbs the hole closing seal 11 peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3 and adheres it to the outer peripheral surface of a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP of the vehicle; and a pad driving unit 10b that has a driving unit 6 that reciprocates the suction pad 5 from a standby position (P0) via an suction position (P1) to an application position (P2).

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, the hole closing seal 11 is a transparent resin seal formed in a circular shape, with an outer periphery 112 colored in an annular shape and a center portion 111 colored in a small circle. However, the coloring of the hole closing seal 11 is not limited to the above, and it may be colored in one color, for example. The hole closing seal 11 is attached at predetermined intervals to a release tape 12 formed in a strip shape by an adhesive applied to the back surface.

[0039] As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the drive unit 6 has a first drive unit 61 for moving the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 for moving the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X, and the second drive unit 62 is fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a. The horizontal direction X is perpendicular to the vertical direction Y. The suction pad 5 also includes a rubber pad 52 for adsorbing the hole closing seal 11 on the suction surface 521, a support tube 53 for supporting the rubber pad 52 in an expandable and contractible manner via a spring member 54, and a mounting bracket 51 for mounting the support tube 53 to a movable part 612 of the first drive unit 61. The support tube 53 of the suction pad 5 is connected to a vacuum suction device (not shown), and the vacuum suction device is connected to the rubber pad 52 for adsorbing the hole closing seal 11.

[0040] The main body 7 is formed of a single flat plate member. The tape holding section 2, the seal peeling section 3, the winding section 42 of the tape winding section 4, the suction pad 5, the first guide roller 74, the presser roller 71 (711, 712), the turn-back angle adjustment roller 73, and the second guide roller 75, which will be described later, are arranged on the front side of the main body 7 formed in a flat plate shape, and the first driving section 61 and the second driving section 62 are arranged on the back side of the main body 7. The tape winding section 4 is provided with a driving motor 41 capable of controlling the rotation speed and the like, and a winding section 42 that winds up the release tape 12, and the driving motor 41 is arranged on the back side of the main body 7. The tip of the robot arm 91 is connected to one end 74A protruding from the back side of the main body 7 via a tool changer 92. The tool changer 92 is provided with an automatic lock mechanism including a connection section for an air circuit and an electric circuit. The first driving unit 61, the second driving unit 62, the driving motor 41, etc. are connected to a control unit 93 of the robot 9 via a tool changer 92.

[0041] 1 and 2, a pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) are attached to the main body 7 of the seal supplying device 10a, which guide the sealed tape 1 transferred from the tape holding section 2 to the seal peeling section 3 while pressing it from the front and back. A first guide roller 74 is rotatably attached to the main body 7 on the upstream side of the pressure roller 71, which guides the sealed tape 1 to the pressure roller 71. Further, a second guide roller 75 is rotatably attached to the main body 7 on the downstream side of the seal peeling section 3, which guides the release tape 12 from which the hole closing seal 11 has been peeled off, to the tape take-up section 4.

[0042] The pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) are hard urethane rubber rollers formed so as to be freely rotatable, one pressure roller 711 being fixed to the main body 7, and the other pressure roller 712 being mounted on the main body 7 so as to be position adjustable. By adjusting the fastening position of the other pressure roller 712, the restraining force on the sealed tape 1 passing through the gap between the pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) can be adjusted, thereby suppressing slack in the sealed tape 1 being transported to the seal peeling section 3.

[0043] Also, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, when the seal peeling unit 3 peels off the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole sealing seal 11 from the release tape 12, the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped, and then the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 are operated in sequence so that the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole sealing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole sealing seal 11 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN.

[0044] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the suction pad 5, the first driving section 61, and the second driving section 62 operate as follows. First, the suction pad 5 waits at a standby position (P0) located above the seal peeling section 3. After receiving a winding stop signal from the tape winding section 4, the first driving section 61 operates, causing the suction pad 5 to move to the suction position (P1), suction the hole closing seal 11, and return to the standby position (P0). Next, the second driving section 62 operates, causing the suction pad 5 to move to an upper position (P3) located above the attachment position (P2). After that, the first driving section 61 operates, causing the suction pad 5 to move to the attachment position (P2), and attach the hole closing seal 11 to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN. After that, the first driving section 61 and the second driving section 62 operate in the reverse order to the above operation, causing the suction pad 5 to return to the standby position (P0).

[0045] Since this hole closing seal application device 10 has the above-described configuration and operates in the above-described procedure, it is possible to reduce poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 and to easily apply the hole closing seal 11 to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space.

[0046] That is, the drive unit 6 has a first drive unit 61 that moves the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 that moves the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X. The second drive unit 62 is fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a, and in a state in which the seal peeling unit 3 peels the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 from the release tape 12, the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped, and then the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 6 2 are operated in sequence, the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole closing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole closing seal 11 is stuck to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole KN, so that the suction pad 5 can be moved to the sticking position (P2) away from the seal supplying device 10a by operating the first driving unit 61 and the second driving unit 62 in sequence without rotating the seal supplying device 10a in a direction away from the suction pad 5. Therefore, as long as there is a space through which the suction pad 5, the first driving unit 61, and the second driving unit 62 can pass, the suction pad 5 can be brought close to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP that exists in a narrow space, and the hole closing seal 11 can be easily stuck.

[0047] 1, the main body 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) that guide the sealed tape 1 transferred to the seal peeling section 3 while pressing it from both sides, so that even if the roll of the sealed tape 1 rotatably held by the tape holding section 2 does not stop immediately due to inertia and is excessively unwound when the winding operation of the tape winding section 4 is stopped, the pressure rollers 71 press and restrain the sealed tape 1 from both sides, thereby reducing or avoiding slackening of the sealed tape 1 in the seal peeling section 3 located downstream of the pressure rollers 71. This makes it difficult for variations to occur in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11, thereby reducing poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5.

[0048] As described above in detail, the hole sealing seal application device 10 can reduce poor suction of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5, and can also provide a hole sealing seal application device 10 that can easily apply the hole sealing seal 11 to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space.

[0049] 1 and 3, in the hole closing seal application device 10, it is preferable that a turn-back angle adjusting roller 73, which is formed so as to be able to adjust the turn-back angle θ of the sealed tape 1 that is turned back at the seal peeling section 3, is mounted on the main body 7 downstream of the pressure roller 71. Here, the turn-back angle adjusting roller 73 has a long screw insertion hole formed therein so that the fastening position relative to the main body 7 can be adjusted in the vertical direction.

[0050] In this case, the fastening position of the turn-back angle adjustment roller 73 relative to the main body 7 can be adjusted to increase the parallelism between the hole closing seal 11, the feed direction front portion 11a of which has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the suction surface 521 of the suction pad 5. For example, by moving the fastening position of the turn-back angle adjustment roller 73 relative to the main body 7 downward, the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3 is raised upward. Therefore, even if the feed direction front portion 11a of the seal peeling unit 3 sags slightly, the parallelism between the hole closing seal 11 and the suction surface 521 of the suction pad 5 can be increased, the suction force of the suction pad 5 to the hole closing seal 11 can be improved, and the stability when the suction pad 5 suctions the hole closing seal 11 can be increased. As a result, the suction pad 5 can further reduce poor suction of the hole closing seal 11.

[0051] 1 to 3 and 5, in the hole closing seal application device 10, the suction pad 5 includes a rubber pad 52 that suctions the hole closing seal 11, and it is preferable that the suction surface 521 of the rubber pad 52 that suctions the hole closing seal 11 is formed so that the length w1 in the width direction of the seal tape 1 is greater than the length w2 in the feed direction of the seal tape 1. Note that the suction surface 521 of the rubber pad 52 that suctions the hole closing seal 11 may be oval, elliptical, or rectangular, as long as the length w1 in the width direction of the seal tape 1 is greater than the length w2 in the feed direction of the seal tape 1.

[0052] In this case, even if the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 peeled off by the seal peeling section 3 hangs downward at the leading end side in the feed direction of the sealed tape 1 due to a tendency for the sealed tape 1 to be wound in a roll by the tape holding section 2, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the contact area between the suction surface 521 of the suction pad 5 and the hole closing seal 11. This makes it possible to maintain the necessary suction force for the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 and to increase stability when the suction pad 5 suctions the hole closing seal 11. As a result, poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be further reduced.

[0053] Furthermore, in the present hole closing seal application device 10, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, the main body 7 is provided with a tape detector 72 mounted downstream of the pressure roller 71 for detecting the amount of movement d1 of the sealed tape 1 from when a hole closing seal 11 affixed to the sealed tape 1 being transported to the seal peeling section 3 passes until the next hole closing seal 11 passes, and it is preferable that the amount of winding in one go by the tape winding section 4 is approximately the same as the amount of movement d1 of the sealed tape 1 detected by the tape detector 72.

[0054] For example, the tape detector 72 projects laser light onto the outer periphery 112 of the hole closing seal 11, and compares the difference in the amount of reflected light depending on whether or not the hole closing seal 11 has a colored portion, to calculate the movement amount d1 of the sealed tape 1. Here, the movement amount d1 of the sealed tape 1 is detected when the amount of reflected light changes three times. Note that it is preferable for the tape detector 72 to detect the movement amount d1 of the hole closing seal 11 one position before the hole closing seal 11 at the suction position (P1) where the suction pad 5 suctions, moving to the suction position (P1). In this case, the hole closing seal 11 can be moved to the suction position (P1) more accurately.

[0055] In this case, even if some slack occurs in the sealed tape 1 transported to the seal peeling section 3, the tape take-up section 4 is prevented from winding up too much, and the hole closing seal 11, whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling section 3, can be stopped at an appropriate position. This makes it even less likely that variations in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11 will occur, and it is possible to further reduce positional deviation of the hole closing seal 11 from the suction position P1 of the suction pad 5, dropping of the hole closing seal 11, and the like. As a result, poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be further reduced.

[0056] Moreover, in the present hole closing seal application device 10, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 are formed as thin guided cylinders having thin cylinder case portions 611, 621 and movable portions 612, 622 that advance and retreat together with a guide rod relative to the cylinder case portions 611, 621, and both cylinder case portions 611, 621 are formed so that the case surfaces 611a, 621a and the case back surfaces 611b, 621b have approximately the same thickness (t1 ≒ t2) and are arranged so that the case surfaces 611a, 621a and the case back surfaces 611b, 621b of both cylinder case portions 611, 621 are approximately on the same plane, and it is preferable that the movable portion 622 of the second drive unit 62 is connected to the case back surface 611b of the cylinder case portion 611 of the first drive unit 61 via a connecting bracket 623 having an approximately L-shaped cross section.

[0057] In this case, the trajectory of the moving part 612 of the first driving part 61 and the trajectory of the moving part 622 of the second driving part 62 can be limited to a narrow range on approximately the same plane. Therefore, the first driving part 61 and the second driving part 62 can easily move forward and backward in the narrow space of the vehicle body panel SP without interfering with the vehicle body panel SP. As a result, the first driving part 61 and the second driving part 62 can bring the suction pad 5 close to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP existing in the narrow space, and more easily attach the hole closing seal 11. The first driving part 61 and the second driving part 62 may be formed as an air cylinder or an electric cylinder.

[0058] Furthermore, in the hole closing seal application device 10, as shown in Figures 1 to 5, there is provided a tape storage section 13 having a pair of left and right regulating plates 131, which stores the sealed tape 1 wound in a rolled state in the gap between the regulating plates 131 while regulating it in the width direction, a mounting bracket 51 which mounts the suction pad 5 to the first drive unit 61, and a folded tape guide section 31 which guides the sealed tape 1 in the width direction at the seal peeling unit 3, all of which are provided in a number corresponding to the outer diameter dimension of the hole closing seal 11, and it is preferable that the tape storage section 13, the mounting bracket 51 and the folded tape guide section 31 are each formed so as to be detachable from the same direction.

[0059] In this case, hole closing seals 11 suitable for different hole diameters can be easily applied to through holes KN of different diameters and the through holes KN can be reliably closed simply by replacing the tape storage section 13, the mounting bracket 51, and the folded tape guide section 31 from the same direction in the main body 7 of the common hole closing seal application device 10. Therefore, in the application of hole closing seals 11 of different outer diameters, it is possible to reduce poor suction of the hole closing seals 11 by the suction pad 5 and further reduce the production cost for the application operation.

[0060] The tape storage unit 13 is detachably attached to the tape holding unit 2, and rotates integrally with the tape holding unit 2 when the tape winding unit 4 winds the release tape 12 while attached to the tape holding unit 2. The regulating plate 131 of the tape storage unit 13 is formed in a disk shape having a plurality of lightening holes. The outer periphery of the regulating plate 131 is extended to a position close to or coincident with the outer periphery of the tape winding unit 4. Therefore, the release tape 12 wound by the tape winding unit 4 can be regulated in the width direction by the regulating plate 131 of the tape storage unit 13.

[0061] The folded tape guide portion 31 also includes a pair of side walls 311 that regulate the sealed tape 1 from both sides in the width direction, and a bottom wall portion 312 that is disposed on the lower surface side of the sealed tape 1 and connects the side walls 311. The bottom wall portion 312 is disposed at an angle so as not to interfere with the lower surface of the sealed tape 1 when the fastening position of the above-mentioned folding angle adjustment roller 73 is moved downward.

[0062] 1, the main body 7 is preferably provided with a tape remaining amount detector 76 for detecting the remaining amount of the sealed tape 1 wound in a roll around the tape holding unit 2. The tape remaining amount detector 76 projects, for example, LED light from the radial outside of the regulating plate 131 of the tape storage unit 13 onto the sealed tape 1 wound in a roll, and calculates the distance from the time it takes for the reflected light to return to calculate the remaining amount of the sealed tape 1. Calculating the remaining amount of the sealed tape 1 makes it possible to switch to the next tape storage unit 13 at an appropriate timing, thereby improving the productivity of the work of applying the hole closing seal 11.

[0063] <Second embodiment of the hole closing seal attachment device> Next, the configuration and operation method of a hole closing seal application device of a second embodiment according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 8. Fig. 6 shows a front view of a hole closing seal application device of a second embodiment according to this embodiment. Fig. 7 shows a side view as viewed from the arrow C shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows a circuit configuration diagram relating to image processing of the hole closing seal application device shown in Fig. 6. Here, differences from the hole closing seal application device 10 of the first embodiment described above will be mainly described, and commonalities with the hole closing seal application device 10 of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and, in principle, description thereof will be omitted.

[0064] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, in a second example of a hole sealing seal application device 10B according to this embodiment, one end 74B of the main body 7 is attached to the tip of a robot arm 91 via a tool changer 92, and is equipped with a camera 81 that photographs a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP and a hole sealing seal 11 applied to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN, and an image processing unit 82 that distinguishes the hole position of the through hole KN photographed by the camera 81 and the application position of the hole sealing seal 11.

[0065] At least two cameras 81 are provided, and are attached to a camera support portion 78 formed on the main body portion 7 so that the focal positions of the cameras 81 are aligned. An image processing portion 82 that processes images captured by the cameras 81 is connected to a control portion 93 of the robot 9 via a tool changer 92. The control portion 93 of the robot 9 corrects the application position data of the suction pad 5 in the robot arm 91 based on the position information of the through-hole KN determined by the image processing portion 82, and causes a display portion 94 of the robot 9 to display an abnormality in application of the hole closing seal 11 based on the position information of the hole closing seal 11 determined by the image processing portion 82.

[0066] According to the hole closing seal application device 10B of the second embodiment, the application of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be performed more accurately based on accurate position information of the through hole KN photographed by the camera 81, and it can be confirmed on the display unit 94 of the robot 9 whether the through hole KN is closed by the hole closing seal 11 or not. Therefore, the hole closing seal 11 can be accurately applied even to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP that exists in a narrow vehicle space that is difficult for an operator to visually check, and it can be confirmed whether the hole closing seal 11 is closed or not.

[0067] Furthermore, in hole closing seal application device 10B of the second embodiment, main body 7 is fitted with a payout restricting section 77 which comes into sliding contact with restricting plate 131 of tape storage section 13 attached to tape holding section 2 to restrict the payout of sealed tape 1 held by tape holding section 2. Payout restricting section 77 is preferably configured, for example, such that a push pin which protrudes by a spring force from the tip of a cylindrical body section having a screw thread formed on its outer circumferential surface comes into sliding contact with the outer plate surface of restricting plate 131.

[0068] Here, a plurality of (for example, two) payout restricting units 77 are attached to main body 7 so that the push pins come into sliding contact with different positions in the radial direction of restricting plate 131. Payout restricting unit 77 adjusts the amount of screwing into main body 7 to adjust the frictional force of the push pin against restricting plate 131 of tape storage unit 13 to a predetermined magnitude that suppresses excessive payout of sealed tape 1 held by tape holding unit 2.

[0069] Since the payout restricting portion 77 is in sliding contact with the restricting plate 131 of the tape storage portion 13, when the winding operation of the tape winding portion 4 is stopped, the rotation due to inertia of the tape storage portion 13 is restricted, thereby restricting excess payout of the sealed tape 1 and reducing or avoiding slackening of the sealed tape 1 in the seal peeling portion 3. As a result, variation in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11 is less likely to occur, and poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be reduced.

[0070] <How to apply the hole seal> Next, a method for attaching a hole closing seal according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. Fig. 1 shows a front view of a hole closing seal attaching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a side view in the direction of the arrow A shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an explanatory diagram for adjusting the folding angle of the tape with the seal in the seal peeling section of the hole closing seal attaching device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a detailed perspective view of the section B shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows an exploded assembly diagram of the pad driving section of the hole closing seal attaching device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows a front view of a hole closing seal attaching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 shows a side view in the direction of the arrow C shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 shows a circuit configuration diagram related to image processing of the hole closing seal attaching device shown in Fig. 6. In addition, since this method of applying a hole closing seal uses the hole closing seal application devices 10, 10B of the first and second embodiments described above, the same symbols are used for the points in common with the hole closing seal application devices 10, 10B of the first and second embodiments, and an explanation will be provided, as necessary.

[0071] As shown in Figs. 1 to 8, the method of applying a hole closing seal according to this other embodiment includes a tape holding section 2 that rotatably holds a sealed tape 1, in which hole closing seals 11 are applied at predetermined intervals to a strip-shaped release tape 12, wound in a roll, a seal peeling section 3 that pays out the sealed tape 1 in a certain direction while folding it back at an acute angle to peel off a forward portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 in the feed direction from the release tape 12, and a tape winding section 4 that winds up only the release tape 12 from which the hole closing seals 11 have been peeled off. The hole closing seal applying method includes a seal supply device 10a having a seal peeling unit 3 and a pad drive device 10b having a suction pad 5 that adsorbs the hole closing seal 11 peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3 and adheres it to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP, and a pad drive device 10b having a drive unit 6 that reciprocates the suction pad 5 from a standby position (P0) to a suction position (P1) and then to an application position (P2), and the hole closing seal 11 adsorbed to the suction pad 5 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN.

[0072] In the method for attaching a hole closing seal, the drive unit 6 includes a first drive unit 61 for moving the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 for moving the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X. The second drive unit 62 is fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a. The main body 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) for guiding the tape 1 with the seal transferred to the seal peeling unit 3 while pressing the tape 1 from the front and back. After stopping the winding operation of the winding unit 4, the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 are operated in sequence so that the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole sealing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3 and attaches the hole sealing seal 11 to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN. This reduces poor adsorption of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 and enables the hole sealing seal 11 to be easily attached even to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space.

[0073] That is, the drive unit 6 has a first drive unit 61 that moves the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 that moves the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X. The second drive unit 62 is fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a, and after the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped in a state in which the seal peeling unit 3 peels off the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 from the release tape 12, the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit By sequentially operating the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62, the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole closing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole closing seal 11 is stuck to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole KN, so that the suction pad 5 can be moved to the sticking position (P2) away from the seal supplying device 10a by operating the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 without rotating the seal supplying device 10a in a direction away from the suction pad 5. Therefore, as long as there is a space through which the suction pad 5, the first drive unit 61, and the second drive unit 62 can pass, the hole closing seal 11 can be easily stuck even to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP that exists in a narrow space by bringing the suction pad 5 close to it.

[0074] Furthermore, the main body 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) that guide the sealed tape 1 transferred to the seal peeling section 3 while pressing it from both sides, so that even if the roll of sealed tape 1 rotatably held by the tape holding section 2 does not stop immediately due to inertia and is excessively unwound when the winding operation of the tape winding section 4 is stopped, the pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) press and restrain the sealed tape 1 from both sides, thereby reducing or avoiding slack in the sealed tape 1 downstream of the pressure rollers 71. This makes it difficult for variation to occur in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11, thereby reducing poor suction of the hole closing seal 1 by the suction pad 5.

[0075] Therefore, according to this method of applying a hole sealing seal, it is possible to reduce poor suction of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5, and also to provide a method of applying a hole sealing seal that can easily apply the hole sealing seal 11 to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space.

[0076] <Modification> The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the hole closing seal attachment device 10 according to the present embodiment has a pair of left and right regulating plates 131 for easily attaching hole closing seals 11 suitable for through holes KN of different diameters, and includes a tape storage section 13 for storing the tape 1 wound in a roll shape in the gap between the regulating plates 131 while regulating the tape 1 in the width direction, a mounting bracket 51 for mounting the suction pad 5 to the first driving section 61, and a folded tape guide section 31 for guiding the tape 1 in the width direction at the seal peeling section 3, in accordance with the outer diameter of the hole closing seal 11, and the tape storage section 13, the mounting bracket 51, and the folded tape guide section 31 are each formed so as to be detachable from the same direction. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above configuration. For example, a plurality of hole sealing seal application devices 10 holding sealed tapes 1 with hole sealing seals 11 of different outer diameters attached thereto can be stored on the line side of the hole sealing seal application process, and these plurality of hole sealing seal application devices 10 can be attached to a robot arm 91 via a tool changer 92 to easily and quickly apply hole sealing seals 11 suitable for the hole diameter to through holes KN of different hole diameters.

[0077] <Action and effect> As described above in detail, in the hole closing seal application devices 10 and 10B according to the present embodiment, the drive section 6 has a first drive section 61 that moves the suction pad 5 in the vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive section 62 that moves the first drive section 61 in the horizontal direction X, the second drive section 62 is fixed to the main body section 7 of the seal supply device 10a, and the main body section 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 that guide the sealed tape 1 transferred to the seal peeling section 3 while pressing it from the front and back, and the hole closing seal 11 is peeled off at the seal peeling section 3. With the feed direction front portion 11a peeled off from the release tape 12, the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped, and then the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 are operated in sequence so that the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole sealing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole sealing seal 11 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN. This reduces poor adsorption of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5, and enables the hole sealing seal 11 to be easily attached even to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space.

[0078] That is, the drive unit 6 has a first drive unit 61 that moves the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 that moves the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X. The second drive unit 62 is fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a, and in a state in which the seal peeling unit 3 peels the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 from the release tape 12, the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped, and then the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 6 2 are operated in sequence, the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole closing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole closing seal 11 is stuck to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole KN, so that the suction pad 5 can be moved to the sticking position (P2) away from the seal supplying device 10a by operating the first driving unit 61 and the second driving unit 62 in sequence without rotating the seal supplying device 10a in a direction away from the suction pad 5. Therefore, as long as there is a space through which the suction pad 5, the first driving unit 61, and the second driving unit 62 can pass, the suction pad 5 can be brought close to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP that exists in a narrow space, and the hole closing seal 11 can be easily stuck.

[0079] Further, the main body 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) that guide the sealed tape 1 transferred to the seal peeling section 3 while pressing it from both sides, so that even if the rolled sealed tape 1 rotatably held by the tape holding section 2 does not stop immediately due to inertia and is excessively unwound when the winding operation of the tape winding section 4 is stopped, the pressure rollers 71 press and restrain the sealed tape 1 from both sides, thereby reducing or avoiding slackening of the sealed tape 1 in the seal peeling section 3 located downstream of the pressure rollers 71. This makes it difficult for variation to occur in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11, thereby reducing poor suction of the hole closing seal 1 by the suction pad 5.

[0080] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a hole sealing seal application device 10, 10B which can reduce poor suction of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5, and which can easily apply the hole sealing seal 11 to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP located in a narrow space.

[0081] According to this embodiment, the main body 7 is provided with a folding angle adjustment roller 73 downstream of the pressure roller 71, which is formed to be capable of adjusting the folding angle θ of the sealed tape 1 that is folded back at the seal peeling section 3. By adjusting the mounting position of the folding angle adjustment roller 73 relative to the main body 7, the parallelism between the hole closing seal 11, the feed direction front portion 11a of which has been peeled off at the seal peeling section 3, and the suction surface 521 of the suction pad 5 can be increased. This improves the suction force of the suction pad 5 on the hole closing seal 11, and increases the stability when the suction pad 5 suctions the hole closing seal 11. As a result, poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be further reduced.

[0082] According to this embodiment, the suction pad 5 includes a rubber pad 52 that suctions the hole closing seal 11, and the suction surface 521 of the rubber pad 52 for the hole closing seal 11 is formed such that the length w1 in the width direction of the sealed tape 1 is greater than the length w2 in the feed direction of the sealed tape 1. Therefore, even if the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 peeled off at the seal peeling section 3 is curved downward at the feed direction tip side of the sealed tape 1 due to the curling tendency when the sealed tape 1 was wound in a roll, the contact area between the suction surface 521 of the suction pad 5 and the hole closing seal 11 can be prevented from decreasing. Therefore, the necessary suction force of the suction pad 5 for the hole closing seal 11 can be maintained, and the stability when the suction pad 5 suctions the hole closing seal 11 can be improved. As a result, the suction pad 5 can further reduce poor suction of the hole closing seal 11.

[0083] According to this embodiment, the main body 7 is provided with a tape detector 72 downstream of the pressure roller 71, which detects the movement amount d1 of the sealed tape 1 from when the hole closing seal 11 attached to the sealed tape 1 being transported to the seal peeling section 3 passes until the next hole closing seal 11 passes, and the amount of winding of the tape take-up section 4 in one go is substantially the same as the movement amount d1 of the sealed tape 1 detected by the tape detector 72. Therefore, even if the sealed tape 1 being transported to the seal peeling section 3 is somewhat loose, the tape take-up section 4 can be prevented from winding too much, and the hole closing seal 11 whose forward portion 11a in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling section 3 can be stopped at an appropriate position. Therefore, the stop position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11 are less likely to vary, and the positional deviation of the hole closing seal 11 from the suction position P1 of the suction pad 5 and the drop of the hole closing seal 11 can be further reduced. As a result, poor suction of the hole closing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be further reduced.

[0084] According to this embodiment, the first driving unit 61 and the second driving unit 62 are formed as thin guided cylinders having thin cylinder case parts 611 and 621 and movable parts 612 and 622 that move forward and backward together with a guide rod with respect to the cylinder case parts 611 and 621, respectively. The thicknesses of the case front surface 611a and the case back surface 611b and the case back surface 621b of both cylinder case parts 611 and 621 are formed to be approximately the same (t1 ≒ t2). The case surfaces 611a, 621a and the case back surfaces 611b, 621b of the cylinder case 611 of the first driving unit 61 are arranged so as to be on approximately the same plane, and the movable part 622 of the second driving unit 62 is connected to the case back surface 611b of the cylinder case 611 of the first driving unit 61 via a connecting bracket 623 having an approximately L-shaped cross section, so that the trajectory of the movable part 612 of the first driving unit 61 and the trajectory of the movable part 622 of the second driving unit 62 moving forward and backward can be limited to a narrow range on approximately the same plane. Therefore, the first driving unit 61 and the second driving unit 62 can easily move forward and backward in the narrow space of the vehicle body panel SP without interfering with the vehicle body panel SP. As a result, the first driving unit 61 and the second driving unit 62 can bring the suction pad 5 close to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP existing in the narrow space, and the hole closing seal 11 can be more easily attached.

[0085] In addition, according to this embodiment, the device includes a tape storage section 13 having a pair of left and right regulating plates 131, which stores the sealed tape 1 wound in a roll shape in the gap between the regulating plates 131 while regulating it in the width direction, a mounting bracket 51 which mounts the suction pad 5 to the first drive unit 61, and a folded-up tape guide section 31 which guides the sealed tape 1 in the width direction at the seal peeling unit 3, all of which are provided in a number corresponding to the outer diameter dimension of the hole sealing seal 11, and the tape storage section 13, the mounting bracket 51, and the folded-up tape guide section 31 are each formed so that they can be attached and detached from the same direction.Therefore, by simply replacing the tape storage section 13, the mounting bracket 51, and the folded-up tape guide section 31 in the same direction for a common hole sealing seal application device 10, a hole sealing seal 11 suitable for the hole diameter can be easily applied to through holes KN of different diameters, and the through holes KN can be reliably blocked. Therefore, in the operation of attaching hole closing seals 11 having different outer diameters, it is possible to reduce the failure of the suction pad 5 to suction the hole closing seals 11, and further reduce the production cost for the attachment operation.

[0086] In addition, according to this embodiment, one end 74B of the main body 7 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 91 via the tool changer 92, and is equipped with a camera 81 that photographs the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP and the hole sealing seal 11 affixed to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN, and an image processing unit 82 that determines the hole position of the through hole KN photographed by the camera 81 and the affixing position of the hole sealing seal 11. The control unit 93 of the robot 9 corrects the affixing position data of the suction pad 5 on the robot arm 91 based on the position information of the through hole KN determined by the image processing unit 82, and displays an abnormality in the affixing of the hole sealing seal 11 on the display unit 94 of the robot 9 based on the position information of the hole sealing seal 11 determined by the image processing unit 82. Therefore, based on the accurate position information of the through hole KN photographed by the camera 81, the affixing work of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 can be performed more accurately, and it can be confirmed on the display unit 94 of the robot 9 whether the through hole KN is properly blocked by the hole sealing seal 11. Therefore, the hole sealing seal 11 can be accurately attached even to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP located in a narrow vehicle space where it is difficult for an operator to visually check, and it is possible to check whether the hole sealing seal 11 is providing a satisfactory seal.

[0087] According to the method for attaching a hole closing seal according to the other embodiment, the drive unit 6 has a first drive unit 61 for moving the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 for moving the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X, the second drive unit 62 being fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a, and the main body 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 for guiding the sealed tape 1 transferred to the seal peeling unit 3 while pressing the tape 1 from the front and back, and the front side of the hole closing seal 11 in the feed direction at the seal peeling unit 3 is pressed against the tape 1 from the front and back. With the portion 11a peeled off from the release tape 12, the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped, and then the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 are operated in sequence so that the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole sealing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole sealing seal 11 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole KN. This reduces poor adsorption of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5 and enables the hole sealing seal 11 to be easily attached even to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space.

[0088] That is, the drive unit 6 has a first drive unit 61 that moves the suction pad 5 in a vertical direction Y perpendicular to the suction surface 521, and a second drive unit 62 that moves the first drive unit 61 in a horizontal direction X. The second drive unit 62 is fixed to the main body 7 of the seal supply device 10a, and after the winding operation of the tape winding unit 4 is stopped in a state in which the seal peeling unit 3 peels off the feed direction front portion 11a of the hole closing seal 11 from the release tape 12, the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit By sequentially operating the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62, the suction pad 5 adsorbs the hole closing seal 11 whose feed direction front portion 11a has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit 3, and the hole closing seal 11 is stuck to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole KN, so that the suction pad 5 can be moved to the sticking position (P2) away from the seal supplying device 10a by operating the first drive unit 61 and the second drive unit 62 without rotating the seal supplying device 10a in a direction away from the suction pad 5. Therefore, as long as there is a space through which the suction pad 5, the first drive unit 61, and the second drive unit 62 can pass, the hole closing seal 11 can be easily stuck even to the through hole KN opened in the vehicle body panel SP that exists in a narrow space by bringing the suction pad 5 close to it.

[0089] Furthermore, the main body 7 is equipped with a pair of pressure rollers 71 (711, 712) that guide the sealed tape 1 transferred to the seal peeling section 3 while pressing it from both sides, so that even if the rolled sealed tape 1 rotatably held by the tape holding section 2 does not stop immediately due to inertia and is excessively unwound when the winding operation of the tape winding section 4 is stopped, the pressure rollers 71 press and restrain the sealed tape 1 from both sides, thereby reducing or avoiding slack in the sealed tape 1 downstream of the pressure rollers 71. This makes it less likely that variation will occur in the stopping position and peeling amount of the hole closing seal 11, and reduces poor suction of the hole closing seal 1 by the suction pad 5.

[0090] Therefore, according to this other embodiment, it is possible to reduce poor suction of the hole sealing seal 11 by the suction pad 5, and to provide a method for attaching a hole sealing seal that can easily attach the hole sealing seal 11 to a through hole KN opened in a vehicle body panel SP that is located in a narrow space. [Industrial Applicability]

[0091] The present invention can be used, for example, as a hole sealing seal application device and a hole sealing seal application method used to apply a hole sealing seal to the outer peripheral surface of a through hole formed in a vehicle body panel, thereby blocking the through hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1 Adhesive tape 2 Tape holding section 3 Seal peeling section 4 Tape winding section 5 Suction pads 6 Drive unit 7 Main body 9. Robot 10, 10B Hole sealing seal attachment device 10a Seal supply device 10b Pad drive device 11 Hole sealing 11a Front side in the feed direction 12 Release tape 13 Tape storage section 31 Fold-over tape guide 51 Mounting bracket 52 Rubber pad 61 First Drive Unit 62 Second Drive Unit 71 Presser roller 72 Tape Detector 73 Turn-back angle adjustment roller 74, 74B One end 81 Camera 82 Image Processing Section 91 Robot Arm 92 Tool Changer 93 Control Unit 94 Display section 131 Regulatory Board 521 Adsorption surface 611, 621 Cylinder case part 611a, 621a Case surface 611b, 621b case back 612, 622 Moving parts 623 Connecting bracket d1 Movement amount SP body panel KN through hole θ Fold angle w1 Width direction length w2 Length in the feed direction

Claims

1. a tape holding section which rotatably holds a tape with a seal, which is a strip-shaped release tape with hole closing seals affixed at predetermined intervals, wound in a roll; a seal peeling section which pays out the tape with a seal held by the tape holding section in a certain direction while folding it back at an acute angle to peel off a front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction from the release tape; and a tape winding section which winds up only the release tape from which the hole closing seal has been peeled off; a suction pad that adsorbs the hole closing seal peeled off by the seal peeling unit and adheres it to an outer peripheral surface of a through hole opened in a body panel of a vehicle, and a pad drive device having a drive unit that reciprocates the suction pad from a standby position to a sticking position via a suction position, the drive unit includes a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface, and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, and the second drive unit is fixed to a main body of the seal supply device; A pair of pressure rollers are attached to the main body portion to guide the seal-attached tape transferred to the seal peeling portion while pressing the tape from the front and back, a tape winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped in a state in which the front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction has been peeled off from the release tape by the seal peeling unit, and then the first driving unit and the second driving unit are operated in sequence to cause the suction pad to suck the hole closing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit, and the hole closing seal is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole; the first driving unit and the second driving unit are each formed as a thin guided cylinder having a thin cylinder case portion and a movable portion that advances and retreats together with a guide rod relative to the cylinder case portion, The cylinder case parts are arranged so that the thicknesses of the case front surface and the case back surface are substantially the same and the case front surface and the case back surface of the cylinder case parts are substantially on the same plane, A hole closing seal application device, characterized in that the movable portion of the second drive unit is connected to the rear surface of the case of the cylinder case portion of the first drive unit via a connecting bracket having a substantially L-shaped cross section.

2. 2. The hole closing seal application device according to claim 1, A hole sealing seal application device characterized in that a fold angle adjustment roller, which is formed so as to be able to adjust the fold angle of the sealed tape that is folded back at the seal peeling section, is attached to the main body section downstream of the pressure roller.

3. The hole closing seal application device according to claim 1 or 2, The suction pad includes a rubber pad that suctions the hole closing seal, a hole closing seal applying device, characterized in that the length of the adhesive surface of the rubber pad that adheres to the hole closing seal in the width direction of the seal tape is greater than the length of the seal tape in the feed direction.

4. The hole closing seal application device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a tape detector that detects the amount of movement of the seal-attached tape from when the hole closing seal attached to the seal-attached tape being transferred to the seal peeling section passes until when the next hole closing seal passes is attached to the seal-attached tape, the tape detector being attached to the seal-attached tape being transferred to the seal peeling section is attached downstream of the pressure roller; A hole closing seal applying device, characterized in that the amount of winding of said tape winding part in one go is substantially the same as the amount of movement of said seal-attached tape detected by said tape detector.

5. The hole closing seal application device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a tape storage section having a pair of left and right regulating plates and storing the tape with the seal wound in a roll shape in a gap between the regulating plates while regulating the tape with the seal in the width direction; a mounting bracket for mounting the suction pad to the first driving section; and a folded tape guide section for guiding the tape with the seal in the width direction at the seal peeling section, the folded tape guide section being provided in a number of units corresponding to an outer diameter dimension of the hole closing seal; a tape storage section, a mounting bracket, and a folded tape guide section, each of which is formed so as to be detachable from the same direction;

6. The hole closing seal application device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, One end of the main body is attached to a tip of a robot arm via a tool changer, a camera that photographs the through hole and the hole closing seal attached to the outer peripheral surface of the through hole, and an image processing unit that determines the hole position of the through hole photographed by the camera and the affixed position of the hole closing seal, a control unit of the robot corrects application position data of the suction pad on the robot arm based on position information of the through hole determined by the image processing unit, and displays an abnormality in the application of the hole sealing sticker on a display unit of the robot based on position information of the hole sealing sticker determined by the image processing unit.

7. a tape holding section which rotatably holds a tape with a seal, which is a strip-shaped release tape with hole closing seals affixed at predetermined intervals, wound in a roll; a seal peeling section which pays out the tape with a seal in a certain direction while folding it back at an acute angle to peel off a front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction from the release tape; and a tape winding section which winds up only the release tape from which the hole closing seal has been peeled off; a pad drive device including a suction pad that adsorbs the hole closing seal peeled off by the seal peeling unit and sticks it to an outer circumferential surface of a through hole opened in a body panel of a vehicle, and a drive unit that reciprocates the suction pad from a standby position, via a suction position, to a sticking position, A method for attaching a hole closing seal by attaching the hole closing seal adsorbed to the suction pad to an outer peripheral surface of the through hole, comprising: the drive unit includes a first drive unit that moves the suction pad in a vertical direction perpendicular to the suction surface, and a second drive unit that moves the first drive unit in a horizontal direction, and the second drive unit is fixed to a main body of the seal supply device; A pair of pressure rollers are attached to the main body portion to guide the seal-attached tape transferred to the seal peeling portion while pressing the tape from the front and back, a tape winding operation of the tape winding unit is stopped in a state in which the front portion of the hole closing seal in the feed direction has been peeled off from the release tape by the seal peeling unit, and then the first driving unit and the second driving unit are operated in sequence to cause the suction pad to suck the hole closing seal whose front portion in the feed direction has been peeled off by the seal peeling unit, and the hole closing seal is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the through hole; the first driving unit and the second driving unit are each formed as a thin guided cylinder having a thin cylinder case portion and a movable portion that advances and retreats together with a guide rod relative to the cylinder case portion, The cylinder case parts are arranged so that the thicknesses of the case front surface and the case back surface are substantially the same and the case front surface and the case back surface of the cylinder case parts are substantially on the same plane, A method for applying a hole closing seal, characterized in that the movable part of the second drive unit is connected to the rear case of the cylinder case part of the first drive unit via a connecting bracket having an approximately L-shaped cross section.

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