Hopper for cleaning paint sprayer

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hopper for washing a coating machine, the hopper being capable of reliably separating air from other components in waste paint and discharging only the air without leakage of waste liquid to the outside. A hopper 21 for washing a coating machine according to the present invention includes a cylindrical body 46 that has an opening 46c at an upper end thereof and an upper lid 24 that covers the opening 46c. The upper lid 24 has an insertion hole 22 through which a rotary atomizing head 30 that is rotatably provided in a coating machine 4 can be inserted into the cylindrical body 46. The hopper 21 further includes a tank-like member 23 outside the cylindrical body 46. The tank-like member 23 has: a cylindrical outer wall portion 41 in which an exhaust hole 43 is formed at an upper section thereof; and a bottom portion 42 an inner surface of which is curved inward. A baffle plate 44 for restricting crawling up of waste paint ejected from the rotary atomizing head 30 is made to protrude from a lower inner surface of the outer wall portion 41 all around the inner surface. Selected drawing: FIG. 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sprayer cleaning hopper used when cleaning the rotary atomizing head of a sprayer. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, painting robots are primarily used to paint automobile bodies and other objects. These painting robots are installed in a painting booth and are equipped with an arm that bends, stretches, and rotates when painting an object, and a paint sprayer attached to the end of the arm. The paint sprayer is equipped with a bell-shaped rotary atomizing head. In addition to painting the object, the painting robot also sprays excess paint (waste paint) generated during color changes into a waste paint collection container.

[0003] One such waste paint collection container proposed in the past is a sprayer cleaning hopper 151 shown in FIG. 5. This sprayer cleaning hopper 151 includes a cylindrical hopper body 153 having an opening 152 at its upper end, and a top lid 154 that covers the opening 152. The top lid 154 is provided with an insertion hole 155. A rotary atomizing head 156 is inserted into the hopper body 153 through the insertion hole 155, and in this state, the waste paint is discharged while a cleaning liquid is sprayed thereon to perform cleaning. This allows the waste paint and cleaning liquid to be collected as waste liquid into the hopper 151. Similar types of sprayer cleaning hoppers are also disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-334574 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-34635 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The conventional sprayer cleaning hopper 151 is an open-type hopper with an air vent opening 157 formed at the bottom end of the hopper body 153. As a result, the structure of the hopper causes waste liquid to leak out through the opening 157, resulting in a waste liquid recovery rate of approximately 70%. In Figure 5, the flow of recoverable waste liquid is indicated by dashed arrow A1, while the flow of unrecoverable waste liquid is indicated by dashed arrow A2.

[0006] Recently, dry paint booths that do not use water are becoming the norm. This means that there is a demand for eliminating waste liquid leakage outside the hopper and eliminating uncollected waste liquid. To address this issue, the inventors of the present application have been considering a sealed hopper structure that provides a bottom at the bottom of the hopper body and eliminates any openings. However, simply closing the opening at the bottom and providing a bottom does not reliably separate the air in the waste paint from the other components (paint particles and liquid), and thus it is impossible to eliminate waste liquid leakage to the outside. Furthermore, it has been found that problems such as the waste paint ejected from the rotary atomizing head 156 bouncing back toward the insertion hole 155 can occur.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a hopper for cleaning a coating machine that can reliably separate the air component from the other components in waste paint, prevent waste liquid from leaking to the outside, and discharge only the air component. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in Means 1 is a sprayer cleaning hopper comprising a cylindrical body having an opening at its upper end and a cleaning space inside, and an upper lid that covers the opening, wherein the upper lid has an insertion hole through which a rotary atomizing head rotatably mounted on the sprayer can be inserted into the cylindrical body, and further comprising a tank-like member on the outside of the cylindrical body, the tank-like member having a cylindrical outer wall with an exhaust hole formed at the top and a bottom with a concavely curved inner surface, and wherein a baffle plate that prevents waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head from creeping up is provided on the lower inner surface of the outer wall around the entire periphery of the inner surface to protrude.

[0009] Therefore, according to the invention described in Measure 1, the tank-shaped member has a bottom at its lower end but no opening, preventing waste liquid from leaking directly to the outside from the bottom end. When waste paint is discharged from the rotary atomizing head, it strikes the concavely curved bottom and is smoothly guided along the inner surface from the outer periphery of the bottom to the lower part of the outer wall, where it attempts to creep up along the inner surface of the outer wall. However, a protruding baffle plate on the inner surface of the lower part of the outer wall prevents the waste paint from creeping up, ensuring that the air in the waste paint is separated from the other components. As a result, only the air moves upward over the baffle plate and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust hole formed in the upper part of the outer wall. Meanwhile, the other components in the waste paint (i.e., the waste liquid) cannot move over the baffle plate and are retained at the bottom. This prevents waste liquid from leaking to the outside, allowing only the air to be discharged. This means that the rate of unrecovered waste liquid can be reduced to zero.

[0010] The invention described in Means 2 is characterized in that in Means 1, a regulating wall is provided on the back side opening edge of the insertion hole in the upper cover, protruding toward the bottom, to regulate the flow of the waste paint from the cylindrical body side toward the insertion hole side.

[0011] When waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head hits the bottom and bounces back, it may be returned to the insertion hole side and contaminate the rotary atomizing head. In this regard, according to the invention described in Means 2, the flow of waste paint from the cylindrical body side toward the insertion hole side is regulated by the regulating wall. Therefore, components other than air in the waste paint cannot reach the insertion hole side, and the rotary atomizing head is less likely to be contaminated.

[0012] The invention described in means 3 is characterized in that, in means 2, the lower end of the cylindrical body is located below the height position of the baffle plate, and a gap is provided between the cylindrical body and the baffle plate.

[0013] Therefore, according to the invention described in Means 3, the lower end of the cylindrical body is located below the height of the baffle plate, so that the waste paint does not reach the upper part of the outer wall directly, and the waste liquid is less likely to be discharged through the exhaust hole. This reliably improves the efficiency of waste liquid recovery. Furthermore, with this configuration, the baffle plate is located in the space formed by the outer wall and the cylindrical body, and a gap even narrower than that space is formed between the cylindrical body and the baffle plate. This makes it even more difficult for components in the waste paint other than air to move upward over the baffle plate, and allows only the air to move upward.

[0014] The invention described in Means 4 is characterized in that in Means 2 or 3, the downward protrusion of the regulating wall based on the back surface of the upper cover is smaller than the downward protrusion of the cylindrical body based on the back surface of the upper cover.

[0015] If there is a regulating wall that protrudes downward by a large amount near the rotary atomizing head, the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head will hit the regulating wall with great force and bounce back, which could easily soil the rotary atomizing head. In this regard, according to the invention described in Means 4, the downward protrusion of the regulating wall is smaller than the downward protrusion of the cylindrical body, so the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head is less likely to hit the regulating wall directly. As a result, the waste paint is prevented from bouncing back, and the rotary atomizing head is less likely to be soiled.

[0016] The invention described in Means 5 is characterized in that, in any one of Means 1 to 4, it comprises a first part including the upper lid, a second part including an upper cylindrical member constituting the cylindrical body, a third part including a lower cylindrical member constituting the cylindrical body and connected to the lower end side of the upper cylindrical member, and a fourth part including the tank-like member having the outer wall portion, the bottom portion, and the baffle plate, and the parts are assembled in a disassemblable manner.

[0017] The invention described in means 6 is characterized in that in means 5, a fifth part including a filter member placed in a drainage passage provided in the center of the bottom is further provided, and the parts are assembled in a disassemblable manner.

[0018] Therefore, according to the inventions described in means 5 and 6, the constituent members of the sprayer cleaning hopper can be disassembled into a plurality of parts, so that each constituent member can be easily cleaned, improving maintainability.

[0019] The invention described in means 7 is characterized in that in means 6, the top cover of the first part and the upper flange portion of the second part are arranged on top of each other and are screwed together, and the lower flange portion of the second part, the flange portion of the third part, and the flange portion of the fourth part are arranged on top of each other and are screwed together.

[0020] Therefore, according to the invention described in means 7, the first part and the second part can be easily separated by loosening and removing the screws that secure the top cover and the upper flange portion of the second part. Also, the second, third, and fourth parts can be easily separated by loosening and removing the screws that secure the lower flange portion of the second part, the flange portion of the third part, and the flange portion of the fourth part. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] As described above in detail, according to the inventions described in claims 1 to 7, it is possible to provide a hopper for cleaning a coating machine that can reliably separate the air component from other components in waste paint, prevent waste liquid from leaking to the outside, and discharge only the air component. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which a sprayer cleaning hopper according to a first embodiment of the present invention is used; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a hopper for cleaning a coater according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a hopper for cleaning a coater according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a sprayer cleaning hopper according to a second embodiment is disassembled. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional hopper for cleaning a coating machine. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0023] [First embodiment] A sealed type hopper 21 for cleaning a coater according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1 , the sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment constitutes part of a sprayer cleaning mechanism for cleaning a sprayer 4 attached to a painting robot 3. The painting robot 3 is an articulated robot used to paint a workpiece (not shown), such as an automobile body. The painting robot 3 includes an arm 2 that bends, stretches, and rotates when painting the workpiece, and a sprayer 4 attached to the tip of the arm 2. The height and paint spray direction of the sprayer 4 are changed by bending, stretching, and rotating the arm 2. The arm 2 includes multiple motors (not shown) for moving multiple joints. These motors are driven and controlled based on control signals from a controller 9.

[0025] The sprayer 4 comprises a substantially cylindrical sprayer body 5 and a bell-shaped rotary atomizing head 6. The sprayer body 5 comprises a paint container (not shown) filled with paint, and a paint supply mechanism (not shown) that supplies the paint from the paint container to the rotary atomizing head 6. The rotary atomizing head 6 is attached to the sprayer body 5 and rotated by a motor for rotating the atomizing head provided within the sprayer body 5. When the rotary atomizing head 6 rotates, the paint supplied by the paint supply mechanism is scattered toward the outer periphery by centrifugal force and atomized. The paint supply mechanism and the motor for rotating the atomizing head are driven and controlled based on control signals from a controller 9. The front portion 7 of the rotary atomizing head 6 has a tapered surface whose outer diameter increases toward the front end.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the sprayer cleaning hopper 21 is provided separately from the sprayer 4 and near the painting robot 3. The sprayer cleaning hopper 21 has the function of collecting cleaning liquid such as water and the function of collecting waste paint blown off from the sprayer 4 during color changes. As shown in FIG. 2, the sprayer cleaning hopper 21 includes a substantially cylindrical body 46 having an opening 46c at its upper end and an internal cleaning space, and a top cover 24 that is substantially circular in top view and covers the opening 46c. The materials forming the body 46 and the top cover 24 are not limited, but in this embodiment, both are made of stainless steel.

[0027] On the other hand, the top cover 24 is attached to the cylindrical body 46 so as to cover the opening 46c. Specifically, bolts (not shown) are inserted through the outer periphery of the top cover 24 and the edge of the cylindrical body 46, and nuts (not shown) are fastened to the ends of the bolts, thereby attaching the top cover 24 to the cylindrical body 46. In other words, the top cover 24 of this embodiment is detachably attached to the cylindrical body 46. An insertion hole 22 is provided in the center of the top cover 24, allowing the rotary atomizing head 6 to be inserted into the cylindrical body 46. The insertion hole 22 is circular, and its inner diameter is set to a size that leaves a gap of 10 mm to 50 mm between the inserted rotary atomizing head 6 and the insertion hole 22. In this embodiment, the inner diameter is set to 120 mm.

[0028] A nozzle 11 for spraying cleaning liquid is fixed to the top surface of the upper cover 24 via a mounting bracket 12 or the like. The nozzle 11 is located near the open edge of the insertion hole 22 on the outside of the sprayer cleaning hopper 21. As shown in FIG. 1 , the nozzle 11 is provided at the end of a cleaning liquid supply path 13 that supplies cleaning liquid. A cleaning liquid container 14 filled with cleaning liquid and a pump 15 that pressure-feeds the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid container 14 to the nozzle 11 are also provided on the cleaning liquid supply path 13. The pump 15 is driven based on a control signal from the controller 9 to spray cleaning liquid from the nozzle 11. The nozzle 11 is equipped with two cleaning liquid spray pipes 16 extending in the same direction. Each cleaning liquid spray pipe 16 is positioned diagonally downward with its tip facing the rear surface of the rotary atomizing head 6.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the tank-like member 23 constituting the sprayer cleaning hopper 21 has a substantially cylindrical outer wall 41 and a bottom 42 closing the lower end of the outer wall 41. The tank-like member 23 is provided to surround the outside of a cylindrical body 46. The dimensions of the outer wall 41 are not particularly limited, but may be set, for example, to an inner diameter of approximately 300 mm and a height (dimension in the axial direction) of approximately 200 mm to 400 mm. Exhaust holes 43 are formed in a plurality of locations (for example, four locations in this embodiment) in the upper region of the outer wall 41, connecting the inside and outside of the outer wall 41 and for discharging air. Duct-like cover members 40 covering the exhaust holes 43 are provided at a plurality of locations on the outside of the outer wall 41, one for each exhaust hole 43, thereby forming an exhaust port.

[0030] The entire inner surface 42a of the bottom portion 42 is gently concavely curved. The outer periphery of the inner surface 42a of the bottom portion 42 is connected so as to be continuous with the lowest part of the inner periphery of the vertically extending outer wall portion 41. As a result, a guide surface is formed that smoothly guides the discharged waste paint from the bottom portion 42 to the vertically extending outer wall portion 41. In addition, a drainage passage 49 is provided in the center, which is the lowest position of the bottom portion 42, for discharging waste liquid accumulated in the coater cleaning hopper 21 to the outside. A pump 19 is provided along this drainage passage 49.

[0031] A baffle plate 44 is provided to protrude from the entire inner periphery of the lower inner surface of the outer wall portion 41. The baffle plate 44 is a wall member that prevents the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head 30 from creeping up. The protrusion amount t3 of the baffle plate 44 from the inner surface of the outer wall portion 41 is not particularly limited as long as it can prevent the waste paint from creeping up, but in this embodiment it is set to, for example, about 5 mm to 20 mm.

[0032] A restricting wall 45 is provided on the upper cover 24 at the rear opening edge of the insertion hole 22, protruding toward the bottom 42. The restricting wall 45 is a wall for restricting the flow of waste paint from the cylindrical body 46 toward the insertion hole 22. The downward protrusion amount t1 of the restricting wall 45 from the rear surface side of the upper cover 24 is not particularly limited and can be any amount, but in this embodiment it is set to, for example, about 10 mm to 30 mm. The protrusion amount t1 of the restricting wall 45 is set to be smaller than the downward protrusion amount t2 of the cylindrical body 46, which will be described later.

[0033] The cylindrical body 46 is disposed between the outer wall portion 41 and the restricting wall 45. The cylindrical body 46 can also be understood as protruding from the back surface of the upper cover 24 downward toward the bottom portion 42. A space 47 is formed between the outer wall portion 41 and the cylindrical body 46 to guide only the air in the waste paint upward. The cylindrical body 46 has a length approximately the same as that of the outer wall portion 41, so that the lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 reaches close to the inner surface 42a of the bottom portion 42. The lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 is disposed at approximately the same height as the lowest part of the outer wall portion 41. A gap of, for example, approximately 10 mm to 50 mm is preferably formed between the lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 and the inner surface 42a of the bottom portion 42, and in this embodiment, a gap of approximately 30 mm is formed.

[0034] The baffle plate 44 is provided at a height position several tens of millimeters above the lowest part of the outer wall portion 41. Therefore, the lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 is located below the height position of the baffle plate 44. A gap 48 is provided between the cylindrical body 46 and the baffle plate 44.

[0035] Next, the cleaning operation of the sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment will be described.

[0036] First, when the coater 4 has finished painting an object and a color change is required to coat the next object, the controller 9 drives the arm 2 to move the coater 4 horizontally along the movement path. Then, when the coater 4 reaches a position above the insertion hole 22, the controller 9 drives the arm 2 to lower the coater 4. This action inserts the rotary atomizing head 6 into the coater cleaning hopper 21 via the insertion hole 22. The controller 9 then drives the coater 4 to spray paint, thereby blowing excess paint from the coater 4 into the coater cleaning hopper 21 as waste paint.

[0037] Next, the controller 9 drives the atomizing head rotation motor to rotate the rotary atomizing head 6 at, for example, 15,000 rpm. In this state, the controller 9 drives the pump 15 to supply cleaning liquid to the nozzles 11, and sprays the cleaning liquid from each cleaning liquid spray pipe 16 toward the rear surface of the rotary atomizing head 6. As a result, the paint remaining on the rear surface of the rotary atomizing head 6 is removed by the cleaning liquid. For example, the spraying of the cleaning liquid is continued for a predetermined time (slightly less than 1 second in this embodiment).

[0038] After spraying of the cleaning liquid has finished, the controller 9 stops driving the motor that rotates the atomizing head, but the rotary atomizing head 6 continues to rotate for a certain period of time due to inertial force. As a result, the cleaning liquid and waste paint adhering to the rotary atomizing head 6 are scattered to the outer periphery by centrifugal force, and the rotary atomizing head 6 dries. Therefore, when coating the next object, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid and waste paint from falling from the rotary atomizing head 6 onto the object, which would otherwise degrade the coating quality of the object.

[0039] After the cleaning operation is completed, the paint container inside the sprayer body 5 is filled with the next color paint to perform a color change. The controller 9 then drives the arm 2 to raise the sprayer 4, thereby moving the rotary atomizing head 6 out of the sprayer cleaning hopper 21. The controller 9 then drives the arm 2 to move the sprayer 4 to the coating start position. The controller 9 then drives the sprayer 4 to start coating the next object.

[0040] Therefore, according to this embodiment configured as above, the following effects can be obtained.

[0041] (1) In the closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment, the tank-like member 23 has a bottom 42 at its lower end and does not have an opening. Therefore, unlike the conventional open-type sprayer cleaning hopper 151 shown in Fig. 5, waste liquid does not leak directly to the outside from the lower end side.

[0042] (2) The closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment includes a tank-like member 23 having a cylindrical outer wall 41 with an exhaust hole 43 formed at the top and a bottom 42 with a concavely curved inner surface 42a. A baffle plate 44 is provided around the entire periphery of the lower inner surface of the outer wall 41 to prevent the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head 6 from creeping up. When the waste paint is discharged from the rotary atomizing head 6, it strikes the concavely curved bottom 42 and is smoothly guided along the inner surface 42a from the outer periphery of the bottom to the lower part of the outer wall 41. It then attempts to creep up vertically along the inner surface of the outer wall 41 (see dashed arrow A4 in FIG. 2). However, the baffle plate 44 provided on the lower inner surface of the outer wall 41 prevents the waste paint from creeping up, ensuring separation of air and other components in the waste paint. As a result, only the air, which does not contain liquid or paint particles, moves upward through the baffle plate 44 and into the space 47, and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust hole 43 formed in the upper part of the outer wall portion 41 (see dashed arrow A5 in Figure 2). On the other hand, the waste liquid containing liquid and paint particles cannot move over the baffle plate 44 and is retained at the bottom portion 42. This prevents waste liquid from leaking to the outside, and only the air is discharged. In other words, the rate of unrecovered waste liquid can be reduced to zero. Therefore, it is possible to provide a sprayer cleaning hopper 21 that can fully meet the recently emerging demand for dry systems that do not use water.

[0043] (3) In the closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment, a restricting wall 45 is provided on the upper cover 24 at the rear opening edge of the insertion hole 22, protruding downward toward the bottom 42. For example, waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head 6 may bounce off the bottom 42 or the cylindrical body 46 (see dashed arrow A3 in FIG. 2). In this case, the waste paint may be returned to the insertion hole 22 and contaminate the rotary atomizing head 6. In this regard, in this embodiment, the restricting wall 45 restricts the flow of waste paint from the cylindrical body 46 toward the insertion hole 22. This prevents components in the waste paint other than air from reaching the insertion hole 22, making the rotary atomizing head 6 less likely to become contaminated. This reduces the frequency of cleaning the rotary atomizing head 6.

[0044] (4) In the closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment, it can be understood that the cylindrical body 46 is disposed in a protruding manner on the back side of the top cover 24 between the outer wall 41 and the restricting wall 45. By providing the cylindrical body 46 in this position, the flow path of the waste paint from the rotary atomizing head 6 toward the exhaust hole 43 is interrupted midway. Therefore, the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head 6 does not reach the upper part of the outer wall 41 directly, and the waste liquid is less likely to be discharged from the exhaust hole 43. This reliably improves the efficiency of waste liquid collection.

[0045] (5) In the closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment, the lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 is located below the height of the baffle plate 44. This prevents the waste paint from directly reaching the top of the outer wall 41, making it difficult for the waste liquid to be discharged through the exhaust hole 34. This reliably improves the waste liquid recovery efficiency. Furthermore, this configuration places the baffle plate 44 in the space 47 formed between the outer wall 41 and the cylindrical body 46, forming a gap 48 between the cylindrical body 46 and the baffle plate 44 that is even narrower than the space 47. This makes it even more difficult for components other than air in the waste paint to move upward over the baffle plate 44, allowing only the air to move upward. In other words, the air in the waste paint can be more reliably separated from the other components.

[0046] (6) In the closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21 of this embodiment, the protrusion amount t1 of the restricting wall 45 relative to the back surface of the top cover 24 is smaller than the downward protrusion amount t2 of the cylindrical body 46 relative to the back surface of the top cover 24. If a restricting wall 45 with a large downward protrusion amount t1 were located close to the rotary atomizing head 6, the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head 6 would directly hit the restricting wall 45 with great force and bounce back, which could easily soil the rotary atomizing head 6. In this regard, the configuration of this embodiment makes it less likely that the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head 6 will directly hit the restricting wall 45. As a result, the waste paint is prevented from bouncing back, and the rotary atomizing head 6 is less likely to be soiled.

[0047] [Second embodiment] Next, a closed-type sprayer cleaning hopper 21A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The following description will focus on the configurations that differ from those of the first embodiment, and the same components will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, the sprayer cleaning hopper 21A of this embodiment is basically constructed by assembling five disassembled parts P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5.

[0049] The first part P1 is a part that includes the top cover 24 and is located at the top of the sprayer cleaning hopper 21A. The top cover 24 has an insertion hole 22, and a restricting wall 45 is formed on the back side of the top cover 24 so as to surround the insertion hole 22. In addition, a disk-shaped plate member 51 is supported on the back side of the top cover 24 and is arranged parallel to the top cover 24 with a space between them.

[0050] The second part P2 is a part that includes a cylindrical upper tubular member 61 that constitutes the tubular body 46, and is located below the first part P1. An upper flange portion 62 is formed at the upper end of the upper tubular member 61, and a lower flange portion 63 that protrudes more laterally than the upper flange portion 62 is formed near the lower end.

[0051] The third part P3 is a part that includes a lower cylindrical member 71 that constitutes the cylindrical body 46, and is located below the second part P2. The lower cylindrical member 71 is a cylindrical member that has approximately the same diameter as the upper cylindrical member 61, and is connected to the lower end side of the upper cylindrical member 61. A flange portion 72 is formed on the upper end side of the lower cylindrical member 71.

[0052] The fourth part P4 is a part that includes the tank-like member 23 having the outer wall portion 41, the bottom portion 42, the baffle plate 44, the cover member 40, and the drainage passage 49, and is arranged to surround the third part P3 from the outside. A flange portion 81 is formed at the upper end of the tank-like member 23, and the cover member 40 is provided on the underside of this flange portion 81.

[0053] The fifth part P5 is configured to include a filter member 91 and a support body 92 that supports the filter member 91. The filter member 91 is disposed in a drainage passage 49 provided in the center of the bottom portion 42. The support body 92 is provided in the center of the inner surface 42a of the bottom portion 42, and suspends and supports the filter member 91 located below it.

[0054] The top cover 24 of the first part P1 and the upper flange portion 62 of the second part P2 are arranged one on top of the other and are screwed together using bolts and nuts (preferably wing bolts and wing nuts), not shown. The lower flange portion 63 of the second part P2, the flange portion 72 of the third part P3, and the flange portion 81 of the fourth part P4 are arranged one on top of the other and are screwed together using bolts and nuts (preferably wing bolts and wing nuts), not shown.

[0055] In the thus configured sprayer cleaning hopper 21A of this embodiment, the first part P1 and the second part P2 can be easily separated by loosening the bolts and nuts securing the top cover 24 to the upper flange 62 of the second part P2. Furthermore, the second, third, and fourth parts P2-P4 can be easily separated by loosening the bolts and nuts securing the lower flange 63 of the second part P2, the flange 72 of the third part P3, and the flange 81 of the fourth part P4. Furthermore, the fifth part P5 can be easily separated from the fourth part P4 by pulling the filter member 91 out of the drainage passage 49 by holding the support 92. In other words, because the components of the sprayer cleaning hopper 21A can be disassembled into five parts (the first to fifth parts P1-P5), cleaning of each component is easier than in a non-disassemblable configuration. This improves maintainability. In particular, according to this embodiment, the third and fourth parts P3 and P4 are separable, allowing the baffle plate 44 to be exposed within the narrow space 47 defined by the outer wall 41 and the cylindrical body 46. This allows for easy and reliable cleaning of the area around the baffle plate 44, which is typically difficult to access. In addition, in this embodiment, bolts and nuts for fastening the first and second parts P1 and P2 (referred to as "upper fixing screws" for convenience) and bolts and nuts for fastening the second to fourth parts P2 to P4 (referred to as "lower fixing screws" for convenience) are provided separately. Therefore, for example, if cleaning is desired only for the lower region of the sprayer cleaning hopper 21A, it is not necessary to completely disassemble the entire assembly into the individual parts P1 to P5. Simply loosen and remove only the lower fixing screws while leaving the upper fixing screws fastened. This allows for cleaning of only the lower region by separating the parts P3 to P5 from the parts P1 to P2 that constitute the upper region. Therefore, the burden of disassembling and assembling for cleaning can be reduced.

[0056] The embodiment of the present invention may be modified as follows.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the cover member 40 is provided further outside the outer wall portion 41, but the cover member 40 is not an essential component in the present invention and may be omitted if unnecessary.

[0058] In the above embodiment, exhaust holes 43 are formed in four locations in the upper region of the outer wall portion 41, but the number of exhaust holes 43 may be changed. Also, exhaust holes 43 may be formed further above the position shown in Figure 2.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 is positioned below the height of the baffle plate 44, but this is not limiting. For example, the lower end 46a of the cylindrical body 46 may be positioned at the same height as or higher than the baffle plate 44.

[0060] In the above embodiment, one restriction wall 45 is provided to protrude from the opening edge of the insertion hole 22 on the back side of the upper cover 24, but this is not limited to this. For example, another restriction wall 45 may be provided to protrude and surround the restriction wall 45. In other words, the restriction wall 45 may be formed as a double wall instead of a single wall. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 4: Paint sprayer 6: Rotating atomization head 21, 21A: Hopper for cleaning the coating machine 22: Insertion hole 23: Tank-shaped member 24:Top lid 41: External wall part 42: Bottom 42a:Inside 43: Exhaust vent 44: Baffle plate 45: Regulatory barriers 46: Cylindrical body 46a: Lower end of inner wall 46c: opening 48: Gap 61: Upper cylindrical member 62: Upper flange 63: Lower flange 71: Lower cylindrical member 72: Flange part 81: Flange part 91: Filter material t1: Protrusion of the control wall t2: Protrusion amount of the inner wall P1~P5: Parts 1~5

Claims

1. A hopper for cleaning a sprayer, comprising: a cylindrical body having an opening at an upper end and a cleaning space therein; and an upper cover for covering the opening, wherein the upper cover has an insertion hole through which a rotary atomizing head rotatably provided on the sprayer can be inserted into the cylindrical body, a tank-like member having a cylindrical outer wall portion with an exhaust hole formed at an upper portion thereof and a bottom portion with a concavely curved inner surface, the tank-like member being further provided outside the cylindrical body; A baffle plate is provided on the lower inner surface of the outer wall portion around the entire periphery of the inner surface to prevent the waste paint discharged from the rotary atomizing head from creeping up. A hopper for cleaning a coating machine.

2. 2. A hopper for cleaning a sprayer as described in claim 1, wherein a regulating wall is provided on the back side opening edge of the insertion hole in the upper cover, protruding toward the bottom, for regulating the flow of the waste paint from the cylindrical body side toward the insertion hole side.

3. 3. The sprayer cleaning hopper according to claim 2, wherein a lower end of the cylindrical body is located below a height position of the baffle plate, and a gap is provided between the cylindrical body and the baffle plate.

4. 4. The hopper for cleaning a sprayer according to claim 2, wherein the downward protrusion of the regulating wall from the back surface of the upper lid is smaller than the downward protrusion of the cylindrical body from the back surface of the upper lid.

5. a first part including the top cover; a second part including an upper cylindrical member that constitutes the cylindrical body; a third part including a lower cylindrical member that constitutes the cylindrical body and is connected to a lower end side of the upper cylindrical member; a fourth part including the tank-like member having the outer wall portion, the bottom, and the baffle plate; and each of the parts is assembled in a disassemblable manner.

5. The hopper for cleaning a coating machine according to claim 1, wherein:

6. 6. The hopper for cleaning a sprayer according to claim 5, further comprising a fifth part including a filter member disposed in a drainage passage provided in a central portion of the bottom, and the parts are assembled in a disassemblable manner.

7. the upper cover of the first part and the upper flange portion of the second part are disposed one on top of the other and are fixed to each other with screws; The lower flange portion of the second part, the flange portion of the third part, and the flange portion of the fourth part are arranged one on top of the other and are fixed to each other with screws.

7. The hopper for cleaning a coating machine according to claim 6.

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