Coating material application system, control device, control method, and control program

Abstract

This coating material application system 1 is provided with: a supporting table 4 for supporting a coil spring W in a rotatable manner; a sensor 5 for measuring the position of a strand of the coil spring W; a first moving device 6 for moving the sensor 5; an application device 7; a second moving device 8 for moving the application device 7; and a control device 3. The control device 3 is provided with: a supporting table control unit 331 for rotating the supporting table 4; a sensor control unit 332 for obtaining a measurement value of the sensor 5; a first movement control unit 333 for moving the sensor 5; an application position calculation unit 334 for calculating the position of the application of the coating material to the coil spring W on the basis of the measurement value of the sensor 5; a second movement control unit 335 for moving the application device 7 to a position at which the coating material is applied to the coating position from the application device 7; and an application device control unit 336 for applying the coating material at the coating position from the application device 7.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a coating material application system, a control device, a control method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the following application method has been known as a method for applying a coating material to a coil spring (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the coating method described in Patent Document 1, the coil spring is rotated around its central axis, and the powder coating gun is moved along the central axis in synchronization with the rotation, so that the powder coating gun is always facing the wire of the coil spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-308067 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the coating method described in Patent Document 1, the powder coating gun is moved in synchronization with the rotation of the coil spring, assuming that the coil spring has the desired design shape. Therefore, if the coil spring has a large tolerance, the coating position on the coil spring by the powder coating gun may deviate from the desired position, making it impossible to apply the coating material to the coil spring with high precision.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a coating material application system, a control device, a control method, and a control program that can apply a coating material to a coil spring with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the coating material application system of the present invention includes a support base that supports a coil spring and is rotatable around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring, a sensor that measures the position of a wire of the coil spring, a first moving device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor, an application device that applies a coating material to the coil spring, a second moving device that supports the application device and moves the application device, and a control device that controls operations of the support base, the sensor, the first moving device, the application device, and the second moving device, and the control device controls the operation of the support base, the sensor, the first moving device, the application device, and the second moving device, a support table control unit that rotates the support table around a fixed axis; a sensor control unit that operates the sensor and acquires the measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control unit that operates the first moving device and moves the sensor; an application position calculation unit that calculates the application position of the coating material to the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control unit that operates the second moving device and moves the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material will be applied to the application position; and an application device control unit that operates the application device and causes the application device to apply the coating material to the application position.

[0007] In addition, in the coating material application system according to the present invention, in the above invention, the measurement position of the wire of the coil spring by the sensor and the application position are shifted by a specific angle around the specific axis.

[0008] In the coating material application system according to the present invention, the specific angle is 180°.

[0009] Furthermore, in the coating material application system according to the present invention, in the above invention, the application position calculation unit calculates, based on the measurement value of the sensor, a first position coordinate that becomes the application position when rotated around the specific axis by the specific angle, and then calculates, as the application position, a second position coordinate that is obtained by rotating the first position coordinate around the specific axis by the specific angle.

[0010] Furthermore, in the coating material application system according to the present invention, in the above invention, the application device control unit causes the application device to apply the coating material to the application position at the application timing when the support base has rotated by the specific angle around the specific axis from the timing when the sensor measures the position of the wire of the coil spring.

[0011] In addition, in the coating material application system of the present invention, in the above invention, the first moving device is a moving device that moves the sensor only along the specific axis, and the second moving device is a moving device that moves the application device only along the specific axis and an axis perpendicular to the specific axis.

[0012] In the coating material application system according to the present invention, in the above invention, the application position is a position where the wires come into contact with each other when the coil spring is compressed.

[0013] Furthermore, in the coating material application system according to the present invention, in the above invention, the sensor emits a line-shaped laser beam and receives the laser beam reflected from the wire of the coil spring, thereby measuring the profile of the portion of the wire that reflects the line-shaped laser beam.

[0014] Furthermore, the coating material application system according to the present invention, in the above invention, further comprises a surface treatment device that performs surface treatment on the coil spring, and a third moving device that supports the surface treatment device and moves the surface treatment device, and the control device further comprises a surface treatment position calculation unit that is located earlier in the rotation direction of the coil spring about the specific axis than the application position and calculates the surface treatment position where surface treatment is to be performed on the coil spring based on the measurement values ​​of the sensor, a third movement control unit that operates the third moving device and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device will perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position, and a surface treatment device control unit that operates the surface treatment device and has the surface treatment device perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position.

[0015] In addition, the control device according to the present invention includes a support base control unit that rotates a support base that supports the coil spring around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor control unit that operates a sensor that measures the position of the wire of the coil spring and acquires the measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control unit that operates a first movement device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor and moves the sensor; an application position calculation unit that calculates the application position of the coating material to the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control unit that supports a coating device that applies the coating material to the coil spring and operates a second movement device that moves the coating device and moves the coating device from the coating device to a position where the coating material is applied to the application position; and an application device control unit that operates the coating device and causes the coating device to apply the coating material to the application position.

[0016] Furthermore, the control device according to the present invention, in the above invention, further includes a surface treatment position calculation unit that calculates a surface treatment position where the surface treatment is performed on the coil spring, based on the measurement values ​​of the sensor, and is located earlier in the direction of rotation of the coil spring around the specific axis than the application position; a third movement control unit that supports the surface treatment device that performs the surface treatment of the coil spring, operates a third movement device that moves the surface treatment device, and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment is performed at the surface treatment position; and a surface treatment device control unit that operates the surface treatment device and has the surface treatment device perform the surface treatment at the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position.

[0017] Furthermore, the control method of the present invention is a control method executed by a control device of a coating material application system, and includes: a support base control step of rotating a support base that supports a coil spring around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor control step of operating a sensor that measures the position of the wire of the coil spring and obtaining the measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control step of operating a first movement device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor and moving the sensor; an application position calculation step of calculating the application position of the coating material to the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control step of operating a second movement device that supports an application device that applies the coating material to the coil spring and moves the application device, and moving the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material will be applied to the application position; and an application device control step of operating the application device and causing the application device to apply the coating material to the application position.

[0018] Furthermore, the control method according to the present invention, in the above invention, further includes a surface treatment position calculation step for calculating a surface treatment position for performing surface treatment on the coil spring, the surface treatment position being located earlier in the direction of rotation of the coil spring around the specific axis based on the measurement value of the sensor; a third movement control step for operating a third movement device that supports the surface treatment device for performing surface treatment on the coil spring and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device will perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position; and a surface treatment device control step for operating the surface treatment device and having the surface treatment device perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position.

[0019] Furthermore, the control program of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer to execute the following steps: a support base control step for rotating a support base that supports the coil spring around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor control step for operating a sensor that measures the position of the wire of the coil spring and obtaining the measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control step for operating a first movement device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor and moving the sensor; an application position calculation step for calculating the application position of the coating material to the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control step for operating a second movement device that supports an application device that applies the coating material to the coil spring and moves the application device, and moving the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material will be applied to the application position; and an application device control step for operating the application device and causing the application device to apply the coating material to the application position.

[0020] Furthermore, the control program according to the present invention further causes the computer to execute the following steps in the above invention: a surface treatment position calculation step for calculating a surface treatment position for performing surface treatment on the coil spring, the surface treatment position being located earlier in the direction of rotation of the coil spring around the specific axis than the application position, based on the measurement values ​​of the sensor; a third movement control step for operating a third movement device that supports the surface treatment device that performs surface treatment on the coil spring and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device will perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position; and a surface treatment device control step for operating the surface treatment device and having the surface treatment device perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the coating material application system, control device, control method, and control program of the present invention, it is possible to apply coating material to a coil spring with high precision. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a coating material application system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the sensor and the dispenser. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control method executed by the control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating steps S2 and S4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a coating material application system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a coating material application system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control method executed by the control device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the first and second embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. Furthermore, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

[0024] (Embodiment 1) [Overview of Coating Material Application System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a coating material application system 1 according to the first embodiment. The coating material application system 1 is a system that applies a coating material to a coil spring W (FIG. 1). In the present embodiment 1, the cross-sectional shape of the wire of the coil spring W is circular. Examples of the coating material include a thermosetting resin and a thermoplastic resin.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, this coating material application system 1 includes a coating material application device 2 and a control device 3. In the coating material application system 1, the coating material application device 2 operates under the control of the control device 3, thereby applying the coating material to a specific position (application position) of the coil spring W. Here, the application position is a portion where the wires of the coil spring W come into contact with each other when the coil spring W is compressed. In other words, by applying the coating material to the application position, contact damage between the wires of the coil spring W at the application position is mitigated.

[0026] [Configuration of Coating Material Application Device] First, the configuration of the coating material application device 2 will be described. In explaining the configuration of the coating material application device 2, the axis along the vertical direction (the up-down direction in Figure 1) is referred to as the Z axis (Figure 1), and one of the two axes perpendicular to the Z axis (the axis along the left-right direction in Figure 1) is referred to as the Y axis (Figure 1). As shown in FIG. 1, the coating material application device 2 includes a support table 4, a sensor 5, a first moving device 6, a dispenser 7, and a second moving device 8.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1, the support base 4 supports the coil spring W. Specifically, the coil spring W is placed on the support base 4 in a position where the central axis of the coil spring W follows the Z axis. The support base 4 includes a servo motor and the like, and is configured to be rotatable around a specific axis Ax (Fig. 1) that follows the central axis of the coil spring W under the control of the control device 3. In the first embodiment, the specific axis Ax is an axis parallel to the Z axis.

[0028] The sensor 5 measures the position of the wire of the coil spring W under the control of the control device 3. In the first embodiment, the sensor 5 is configured as a laser sensor. More specifically, the sensor 5 emits a laser beam in a line along the YZ plane from a direction tilted at 45° with respect to the Y-axis and the Z-axis. The sensor 5 receives the laser beam reflected from the wire of the coil spring W using an imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) to measure the profile of the arc-shaped portion of the wire that reflects the line-shaped laser beam. The sensor 5 outputs the measured value of the position of the wire of the coil spring W to the control device 3. The tilt angle of the sensor 5 with respect to the Y-axis and the Z-axis is not limited to 45° and may be other tilt angles.

[0029] The first moving device 6 supports the sensor 5 and moves the sensor 5. As shown in FIG. 1 , the first moving device 6 includes a slider 61 that supports the sensor 5, a guide rail 62 that extends along the Z axis, and a servo motor (not shown). In the first moving device 6, the slider 61 moves on the guide rail 62 along the Z axis under the control of the control device 3. That is, in the first embodiment, the first moving device 6 moves the sensor 5 only along the specific axis Ax.

[0030] The dispenser 7 corresponds to the coating device according to the present invention, and applies the coating material to the coil spring W under the control of the control device 3. Note that the coating device according to the present invention is not limited to the dispenser 7, and other coating devices may also be used.

[0031] The second moving device 8 supports the dispenser 7 and moves the dispenser 7. As shown in FIG. 1 , the second moving device 8 includes a slider 81 that supports the dispenser 7, a guide rail 82 that extends along the Y-axis, a guide rail 83 that extends along the Z-axis, a servo motor (not shown), and the like. In the second moving device 8, under the control of the control device 3, the slider 81 moves on the guide rail 82 along the Y-axis, and the guide rail 82 moves on the guide rail 83 along the Z-axis. That is, in the first embodiment, the second moving device 8 moves the dispenser 7 only along the specific axis Ax and the Y-axis.

[0032] [Regarding the positional relationship between the sensor and the dispenser] Next, the positional relationship between the sensor 5 and the dispenser 7 will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the sensor 5 and the dispenser 7. Specifically, Fig. 2 is a diagram of the sensor 5 and the dispenser 7 viewed from above along the Z axis. As shown in Figure 2, the measurement position PM of the wire position of the coil spring W by the sensor 5 and the application position PA of the coating material to the coil spring W by the dispenser 7 are offset by a specific angle around a specific axis Ax.

[0033] In the present embodiment 1, the sensor 5 emits a linear laser beam as described above and measures the profile of an arc-shaped portion of the wire of the coil spring W that reflects the linear laser beam. Therefore, the measurement position PM corresponds to the position of the arc-shaped portion. In the present embodiment 1, the specific angle is 180°. Note that the specific angle is not limited to 180° and may be another angle.

[0034] [Configuration of the control device] Next, the configuration of the control device 3 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 3. The control device 3 controls the overall operation of the coating material application device 2. The control device 3 includes an input unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33, as shown in FIG. The input unit 31 is composed of buttons, switches, a touch panel, etc. that accept user operations, and outputs a signal to the control unit 33 in response to the user operations.

[0035] The storage unit 32 stores various programs (including the control program according to the present invention) executed by the control unit 33, as well as data and the like required when the control unit 33 performs processing.

[0036] The control unit 33 is realized by a controller such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) executing various programs stored in the storage unit 32, and controls the overall operation of the coating material application system 1. Note that the control unit 33 is not limited to a CPU or an MPU, and may be configured with an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). As shown in FIG. 3 , the control unit 33 includes a support base control unit 331, a sensor control unit 332, a first movement control unit 333, a coating position calculation unit 334, a second movement control unit 335, and a coating device control unit 336. The detailed functions of the support base control unit 331, the sensor control unit 332, the first movement control unit 333, the application position calculation unit 334, the second movement control unit 335, and the application device control unit 336 will be explained in the "Control method executed by the control device" section described below.

[0037] [Control method executed by the control device] Next, a control method executed by the control device 3 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control method executed by the control device 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating steps S2 and S4. Specifically, FIG. 5 illustrates an emission area (YZ plane) of a linear laser beam emitted from the sensor 5. Note that in FIG. 5, the emission area of ​​the laser beam is represented by dots. The Y′-axis and Z′-axis illustrated in FIG. 5 are coordinate axes measured by the sensor 5 (hereinafter referred to as sensor coordinate axes). Hereinafter, the Y-axis and Z-axis will be referred to as device coordinate axes to distinguish them from the sensor coordinate axes. In the first embodiment, as described above, the sensor 5 is installed so as to emit a linear laser beam along the YZ plane from a direction tilted 45° relative to the Y-axis and Z-axis. Therefore, the Y′-axis and Z′-axis are rotated by 45° relative to the Y-axis and Z-axis, respectively, as shown in FIG. 5. Note that the Z′-axis corresponds to the direction of the laser beam output from the sensor 5.

[0038] The worker sets the coil spring W to be coated on the support base 4. Then, the worker performs a coating start operation on the input unit 31. This causes the control device 3 to execute the control method described below.

[0039] First, the support base control unit 331 rotates the support base 4 around a specific axis Ax at a specific rotation speed (step S1: support base control step). Here, data indicating the specific rotation speed is stored in the storage unit 32. Then, in step S1, the support base control unit 331 reads the data from the storage unit 32 and rotates the support base 4 at a rotation speed based on the data. Note that the data is configured so that the value of the rotation speed can be changed by a user operation on the input unit 31.

[0040] After step S1, the sensor control unit 332 operates the sensor 5 to measure the position of the wire of the coil spring W. Then, the sensor control unit 332 acquires the measurement value of the sensor 5 (step S2: sensor control step). As described above, the sensor 5 is configured to be able to measure the profile of the wire of the coil spring W. The sensor 5 outputs the following position coordinates P0' (y0', z0') and radius R as measurement values ​​(FIG. 5).

[0041] The position coordinate P0' (y0', z0') is the position coordinate on the sensor coordinate axis, and is the position coordinate of the vertex of the arc-shaped portion WA (represented by a thick line in Figure 5) in the wire of the coil spring W that reflects the linear laser light output from the sensor 5. The radius R is the radius of an imaginary circle that includes the arc-shaped portion WA.

[0042] After step S2, the first movement control unit 333 operates the first movement device 6 to move the sensor 5 along the Z axis at a specific movement speed (step S3: first movement control step). For example, the sensor 5 is positioned at a position where it can measure the position of one upper end of the wire of the coil spring W placed on the support base 4, and by executing step S3, the sensor 5 moves downward at the specific movement speed. Note that in the first embodiment, the sensor 5 is moved from above downward to apply the coating material from one upper end to the other lower end of the wire of the coil spring W, but it is also possible to move the sensor 5 from below upward to apply the coating material from the other lower end to one upper end of the wire of the coil spring W.

[0043] Here, the storage unit 32 stores data indicating the distance by which the sensor 5 is moved along the Z axis each time the support base 4 is rotated by, for example, 180°. Then, in step S3, the first movement control unit 333 reads out the data from the storage unit 32 and moves the sensor 5 at a movement speed based on the data. Note that the data is configured so that the value of the movement distance can be changed by a user operation on the input unit 31.

[0044] After step S3, the application position calculation unit 334 calculates the position coordinates P2(y, z) of the application position of the coating material on the coil spring W based on the measurement value of the sensor 5 acquired in step S2 (step S4: application position calculation step). Specifically, first, the application position calculation unit 334 calculates the position coordinate P1' (y1', z1') of the application position on the arc-shaped area WA based on the measurement value of the sensor 5 (position coordinate P0' (y0', z0') and radius R) using the following formula (1). Note that the position coordinate P1' (y1', z1') is a position coordinate on the sensor coordinate axis, and is the position coordinate with the highest coordinate value in the Z-axis direction on a virtual circle that includes the arc-shaped area WA. Also, in formula (1), θ is an angle according to the installation position of the sensor 5, and is 45° in the present embodiment 1. The same applies to the following formula (2).

[0045] (Number 1) y1´=y0´-R·sinθ z1´=z0´-(RR·cosθ) ···(1)

[0046] Next, the application position calculation unit 334 converts the position coordinate P1'(y1', z1') on the sensor coordinate axis into the position coordinate P1(y1, z1) on the device coordinate axis using the following formula (2). Note that the position coordinate P1'(y1', z1') and the position coordinate P1(y1, z1) correspond to the first position coordinate according to the present invention.

[0047] (Number 2) y1=y1´·cosθ-z1´·sinθ z1=y1´·sinθ+z1´·cosθ ···(2)

[0048] Finally, the application position calculation unit 334 calculates a position coordinate P2(y2,z2) by rotating the position coordinate P1(y1,z1) by 180° around a specific axis Ax (Z axis), and calculates the position coordinate P2(y2,z2) as the application position. The position coordinate P2(y2,z2) corresponds to the second position coordinate according to the present invention.

[0049] After step S4, the second movement control unit 335 operates the second movement device 8 to move the dispenser 7 to a position where the coating material is applied from the dispenser 7 to the application position (position coordinates P2 (y2, z2)) (step S5: second movement control step).

[0050] After step S5, the applicator control unit 336 operates the dispenser 7 at an application timing when the support base 4 has rotated 180° around a specific axis Ax from the measurement timing, and causes the dispenser 7 to apply the coating material to the application position (position coordinates P2(y2, z2)) (step S6: applicator control step). The measurement timing is the timing when the sensor 5 measured the position of the wire of the coil spring W in step S2.

[0051] After step S6, the second movement control unit 335 operates the second movement device 8 to move the dispenser 7 along the Z axis at a specific movement speed (step S7). The specific movement speed is the same as the specific movement speed of the sensor 5 in step S3.

[0052] By repeatedly performing the above steps S1 to S7, the coating material is applied to the wire of the coil spring W from one end to the other end.

[0053] According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects are achieved. In the coating material application system 1 according to the first embodiment, the control device 3 rotates the support table 4 about a specific axis Ax. The control device 3 also operates the sensor 5 to acquire a measurement value of the sensor 5. The control device 3 also operates the first moving device 6 to move the sensor 5. The control device 3 also calculates an application position of the coating material on the coil spring W based on the measurement value of the sensor 5. The control device 3 then moves the second moving device 8 to move the dispenser 7 to a position where the coating material is applied from the dispenser 7 to the application position, and operates the dispenser 7 to apply the coating material from the dispenser 7 to the application position. Therefore, even if the tolerance of the coil spring W is large, the application position on the coil spring W will not deviate from the desired position, and the coating material can be applied to the coil spring W with high precision.

[0054] Furthermore, in the coating material application system 1 according to the present embodiment 1, the measurement position of the wire of the coil spring W by the sensor 5 and the application position are offset by a specific angle of 180° around a specific axis Ax. Therefore, the sensor 5 and the dispenser 7 can be installed at positions separated from each other. Therefore, in the coating material application system 1, the sensor 5, the dispenser 7, and the coil spring W can be easily installed, and a user-friendly coating material application system 1 can be realized.

[0055] Furthermore, in the coating material application system 1 according to the first embodiment, the control device 3 calculates, based on the measurement value of the sensor 5, first position coordinates (position coordinate P1'(y1', z1') and position coordinate P1(y1, z1)) that become the application position when rotated by 180° around the specific axis Ax. The control device 3 also calculates, as the application position, second position coordinates (position coordinate P2(y2, z2)) that are obtained by rotating the first position coordinates by 180° around the specific axis Ax. The control device 3 then causes the dispenser 7 to apply the coating material to the application position at an application timing that is obtained when the support base 4 has rotated by 180° around the specific axis Ax from the measurement timing by the sensor 5. Therefore, by taking into consideration the time required to calculate the first and second position coordinates and shifting the measurement timing and the application timing, the coating material can be applied appropriately to the application position.

[0056] In the coating material application system 1 according to the first embodiment, the first moving device 6 is a moving device that moves the sensor 5 only along the Z axis, while the second moving device 8 is a moving device that moves the dispenser 7 only along both the Z axis and the Y axis. Therefore, the sensor 5 can be moved along only one axis, which is the minimum, and the dispenser 7 can be moved along only two axes, which is the minimum, so that the configuration of the coating material application system 1 can be simplified.

[0057] In addition, in the coating material application system 1 according to the first embodiment, the application position is a position where the wires come into contact with each other when the coil spring W is compressed. Therefore, by applying the coating material to the application position, contact damage between the wires of the coil spring W at the application position can be reduced.

[0058] Furthermore, in the coating material application system 1 according to the present embodiment 1, the sensor 5 emits a line-shaped laser beam and receives the laser beam reflected from the wire of the coil spring W, thereby measuring the profile of the portion of the wire that reflects the line-shaped laser beam. Therefore, the profile of the wire of the coil spring W can be easily obtained, and the application position can be calculated with higher accuracy.

[0059] (Embodiment 2) Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted or simplified. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a coating material application system 1 according to embodiment 2. Specifically, Fig. 6 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 3. In the coating material application system 1 of this embodiment 2, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, a surface treatment device 9 and a third moving device 10 are added to the coating material application system 1 described in the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0060] The surface treatment device 9 performs surface treatment on the coil spring W under the control of the control device 3. In the second embodiment, the surface treatment device 9 is configured as a plasma treatment device that performs plasma treatment (surface treatment) on the coil spring W. Note that the surface treatment performed by the surface treatment device 9 is not limited to plasma treatment, and blast treatment, primer treatment, etc. may also be adopted.

[0061] Here, the surface treatment position PT, where the surface treatment is performed on the coil spring W by the surface treatment device 9, is offset by a specific angle around a specific axis Ax with respect to the measurement position PM, as shown in FIG. 6 . Similarly, the surface treatment position PT is offset by a specific angle around the specific axis Ax with respect to the application position PA. In the second embodiment, the surface treatment position PT is offset by 90° around the specific axis Ax with respect to the measurement position PM and the application position PA. More specifically, the surface treatment position PT is offset by 90° toward the front side in the rotation direction of the coil spring W (support base 4) around the specific axis Ax with respect to the application position PA. In other words, the surface treatment position PT is offset by 90° toward the rear side in the rotation direction of the coil spring W (support base 4) around the specific axis Ax with respect to the measurement position PM. Note that the above angle is not limited to 90° and may be other angles.

[0062] The third moving device 10 supports the surface processing device 9 and moves the surface processing device 9. As shown in FIG. 6 , the third moving device 10 includes a slider 101 that supports the surface processing device 9, a guide rail 102 that extends along the X-axis that is perpendicular to the Z-axis and the Y-axis, a guide rail 103 that extends along the Z-axis, and a servo motor (not shown). Under the control of the control device 3, the third moving device 10 moves the slider 101 on the guide rail 102 along the X-axis, and the guide rail 102 on the guide rail 103 along the Z-axis. That is, in the second embodiment, the third moving device 10 moves the surface processing device 9 only along the specific axis Ax and the X-axis.

[0063] In addition, in the coating material application system 1 according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in response to the addition of the surface treatment device 9 and the third moving device 10, the control unit 33 is provided with the functions of a surface treatment position calculation unit 337, a third moving control unit 338, and a surface treatment device control unit 339.

[0064] Hereinafter, the control method according to the second embodiment will be described, and the detailed functions of the surface treatment position calculation unit 337, the third movement control unit 338, and the surface treatment device control unit 339 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control method executed by the control device 3. The control method according to the second embodiment differs from the control method described in the first embodiment in that steps S8 to S11 are added, as shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, steps S8 to S11 will be mainly described below.

[0065] Step S8 (surface treatment position calculation step) is executed after step S3. Specifically, in step S8, the surface treatment position calculation unit 337 calculates the position coordinate P1 (y1, z1) as described in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, and then calculates the position coordinate P3 by rotating the position coordinate P1 (y1, z1) by 90° around a specific axis Ax (Z axis), and calculates the position coordinate P3 as the surface treatment position.

[0066] After step S8, the third movement control unit 338 operates the third movement device 10 to move the surface treatment device 9 to a position where the surface treatment device 9 will perform surface treatment on the surface position (position coordinate P3) (step S9: third movement control step).

[0067] After step S9, the surface treatment device control unit 339 operates the surface treatment device 9 at a surface treatment timing when the support base 4 has rotated 90° around the specific axis Ax from the measurement timing, and causes the surface treatment device 9 to perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position (position coordinate P3) (step S10: surface treatment device control step). The measurement timing is the timing when the sensor 5 measured the position of the wire of the coil spring W in step S2.

[0068] After step S10, the third movement control unit 338 operates the third movement device 10 to move the surface treatment device 9 along the Z axis at a specific movement speed (step S11). The specific movement speed is the same as the specific movement speed of the sensor 5 in step S3. Thereafter, the control device 3 proceeds to step S4.

[0069] According to the second embodiment described above, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the following effects are achieved. In the coating material application system 1 according to the second embodiment, the surface treatment device 9 and the third moving device 10 are used to perform surface treatment on the coil spring W before applying the coating material to the application position. This can improve the adhesion of the coating material to the application position.

[0070] Furthermore, in the coating material application system 1 according to the second embodiment, the surface treatment device 9 and the third moving device 10 are provided, so that the coating material can be applied while performing the surface treatment, thereby efficiently improving the adhesion of the coating material to the application position. Note that in the first embodiment described above, a configuration may be adopted in which the surface treatment of the coil spring W is performed by a device separate from the coating material application system 1, and then the coating material is applied in the coating material application system 1.

[0071] (Other embodiments) Up to this point, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described, but the present invention should not be limited to only the above-mentioned first and second embodiments. 9 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the first and second embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. In the first and second embodiments described above, the cross-sectional shape of the wire of the coil spring W is circular, but the cross-sectional shape is not limited to this and may be other shapes, for example, rectangular. When the cross-sectional shape of the coil spring W is rectangular, the sensor 5 outputs, as measurement values, position coordinates on the sensor coordinate axis, namely, each position coordinate of a rectangular portion WR (represented by a thick line in FIG. 9 ) of the wire of the coil spring W that reflects the linear laser light output from the sensor 5. Here, in step S4, the control device 3 (application position calculation unit 334) extracts position coordinates P01′ (y01′, z01′) and P02′ (y02′, z02′) of two edges on the rectangular portion WR that have high coordinate values ​​in the Z-axis direction based on the measurement values ​​of the sensor 5 ( FIG. 9 ). Then, the control device 3 calculates the midpoint between the position coordinates P01′ (y01′, z01′) and P02′ (y02′, z02′) of the two edges as position coordinate P1′ (y1′, z1′) ( FIG. 9 ). Thereafter, the control device 3 calculates the position coordinates P1(y1,z1), P2(y2,z2), and P3 from the position coordinate P1'(y1',z1') in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments described above.

[0072] In the first and second embodiments described above, the first moving device 6 moves the sensor 5 only along the Z axis, but this is not a limitation and the sensor 5 may be configured to be movable in the Y and X axes as well as the Z axis. Similarly, the second moving device 8 moves the dispenser 7 only along two axes, the Z and Y axes, but this is not a limitation and the dispenser 7 may be configured to be movable in the X axis as well as the Z and Y axes. Similarly, the third moving device 10 moves the surface treatment device 9 only along two axes, the Z and X axes, but this is not a limitation and the surface treatment device 9 may be configured to be movable in the Y axis as well as the Z and X axes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1. Coating material application system 2 Coating material application device 3. Control device 4 Support stand 5 sensors 6. First Mobile Device 7 Dispenser 8 Second Mobile Device 9. Surface Treatment Equipment 10. Third Mobile Device 31 Input section 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 61 Slider 62 Guide rail 81 Slider 82,83 Guide rail 101 Slider 102,103 Guide rail 331 Support base control unit 332 Sensor control unit 333 First movement control unit 334 Application position calculation unit 335 Second movement control unit 336 Coating device control unit 337 Surface treatment position calculation unit 338 Third Movement Control Unit 339 Surface treatment equipment control section Ax A specific axis PA application position PM measurement position PT Surface treatment position W coil spring WA Arc-shaped area

Claims

1. a support base that supports the coil spring and is rotatable around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor for measuring the position of the wire of the coil spring; a first moving device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor; an application device that applies a coating material to the coil spring; a second moving device that supports the coating device and moves the coating device; a control device that controls operations of the support table, the sensor, the first moving device, the coating device, and the second moving device, The control device a support base control unit that rotates the support base around the specific axis; a sensor control unit that operates the sensor and acquires a measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control unit that operates the first movement device to move the sensor; an application position calculation unit that calculates an application position of the coating material on the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control unit that operates the second movement device to move the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material is applied to the application position; a coating device control unit that operates the coating device and causes the coating device to apply the coating material to the application position.

2. The measurement position of the wire of the coil spring by the sensor and the application position are:

2. The coating material application system of claim 1, wherein the coating material application system is offset by a specific angle about the specific axis.

3. The specific angle is 3. The coating material application system according to claim 2, wherein the angle is 180 degrees.

4. The application position calculation unit 4. The coating material application system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a first position coordinate that becomes the application position when rotated around the specific axis by the specific angle is calculated based on the measurement value of the sensor, and then a second position coordinate obtained by rotating the first position coordinate around the specific axis by the specific angle is calculated as the application position.

5. The coating device control unit 4. The coating material application system according to claim 2, wherein the coating material is applied from the application device to the application position at an application timing when the support base has rotated by the specific angle around the specific axis from the timing when the sensor measures the position of the wire of the coil spring.

6. the first mobile device a movement device that moves the sensor only along the specific axis; the second mobile device 2. The coating material application system according to claim 1, wherein the movement device moves the application device only along the specific axis and an axis perpendicular to the specific axis.

7. The application position is The coating material application system according to claim 1 , wherein the wires contact each other when the coil spring is compressed.

8. The sensor 2. The coating material application system according to claim 1, wherein a line-shaped laser beam is emitted and the laser beam reflected from the wire of the coil spring is received, thereby measuring a profile of the portion of the wire that reflects the line-shaped laser beam.

9. a surface treatment device that performs surface treatment on the coil spring; a third moving device that supports the surface treatment device and moves the surface treatment device, The control device a surface treatment position calculation unit that calculates a surface treatment position for performing surface treatment on the coil spring, the surface treatment position being located earlier than the application position in a rotation direction of the coil spring around the specific axis, based on the measurement value of the sensor; and a third movement control unit that operates the third movement device to move the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device performs the surface treatment at the surface treatment position; 2. The coating material application system according to claim 1, further comprising a surface treatment device control unit that operates the surface treatment device and causes the surface treatment device to perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position.

10. a support base control unit that rotates a support base that supports the coil spring around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor control unit that operates a sensor that measures the position of the wire of the coil spring and acquires a measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control unit that supports the sensor and operates a first movement device that moves the sensor, thereby moving the sensor; an application position calculation unit that calculates an application position of the coating material on the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control unit that supports an application device that applies a coating material to the coil spring, operates a second movement device that moves the application device, and moves the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material is applied to the application position; a coating device control unit that operates the coating device and causes the coating device to apply the coating material to the application position.

11. a surface treatment position calculation unit that calculates a surface treatment position for performing surface treatment on the coil spring, the surface treatment position being located earlier than the application position in a rotation direction of the coil spring around the specific axis, based on the measurement value of the sensor; and a third movement control unit that supports a surface treatment device that performs surface treatment on the coil spring, operates a third movement device that moves the surface treatment device, and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device performs surface treatment at the surface treatment position; The control device according to claim 10 , further comprising a surface treatment device control unit that operates the surface treatment device and causes the surface treatment device to perform surface treatment at the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position.

12. A control method executed by a control device of a coating material application system, comprising: a support base control step of rotating a support base that supports the coil spring around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor control step of operating a sensor that measures the position of the wire of the coil spring and acquiring a measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control step of operating a first movement device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor, thereby moving the sensor; an application position calculation step of calculating an application position of a coating material on the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control step of operating a second movement device that supports an application device that applies a coating material to the coil spring and moves the application device, and moving the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material is applied to the application position; and a coating device control step of operating the coating device and causing the coating device to apply the coating material to the application position.

13. a surface treatment position calculation step of calculating a surface treatment position, which is located earlier than the application position in a rotation direction of the coil spring around the specific axis, and which performs surface treatment on the coil spring, based on the measurement value of the sensor; a third movement control step of operating a third movement device that supports a surface treatment device that performs surface treatment on the coil spring and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device performs surface treatment at the surface treatment position; The control method according to claim 12, further comprising: a surface treatment device control step of operating the surface treatment device to cause the surface treatment device to perform a surface treatment on the surface treatment location before applying the coating material to the application location.

14. a support base control step of rotating a support base that supports the coil spring around a specific axis that follows the central axis of the coil spring; a sensor control step of operating a sensor that measures the position of the wire of the coil spring and acquiring a measurement value of the sensor; a first movement control step of operating a first movement device that supports the sensor and moves the sensor, thereby moving the sensor; an application position calculation step of calculating an application position of a coating material on the coil spring based on the measurement value of the sensor; a second movement control step of operating a second movement device that supports an application device that applies a coating material to the coil spring and moves the application device, and moving the application device from the application device to a position where the coating material is applied to the application position; and a coating device control step of operating the coating device and causing the coating device to apply the coating material to the application position.

15. a surface treatment position calculation step of calculating a surface treatment position, which is located earlier than the application position in a rotation direction of the coil spring around the specific axis, and which performs surface treatment on the coil spring, based on the measurement value of the sensor; a third movement control step of operating a third movement device that supports a surface treatment device that performs surface treatment on the coil spring and moves the surface treatment device to a position where the surface treatment device performs surface treatment at the surface treatment position; 15. The control program according to claim 14, further causing the computer to execute a surface treatment device control step of operating the surface treatment device and causing the surface treatment device to perform surface treatment on the surface treatment position before applying the coating material to the application position.

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