Processing station and method for processing workpieces

Abstract

To provide an apparatus and method for treating a workpiece that provides optimal workpiece treatment, the treatment station includes a treatment chamber that is fluid injectable for workpiece treatment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of workpiece processing, particularly to cleaning and coating workpieces such as vehicle bodies or vehicle parts.

Background Art

[0002] To process a workpiece, the workpiece can be immersed in, for example, an immersion tank. In that case, the workpiece is lowered into the immersion tank, for example, and removed from the immersion tank after the processing step. In that case, the workpiece can be rotated to optimally process the workpiece even at locations that are difficult to access.

[0003] In this type of immersion processing equipment, problems can occur when trying to process workpieces of different sizes and / or shapes and / or when different processing time lengths are provided for various workpieces.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method that enable optimal workpiece processing using cost-effective and efficient components.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] This problem is solved by the apparatus and method described in the independent claims.

[0006] The apparatus is, in particular, a processing station or processing equipment for processing workpieces.

[0007] The processing station preferably has a processing container that surrounds a processing chamber for accommodating the workpiece.

[0008] Furthermore, the processing station can have a number of such processing containers.

[0009] Preferably, a fluid can be injected into the processing chamber.

[0010] The fluid is a processing fluid, for example, a cleaning fluid, particularly for degreasing workpieces. Furthermore, the fluid is a coating fluid, for example, for phosphate treatment or painting workpieces.

[0011] The processing container may have at least one access opening for loading a workpiece into the processing chamber and / or for releasing a workpiece from the processing chamber.

[0012] Preferably, the processing vessel has a closure device for selectively closing and opening at least one access opening.

[0013] The processing container may have a single access opening for introducing a workpiece into the processing chamber and for releasing the workpiece from the processing chamber.

[0014] Alternatively, the processing container may have an access opening for loading a workpiece into the processing chamber and another access opening for discharging the workpiece from the processing chamber, in which case these access openings are located particularly on opposite sides or ends or the front wall of the processing container.

[0015] Preferably, at least one access opening can be located and / or formed within one or more side walls of the processing vessel, particularly within one or more front walls of the processing vessel.

[0016] The processing vessel is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and preferably has, for example, a closed top wall, a bottom wall, two or three closed side walls and two other side walls or other side walls having at least one access opening, in which case at least one access opening is preferably completely closed by a closing device.

[0017] A closing device can be effective if it is used to fluid-tightly close at least one access opening.

[0018] To that end, the closing device has a closing member in particular, the closing member is formed to be self-locking, for example, and / or has a self-locking locking member and / or a self-locking seal.

[0019] Furthermore, in order to ensure the sealing action of the closing device, and in particular to adapt the closing member to the sealing device, at least one knee lever may be used or made available.

[0020] It may be effective if the closing device has a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the closing member of the closing device, particularly for raising the closing member to the open position and / or for lowering the closing device to the closed position.

[0021] Furthermore, the closing member can be made to be able to be lowered by a lifting device to move to the open position and / or raised to move to the closed position.

[0022] This type of closing member can be, for example, a gate, particularly a lock gate.

[0023] The closing member can, for example, be formed as a single unit and be movable as a whole. Alternatively, the closing member can be formed in several parts, in which case the parts of the closing member are preferably movable independently of each other or perform different movements in order to close or open the access opening.

[0024] Alternatively or additionally, the closing device may have a sliding mechanism to selectively move a closing member to an open or closed position, for example, by sliding it laterally.

[0025] Furthermore, the closing device can have a swinging device for swinging the closing member of the closing device, in which case the closing member can in particular swing about at least an approximately horizontal swinging axis. Alternatively thereto, the closing member can be made to swing about at least an approximately vertical swinging axis.

[0026] It can be effective if one or more closing members, in particular at least one flap member, have or form one or more conveying members of the conveying device, in particular one or more guiding members of the guiding device of the conveying device. In particular, one or more roller members of a conveying device formed as a roller lane conveyor can be arranged on one or more closing members.

[0027] It can be effective if one or more closing members of the closing device form part of the conveying device or support or accommodate part of the conveying device.

[0028] The closing device preferably has a closing drive for automatically moving the closing member of the closing device, in particular for automatically moving the closing member to an open position and / or a closed position.

[0029] The closing drive can act on the closing member, for example, electrically or pneumatically or hydraulically to selectively move it to an open position or a closed position. In that case, for example, one or more electric motors and / or spindle gears and / or feed chains and / or cable winches can be provided to move the closing member.

[0030] Furthermore, gravity can be utilized to move the closing member, for example, by mechanically coupling two closing members, in which case one closing member is lowered, thereby raising the other closing member or at least simplifying its raising.

[0031] It can be effective if the processing station has a fluid tank for containing a fluid, in particular a processing fluid.

[0032] Preferably, this fluid can be introduced into the processing chamber from a fluid tank using a fluid guide.

[0033] To discharge the fluid from the processing chamber, it can preferably be guided back into the fluid tank using a fluid guide.

[0034] In that case, a direct connection can be provided between the processing chamber and the fluid tank for both fluid injection and discharge. Alternatively, one or more intermediate stations or other flow-through devices can be provided.

[0035] The processing station preferably has a transfer device for transferring workpieces, in particular for loading workpieces into and / or discharging workpieces from the processing chamber and / or transferring workpieces from one processing station to the next.

[0036] The transfer device may be effective if it has one or more roller lane conveyors, lift conveyors, slide conveyors and / or shelf operating devices for transferring and / or moving workpieces, in particular for loading workpieces into and / or discharging workpieces from the processing chamber and / or transferring workpieces from one processing station to the next.

[0037] Alternatively or supplementally, the transfer device may have one or more unmanned transfer systems for transferring and / or moving workpieces, in particular for loading workpieces into and / or discharging workpieces from the processing chamber and / or transferring workpieces from one processing station to the next.

[0038] In embodiments of the present invention, the transfer device may have a plurality of transfer device sections having different transfer technologies with respect to the drive device and / or with respect to the storage and guidance of the workpiece, in which case the workpiece can preferably be transferred by a first transfer device section into an area in front of the processing container of the processing station, and in which case the workpiece can be loaded into the processing chamber of the processing station by a different second transfer device section.

[0039] For example, one or more roller lane conveyors can be provided outside the processing chamber for transporting workpieces, and workpieces can be slid into and / or slid out of the processing chamber using one or more slide conveyors.

[0040] It may be effective if one or more workpieces are placed on a workpiece support. The workpiece support is a skid, in particular, for housing a workpiece, preferably formed as a vehicle body.

[0041] In that case, the transfer and / or movement of the workpiece is preferably carried out in common by the workpiece support, so the expression "transfer of workpiece" or "movement of workpiece" can also be considered as transferring or moving at least one workpiece support together with at least one workpiece placed on it.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present invention, the workpiece can be placed on or fixed to the workpiece support throughout the entire processing unit of the processing equipment.

[0043] Alternatively, the workpiece can be transported through the entire processing unit of the processing facility without a workpiece support. In this case, the workpiece can be transferred to, placed on, and / or secured to a fixed workpiece housing, particularly one provided for this purpose within the processing chamber.

[0044] The workpiece is preferably movable along a horizontal plane by a transfer device, and in particular is capable of being introduced into and / or released from the processing chamber.

[0045] In particular, the workpiece can be moved at the same height as the floor by a transfer device, and can be loaded into and / or discharged from the processing chamber.

[0046] It may be effective if the transfer device has one or more drive units for moving the workpiece, in which case the drive units, in particular the entire drive unit of the transfer device, are preferably located outside the processing chamber, at least while the processing step (workpiece processing) is being carried out.

[0047] It may be effective if the transfer device has a guide device that supports and accommodates the load of the workpiece, in which case the guide device extends from outside the processing chamber into the processing chamber, particularly through at least one access opening.

[0048] In that case, the guide device is preferably located at least partially inside the processing chamber, even when the processing step (workpiece processing) is being carried out.

[0049] Furthermore, the transfer device may have a guide device for supporting and accommodating the load of the workpiece, in which case the guide device has at least one guide section located outside the processing chamber and at least one guide section located inside the processing chamber, in which case the workpiece can be transferred through an access opening, particularly by driving the workpiece with one or more drive units, from the guide section located outside the processing chamber to the guide section located inside the processing chamber.

[0050] The drive unit can be, for example, a sliding device, a gripping device, or a roller device.

[0051] Preferably, the workpiece can be discharged (removed) from the processing chamber by the same or a different drive unit after the processing step is completed.

[0052] In embodiments of the present invention, the transfer device may have one or more drive units that act from outside the processing chamber to the guide section of the transfer device. The drive units may be, or may have, electric motors, for example.

[0053] One or more drive units are preferably coupled purely mechanically to the guide section. In particular, a coupling device can form a mechanical connection between one or more drive units and the guide section of the transfer device. In this case, one or more drive units located outside the processing chamber can drive, preferably linearly, the workpiece guided on the guide section inside the processing chamber.

[0054] It may be effective if one or more drive units are positioned above the maximum filling level or maximum filling height of the processing chamber and / or outside the side walls of the processing vessel surrounding the processing chamber.

[0055] Preferably, one or more drive units are located in the terminal region of the processing vessel, opposite the access opening of the processing vessel, and / or in the region of the side wall of the processing vessel near the ceiling.

[0056] The coupling device is preferably guided at the height of one or more drive units, preferably through the side wall. The insertion opening for inserting the coupling device is preferably located and / or formed above the maximum filling level or maximum filling height of the processing chamber. The coupling member of the coupling device, guided through the side wall, is preferably a rotating shaft or coupling shaft.

[0057] The rotating shaft or coupling shaft is preferably coupled to another rotating shaft or coupling shaft by a tension member, particularly by a belt and / or chain, such as a duplex chain, and is located within the area of ​​the guide section and ultimately acts directly or indirectly on the workpiece to move it.

[0058] Alternatively or supplementarily, in an embodiment of the present invention, the processing station has one or more sensor devices that enable detection of the state and / or position inside the processing chamber from outside the processing chamber. For example, the sensor devices can be used to determine or monitor the correct position of a workpiece inside the processing chamber.

[0059] One or more sensor devices preferably have one or more sensor elements located outside the processing chamber, and these sensor elements are preferably purely mechanically coupled to one or more encoder elements inside the processing chamber. In particular, a coupling device can form a mechanical coupling between one or more sensor elements and one or more encoder elements. In this case, one or more sensor elements located outside the processing chamber can be used to detect, preferably determine the position of, or monitor a workpiece located inside the processing chamber.

[0060] It may be effective if one or more sensor elements are positioned above the maximum filling level or maximum filling height of the processing chamber and / or outside the side walls of the processing vessel surrounding the processing chamber.

[0061] Preferably, one or more sensor elements are arranged in the region near the ceiling of the side wall of the processing container.

[0062] The coupling device is preferably guided through the side wall at the height of one or more sensor elements. In this case, the insertion opening for inserting the coupling device is preferably located and / or formed above the maximum level or maximum height of the processing chamber. The coupling member of the coupling device, guided through the side wall, is preferably a pivot shaft or coupling shaft.

[0063] The rotating shaft or coupling shaft is coupled to another rotating shaft or coupling shaft, preferably by a tension member or a pressing member, particularly by a coupling rod, and is coupled to an encoder element, for example, located within the bottom region and / or within the region of the guide section. Operation of the encoder element, for example by rotation of the encoder element, can preferably cause rotation of another rotating shaft or coupling shaft, thereby causing, for example, vertical sliding of the coupling rod and thereby rotation of the (upper) rotating shaft or coupling shaft, in which case the (upper) rotating shaft or coupling shaft leading out of the processing chamber ultimately performs or causes movement, which can be detected by at least one sensor element. Thus, by purely mechanical operation of the coupling device, one or more sensor elements can detect changes in the orientation or other movement of the encoder element.

[0064] It may be effective if all bearing points that come into contact with fluid, particularly the processing fluid, during the operation of the processing station are formed as components without lubrication and / or graphite, or have only components without lubrication and / or graphite. Particularly preferably, all sliding bearings and / or rolling bearings are formed without lubrication and / or graphite.

[0065] In embodiments of the present invention, all bearing locations that come into contact with fluid, particularly the working fluid, during the operation of the processing station can be formed as bronze-sintered bushings and / or as plastic members, or may have bronze-sintered bushings and / or plastic members.

[0066] Preferably, all components that come into contact with the fluid, particularly the processing fluid, during the operation of the processing station are designed to withstand or remain in contact with the fluid permanently, for example, by selecting a special rust-resistant steel, particularly V4A, as the material.

[0067] Preferably, no electrical components are located inside the processing chamber, particularly inside the internal section of the processing container.

[0068] It may be effective if the transfer device for moving workpieces is formed in an exposed manner and / or if cover members that at least partially cover the components of the transfer device within the processing chamber are omitted. This allows for easy flow through and / or cleaning of the transfer device. Furthermore, this optimizes accessibility.

[0069] The transfer device preferably includes a restraining device for confining the workpiece within a processing position inside the processing chamber.

[0070] The restraint device can block the movement of the workpiece, particularly along the direction of gravity.

[0071] By using this type of restraint device, it is possible to preferably avoid the workpiece floating, moving, or being lifted when fluid is injected into the processing chamber.

[0072] The restraint device may have, for example, one or more locking devices, flap members, or holding members that act directly on one or more workpieces, or on one or more workpiece supports for housing one or more workpieces.

[0073] One or more workpieces can be fixed to one or more workpiece supports, preferably outside the processing chamber and / or before being introduced into the processing chamber, in a manner that prevents them from shifting or lifting. Alternatively or supplementally, one or more workpieces can be fixed inside the processing chamber and / or together with one or more workpiece supports, particularly to each other and / or to the processing chamber.

[0074] Alternatively or supplementally, restraint can be achieved by transferring at least one workpiece or a workpiece support for housing at least one workpiece into a restraint housing formed at least partially complementary thereto, particularly when at least one workpiece and possibly the workpiece support are introduced into the processing chamber.

[0075] Furthermore, it may be effective if the transfer device has a moving mechanism to tilt and / or rotate the workpiece, particularly to temporarily change its position relative to a normal position that is at least approximately horizontal.

[0076] The horizontal normal position is the standard orientation of the workpiece, particularly during the transfer and / or processing of the workpiece. The moving device preferably enables tilting and / or rotation processes, thereby allowing for more efficient fluid drainage, particularly from the workpiece.

[0077] A processing station can be a component of processing equipment, such as painting equipment.

[0078] A processing station can be used to implement a method for processing workpieces. In this case, the method preferably comprises the following steps: The workpiece is placed into the treatment chamber of the treatment container through the access opening of the treatment container; The access opening of the processing container is closed using a closing device; Fluid is injected into the processing chamber to perform the workpiece processing.

[0079] After the workpiece processing (processing step) is performed, the fluid is preferably removed from the processing chamber, and more preferably, discharged.

[0080] Subsequently, preferably, the workpiece is removed from the processing chamber through the aforementioned access opening or another access opening.

[0081] In embodiments of the present invention, the processing station may have one or more built-in components that are positioned or can be positioned within the processing chamber to support the fluid injection process.

[0082] These types of integrated components are, in particular, components distinct from the transfer devices that move workpieces.

[0083] Preferably, these integrated components have no other technical function other than assisting the fluid injection process, or are not used for any other purpose. However, alternatively, one or more integrated components may be used to house functional components of the processing station, such as devices for distributing fluid within the processing chamber, measuring devices, or other sensor devices.

[0084] The incorporated components can support the fluid injection process, preferably with respect to the temporal progression and / or with respect to the optimization of the processing steps for handling the workpiece.

[0085] For example, it may be effective if flow is generated and / or optimized within the processing chamber by one or more integrated components and / or by one or more supply conduits and / or by one or more discharge conduits and / or by one or more pumping devices.

[0086] It may be preferable to have one or more nozzles arranged within the processing chamber for supplying and / or circulating fluid, in which case the fluid is directed particularly to areas of one or more workpieces that require additional processing and / or where gas buildup, such as air bubbles, may be formed in those areas upon injection. Using one or more nozzles, the fluid is preferably supplied in such a way that gas buildup, such as air bubbles, is pushed out.

[0087] Alternatively or supplementally, a transfer device, and / or a moving device provided additionally or alternatively to the transfer device, can be used to perform lifting and / or tilting and / or rotational movements of at least one workpiece to be processed in order to expel gas accumulation, such as bubbles.

[0088] In embodiments of the present invention, one or more integrated members can be formed as exclusion members, thereby filling the free space inside the processing chamber that would be empty and therefore filled with fluid if each integrated member were absent during the fluid injection process.

[0089] Therefore, by using one or more incorporated members formed as exclusion members, the fluid volume required to carry out the fluid injection process can be reduced by at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, for example at least about 20%, of the total fluid volume required to carry out the fluid injection process. This can further preferably reduce the length of time required to carry out the fluid injection process.

[0090] It may be effective if one or more incorporated components are adapted, or can be adapted, to the workpiece to be processed with respect to their position, and / or their function, and / or their shape.

[0091] For example, one or more exclusion members can be adapted, or at least partially or regionally, to the shape of the workpiece to be processed. In particular, one or more exclusion members can be formed to be at least partially and / or at least approximately complementary to the workpiece, so that the free space inside the processing chamber can preferably be minimized.

[0092] For example, one or more exclusion members can be formed to fit the side walls and / or bottom regions and / or front bonnet regions and / or rear bonnet regions of a workpiece formed as a vehicle body.

[0093] Furthermore, one or more integrated components can be positioned and / or movable such that they protrude into the internal space of a workpiece, or at least partially, within it, during processing of the workpiece, without particularly contacting the workpiece. For example, in a workpiece formed as a vehicle body such as a transporter or (small) bus, one or more integrated components can be inserted into the interior of each workpiece through a rear flap, thereby reducing the internal volume and the fluid volume required for the fluid injection process.

[0094] One or more removal members may have a hollow body, which is preferably fillable and / or can remain filled and / or can be discharged regardless of the fluid injection process.

[0095] In particular, one or more exclusion members are formed as hollow bodies and have one or more closable filling openings and / or one or more discharge openings.

[0096] This type of exclusion member can be made particularly lightweight and therefore easily placed within the processing chamber. Undesirable floating or other movement of the exclusion member during the fluid injection process is preferably prevented by properly fixing the exclusion member inside the processing vessel and / or by making it heavy, for example by filling it with a hollow body. To fill one or more exclusion members, a different or the same fluid can be used, for example, the fluid used to process the workpiece. Furthermore, water can be provided as the filling fluid for one or more exclusion members.

[0097] It may be effective if the inner and outer geometric arrangements of one or more exclusion members are different from each other, thereby forming, for example, a hollow chamber optimized for filling and discharge inside one or more exclusion members.

[0098] In embodiments of the present invention, the processing container may have one or more housings for fixing one or more built-in members, in particular a discarding member.

[0099] One or more integrated components, such as exclusion members, particularly those having various shapes and / or dimensional designs, have fixing sections preferably formed complementary to the housing, so that they are preferably easily fixed and / or replaceable.

[0100] One or more exclusion members can be formed to be robust.

[0101] One or more integrated members, in particular exclusion members, are preferably fixed to and / or can be fixed to the processing vessel by shape coupling and / or force coupling and / or removable.

[0102] It may be effective if one or more exclusion members are formed to be flexible, and / or shape-variable, and / or size-variable, for example, pumpable.

[0103] This allows one or more of the exclusion members to be adapted to various types of workpieces, optimizing each processing step and / or fluid injection process.

[0104] The processing station preferably has a changing device to change the shape and / or size of one or more exclusion members, in particular to reduce the free space to which fluid should be injected for the processing process inside the processing chamber.

[0105] The variable device may be, for example, a pump device, which can supply filling fluid to one or more hollow chambers inside the exclusion members to optimize the fluid injection process, in which case control and / or adjustment is performed automatically using a control device that is particularly well formed and arranged so that the amount of filling fluid supplied is selected according to the workpiece to be processed.

[0106] One or more exclusion members can fill one or more free spaces within the area of ​​the transfer device of the processing station.

[0107] Alternatively or supplementally, one or more exclusion members can fill the free space above the workpiece formed as the vehicle body, particularly above the front and / or rear of the vehicle body.

[0108] In other supplementary or alternative embodiments, one or more integrated members may be formed as support members for supporting the workpiece to be processed during the fluid injection process.

[0109] Therefore, one or more support members preferably adhere to the workpiece during the fluid injection process and preferably prevent bulging, bending, or other deformation of each workpiece. For this purpose, one or more support members are preferably movable and / or variable in shape and / or size.

[0110] In particular, one or more integrated members formed as exclusion members can be used simultaneously as support members.

[0111] To carry out the processing step and / or after the fluid has been injected into the processing chamber, one or more support members are preferably removed from the workpiece, in particular to ensure that the workpiece is completely wetted with the fluid, especially the processing fluid. To this end, one or more support members may be moved, in particular, away from the workpiece. Alternatively, or in addition to this, removal can be achieved by changing the shape and / or size of the support members.

[0112] It may be effective if one or more support members each have a support section, and these support sections are used to support the workpiece by being directly attached to it.

[0113] The support section is made of a material that avoids damage to the workpiece and / or is formed to be elastically flexible. For example, the support section may have a textile surface.

[0114] In the development of the present invention, one or more incorporated members can be formed as temperature control members for controlling the temperature of a processing vessel and / or fluid.

[0115] For this purpose, one or more of the incorporated components can be filled with, or be filled with, a heating medium or a cooling medium, and are particularly permeable to flow through them.

[0116] One or more integrated components formed as temperature control members may be effective if they have one or more ribs or other surface enlargements to optimize heat transfer.

[0117] It may be effective if one or more integrated components, formed as temperature control elements, are overflowed with fluid when the fluid is injected into the processing chamber. This also allows for the optimization of heat transfer.

[0118] In particular, to variably adapt the processing station to workpieces with differently dimensional designs, one or more integrated components can be positioned, or made configurable, within the processing chamber, temporarily or permanently, for one or more processing processes and / or fluid injection processes.

[0119] In particular, the processing station may have a set of built-in components designed to different dimensions, in which case one of the built-in components, especially one adapted to a given type of workpiece, is introduced into the processing chamber and fixed therein. When changing the type of workpiece, the built-in component is preferably replaced with one that has a different dimensional design or a different function.

[0120] One or more integrated components can be fixed in place to prevent movement within the processing chamber during the fluid injection process, the processing process, and / or fluid discharge from the processing chamber.

[0121] Alternatively, one or more integrated components can be made movable within the processing chamber, for example, during the fluid injection process, and / or can be moved into the free space to be injected within the processing chamber, and / or removed from the free space to be injected, particularly automatically, after the fluid injection process and / or processing process (processing step) has been performed.

[0122] One or more integrated components can be positioned as a closing member for closing the access opening of the processing container, or can be made to be positioned as such.

[0123] In that case, one or more of the incorporated components are movable, particularly by the movement of the closing component itself, to a position that particularly assists the fluid injection process.

[0124] One or more integrated components are preferably movable to a detached position or a supported position by a closing member.

[0125] It may be effective if one or more incorporated members are movable together with the closing member, and in particular linearly movable and / or swingable.

[0126] The processing station can be used to process workpieces, particularly vehicle bodies, for cleaning and / or coating.

[0127] For this purpose, the workpiece is placed into the processing chamber of the processing container. Subsequently, the processing chamber is injected with a fluid for processing the workpiece, and in this case, the fluid injection is supported by one or more built-in components that are located or can be located within the processing chamber.

[0128] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing station may have a fluid tank for containing a fluid. Furthermore, the processing station preferably has a fluid guide that can guide the fluid for injection into the processing chamber from the fluid tank into the processing container and / or from the processing container into the fluid tank for discharge from the processing chamber.

[0129] For this purpose, the fluid guide preferably has one or more fluid conduits, in which case preferably a fluid guide for guiding fluid from a fluid tank to a processing vessel and other fluid guides, particularly separate fluid guides, for supplying fluid from the processing vessel to the fluid tank.

[0130] It may be effective if the fluid tank is positioned above the processing vessel with respect to the direction of gravity.

[0131] In particular, gravity can be used to supply the fluid to the processing container, and in that case, a separate pump device can preferably be omitted.

[0132] In contrast, a pump system can be effective in drawing fluid back from the processing chamber into the fluid tank.

[0133] Alternatively, the processing vessel can be positioned above the fluid tank with respect to gravity. In this case, the fluid can be guided from the processing vessel into the fluid tank without the use of a pumping device, while a pumping device is preferably provided to guide the fluid from the fluid tank into the processing vessel.

[0134] The fluid guide may have a fluid conduit formed as a supply conduit, through which fluid can be supplied to the processing chamber, in which case the supply conduit preferably communicates with the inside of the processing vessel within the bottom region of the processing vessel. This can reduce or completely avoid undesirable foam formation when supplying fluid into the processing vessel.

[0135] The bottom region of the processing vessel is, in particular, the lower one-third, preferably the lower one-fifth, of the processing chamber with respect to the overall height of the processing chamber and / or the maximum filling height.

[0136] The processing vessel preferably has an inflow region, which is located particularly below the access opening of the processing vessel. The inflow region is preferably filled with fluid even when the processing vessel is discharged, and is designated for workpiece replacement.

[0137] The minimum filling height between two fluid injection processes and / or between two workpiece processing is preferably selected or selectable such that the transfer device and / or other functional components or tank components within the processing chamber always remain below the filling level. This helps to prevent dirt from drying and sticking, especially when using sticky or other adhesive processing fluids.

[0138] Furthermore, instead of avoiding contamination by media that tend to stick or solidify and adhere, or in addition to that, moisture can be maintained or cleaning can be performed within the processing vessel, particularly after the fluid injection process, and especially after the fluid discharge from the processing vessel, in the built-in members and other components within the processing chamber, particularly tank inclusions such as nozzle bars, anodes and transfer devices, and filling and discharge pipes necessary for driving the processing station. For this purpose, a liquid and / or filtrate can be used to provide a cleaning output through appropriate measures, such as a fixedly positioned nozzle bar or a variablely movable tank cleaning nozzle. For components that are not easily accessible, such as seals between the processing vessel and closure devices, a selective self-cleaning method can also be used, for example, a fluid-injectable seal with a preferably defined outlet.

[0139] Furthermore, the processing container and the components placed within it can be protected from drying out by hermetically sealing it. Additionally, the humidity within such a sealed unit can be monitored, and additional humidification can be applied if necessary. This can also be selectively provided in units that are not hermetically sealed.

[0140] Furthermore, adhesion can be resisted selectively by persistent wetting caused by the medium used, particularly the processing fluid. This can be considered especially in transfer technology components and also in pipes for filling and discharging.

[0141] The supply conduit preferably communicates within the inflow region, particularly below the fluid line in the inflow region, thereby enabling optimal fluid supply into the processing chamber.

[0142] Furthermore, the inflow region may be located and / or formed within one or more inflow containers, particularly an exhaust member, inside the processing chamber, in which case the supply conduit communicates particularly with the inside of the inflow container. The inflow region may have, for example, an outlet opening on its upper side, through which fluid for injection into the processing chamber can flow into the processing chamber.

[0143] To avoid sedimentation, the fluid can be continuously and / or regularly circulated and / or treated within the inflow area, and / or purified in particular.

[0144] A fluid guide may be effective if it has multiple supply conduits, in which case one or more of these supply conduits communicate with the inside of the processing vessel within the bottom region of the processing vessel, and / or in which case one or more of the supply conduits terminate in or within one or more nozzles or other supply openings that can direct and / or supply the fluid to the workpiece, for example, as a beam or a large wave.

[0145] The fluid-discharged state of the processing vessel is preferably a state in which one or more access openings can be opened without fluid leakage through the access openings, or without concern for such leakage. Therefore, the fluid-discharged state does not necessarily have to be a state in which each residual fluid has been removed from the processing vessel.

[0146] When a fluid is injected into the processing chamber, the medium removed from the processing chamber, particularly gases such as air, can be, for example, released into the surroundings, or treated and / or further directed to, for example, exhaust gas purification equipment and / or into a dryer for drying workpieces.

[0147] Furthermore, the removed medium can be introduced into the fluid tank.

[0148] In particular, if foam formation is expected or may be expected during the fluid injection process or filling stage, based on the method of supply and / or the selected fluid, it may be effective for the processing station to have a compensatory device to minimize or avoid foam formation. The compensatory device has, in particular, a nozzle device, such as a nozzle bar, for spraying liquid, especially filtrate. The nozzle device is located in particular within the ceiling area of ​​the processing chamber. Alternatively or supplementally, the compensatory device may have a vacuum device for drawing air from the processing chamber. Further alternative or supplementally, a chemical medium, especially an antifoaming agent, may be supplied to the fluid.

[0149] When a fluid is used that tends to contain air and requires degassing, a device for removing air can be additionally provided in the processing vessel. In addition to the possibility of vacuum suction, or alternatively or supplementarily, ultrasonic waves can be generated in the processing vessel to coalesce bubbles in batch and continuous methods, in which case the necessary equipment is, for example, integrated or can be integrated into an additional or existing circulation. Alternatively, chemical modification of the receptor and / or addition of additives to the fluid to be introduced can be performed.

[0150] A fluid guide may be more effective if it has a cleaning device for purifying the fluid.

[0151] The cleaning device is preferably located outside the processing container and / or outside the fluid tank.

[0152] Preferably, the cleaning device is located in a reflux conduit that returns the fluid to the fluid tank. Thereafter, the fluid can be purified and / or treated, preferably when refluxing and / or before each start of circulation, particularly before a new fluid injection process in one or more treatment vessels.

[0153] The processing station preferably has a control device therewith, which allows the fluid injection process within the processing chamber to be controlled and / or adjusted, in particular by controlling and / or adjusting a valve device that opens and closes a supply conduit for supplying fluid to the processing chamber.

[0154] Preferably, one or more workpiece parameters, in particular the geometric arrangement and / or size and / or position of the workpiece within the processing chamber, are taken into consideration in order to control and / or adjust the fluid injection process.

[0155] One or more workpiece parameters are passed to the control device, particularly via machine control and / or by CAD data, barcode recognition, RFID information, or other workpiece-specific datasets.

[0156] The fluid injection process is preferably controllable by a control device such that the rate of change of the fluid filling rate and / or filling state in the processing chamber during fluid injection is changed, in particular to suit the local stability differences of the workpiece and / or the area of ​​the water surface that changes along the direction of gravity.

[0157] For example, the fluid injection process can be controlled by a control device in the following way, namely, so that the fluid level in the processing chamber rises to at least approximately a constant level.

[0158] Alternatively, the fluid injection process can be controlled by a control device as follows: when the fluid level flows over a more stable region of the workpiece, the volumetric flow of the supplied fluid is increased, and when the fluid level flows over a less stable region of the workpiece, the volumetric flow of the supplied fluid is decreased.

[0159] The processing station may have, for example, one or more measuring devices that can be used to determine, for example, the volumetric flow of fluid flowing into the processing chamber and / or the filling state or filling level inside the processing chamber and / or the filling state or filling level in the fluid tank.

[0160] One or more measurements from one or more measuring devices are preferably taken into consideration to control and / or adjust the fluid injection process.

[0161] Preferably, the maximum filling height (maximum filling level) in the fluid injection process is selected according to the geometric arrangement and / or position of the workpiece. For example, if the workpiece is formed as a vehicle body, the processing chamber can always be filled with fluid such that the filling level is just above the roof of the vehicle body, for example, a maximum of about 10 cm, preferably a maximum of about 5 cm, for example, a maximum of about 3 cm above the roof.

[0162] Furthermore, using one or more measuring devices, one or more leaks can be determined, for example, by monitoring the filling state, filling level, or volume flow using one or more measuring devices. Preferably, the airtightness of one or more closure devices can be estimated from this.

[0163] In one configuration, the processing station may have a counter tank, which is positioned below the processing chamber, particularly with respect to gravity, and to which the fluid to be discharged from the processing chamber can be supplied.

[0164] In this case, the fluid can preferably be guided from the fluid tank to the processing chamber and / or from the processing chamber to the counter tank solely by the use of gravity.

[0165] For example, a pump device can be used to guide the fluid back, preferably from the counter tank to the fluid tank.

[0166] Therefore, the fluid tank is an assist tank for preparing the fluid, particularly the fluid in a state ready for the processing process. For this purpose, the fluid can be purified or treated, particularly on the transfer path between the counter tank and the fluid tank, especially using cleaning equipment.

[0167] A processing station may be more effective if it has one or more processing chambers, particularly two or more processing containers, each having its own processing chamber.

[0168] In that case, a common fluid tank can be provided to supply fluid to two or more processing chambers.

[0169] Alternatively, multiple fluid tanks can be provided, particularly for multiple fluids within the same processing chamber.

[0170] For example, the processing chamber of a processing station can be selectively injected with different fluids, particularly alternately, to carry out various processing steps in one or more workpieces located within the processing chamber.

[0171] To that end, multiple counter tanks can be provided for different fluids.

[0172] Furthermore, a single counter tank can be shared for more than two processing chambers.

[0173] In this specification and the attached claims, a tank is a general container, particularly for fluids, which may be, for example, an individual container or a plurality of containers coupled together.

[0174] The processing station may have a cleaning device for cleaning and / or purifying the processing chamber, in which case the cleaning device can be used to introduce, in particular spray, a cleaning medium into the processing chamber, and remove, in particular discharge, a cleaning medium, in particular, independently of the fluid, independent of the fluid tank, and / or independent of the counter tank.

[0175] The cleaning device may have cleaning nozzles, in particular, located within and / or directed into the processing chamber, which are used in particular to wash away the walls and / or transfer devices located within the processing chamber.

[0176] In order to process a workpiece, the processing station described above may, in particular, allow the workpiece to be placed into the processing chamber and a fluid to be injected into the processing chamber in order to process the workpiece, in which case the fluid is guided from the fluid tank into the processing container in order to be injected into the processing chamber and / or from the processing container into the fluid tank in order to be discharged from the processing chamber.

[0177] Processing stations can be used, in particular, within processing facilities.

[0178] Processing equipment is used specifically for processing workpieces.

[0179] Preferably, the processing facility has multiple processing stations for processing workpieces, particularly for purifying and / or coating vehicle bodies.

[0180] Each processing station preferably has at least one processing vessel, the processing vessel surrounding a processing chamber for containing a workpiece, in which case each processing station has a fluid tank for containing fluid, in which case the processing station preferably has a fluid guide, which can guide the fluid from the fluid tank into each processing vessel for injection into one or more processing chambers, and / or from each processing vessel into the fluid tank for discharge from the processing chambers.

[0181] When fluid is injected into one or more processing chambers, the fluid level inside the processing chamber is preferably increased by at least 10, preferably at least 50, for example, at least 100 factors.

[0182] Furthermore, when fluid is injected into one or more processing chambers, the liquid level is raised from the lowest state to at least about 50%, preferably at least about 70%, for example, at least about 90%, of the total internal space height of the processing chamber.

[0183] When discharging from one or more processing chambers, the fluid contained therein, particularly the processing fluid, is preferably removed from the processing chamber by at least about 50%, particularly at least about 80%, for example, at least about 90%.

[0184] Preferably, a fluid injection process and a fluid discharge process are carried out for each workpiece, or each group of workpieces, that is separately introduced into the processing chamber.

[0185] In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing equipment has a plurality of first processing stations for carrying out a first step and a plurality of second processing stations for carrying out a second processing step, in which case one or more first processing stations and one or more second processing stations are preferably components of a processing unit of the processing equipment, or form such a unit through which a workpiece passes for carrying out the processing step.

[0186] The processing unit has a plurality of processing stations that are sequentially arranged along the main transport direction of the transport device for transporting workpieces. Preferably, all processing steps that can be performed sequentially for workpiece processing can be carried out using the processing unit.

[0187] The processing equipment may have multiple processing units, each of which has one or more first processing stations and one or more second processing stations, and / or the processing units may form distinct processing lines of the processing equipment.

[0188] One or more first processing stations of different processing units preferably have a common fluid guide and / or a common fluid tank. Alternatively, or in addition to, one or more second processing stations of different processing units may have a common fluid guide and / or a common fluid tank.

[0189] Furthermore, instead of or in addition to that, one or more first processing stations of different processing units may have a common counter tank and / or a common cleaning device. Furthermore, instead of or in addition to that, one or more second processing stations of different processing units may have a common counter tank and / or a common cleaning device.

[0190] The fluid, particularly the first processing fluid, is first guided by the fluid guide. a) Capable of supplying to one or more processing stations of the first processing unit, particularly to one or more processing chambers of the first processing station, and thereafter, b) The second processing unit is capable of supplying to one or more processing stations, particularly one or more processing chambers of the first processing station. This may be effective. One or more intermediate storage tanks can be placed between the first processing unit and the second processing unit, and / or between two processing stations of the same processing unit or different processing units.

[0191] The fluid, particularly the second processing fluid, is first guided by the fluid guide. a) Capable of supplying to one or more processing chambers of one or more processing stations of the first processing unit, particularly of the second processing station, and subsequently b) The second processing unit is capable of supplying to one or more processing stations, particularly one or more processing chambers of the second processing station. This may be effective. One or more intermediate storage tanks can be placed between the first processing unit and the second processing unit, and / or between two processing stations of the same processing unit or different processing units.

[0192] It may be effective if the fluid can be supplied alternately to the processing chambers of different processing units by a fluid guide.

[0193] Alternatively or supplementally, the fluid can be supplied alternately to multiple processing chambers of the same processing unit by a fluid guide.

[0194] The fluid guide is preferably connected to, or has a cleaning device, so that the fluid can be purified in particular after being removed from one of the processing chambers and / or before being supplied again to another processing chamber.

[0195] The fluid is preferably purified when it is discharged from the treatment chamber and / or after it has been used once or multiple times within the fluid injection process and / or treatment step.

[0196] The total amount of fluid contained within the fluid guide is preferably up to about twice, and particularly up to about three times, the amount of fluid required to carry out individual fluid injection processes within the processing chamber.

[0197] In this case, the fluid guide preferably has all components that guide and contain the fluid, in particular one or more fluid tanks, one or more processing chambers, one or more intermediate storage tanks and / or one or more counter tanks and selectively one or more cleaning devices.

[0198] The quantity of fluid is, in particular, the mass and / or volume of the fluid, especially under normal conditions.

[0199] To carry out the cleaning operation, the fluid is preferably selectively movable into one or more components of the fluid guide, particularly pumpable and processable therein. For example, to clean at least one fluid tank, the fluid can be completely contained within one or more processing vessels and / or one or more counter tanks. Furthermore, for example, to clean one or more processing vessels, the fluid can be completely contained within one or more fluid tanks and / or one or more counter tanks. More selectively, for example, to clean one or more counter tanks, the fluid can be completely contained within one or more fluid tanks and / or one or more processing vessels.

[0200] It may be effective if multiple processing stations of a processing unit, especially all processing stations, particularly one or more or all first processing stations and one or more or all second processing stations of a processing unit, are arranged on a common plane of the processing equipment. This means that the processing chambers of the processing stations are accessible to the workpiece itself only by horizontal movement of the workpiece, without any change in level or position.

[0201] It may be preferable for the multiple processing units of a processing facility to be arranged on different planes of the processing facility.

[0202] Multiple processing stations can be arranged stacked on top of each other along the direction of gravity. In this case, the processing stations can be positioned and specifically supported and held in place on various sections or levels of the supporting structure of the processing equipment, particularly the steel structure. Furthermore, one or more processing stations can each support and accommodate the weight of one or more processing stations placed on top of them. In this case, additional support structures can be omitted. For this purpose, the processing vessel is preferably sized and designed to absorb the weight of one or more processing stations placed on top of it.

[0203] It may be effective if one or more fluid tanks or counter tanks are positioned above or between one or more processing vessels, and are particularly supported by one or more processing vessels to absorb their weight. In this case, preferably additional supporting structures for the one or more fluid tanks or counter tanks are not necessary.

[0204] Furthermore, one or more processing vessels can be placed directly on one or more fluid tanks and / or counter tanks, and one or more fluid tanks and / or counter tanks can accommodate one or more processing vessels to support their weight.

[0205] One or more processing stations of different processing units of a processing facility, which share a common fluid guide and / or are used to carry out the same processing steps, are preferably arranged to overlap each other along the direction of gravity.

[0206] Since the multiple processing units arranged on various planes of the processing equipment are preferably functionally identical, each processing unit can perform the same processing steps, thereby ultimately providing a larger processing capacity for the processing equipment compared to individual processing units.

[0207] In this case, each workpiece is associated with one of several processing units and passes only through this processing unit. In contrast, one or more fluid guides are preferably formed across processing units and are associated with multiple processing units in particular to perform the same processing step.

[0208] Processing stations arranged in a stacked fashion along the direction of gravity are connected to a common fluid guide, which can be particularly effective in that fluid can be supplied to individual processing stations one after another and is available for carrying out the fluid injection process, in which case gravity can be particularly used to guide the fluid from one processing station to other processing stations below it along the direction of gravity.

[0209] It may be effective if a common counter tank is located below all processing stations and / or a common fluid tank is located above all processing stations.

[0210] In this case, the fluid can be guided, in particular, from the fluid tank to the upper processing station, then to the lower processing station (and possibly to an intermediate processing station in between), and finally into the counter tank. From the counter tank, the fluid can preferably be pumped back into the fluid tank using a pumping device.

[0211] Processing equipment can be effective if it has multiple fluid guides to guide different processing media, in which case the fluid guides are associated with different processing stations to carry out various processing steps.

[0212] Alternatively or supplementarily, the processing equipment may have multiple fluid guides that guide different processing fluids, in which case the fluid guides are associated with the same processing station, so that one of the processing fluids can be selectively supplied to the processing station in order to selectively perform different processing steps.

[0213] In order to process the workpiece, a particular method is implemented, and in that method, the following method steps are carried out: One or more workpieces are placed into one or more processing chambers of one or more processing stations; To carry out the process, fluid is injected into one or more processing chambers; In this case, a fluid guide is used to guide the fluid for injection into one or more processing chambers from the fluid tank into each processing chamber and / or from each processing chamber into the fluid tank for discharge.

[0214] It may be effective if the fluid is drawn from the fluid tank successively, particularly with complete time staggering, and supplied to one or more processing chambers. Particularly thereafter, for example, immediately following or at a later point in time, the fluid is preferably guided back into the fluid tank after selective purification of the fluid within the cleaning device. Thus, the fluid tank and / or one or more processing chambers are preferably filled and discharged alternately.

[0215] Furthermore, it may be effective if the fluid is supplied successively, particularly with complete time staggering, to one or more processing chambers within the processing station of the first processing unit, and then, particularly subsequently, or at a later point in time, for example, after being temporarily stored in an intermediate storage tank, to one or more processing chambers within the processing station of the second processing unit.

[0216] A processing facility can be effective if it has multiple processing stations for processing workpieces, particularly for cleaning and / or coating vehicle bodies, in which case one or more processing stations preferably each have at least one processing container, the processing container surrounding a processing chamber for containing the workpiece.

[0217] The processing equipment preferably has a fluid guide, which allows for the injection and discharge of fluid into one or more processing chambers.

[0218] It may be effective if the processing equipment has a transfer device for moving workpieces, which can be used to load workpieces into or out of one or more processing chambers in a fluid-discharged state. Furthermore, the workpieces can be moved along a horizontal plane by the transfer device, and in particular, they can be loaded into and / or out of the processing chambers.

[0219] In this case, the workpiece can be introduced into the processing chamber, particularly through an access opening, or released from the processing chamber through another or the same access opening.

[0220] The processing equipment preferably has a main transfer section extending along the main transfer direction, along which workpieces can be transferred by a transfer device from one processing station to another, where preferably various processing steps are performed or can be performed at those processing stations.

[0221] The workpiece is preferably oriented laterally and can be transported along the main transport direction or along the main transport section.

[0222] Lateral orientation of a workpiece is an orientation of a workpiece in which, when the workpiece is transported along the direction of movement, particularly along the main transport direction, the main longitudinal axis of the workpiece, particularly the main longitudinal axis of the vehicle body, is oriented laterally with respect to the direction of movement, particularly the main transport direction, preferably at least approximately perpendicular.

[0223] The longitudinal orientation of a workpiece is such that, when the workpiece is moved along the direction of movement, particularly along the main transport direction, the main longitudinal axis of the workpiece, especially the main longitudinal axis of the vehicle body, is oriented at least approximately parallel to the direction of movement, particularly the main transport direction.

[0224] The workpiece can be oriented longitudinally and fed into or discharged from one or more processing chambers.

[0225] The direction of movement of the workpiece when it is introduced into the processing chamber and / or released from the processing chamber is preferably lateral to the main transport direction, and in particular at least approximately perpendicular.

[0226] In particular, the workpiece can be fed into the processing chamber in the feeding direction, in which case the feeding direction is lateral to the transfer direction of the transfer device, and in particular at least approximately perpendicular.

[0227] Preferably, the processing equipment has multiple processing stations to perform the same processing step, in which case one or more of these processing stations are located on opposite sides of the main transfer section of the transfer device.

[0228] Using a transfer device, the supplied workpieces are preferably distributed alternately to processing stations.

[0229] Furthermore, the processing equipment may have multiple processing stations to perform the same processing step, in which case two or more of these processing stations are arranged consecutively and / or side by side along the main transfer direction of the transfer device and / or on the same side with respect to the main transfer section. Using the transfer device, the workpieces can also be distributed onto the same processing station, preferably in order to make optimal use of the processing equipment.

[0230] Multiple processing stations can form a processing unit, in which case multiple of the processing unit, in particular all of the processing stations, in particular one or more or all of the first processing stations and one or more or all of the second processing stations, are arranged on a common plane of the processing equipment.

[0231] In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing equipment may have a main transfer section extending in the main transfer direction, along which a workpiece can be moved from one processing station to another by a transfer device, and in this case the main transfer section has one or more tunnel sections enclosing the main transfer section.

[0232] Preferably, one or more tunnel sections, particularly one or more tunnel sections located between two processing stations along the main transfer direction, have cleaning stations and / or washing stations and / or spray stations for supplying, for example, cleaning fluid, such as degreasing fluid. The supplied fluid can be sprayed onto the workpiece or discharged onto the workpiece in a large wave-like manner.

[0233] During the transfer of a workpiece, fluid may drip from the workpiece. Therefore, the transfer device, particularly the main transfer section, preferably has one or more capture members, which are formed, for example, as capture tanks and used to contain the fluid dripping from the workpiece.

[0234] To seal the transition area between the processing vessel and one or more capture members, and / or between the processing vessel and the tunnel section, for example, coplanar terminations and / or one or more sealing members, such as sealing sheets, sealing brushes, sealing hoods and / or one or more suction devices, may be provided.

[0235] It may be preferable for the processing station and / or processing equipment to have a blower device for blowing fluid away from the workpiece. This type of blower device can be located, for example, inside the processing vessel and / or within the tunnel section and / or in the transition area between them. For example, the blower device can be located and / or formed outside the processing vessel within the area of ​​the closure device.

[0236] The blower device has one or more air curtain devices for generating an air curtain to flow locally onto the workpiece and / or one or more nozzle devices, such as cast nozzles, for generating individual jet streams to flow locally onto the workpiece, in particular for blowing away fluid clumps.

[0237] The processing equipment preferably has two processing units arranged on a common plane of the processing equipment, in which case the main transfer sections of the transfer devices of the two processing units are oriented in opposite parallel directions to each other and / or are arranged linearly and continuously to each other.

[0238] In particular, the two processing units may have supply stations arranged opposite to each other for supplying workpieces and / or retrieval stations arranged facing each other for retrieving workpieces and / or a common retrieval station for retrieving workpieces, particularly located in the middle between the transfer sections.

[0239] Alternatively, the two processing units may have retrieval stations positioned opposite each other for retrieving workpieces and / or supply stations positioned facing each other for supplying workpieces and / or a common supply station for supplying workpieces, particularly located in the center between the main transfer sections.

[0240] It may be effective if the transfer device has one or more branching conveyors that can be used to remove the workpiece from the main transfer section and to feed it into one or more processing chambers, and / or to discharge the workpiece from one or more processing chambers and return it to the main transfer section.

[0241] In particular, in this type of processing equipment, the following steps can preferably be performed for processing workpieces, especially for cleaning and / or coating vehicle bodies: Transferring one or more workpieces using a transfer device; To carry out the processing steps, one or more workpieces are placed into the processing chamber of the processing station; Inject the fluid into the processing chamber; The fluid is removed, and the workpiece is discharged from the processing chamber using a transfer device, in which case the workpiece is introduced into and discharged from the processing chamber in a direction that is at least approximately horizontal.

[0242] Preferably, the workpiece is further transferred from one processing station to the next along the main transfer direction, and is fed into the processing chamber of the processing station in a feeding direction that extends laterally, particularly perpendicularly, to the main transfer direction.

[0243] In other forms of the processing equipment, the processing equipment may have a plurality of processing stations for processing workpieces, particularly for cleaning and / or coating vehicle bodies, in which case one or more processing stations each having at least one processing container, the processing container surrounding a processing chamber for containing the workpiece, and in which case the processing equipment has a fluid guide, therefor to selectively inject or discharge fluid into one or more of the processing chambers.

[0244] The processing equipment preferably includes a transfer device for transferring workpieces, which allows workpieces to be introduced into each processing chamber through an access opening formed as an input opening while the fluid in each processing chamber is discharged, and also allows workpieces to be discharged from each processing chamber through an access opening formed as an outlet opening while the fluid in each processing chamber is discharged, using the transfer device.

[0245] The input and discharge openings are preferably separate access openings, particularly within the opposing side walls of the processing station.

[0246] It may be effective if the workpiece is movable along a horizontal plane by a transfer device, and in particular can be introduced into and / or released from the processing chamber.

[0247] Preferably, the height of the workpiece remains at least approximately unchanged when it is introduced into the processing chamber and / or released from the processing chamber.

[0248] It may be effective if the processing equipment has a main transfer section extending in the main transfer direction, along which workpieces can be transferred from one processing station to another by a transfer device.

[0249] Furthermore, the workpiece can be oriented in its longitudinal direction and be movable along the main transport direction and / or along the main transport section.

[0250] The workpiece is preferably oriented in its longitudinal direction and is transportable through one or more processing chambers.

[0251] A transfer device may have one or more transfer stations, in which, or using such stations, a workpiece can be selectively transferred from one processing station to another processing station of the same processing unit, and / or a different processing unit, of the processing equipment, which is continuous with the main transfer device. This type of transfer station can be used, in particular, to temporarily bypass a processing station where, for example, a processing unit has failed, requires maintenance, or needs cleaning, without the need to completely deactivate the processing unit in question, by transferring a workpiece from one processing station to another.

[0252] It may be preferable for a processing facility to have multiple processing stations for performing the same processing step, in which case two or more of these processing stations are preferably arranged adjacent to each other and / or are components of a processing unit or processing line of the processing facility that extends parallel to each other.

[0253] In this case, the processing line is a processing unit in which the processing stations of the processing unit are arranged in a continuous manner along the processing direction, particularly the main transfer direction.

[0254] In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing equipment may have a main transfer section extending in a main transfer direction, along which workpieces can be transferred by a transfer device from one processing station to another, wherein the main transfer section has one or more tunnel sections enclosing the main transfer section, and in which case one or more tunnel sections, in particular one or more tunnel sections located between two processing stations along the main transfer direction, have a cleaning station and / or washing station and / or spray station.

[0255] One or more cleaning stations and / or washing stations and / or spraying stations are preferably located and / or formed in one or more transfer stations.

[0256] Mechanical gates, such as roll gates or quick-open gates, can be provided to isolate individual tunnel sections and / or one or more cleaning stations and / or washing stations and / or spraying stations.

[0257] The processing equipment has at least two processing stations for carrying out the same processing process, in which case a distribution device or a guide device is positioned in front of and / or behind these processing stations with respect to the main transfer direction of the workpiece.

[0258] Using a distribution device, workpieces supplied via a transfer device can be divided or distributed to, preferably, at least two processing stations. This allows for a common supply of workpieces in order to optimize the technical effort required for transfer.

[0259] Using a guide device, workpieces taken out from at least two processing stations can be guided together, or even transported together, which preferably reduces the technical effort required for transport.

[0260] The distribution device and / or accompanying guide device are preferably each formed as a lateral feed device.

[0261] In this type of lateral transfer device, the workpiece is transferred laterally, particularly perpendicularly, to the main transfer direction, thereby enabling further transfer parallel to the main transfer direction, particularly further transfer parallel to the main transfer section.

[0262] The processing equipment preferably includes one or more processing stations for carrying out a fluid injection process and one or more processing stations for carrying out an immersion process.

[0263] In a processing station for carrying out the fluid injection process, the workpiece is preferably left stationary, the fluid is introduced into the processing chamber, and the fluid injection process is carried out accordingly.

[0264] In contrast, within a processing station for carrying out the immersion process, the fluid is preferably substantially stationary, so the workpieces are introduced into the fluid, particularly from above, by, for example, rotating each workpiece in and out, or by lowering and raising it, and then moved out of the fluid after the processing process is completed.

[0265] One or more processing stations for carrying out the fluid injection process are each used for pre-treatment of the workpiece, particularly cleaning, degreasing, and / or phosphate treatment.

[0266] One or more processing stations for carrying out the immersion process are preferably used for coating, particularly painting, a workpiece, and for example, a cathode immersion coating in the form of a processing station for carrying out the immersion process may be provided following one or more processing stations for carrying out the fluid injection process.

[0267] In order to process the workpiece, a method having the following steps is employed: One or more workpieces are transported using a transfer device; To carry out the processing step, one or more workpieces are placed into the processing chamber of the processing station; Inject the fluid into the processing chamber; The fluid is removed, and the workpiece is discharged from the processing chamber using a transfer device; In this case, the workpiece is introduced into the processing chamber using a transfer device through an access opening formed as an input opening, while the fluid has been discharged from each processing chamber, and the workpiece is discharged from the processing chamber using a transfer device through an access opening formed as an output opening, while the fluid has been discharged from each processing chamber, and in this case, the input opening and the output opening are preferably different access openings.

[0268] The workpiece is preferably oriented longitudinally and transported from one processing station to the next along the main transport direction, and transported through the processing chamber of the processing station in the same longitudinal orientation.

[0269] It may be effective if one or more processing stations, particularly one or more processing vessels and / or fluid tanks, are formed and arranged modularly and / or separately so as to be transportable as a whole. In particular, one or more processing stations, particularly one or more processing vessels and / or fluid tanks, can be placed in or removed from the main transport section as needed, and can likewise be selectively loaded with workpieces or transferred within a processing unit row.

[0270] Other preferred features and / or advantages of the present invention are subject to the following description and drawing illustrations of the embodiments.

[0271] In the drawing: [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0272] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of the processing equipment, in which two processing units, each equipped with multiple processing stations, are arranged in a superimposed configuration. In this configuration, the workpiece is oriented laterally by a transfer device and can be transported along the main transfer direction. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the processing equipment from Figure 1 in a schematic, vertical cross-section. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the processing equipment from Figure 1 in a schematic top view. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the processing equipment of Figure 1 in a schematic, vertical cross-section. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a schematic perspective view of the processing station of the processing equipment shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is another perspective view illustrating the processing station shown in Figure 5, in which the side walls of the processing container of the processing station are omitted. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view corresponding to Figure 1 of a second embodiment of the processing equipment, in which the workpiece is oriented in its longitudinal direction and can be transported along the main feed direction. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic side view of the processing equipment shown in Figure 7. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a top view schematicly showing the processing equipment of Figure 7 from above. [Figure 10] Figure 10 schematically shows the processing equipment in Figure 7 in a vertical cross-section. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows the processing station of the processing equipment in Figure 7 as a schematic perspective view corresponding to Figure 5. [Figure 12]Figure 12 shows the processing station of the processing equipment in Figure 7 as a schematic perspective view corresponding to Figure 11, in which the side walls of the processing container of the processing station are omitted. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a schematic top view showing a third embodiment of the processing equipment, in which processing stations are provided on both sides of the main transfer section. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a schematic top view showing a fourth embodiment of the processing equipment, in which a common main transfer section or two opposite ends of two transfer sections are adjacent to a supply station for supplying workpieces, and a common extraction station for extracting workpieces is provided substantially in the center. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a schematic top view showing a fifth embodiment of the processing equipment, in which a distribution device and a device that guides the transfer device together are provided, so that the workpiece can be distributed to various processing stations and guided together to reduce the technical effort required for transfer. [Figure 16] Figure 16 shows a schematic top view of the upper side of the sixth embodiment of the processing equipment, which includes a combination of a processing station for carrying out the fluid injection process and a processing station for carrying out the immersion process. [Figure 17] Figure 17 shows an enlarged view of region XVII in Figure 16, in the form of a vertical cross-sectional view. [Figure 18] Figure 18 shows a magnified view of region XVIII in Figure 17. [Figure 19] Figure 19 shows an alternative configuration of the processing station shown in Figure 18. [Figure 20] Figure 20 shows a schematic vertical cross-section of the processing station from Figure 19, in which case the workpieces to be processed are arranged differently inside the processing chamber of the processing station. [Figure 21]FIG. 21 is a perspective view schematically showing a processing station, in which a drive unit located outside the transfer device and sensor elements located on two outer sides of the sensor device are provided. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 schematically shows an exploded perspective view of the transfer device and the sensor device of FIG. 21. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 shows an enlarged view of region XXIII in FIG. 22 as seen from a line of sight facing the inside of the processing chamber of the upper part of the drive unit and the coupling device. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 shows an enlarged view of region XXIV in FIG. 22. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 shows an enlarged view of region XXV in FIG. 22. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 shows an enlarged view of region XXVI in FIG. 22. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 shows an enlarged view of region XXVI in FIG. 22 in another line of sight direction.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0273] In all the figures, the same reference numerals are provided for the same or functionally equivalent members.

[0274] The processing equipment shown as 100 in FIGS. 1 to 6 in its entirety is used for processing a workpiece 102, for example a vehicle body 104.

[0275] The processing equipment 100 has one or more processing units 106, for example two processing units 106, through which the workpiece 102 selectively passes in order to perform a plurality of processing steps.

[0276] In the first embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a supply station 108 is provided for supplying to the processing unit 106.

[0277] In that case, the supply station 108 is a component of the transfer device 110 of the processing equipment 100.

[0278] Preferably, the supply station 108 has a distribution device 112 that distributes the workpieces 102 to the processing unit 106.

[0279] The supply station 108 is formed, for example, as a lift and is used to supply workpieces 102 to processing units 106 located on various planes of the processing equipment 100.

[0280] The processing equipment 100, in particular each processing unit 106, has one or more processing stations 114 for processing the workpiece 102, and for carrying out a fluid injection process, which should be described in more detail.

[0281] The processing stations 114 are arranged in a continuous manner along the main transfer direction 116 of the transfer device 110.

[0282] In the first embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figures 1 to 6, a main transfer section 118 of the transfer device 110 is provided, which extends along the entire processing station 114, and from there the workpieces 102 can be supplied to the individual processing stations 114.

[0283] The main transport section 118 has, in particular, one or more tunnel sections 120 that enclose at least one individual section of the main transport section 118.

[0284] Furthermore, the main transfer section 118 preferably has one or more cleaning stations 122 and / or spray stations 124 and / or washing stations 126.

[0285] The cleaning station 122, the spray station 124, and / or the washing station 126 are positioned and / or formed in front of one or more processing stations 114, between multiple processing stations 114, and / or behind one or more processing stations 114, particularly with respect to the main transport direction 116.

[0286] After processing the workpieces 102, they can be further transported using the retrieval station 128.

[0287] The retrieval station 128 forms a guide device 130 in particular to guide together the workpieces processed in the various processing units 106 and to transport them together further.

[0288] In the first embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figures 1 to 6, the workpiece 102 is transportable particularly in a lateral orientation 132, and is especially transportable in a lateral orientation 132 along the main transport direction 116.

[0289] In particular, the vehicle body 104 is preferably fed into the processing station 114 adjacent to the side of the main transfer section 118, along its longitudinal axis.

[0290] As is particularly clear from Figure 3, for example, each processing unit 106 is provided with a first processing station 114a, a second processing station 114b, a third processing station 114c, and a fourth processing station 114d.

[0291] In this case, a fluid tank 134 is preferably associated with each processing station 114a, 114b, 114c, and 114d.

[0292] Furthermore, each processing station 114a, 114b, 114c, and 114d has one or more processing containers 136 for carrying out workpiece processing.

[0293] The workpiece 102 can be processed by one or more fluids, especially those formed as liquids.

[0294] Therefore, while the workpiece 102 is being transferred, liquid may especially drip from the workpiece.

[0295] Therefore, the transfer device 110, especially the main transfer section 118, preferably has one or more catching members 138, which are formed, for example, as catching tanks and are used to contain the liquid dripping from the workpiece 102.

[0296] The catching member 138 is incorporated, especially into the fluid guide of the processing equipment 100 described below, so that the liquid caught thereby can be reused or carried out.

[0297] As is especially clear from FIG. 6, each processing station 114 has a fluid tank 134 arranged, for example, above the processing container 136, which is, for example, a liquid tank.

[0298] The fluid tank 134 and the processing container 136 are connected to each other by a fluid guide 140 or form components of the fluid guide 140.

[0299] The fluid guide 140 especially has a fluid conduit, for example a supply conduit 142, using which fluid can be introduced from the fluid tank 134 into the processing chamber 148 inside the processing container 136.

[0300] Using the valve device 144, the supply can be controlled and / or adjusted especially with respect to the volume flow.

[0301] The supply conduit 142 communicates especially in the bottom region 146 into the processing chamber 148 inside the processing container 136.

[0302] The processing container 136 especially has a closed bottom wall 150, a closed ceiling wall 152, two closed side walls 154 and a closed front wall (the other side wall) 156.

[0303] The other front wall 156, i.e., the other, and therefore fourth, side wall 154, preferably has an access opening 158.

[0304] The access opening 158 extends over, preferably at least about 60%, preferably at least about 80%, and especially at least about 50% of the total area of ​​the front wall 156.

[0305] The access opening 158 is used in particular for loading the workpiece 102 and / or for releasing the workpiece 102.

[0306] Therefore, the access opening 158 is in particular the input opening 160 and / or the discharge opening 162.

[0307] The access opening 158 can preferably be closed by a closing device 164 of the processing station 114.

[0308] The closing device 164 has a closing member 166 in particular, which can be selectively moved to an open position or a closed position by a closing drive 168.

[0309] The closing drive 168 is, for example, a lifting device 170, or has one.

[0310] In particular, the closing drive 168 has an electric motor and a spindle drive for driving the closing member 166, especially for lifting and lowering it.

[0311] This allows the closing member 166 to be moved, preferably, in front of the access opening 158, or lifted above it.

[0312] The closing member 166 specifically forms the lock gate 172 of the closing device 164.

[0313] To guide the closing member 166 and / or support the fluid pressure acting on the closing member 166 during the fluid injection process within the processing vessel 136, the processing vessel 136 is preferably provided with a guide device 174 for housing and guiding the closing member 166 in a closable manner.

[0314] The closing device 164 is preferably formed to self-lock and / or self-seal in order to ensure fluid sealing of the processing container 136.

[0315] Within the bottom region 146 of the processing container 136, in particular, a transfer device 110 or at least one section of the transfer device 110 is arranged and / or formed.

[0316] In particular, within the bottom region 146, guide devices 176 of the transfer device 110 are arranged and / or formed to support the load and accommodate the workpiece 102.

[0317] The guide device 176 can be used to accommodate a skid 180 for accommodating a workpiece 102, such as a vehicle body 104, in particular a housing device 178, and can be fed into and / or discharged from the processing chamber 148 in the input direction 182, particularly in the horizontal direction 184. The transfer device 110 preferably has only the guide device 176 inside the processing container 136. The drive components of the transfer device 110 are preferably located and / or formed outside the processing container 136.

[0318] Fluid can be supplied via a supply conduit 142 to carry out the fluid injection process within the processing vessel 136. This fluid can preferably be discharged from the processing vessel 136 using a discharge conduit 186.

[0319] In order to allow the fluid to flow completely around the workpiece 102, or to completely submerge the workpiece 102 in the fluid, the internal space (processing chamber 148) of the processing container 136 must be filled with fluid to a predetermined filling height.

[0320] To reduce the amount of fluid required for this purpose, preferably one or more built-in members 188, particularly built-in members 188 formed as exclusion members 190, are provided.

[0321] In that case, the exclusion member 190 is used, in particular, to reduce the free space within the processing chamber 148 that would otherwise be unnecessarily filled with fluid.

[0322] In this case, the removal member 190 is adapted, at least partially, to the shape of the workpiece 102 to be processed, for example, the shape facing the workpiece 102 at least approximately follows the shape of the front region of the workpiece 102 (see Figure 6).

[0323] Furthermore, within the area of ​​the transfer device 110, at least one built-in member 188, formed as an exclusion member 190, can be provided to reduce the free space within the bottom area 146.

[0324] Other built-in components 188 may include, for example, one or more support members 192.

[0325] The support member 192 can, for example, support the workpiece at least geographically to fix it in place and / or to prevent it from moving and / or deforming during the fluid injection process. Preferably, this allows for acceleration of the fluid injection into the processing chamber 148.

[0326] After the fluid is injected, each support member 192 is preferably removed from the workpiece 102 to ensure that the fluid completely wets the workpiece 102 and / or flows around it.

[0327] Furthermore, to optimize the fluid injection process, one or more exclusion members 190 can be moved before, during, and / or after the fluid injection process.

[0328] In particular, if the fluid tends to form bubbles when it flows in, the fluid can be allowed to flow into the processing chamber 148 permanently and / or below the lowest fluid level within the inflow region 194. This inflow region 194 is located specifically below the access opening 158 to avoid undesirable fluid outflow when the closure device 164 is opened.

[0329] As is particularly clear from Figure 4, the processing stations 114 of the different processing units 106 can be connected to each other by one or more common fluid guides 140.

[0330] In particular, the fluid guide 140 first guides the fluid from the fluid tank 134 of the upper processing unit 106 with respect to the direction of gravity g into the processing vessel 136 of the upper processing unit 106, and then introduces it from the processing vessel 136 into the fluid tank 134 of the lower processing unit 106 with respect to the direction of gravity g, and thus provides it for the fluid injection process in the processing vessel 136 of the lower processing unit 106.

[0331] Subsequently, the fluid can be guided, for example, into a counter tank 196 located below the lower processing unit 106, from where it is purified, for example, using a pumping device 198 and / or a cleaning device 200, before being returned to the fluid tank 134 of the upper processing unit 106.

[0332] In principle, this type of fluid guide 140 can be provided for various processing stations 114 of multiple processing units 106.

[0333] The second embodiment of the processing equipment 100, shown in Figures 7 to 12, is substantially distinguished from the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 by the fact that the workpiece 102 is transported through the processing container 136 of the processing station 114 in a longitudinal orientation 202 along the main transport direction 116.

[0334] As is particularly clear from Figures 11 and 12, the processing container 136 of the processing station 114 has access openings 158 on both sides, in which case one access opening 158 forms the input opening 160 and the other access opening 158 forms the discharge opening 162.

[0335] In that case, the workpiece 102 can be transported through the processing chamber 148, particularly in the input direction 182.

[0336] In order to carry out the fluid injection process within the processing chamber 148, two access openings 158 must be closed. For this purpose, a separate closing device 164 is associated with each access opening 158.

[0337] In the embodiments shown in Figures 7 to 12, the processing stations 114 arranged in succession form, for example, a processing line.

[0338] In that case, each processing line can be a processing unit 106, so for example, two processing units 106 can be placed on the same plane.

[0339] In that case, the fluid guide 140 can be associated with processing stations 114 on the same plane or different planes to enable optimal fluid guidance and / or fluid utilization (see Figure 10 in particular).

[0340] In other respects, the second embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figures 7 to 12 is consistent with the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 in terms of structure and function, and to that extent, the above description relating thereto can be referenced.

[0341] The third embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 13 is substantially distinguished from the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 by the fact that the processing stations 114 are located on both sides of the main transfer section 118.

[0342] Therefore, in order to process the workpiece, the transfer device 110 can selectively load the workpiece 102 into the processing chamber 148 of the processing station 114 either to the right or left of the main transfer section 118. This allows the main transfer section 118 to be made particularly short and compact.

[0343] To enable optimized supply to the main transfer section 118, the orientation of the workpiece 102 can be changed using the rotary table 204, particularly at or in front of the supply station.

[0344] In the third embodiment shown in Figure 13, the fluid guide 140 (not shown in Figure 13) is provided such that, for example, processing stations 114 that are always positioned facing each other with respect to the main transfer section 118 have a common fluid guide 114 and are therefore used to carry out the same processing steps.

[0345] The third embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 13 can form a processing unit 106, and of course, multiple processing units can be installed, especially stacked on top of each other.

[0346] In other respects, the third embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 13 is consistent with the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 in terms of structure and function, and to that extent, the above description relating thereto can be referenced.

[0347] The fourth embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 14 is substantially distinguished from the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 by the presence of a centrally located extraction station 128 with respect to the main transfer section 118, or with respect to two main transfer sections 118. Thus, the workpiece 102 is extracted from the processing unit 106 in the center and supplied accordingly to the opposite ends 206 of the main transfer section 118. For this purpose, a supply station 108 is provided at each of these ends 206.

[0348] Therefore, the workpiece 102 is supplied to each other in succession from two supply stations 108, led out by a common extraction station 128, and then transported.

[0349] In other respects, the fourth embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 14 is consistent with the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6 in terms of structure and function, and to that extent, the above-mentioned description applies.

[0350] The fifth embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 15 is substantially distinguished from the second embodiment shown in Figures 7 to 12 by having a plurality of processing stations 114 into which processing units 106 forming a processing line can be loaded in parallel to each other.

[0351] To this end, the main transfer section 118 of the transfer device 110 of the processing equipment 100 preferably has one or more distribution devices 112 to distribute the workpieces 102 supplied via the supply station 108 onto the processing stations 114 which are arranged parallel to each other.

[0352] The distribution device 112 is, in particular, the horizontal feed device 208.

[0353] Another lateral feeder 208 preferably forms a guider 130, which is located behind the processing station 114 and is used to guide the workpieces 102 together and to transport them further together. In particular, the workpieces 102 can be supplied to the washing station 126 or the spray station 124.

[0354] In that case, one or more distribution devices 112, processing stations 114 arranged parallel to each other, and / or a guide device 130 can be provided for other processing steps of the processing equipment 100.

[0355] In the fifth embodiment of the processing equipment shown in Figure 15, two processing steps of this type are provided, each consisting of processing stations 114 arranged parallel to one another.

[0356] In other respects, the fifth embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figure 15 is consistent with the second embodiment shown in Figures 7 to 12 in terms of structure and function, and to that extent, the above description relating thereto can be referenced.

[0357] The sixth embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figures 16 to 18 is distinguished from the second embodiment shown in Figures 7 to 12 by the fact that the workpiece 102 can be exchanged between two processing units 106 that are substantially located on a single plane.

[0358] To this end, the transfer device 110 of the processing unit 106 has one or more transfer stations 210, which can be used to transfer the workpiece 102 from the transfer device 110 of one processing unit 106 to the transfer device 110 of another processing unit 106.

[0359] In particular, the workpiece 102 can be transferred from the main transfer section 118 of one processing unit 106 to the main transfer section 118 of another processing unit 106 using the transfer station 210.

[0360] This allows for the isolation and bypassing of processing stations 114 that need maintenance, and / or cleaning, and / or repair, without the need to temporarily shut down the common processing unit 106.

[0361] As is particularly clear from Figure 17, in the sixth embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figures 16 to 18, in addition to workpiece processing by fluid injection, workpiece processing by immersion is also provided.

[0362] For this purpose, one or more processing containers 136 formed as immersion tanks 212 are provided, in which case the attached processing station 114 is used to carry out the immersion process.

[0363] This type of immersion tank 212 is used, in particular, for coating a workpiece 102, for example, within the frame of a cathode immersion coating.

[0364] In particular, multiple immersion tanks 212 of this type can be arranged in sequence along the main transfer direction 116, for example, after one or more processing stations 114 that perform an immersion process for pre-treating workpieces.

[0365] As is particularly clear from Figure 17, multiple fluid tanks 134 and / or multiple counter tanks 196 can be associated with the processing station 114 in order to carry out various processing steps within the same processing chamber 148.

[0366] In that case, the processing chamber 148 can be washed with different fluids, especially processing liquids, either alternately or successively.

[0367] As is particularly clear from Figure 18, instead of the closing member 166 formed as the lock gate 172, a flap member 214 can also be provided as the closing member 166.

[0368] The flap members 214 are positioned to pivot, particularly around a substantially horizontal axis, and can be moved vertically to close each access opening 158 and horizontally to open the access opening 158 (Figure 18 shows both states).

[0369] The closing member 166 can provide, for example, partial or complete coverage of the access opening 158. In the embodiment shown in Figure 18, since only partial coverage of the access opening 158 is provided, the processing station 114 shown in Figure 18 is suitable only for a partial fluid injection process.

[0370] The dimensions of the closing member 166 can be selected according to the required filling level for carrying out the workpiece processing.

[0371] At least one closing member 166, and in particular at least one flap member 214, may have, for example, one or more transfer members of the transfer device 110, and in particular one or more guide members of the guide device of the transfer device 110 (not shown in the figure). In this case, the closing member 166 is used to support the load and guide them, particularly when one or more workpieces 102 are placed beyond the closing member 166 into the processing chamber 148.

[0372] In other respects, the embodiment of the processing equipment 100 shown in Figures 16 to 18 is consistent with the second embodiment shown in Figures 7 to 12 in terms of structure and function, and to that extent, the above-mentioned description relating thereto can be referenced.

[0373] Figures 19 and 20 show other alternative embodiments of the processing station 114, which are substantially equivalent to the embodiment of the processing station 114 shown in Figure 18, but have a capture container 218 formed as a capture funnel 216 below the processing chamber 148, which can capture the fluid to be discharged from the processing chamber 148.

[0374] Therefore, the capture container 218 forms a counter tank 196, particularly for the fluid guide 140.

[0375] Otherwise, the embodiments of the processing station 114 shown in Figures 19 and 20 are consistent with the embodiment shown in Figure 18 in terms of structure and function, and to that extent, the above description relating thereto can be used.

[0376] Figures 21 to 27 show the selective deployment of the processing station 114. In this configuration, the transfer device 110 has one or more drive units 220 that act on the guide section 222 of the transfer device 110 from outside the processing chamber 148. The drive units 220 can be, or have, electric motors, for example.

[0377] One or more drive units 220 are preferably coupled purely mechanically to the guide section 222. In particular, a coupling device 224 can form a mechanical connection between one or more drive units 220 and the guide section 222 of the transfer device 110. In this case, one or more drive units 220 located outside the processing chamber 148 can be used to drive, preferably linearly, the workpiece 102 guided on the guide section 222 inside the processing chamber 148, for example, to be fed into or released from the processing chamber.

[0378] It may be effective if one or more drive units 220 are positioned above the maximum filling level or maximum filling height of the processing chamber 148 and / or outside 226 of the side wall 228 of the processing vessel 136 surrounding the processing chamber 148.

[0379] Preferably, one or more drive units 220 are located in the terminal region of the processing vessel 136 opposite to the access opening 158 of the processing vessel 136, and / or in the region near the ceiling of the side wall 228 of the processing vessel 136.

[0380] The coupling device 224 is preferably guided at the height of one or more drive units 220, preferably through a side wall 228. In this case, the insertion opening 230 for inserting the coupling device 224 is preferably located and / or formed above the maximum filling level or maximum filling height of the processing chamber 148. The coupling member 232 of the coupling device 224, guided through the side wall 228, is preferably a pivot shaft or a coupling shaft.

[0381] The rotating shaft or coupling shaft is preferably coupled to another rotating shaft or coupling shaft by a tension member 234, particularly by a belt or chain, such as a duplex chain, which is located within the area of ​​the guide section 222 and ultimately acts directly or indirectly on the workpiece 102 to drive it. The tension member 234 can be tightened, in particular by one or two clamping members 236, particularly by tension rollers.

[0382] Furthermore, in the embodiments shown in Figures 21 to 27, the processing station 114 has one or more sensor devices 238 that enable detection of the state and / or position inside the processing chamber 148 from outside the processing chamber 148. For example, the sensor devices 238 can be used to determine or monitor the correct positioning of the workpiece 102 inside the processing chamber 148.

[0383] One or more sensor devices 238 preferably each have one or more sensor elements 240 located outside the processing chamber 148, the sensor elements preferably coupled purely mechanically to one or more encoder elements 242 inside the processing chamber 148 (see Figures 25 to 27 in particular). In particular, a coupling device 224 can form a mechanical coupling between one or more sensor elements 240 and one or more encoder elements 242. In this case, one or more sensor elements 240 located outside the processing chamber 148 can be used to detect, preferably determine the position of, or monitor a workpiece 102 located inside the processing chamber 148.

[0384] It may be preferable that one or more sensor elements 240 are positioned above the maximum filling level and / or above the maximum filling height of the processing chamber 148 and / or on the outside 226 of the side wall 228 of the processing container 136 surrounding the processing chamber 148.

[0385] Preferably, one or more sensor elements 240 are arranged in the area near the ceiling of the side wall 228 of the processing container 136.

[0386] The coupling device 224 of the sensor device 238 is preferably guided through the side wall 228 at the height of one or more sensor elements 240. In this case, the insertion opening 230 for inserting the coupling device 224 is preferably located and / or formed above the maximum filling level or maximum filling height of the processing chamber 148. The coupling member 232 of the coupling device 224, guided through the side wall 228, is preferably a pivot shaft or coupling shaft.

[0387] The rotating shaft or coupling shaft is coupled to another rotating shaft or coupling shaft, preferably by a tension member or a pressing member, particularly by a coupling rod 244, and is located, for example, within the bottom region and / or within the region of the guide section 222, and is connected to the encoder element 242. By operating the encoder element 242, for example by rotating the encoder element 242, it is possible to preferably cause rotation of the other rotating shaft or coupling shaft, thereby causing, for example, vertical sliding of the coupling rod 244 and thereby rotation of the (upper) rotating shaft or coupling shaft, in which case the (upper) rotating shaft or coupling shaft introduced from the processing chamber 148 ultimately performs or causes motion, which can be detected by at least one sensor element 240. Thus, by mechanical operation of the coupling device 224, changes in the orientation or other movement of the encoder element 242 can be detected by one or more sensor elements 240.

[0388] A preferred embodiment is as follows:

[0389] 1. A processing station (114) for processing a workpiece (102), particularly for purifying and / or coating a vehicle body (104), In that case, the processing station (114) has a processing container (136), and the processing container surrounds a processing room (148) for housing the workpiece (102).

[0390] 2. The processing chamber (148) is capable of receiving fluid, and in this case the processing container (136) has at least one access opening (158) for introducing the workpiece (102) into the processing chamber (148) and / or releasing the workpiece (102) from the processing chamber (148). The processing station (114) according to Embodiment 1, characterized in that the processing container (136) has a closing device (164) for selectively closing and opening at least one access opening (158).

[0391] 3. The processing station (114) according to Embodiment 2, characterized in that at least one access opening (158) is located and / or formed within one or more side walls (154) of the processing container (136), particularly within one or more front walls (156) of the processing container (136).

[0392] 4. A processing station (114) according to any one of Embodiments 2 or 3, characterized in that a closing device (164) is used to fluidly close at least one access opening (158).

[0393] 5. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 2 to 4, characterized in that the closing device (164) has a lifting device (170) for raising and lowering the closing member (166) of the closing device (164), in particular for lifting the closing member (166) and moving it to the open position, and lowering the closing member (166) and moving it to the closed position.

[0394] 6. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 2 to 5, characterized in that the closing device (164) has a swinging device for swinging the closing member (166) of the closing device (164), and in this case the closing member (166) is particularly capable of swinging about a horizontal swing axis at least approximately.

[0395] 7. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 2 to 6, characterized in that the closing device (164) has a closing drive (168) for automatically moving the closing member of the closing device (164).

[0396] 8. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 2 to 7, characterized in that the processing station (114) has a fluid tank (134) for containing a fluid, in particular a processing fluid, and in that case the fluid can be introduced from the fluid tank (134) into the processing chamber (148) by a fluid guide (140) for injection into the processing chamber (148), and / or in that case the fluid can be guided from the processing chamber (148) into the fluid tank (134) by the fluid guide (140) for discharge from the processing chamber (148).

[0397] 9. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 2 to 8, characterized in that the processing station (114) has a transfer device (110) for transferring the workpiece (102), in particular for loading the workpiece (102) into the processing chamber (148), and / or for discharging the workpiece (102) from the processing chamber (148).

[0398] 10. A processing station (114) according to Embodiment 9, characterized in that the workpiece (102) is movable along a horizontal plane by a transfer device (110), in particular, is able to be introduced into and / or released from a processing chamber (148).

[0399] 11. A processing station (114) according to any one of Embodiments 9 or 10, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has one or more drive units for moving a workpiece (102), and in that case the drive units of the transfer device (110), in particular all of the drive units, are located outside the processing chamber (148) at least while the workpiece processing is being carried out.

[0400] 12. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 11, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a guide device (176) for supporting a load and accommodating a workpiece (102), wherein the guide device (176) extends from outside the processing chamber (148) into the processing chamber (148), particularly through at least one access opening (158).

[0401] 13. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 12, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a guide device (176) for supporting a load and accommodating a workpiece (102), wherein the guide device (176) has at least one guide section located outside the processing chamber (148) and at least one guide section located inside the processing chamber (148), wherein the workpiece (102) can be transferred from the guide section located outside the processing chamber (148) to the guide section located inside the processing chamber (148) by driving the workpiece (102) with one or more drive units, in particular.

[0402] 14. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 13, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a restraining device for restraining the workpiece (102) to a processing position inside the processing chamber (148), and in this case, the restraining device can block the movement of the workpiece (102) against the direction of gravity (g).

[0403] 15. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 14, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a motion device for tilting and / or rotating the workpiece (102), in particular for temporarily changing its position with respect to at least an approximately horizontal normal position.

[0404] 16. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the processing chamber (148) is capable of receiving fluid injection, and the processing station (114) is located within or can be located within the processing chamber (148), and has one or more built-in members (188) for supporting a fluid injection process.

[0405] 17. A processing station (114) according to Embodiment 16, characterized in that one or more built-in members (188) are adapted to or can be adapted to a workpiece (102) to be processed with respect to its position and / or its function and / or its shape.

[0406] 18. A processing station (114) according to any one of Embodiments 16 or 17, characterized in that one or more built-in members (188) are formed as exclusion members (190) which can be used to fill a free space inside a processing chamber (148) in particular, the free space remaining empty during the fluid injection process in the absence of each built-in member (188) and therefore being filled with fluid.

[0407] 19. A processing station (114) according to Embodiment 18, characterized in that one or more exclusion members (190) are adapted, or can be adapted, to the shape of the workpiece (102) to be processed, at least partially or regionally.

[0408] 20. A processing station (114) according to embodiment 18 or 19, characterized in that one or more removal members (190) have a hollow body, the hollow body can be filled regardless of the fluid injection process and / or remain filled and / or be discharged.

[0409] 21. One or more exclusion members (190) are formed to be shape-changeable and / or size-changeable, for example, pumpable, and The processing station (114) has a changing device for changing the shape and / or size of one or more removal members (190), in particular for reducing the free space inside the processing chamber (148) to which fluid should be injected for the processing process. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 18 to 20, characterized in that...

[0410] 22. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 18 to 21, characterized in that one or more exclusion members (190) fill one or more free spaces within the area of ​​the transfer device (110) of the processing station (114).

[0411] 23. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 18 to 22, characterized in that one or more removal members (190) fill a free space above a workpiece (102) formed as a vehicle body (104), particularly above the front of the vehicle body (104) and / or above the rear of the vehicle.

[0412] 24. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 16 to 23, characterized in that one or more built-in members (188) are formed as support members (192) for supporting a workpiece (102) to be processed during a fluid injection process.

[0413] 25. A processing station (144) according to Embodiment 24, characterized in that one or more support members (192) each have a support section, and the support sections are used to directly attach to a workpiece (102) in order to support the workpiece.

[0414] 26. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 16 to 25, characterized in that one or more built-in members (188) are formed as temperature control members for temperature control of a processing container (136) and / or a fluid.

[0415] 27. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 16 to 26, characterized in that one or more built-in members (188) are located or can be located within the processing chamber (148) temporarily or permanently for one or more processing processes and / or fluid injection processes.

[0416] 28. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 16 to 27, characterized in that one or more incorporated members (188) can be automatically introduced into the free space to be injected into the processing chamber (148) in order to carry out the fluid injection process, and can be automatically removed from the free space to be injected after the fluid injection process has been carried out.

[0417] 29. One or more built-in members (188) are positioned on or can be positioned on a closing member (166) for closing the access opening (158) of the processing container (136), and One or more integrated members (188) are movable to a position that assists the fluid injection process by moving the closing member (166) to a closed position. The processing station (144) according to embodiment 28, characterized by the features described herein.

[0418] 30. The processing station (114) has a fluid tank (134) for containing the fluid, and The processing station (144) has a fluid guide, and the fluid is guided by the fluid guide a) The fluid tank (134) is guided into the processing container (136) for injection into the processing chamber (148); and / or b) The fluid can be guided from the processing container (136) into the fluid tank (134) for the discharge of the fluid from the processing chamber (148). A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 1 to 29, characterized in that...

[0419] 31. The processing station (144) according to embodiment 30, characterized in that the fluid tank (134) is positioned above the processing container (136) with respect to the direction of gravity (g).

[0420] 32. A processing station (144) according to any one of Embodiments 30 or 31, characterized in that the fluid guide (140) has a pump device (198) and the fluid can be pumped from the processing chamber (148) into the fluid tank (134) by the pump device.

[0421] 33. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 30 to 32, characterized in that the fluid guide (140) has a fluid conduit formed as a supply conduit (142), and a fluid can be supplied to a processing chamber (148) by the fluid conduit, and in this case the supply conduit (142) is in communication with the inside of the processing container (136) within the bottom region (146) of the processing container.

[0422] 34. A processing station (144) according to Embodiment 33, characterized in that the processing container (136) has an inflow region (194) located particularly below the access opening (158) of the processing container (136), and the inflow region is filled with fluid even when the fluid of the processing container (136) is discharged, which is designated for the replacement of the workpiece (102), and in that case the supply conduit (142) is in communication with the inflow region (194).

[0423] 35. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 30 to 34, characterized in that the fluid guide (140) has a cleaning device (200) for purifying the fluid, wherein the cleaning device (200) is in particular located in a return conduit of the fluid guide (140) for returning the fluid to the fluid tank (134).

[0424] 36. The processing station (114) has a control device, and the fluid injection process in the processing chamber (148) is controllable and / or adjustable by the control device, in particular by controlling and / or adjusting a valve device (144) that opens and closes a supply conduit (142) for supplying fluid to the processing chamber (148). A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 30 to 35, characterized in that...

[0425] 37. A processing station (144) according to Embodiment 36, characterized in that one or more workpiece parameters, in particular the geometric arrangement and / or size and / or position of each workpiece (102) inside the processing chamber (148), are taken into consideration in order to control and / or adjust the fluid injection process.

[0426] 38. A processing station (144) according to any one of Embodiments 36 or 37, characterized in that the fluid injection process is controllable by a control device such that the rate of change of the filling rate and / or the rate of change of the filling state of the fluid in the processing chamber (148) is changed during the fluid injection, in particular to suit local stability differences of the workpiece (102).

[0427] 39. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 36 to 38, characterized in that the processing station (114) (144) has one or more measuring devices, which can be used to determine the volumetric flow of fluid flowing into the processing chamber (148) and / or the filling state or filling level inside the processing chamber (148) and / or the filling state or filling level inside the fluid tank (134), and in this case, one or more measurements from one or more measuring devices are taken into consideration for controlling and / or adjusting the fluid injection process.

[0428] 40. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 30 to 39, characterized in that the processing station (114) has a counter tank (196), the counter tank is positioned below the processing chamber (148) particularly with respect to the direction of gravity (g), and the fluid to be discharged from the processing vessel (148) can be supplied to the counter tank.

[0429] 41. A processing station (144) according to Embodiment 40, characterized in that the fluid flows from the fluid tank (134) into the processing chamber (148) and / or from the processing chamber (148) into the counter tank (196) using only gravity (g).

[0430] 42. A processing station (144) according to any one of embodiments 30 to 41, characterized in that the processing station (114) has two or more processing chambers (148), in particular a processing container (136) having two or more processing chambers (148), and in that case a fluid tank (134) is provided for guiding fluid to the two or more processing chambers (148).

[0431] 43. A processing station (114) according to any one of embodiments 30 to 42, characterized in that the processing station (114) has a cleaning device for cleaning and / or purifying a processing chamber (148), wherein the cleaning device allows a cleaning medium to be introduced into the processing chamber (148), particularly sprayed, and removed from the processing chamber, particularly discharged, independently of the fluid, the fluid tank (134), and / or the counter tank (196).

[0432] 44. A processing facility (100) having one or more processing stations (114) as described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 43, wherein each processing station (114) has at least one processing container (136), and the processing container surrounds a processing chamber (148) for housing a workpiece (102), In that case, each processing station (114) has a fluid tank (134) for containing fluid, either by itself or by multiple processing stations (114) in common, and In that case, the processing station (114) has a fluid guide (140), and the fluid is guided by the fluid guide. a) The fluid tank (134) can be guided into each processing vessel (136) for injection into one or more processing chambers (148); and / or b) To discharge from the processing chamber (148), the fluid can be guided from each processing container (136) into the fluid tank (134), A processing facility characterized by the following features.

[0433] 45. The processing equipment (100) according to Embodiment 44, wherein the processing equipment (100) has a plurality of first processing stations (114) for carrying out a first processing step and a plurality of second processing stations (114) for carrying out a second processing step, and in this case, one or more first processing stations (114) and one or more second processing stations (114) are components of or form a processing unit (106) of the processing equipment (100), and a workpiece (102) passes through them to carry out the processing steps.

[0434] 46. ​​The processing equipment (100) has a plurality of processing units (106), and each processing unit has one or more first processing stations (114) and one or more second processing stations (114), and the processing units form different processing lines of the processing equipment (100). a) In that case, one or more first processing stations (114) of different processing units (106) have a common fluid guide (140) and / or a common fluid tank (134); and / or b) In that case, one or more second processing stations (114) of different processing units (106) have a common fluid guide (140) and / or a common fluid tank (134), The processing equipment (100) according to embodiment 45, characterized in that...

[0435] 47. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 46, characterized in that a fluid, in particular a first processing fluid, is first a) supplied by a fluid guide to one or more processing stations (114) of a first processing unit (106), in particular to one or more processing chambers (148) of the first processing station (114), and then b) supplied to one or more processing stations (114) of a second processing unit (106), in particular to one or more processing chambers (148) of the first processing station (114).

[0436] 48. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 47, characterized in that a fluid, in particular a second processing fluid, is first a) supplied by a fluid guide (140) to one or more processing chambers (148) of one or more processing stations (114) of the first processing unit (106), in particular to one or more processing chambers (148) of the second processing station (114), and then b) supplied to one or more processing chambers (148) of one or more processing stations (114) of the second processing unit (106), in particular to one or more processing chambers (148) of the second processing station (114).

[0437] 49. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 48, characterized in that a fluid can be alternately supplied to processing chambers (148) of different processing units (106) by a fluid guide (140).

[0438] 50. A treatment facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 49, characterized in that the fluid guide (140) is connected to a cleaning device (200), so that the fluid can be purified in particular after being removed from one of the treatment chambers (148) and / or before being newly supplied to another treatment chamber (148).

[0439] 51. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 50, characterized in that the total amount of fluid contained in the fluid guide (140) is at most about twice, and in particular at most about three times, the amount of fluid required to carry out individual fluid injection processes in the processing chamber (148).

[0440] 52. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 51, characterized in that a plurality of processing stations (114) of the processing unit (106), in particular all of the processing stations (114), in particular one or more or all of the first processing stations (114) and one or more or all of the second processing stations (114) of the processing unit (106) are arranged on a common plane of the processing facility (100).

[0441] 53. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 52, characterized in that a plurality of processing units (106) of the processing facility (100) are arranged on different planes of the processing facility (100).

[0442] 54. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 53, characterized in that one or more processing stations (114) of different processing units (106) of a processing facility (100), having a common fluid guide (140) and / or used to carry out the same processing steps, are arranged in a manner that overlaps each other along the direction of gravity (g).

[0443] 55. The processing equipment (100) has a plurality of fluid guides (140) for guiding different processing fluids, in which case the fluid guides (140) are associated with different processing stations (114) to carry out different processing steps. A processing apparatus (100) according to any one of embodiments 44 to 54, characterized by the features described herein.

[0444] 56. Having multiple processing stations (114) for processing workpieces (102), in particular for purifying and / or coating vehicle bodies (104), In that case, one or more processing stations (114) each have at least one processing container (136), and the processing container surrounds a processing chamber (148) for housing the workpiece (102), In that case, the processing equipment (100) has a fluid guide (104), and one or more processing chambers (148) can be selectively injected with or discharged with fluid by the fluid guide. In that case, the processing equipment (100) has a transfer device (110) for transferring the workpiece (102), and the transfer device makes it possible to put the workpiece (102) into and / or discharge it from one or more processing chambers (148) in a fluid-discharged state. In particular, the processing equipment (100) described in any one of embodiments 44 to 55.

[0445] 57. The processing equipment (100) according to embodiment 56, characterized in that the workpiece (102) is movable along a horizontal plane by a transfer device (110), in particular, is able to be introduced into and / or released from the processing chamber (148).

[0446] 58. A processing facility (100) according to either embodiment 56 or 57, characterized in that the processing facility (100) has a main transfer section (118) extending along a main transfer direction (116), and a workpiece (102) can be transferred from one processing station (114) to another processing station (114) along the main transfer section by a transfer device (110).

[0447] 59. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 58, characterized in that the workpiece (102) is transportable along the main transport direction (116) and / or along the main transport section (118) in its lateral orientation (132).

[0448] 60. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 59, characterized in that a workpiece (102) can be introduced into and / or discharged from one or more processing chambers (148) in its longitudinal orientation (202).

[0449] 61. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 60, characterized in that a workpiece (102) can be fed into the processing chamber (148) in the input direction (182), and in this case the input direction (182) is lateral, particularly perpendicular, to the main transfer direction (116) of the transfer device (110).

[0450] 62. The processing equipment (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 61, characterized in that the processing equipment (100) has a plurality of processing stations (114) for performing the same processing step, and in this case, two or more of these processing stations (114) are arranged on opposite sides of the main transfer section (118) of the transfer device (110).

[0451] 63. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 62, characterized in that the processing facility (100) has a plurality of processing stations (114) for performing the same processing step, and in that case one or more of these processing stations (114) are arranged in a continuous manner with respect to each other and / or side by side with respect to each other along the main transfer direction (116) of the transfer device (110).

[0452] 64. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 63, characterized in that a plurality of processing stations (114) form a processing unit (106), in which case a plurality of the processing unit (106), in particular all of the processing stations (114), in particular one or more of the processing units (106), or all of the first processing stations (114) and one or more of them, or all of the second processing stations (114), are arranged on a common plane of the processing facility (100).

[0453] 65. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 64, characterized in that the processing facility (100) has a main transfer section (118) extending along a main transfer direction (116), and along the main transfer section, a workpiece (102) can be transferred from one processing station (114) to another processing station (114) by a transfer device (110), in which case the main transfer section (118) has one or more tunnel sections (120) enclosing the main transfer section (118), and in which case one or more tunnel sections (120), in particular one or more tunnel sections (120) located between two processing stations (114) along the main transfer direction (116), have a cleaning station (122) and / or washing station (126) and / or spray station (124).

[0454] 66. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 65, characterized in that the processing facility (100) has two processing units (106), the processing units are arranged on a common plane of the processing facility (100), and in this case the main transfer sections (118) of the transfer devices (110) of the two processing units (106) are oriented in opposite parallel directions to each other and / or are arranged linearly to each other.

[0455] 67. The processing equipment (100) according to Embodiment 66, characterized in that two processing units (106) have a) supply stations (108) arranged opposite to each other for supplying workpieces (102), and / or b) extraction stations (128) arranged facing each other for extracting workpieces (102), and / or c) a common extraction station (128) for extracting workpieces (102).

[0456] 68. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 56 to 67, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has one or more branching conveyors, and using them, the workpiece (102) can be a) removed from the main transfer section (116) and fed into one or more processing chambers (148); and / or b) discharged from one or more processing chambers (148) and moved back to the main transfer section (116).

[0457] 69. Having multiple processing stations (114) for processing workpieces (102), in particular for purifying and / or coating vehicle bodies (114), In that case, one or more processing stations (114) each have at least one processing container (136), and the processing container surrounds a processing chamber (148) for housing the workpiece (102), In that case, the processing equipment (100) has a fluid guide (140), and one or more processing chambers (148) can be selectively injected with or discharged with fluid by the fluid guide. In this case, the processing equipment (100) has a transfer device (110) for transferring the workpiece (102), and the workpiece (102) can be introduced into each processing chamber (148) by the transfer device through an access opening (158) formed as an input opening (160) when the fluid has been discharged from each processing chamber (148), and the workpiece (102) can be discharged from each processing chamber (148) by the transfer device through an access opening (158) formed as an output opening (162) when the fluid has been discharged from each processing chamber (148), and in this case the input opening (160) and the output opening (162) are different access openings (158), particularly as described in any one of embodiments 44 to 68.

[0458] 70. The processing equipment (100) according to Embodiment 69, characterized in that the workpiece (102) is movable along a horizontal plane by a transfer device (110), in particular to be able to be introduced into and / or released from the processing chamber (d148).

[0459] 71. A processing facility (100) according to any one of Embodiments 69 or 70, characterized in that the processing facility (100) has a main transfer section (118) extending in the main transfer direction (116), and a workpiece (102) can be transferred from one processing station (114) to another processing station (114) along the main transfer section by a transfer device (110).

[0460] 72. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 71, characterized in that the workpiece (102) is transportable along the main transport direction (116) and / or along the main transport section (118) in its longitudinal orientation (202).

[0461] 73. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 72, characterized in that the workpiece (102) can be transported through one or more processing chambers (148) in its longitudinal orientation (202).

[0462] 74. The processing equipment (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 73, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has one or more transfer stations (210), and at or using the transfer stations, a workpiece (102) can be selectively transferred from one processing station (114) to another processing station (114) of the same processing unit (106) of the processing equipment (100), and / or a different processing unit (106), which are continuous along the main transfer direction (116).

[0463] 75. The processing equipment (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 74, characterized in that the processing equipment (100) has a plurality of processing stations (114) for performing the same processing step, and in that case, two or more of these processing stations (114) are arranged adjacent to each other and / or are components of a processing unit (106) or a processing line of the processing equipment (100) that extends parallel to each other.

[0464] 76. The processing equipment (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 75, characterized in that the processing equipment (100) has a main transfer section (118) extending along a main transfer direction (116), along which a workpiece (102) can be transferred from one processing station (114) to another processing station (114) by a transfer device (110), and in this case the main transfer section (118) has one or more tunnel sections (120) enclosing the main transfer section (118), and in this case one or more tunnel sections (120), in particular one or more tunnel sections (120) located between two processing stations (114) along the main transfer section (116), have a cleaning station (122) and / or washing station (126) and / or spray station (124).

[0465] 77. A processing facility (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 76, characterized in that one or more cleaning stations (122) and / or washing stations (126) and / or spraying stations (124) are arranged in or formed in one or more handover stations (210).

[0466] 78. The processing equipment (100) has at least two processing stations (114) for carrying out the same processing process, With respect to the main transfer direction (116) of the workpiece (102), a distribution device (112) or a device that guides the workpiece (130) is positioned in front of and / or behind these processing stations (114). A processing apparatus (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 77, characterized by the features described herein.

[0467] 79. Processing equipment (100) according to embodiment 78, characterized in that the distribution device (112) and / or the device that guides together (130) are each formed as a lateral feed device.

[0468] 80. The processing equipment (100) according to any one of embodiments 69 to 79, characterized in that the processing equipment (100) has one or more processing stations (114) for carrying out a fluid injection process and one or more processing stations (114) for carrying out an immersion process.

[0469] 81.a) One or more processing stations (114) are used to carry out a fluid injection process, for pretreatment of the workpiece (102), in particular for cleaning, degreasing and / or phosphate treatment; and / or b) One or more processing stations (114) for performing immersion treatment are used for coating, particularly painting, a workpiece. The processing equipment (100) according to embodiment 80, characterized in that...

[0470] 82. A method for processing a workpiece, in particular for cleaning and / or coating a vehicle body (104), wherein one or more processing stations (114) described in particular in any one of embodiments 1 to 43 and / or one or more processing equipment (100) described in any one of embodiments 44 to 81 are used.

[0471] 83. In that case, the methods include the following: - The workpiece (102) is placed into the processing chamber (148) of the processing container (136); -A fluid is injected into the processing chamber (148) to perform workpiece processing; in this case, the fluid a) The fluid is guided from the fluid tank (134) into the processing container (136) for injection into the processing chamber (148); and / or b) To discharge from the processing chamber (148), the fluid is guided from the processing container (136) into the fluid tank (134). The method described in particular in Embodiment 82.

[0472] 84. In that case, the methods include the following: -One or more workpieces (102) are placed into one or more processing chambers (148) of one or more processing stations (114); -In order to carry out the process, fluid is injected into one or more processing chambers (148), In that case, the fluid guide (140) will guide the fluid, a) To be injected into one or more processing chambers (148), the fluid is guided from the fluid tank (134) into each processing chamber (148); and / or b) In order to discharge from the processing chamber (148), the fluid is guided from each processing chamber (148) into the fluid tank (134). The method according to either embodiment 82 or 83.

[0473] 85. Fluids moving in sequence, especially with a complete time lag, a) It is taken out from the fluid tank (134) and supplied to one or more processing chambers (148), and b) Subsequently, particularly afterwards, or at a later point, for example, after cleaning the fluid in the cleaning device (200), it is guided to return to the fluid tank (134), In that case, the fluid tank (134) and / or one or more processing chambers (148) are preferably filled and discharged alternately. A method according to any one of embodiments 82 to 84, characterized by the features described above.

[0474] 86. Fluids moving in sequence, especially with a complete time lag, a) supplied to one or more processing chambers (148) of the processing station (114) of the first processing unit (106), and b) Thereafter, particularly following or at a later point in time, for example, after primary storage in an intermediate storage tank, it is supplied to one or more processing chambers (148) of the processing station (114) of the second processing unit (106), A method according to any one of embodiments 82 to 85, characterized by the features described above.

[0475] 87. For processing workpieces (102), and in particular for cleaning and / or coating vehicle bodies (104), the following methods are available: - The workpiece (102) is placed into the processing chamber (148) of the processing container (136) through the access opening (158) of the processing container (136); -The access opening (158) of the processing container (136) is closed using the closing device (164); -In order to process the workpiece, a fluid is injected into the processing chamber (148). A method according to any one of embodiments 82 to 86, characterized by the features described above.

[0476] 88. To process a workpiece (102), in particular to clean and / or coat a vehicle body (104), the method may include the following: One or more workpieces (102) are transferred using a transfer device (110); To carry out the processing step, one or more workpieces (102) are placed into the processing chamber (148) of the processing station (114); Inject the fluid into the processing chamber (148); The fluid is removed, and the workpiece (102) is discharged from the processing chamber (148) using the transfer device (110); In that case, the workpiece (102) is introduced into the processing chamber (148) in a direction that is at least approximately horizontal, and is discharged from there. The method according to any one of embodiments 82 to 87.

[0477] 89. A method for processing a workpiece (10), particularly according to any one of embodiments 82 to 88, wherein the workpiece (102) is transferred from one processing station (114) to the next along a main transfer direction (116), and is introduced into the processing chamber (148) of the processing station (114) in an input direction (182) that extends laterally, particularly perpendicularly, with respect to the main transfer direction (116).

[0478] 90. In that case, the method includes the following: - The workpiece (102) is placed into the processing chamber (148) of the processing container (136); -In order to perform workpiece processing, a fluid is injected into the processing chamber (148), in which case the injection is supported by one or more built-in members (188) that are located or can be located within the processing chamber (148). A method for processing a workpiece (102), particularly for cleaning and / or coating a vehicle body (104), as described in any one of embodiments 82 to 89.

[0479] 91. In that case, the methods include the following: One or more workpieces (102) are transferred using a transfer device (110); To carry out the processing step, one or more workpieces are placed into the processing chamber (148) of the processing station (114); Inject the fluid into the processing chamber (148); The fluid is removed, and the workpiece (102) is discharged from the processing chamber (148) using the transfer device (110). In that case, the workpiece (102) is introduced into the processing chamber (148) using a transfer device (110) through an access opening (158) formed as an input opening (160) while the fluid has been discharged from each processing chamber (148), and the workpiece (102) is discharged out of the processing chamber (148) using a transfer device through an access opening (158) formed as an output opening (162) while the fluid has been discharged from each processing chamber (148), and in that case, the input opening (160) and the output opening (162) are different access openings (158). A method, particularly according to any one of embodiments 82 to 90, for processing a workpiece (102), and especially for cleaning and / or coating a vehicle body (104).

[0480] 92. The method according to Embodiment 91, characterized in that, in its longitudinal orientation (202), the workpiece (102) is transported from one processing station (114) to the next processing station along the main transport direction (116), and in the same longitudinal orientation (114), it is transported through the processing chamber (148) of the processing station (114). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0481] 100 Processing equipment 102 Workpiece 104 Vehicle Body 106 Processing Units 108 supply stations 110 Transfer device 112 Distribution device 114 Processing Station 116 Main transfer direction 118 Main transfer section 120 Tunnel Section 122 Cleaning Station 124 Injection Station 126 Washing Station 128 Retrieval Station 130 A device to guide you along 132. Lateral orientation 134 Fluid Tank 136 Processing container 138 Capture Member 140 Fluid Guide 142 Supply Conduit 144 Valve device 146 Bottom area 148 Processing Room 150 Bottom wall 152 Ceiling and Wall 154 Side wall 156 Front wall 158 Access openings 160 Input opening 162 Discharge opening 164 Closure device 166 Closing member 168 Closed Drive 170 Lifting device 172 Lock Gate 174 Guide device 176 Guide device 178 Containment device 180 Skid 182 Feeding direction 184 Horizontal direction 186 Discharge conduit 188 Built-in components 190 Removal member 192 Support Member 194 Inflow region 196 Counter Tank 198 Pumping equipment 200 Cleaning device 202 Orientation in the longitudinal direction 204 Rotating Table 206 Termination 208 Horizontal feed device 210 Handover Station 212 Soaking tank 214 Flap member 216 Capture Funnel 218 Capture container 220 Drive Unit 222 Guide Section 224 Coupling device 226 Outside 228 Side wall 230 Insertion opening 232 Coupling Member 234 Tension member 236 Fastening components 238 Sensor device 240 sensor elements 242 encoder elements 244 Coupling Rod g direction of gravity

Claims

1. A processing station (114) for processing workpieces (102), particularly for purifying and / or coating vehicle bodies (104), The processing station (114) has a processing container (136), and the processing container surrounds a processing chamber (148) for housing the workpiece (102), The processing chamber (148) is capable of receiving fluid, and the processing container (136) has at least one access opening (158) for introducing the workpiece (102) into the processing chamber (148) and / or releasing the workpiece (102) from the processing chamber (148). The processing container (136) has a closing device (164) for selectively closing and opening at least one access opening (158), The closing device (164) has a lifting device (170) for raising and lowering the closing member (166) of the closing device (164), in particular for lifting the closing member (166) to move the closing member to the open position, and lowering the closing member (166) to move the closing member to the closed position. A processing station (114) characterized in that at least one access opening (158) is located and / or formed within one or more side walls (154) of the processing container (136), particularly within one or more front walls (156) of the processing container (136).

2. The processing station (114) according to claim 1, characterized in that a closing device (164) is used to fluidly close at least one access opening (158).

3. The processing station (114) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closing device (164) has a swinging device for swinging the closing member (166) of the closing device (164), and the closing member (166) is particularly capable of swinging about a horizontal swing axis at least approximately.

4. The processing station (114) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the closing device (164) has a closing drive (168) for automatically moving the closing member of the closing device (164).

5. A processing station (114) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the processing station (114) has a fluid tank (134) for containing a fluid, in particular a processing fluid, and the fluid can be introduced from the fluid tank (134) into the processing chamber (148) by a fluid guide (140) for injection into the processing chamber (148), and / or the fluid can be guided from the processing chamber (148) into the fluid tank (134) by the fluid guide (140) for discharge from the processing chamber (148).

6. The processing station (114) is characterized in that it has a transfer device (110) for transferring the workpiece (102), in particular for loading the workpiece (102) into the processing chamber (148), and / or for releasing the workpiece (102) from the processing chamber (148), as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The processing station (114) according to claim 6, characterized in that the workpiece (102) is movable along a horizontal plane by a transfer device (110), in particular, is able to be introduced into and / or released from the processing chamber (148).

8. The processing station (114) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has one or more drive units for moving the workpiece (102), and the drive units of the transfer device (110), in particular all of the drive units, are located outside the processing chamber (148) at least while the workpiece processing is being carried out.

9. The processing station (114) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a guide device (176) for supporting a load and accommodating a workpiece (102), the guide device (176) extends from outside the processing chamber (148) into the processing chamber (148), particularly through at least one access opening (158).

10. The processing station (114) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the transfer device (110) has a guide device (176) for supporting a load and accommodating a workpiece (102), and the guide device (176) also has at least one guide section located outside the processing chamber (148) and at least one guide section located inside the processing chamber (148), and in particular, the workpiece (102) can be moved through an access opening (158) from a guide section located outside the processing chamber (148) to a guide section located inside the processing chamber (148) by driving the workpiece (102) with one or more drive units.

11. The processing station (114) according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a restraining device for restraining the workpiece (102) to a processing position inside the processing chamber (148), and the restraining device is particularly capable of blocking the movement of the workpiece (102) against the direction of gravity (g).

12. The processing station (114) according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the transfer device (110) has a motion device for tilting and / or rotating the workpiece (102), in particular for temporarily changing its position with respect to at least an approximately horizontal normal position.

13. A method for processing a workpiece (102), particularly for cleaning and / or coating a vehicle body (104), the method being: - The workpiece (102) is introduced into the processing chamber (148) of the processing container (136) through the access opening (158) of the processing container (136); - Closing the access opening (158) of the processing container (136) using the closing device (164); - In order to process the workpiece, a fluid is injected into the processing chamber (148). Includes, The closing device (164) has a lifting device (170) for raising and lowering the closing member (166) of the closing device (164), in particular for lifting the closing member (166) to move the closing member to the open position, and lowering the closing member (166) to move the closing member to the closed position. A method wherein at least one access opening (158) is located and / or formed within one or more side walls (154) of the processing vessel (136), particularly within one or more front walls (156) of the processing vessel (136).

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