Supply device for fluid materials

Abstract

To determine proper replacement timing of a container in which a fluent material is stored.SOLUTION: A fluent material supply device 100 includes: a platen 2 stored in a container 1 in which a fluent material is stored; a cylindrical ram 3 fitted to the platen 2; a pump 4 for reciprocating a piston 41 stored in the ram 3 to pump up the fluent materials from the container 1; and a determination device 5 for determining replacement timing of the container 1 on the basis of variation in travel speed of the piston 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying a fluid material.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional apparatus for supplying a fluid material that supplies the fluid material in a container to the outside of the container, and determines the replacement timing of the container based on the change in the pressure of the fluid material measured by a pressure sensor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described conventional apparatus for supplying a fluid material, it is necessary to bring the pressure-sensitive element of the pressure sensor into contact with the fluid material in order to detect the pressure of the fluid material. Therefore, there is a risk that the fluid material adheres to the pressure-sensitive element due to continuous use of the pressure sensor. As a result, the measurement accuracy of the pressure sensor may decrease, and there is a risk that the replacement timing of the container cannot be appropriately determined.

[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to be able to determine an appropriate replacement timing of the container without measuring the pressure of the fluid material in the container.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a fluid material supply device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a platen housed in a container containing the fluid material, a cylindrical ram attached to the platen, a pump that reciprocates a piston housed in the ram to draw up the fluid material from the container, and a determination device that determines when to replace the container based on a change in the piston's movement speed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this aspect of the present invention, the appropriate time to replace the container can be determined based on the change in the piston's movement speed, without measuring the pressure of the fluid material inside the container. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a fluid material supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows vibration data obtained when a sufficient amount of fluid material remains in the container. [Figure 3] This figure shows vibration data acquired when the container was almost empty. [Figure 4] This flowchart details the process for determining when a container needs to be replaced. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a fluid material supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows coupling detection data acquired by a photoelectric sensor when a sufficient amount of fluid material remains in the container. [Figure 7] This figure shows the coupling detection data acquired by the photoelectric sensor when the container was almost empty. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, similar components will be given the same reference numerals.

[0010] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a fluid material supply device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The fluid material supply device 100 according to this embodiment comprises a platen 2 housed in a container 1 containing a fluid material such as an adhesive, sealant, or molding material; a cylindrical ram 3 attached to the platen 2; a pump 4 that moves a piston valve 41 housed in the ram 3 up and down to suck up the fluid material from the container 1; and a determination device 5 that determines when the container 1 needs to be replaced. For convenience, in the following description, the opening side of the container 1 will be referred to as the upper side, and the bottom side of the container 1 will be referred to as the lower side.

[0012] The platen 2 is, for example, a metal plate-like body. The platen 2 has, for example, an opening 21 in its center that penetrates the platen 2 vertically. Below the opening 21, for example, a hemispherical recess (hereinafter referred to as the "suction section") 22 is formed. The platen 2 is housed in the container 1 with its side surface in contact with the inner wall surface of the container 1, so as to be able to move downward as the amount of fluid material inside the container 1 decreases.

[0013] The platen 2 is inserted into the container 1 from the top of the container 1 containing the fluid material, so that its bottom surface is in contact with the fluid material inside the container 1. Air may be mixed into the suction section 22 when the platen 2 is inserted. Therefore, the platen 2 is provided with an air venting mechanism 23 to discharge the mixed air from the suction section 22 to the outside.

[0014] The ram 3 is, for example, a cylindrical body made of metal. The ram 3 is formed such that the inner diameter of its hollow portion 31 matches the opening diameter of the opening 21 of the platen 2, and is mounted above the opening 21 of the platen 2. An outlet hole 32 is formed at the top of the ram 3 for supplying the fluid material pumped from the suction portion 22 into the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3 to the outside. A piston valve 41, attached to the rod 42, is slidably housed within the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3.

[0015] The pump 4 is attached to the upper side of the ram 3 via stud bolts 6. The pump 4 vertically moves (reciprocates) the rod 42 by power such as a motor (not shown). The rod 42 according to the present embodiment has an upper rod 42A extending downward from the power unit side of the pump 4 and a lower rod 42B provided with a piston valve 41 accommodated in the ram 3, and the upper rod 42A and the lower rod 42B are coupled (shaft coupling) 43 It has a configuration connected by. The pump 4 vertically moves the rod 42 and vertically moves the piston valve 41 provided on the lower rod 42B within the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3, thereby changing the volume within the hollow portion 31. As a result, the fluid material in the suction portion 22 is sucked into the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3, and the sucked fluid material is discharged to the outside through the outlet hole 32.

[0016] Here, if it is not possible to appropriately determine that the fluid material in the container 1 has run out, that is, the replacement time of the container 1 has arrived, the drive of the pump 4 will continue even after the fluid material in the container 1 has run out. Therefore, there is a risk that the air sucked by the pump 4 will continue to be discharged from the outlet hole 32. Therefore, the fluid material supply device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a determination device 5 for determining an appropriate replacement time of the container 1 and stopping the pump 4.

[0017] The determination device 5 according to the present embodiment includes a vibration sensor 51 and an electronic control unit 52.

[0018] The vibration sensor 51 detects the vibration generated by the vertical movement of the piston valve 41. In the present embodiment, the vibration sensor 51 is attached to the outer surface of the ram 3. However, the vibration sensor 51 can be attached to any position where the vibration generated by the vertical movement of the piston valve 41 is transmitted.

[0019] The electronic control unit 52 is a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input port, and an output port, which are interconnected by a bidirectional bus. Vibration data acquired by the vibration sensor 51 is input to the input port, and the pump 4 is connected to the output port via a pump drive circuit (not shown).

[0020] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are diagrams showing vibration data acquired by the vibration sensor 51, respectively. More specifically, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing vibration data acquired when a sufficient amount of fluid material remains in the container 1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing vibration data acquired when the fluid material in the container 1 decreases and the container 1 is substantially empty.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the pump 4 is driven to move the piston valve 41 up and down in the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3, large vibrations (vibrations with an amplitude value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value) occur at the timing when the vertical movement of the piston valve 41 switches, that is, at the timing when the piston valve 41 reaches the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position. Therefore, when the pump 4 is driven with a constant output, large vibrations are detected at a constant period.

[0022] When the fluid material in the container 1 decreases and the container 1 is substantially empty, there is no fluid material that can be sucked up from the suction portion 22, so the viscous resistance when moving the piston valve 41 up and down in the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3 decreases. Therefore, when the pump 4 is driven with a constant output, the moving speed of the piston valve 41 increases compared to before the container 1 becomes empty. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the fluid material in the container 1 decreases and the container 1 is substantially empty, the period in which large vibrations are detected becomes shorter. Therefore, by calculating the period of the large vibrations that occur when the piston valve 41 reaches the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position, it is possible to detect a change in the moving speed of the piston valve 41 and appropriately determine the timing for replacing the container 1.

[0023] Therefore, in this embodiment, based on vibration data acquired by the vibration sensor 51, the period of the large vibration that occurs when the piston valve 41 reaches the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position is calculated, and when the calculated period falls below a predetermined threshold, it is determined that it is time to replace the container 1 and the pump 4 is stopped.

[0024] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the determination process for determining when it is time to replace container 1.

[0025] In step S1, the electronic control unit 52 calculates the period of large vibrations (vibrations with amplitude values ​​greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold) that occur when the piston valve 41 reaches the top dead center position and the bottom dead center position, based on the vibration data acquired by the vibration sensor 51.

[0026] In step S2, the electronic control unit 52 determines whether the period of the large vibration is below a predetermined threshold. If the period of the large vibration is below the predetermined threshold, the electronic control unit 52 proceeds to the process in step S3. On the other hand, if the period of the large vibration is greater than the predetermined threshold, the electronic control unit 52 terminates the current process.

[0027] In step S3, the electronic control unit 52 determines that it is time to replace container 1 and stops the pump 4. At this time, the pump 4 may also be stopped, and the worker may be notified by voice or display that it is time to replace container 1.

[0028] The fluid material supply device 100 according to this embodiment, as described above, comprises a platen 2 housed in a container 1 containing the fluid material, a cylindrical ram 3 attached to the platen 2, a pump 4 that reciprocates a piston valve 41 (piston) housed in the ram 3 to suck up the fluid material from the container 1, and a determination device 5 that determines when to replace the container 1 based on changes in the movement speed of the piston valve 41.

[0029] Specifically, the determination device 5 is configured to determine that it is time to replace the container 1 when the change in the moving speed of the piston valve 41 exceeds a predetermined amount, and includes a vibration sensor 51 that is attached to any position where vibrations generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston valve 41 are transmitted, and an electronic control unit 52 that calculates the period of vibration that occurs when the piston valve 41 moves to at least one of the top dead center and the bottom dead center based on the value detected by the vibration sensor 51, and detects the change in the moving speed of the piston valve 41 based on the said period.

[0030] As described above, according to this embodiment, without measuring the pressure of the fluid material inside the container 1, the appropriate replacement time for the container 1 can be determined by detecting changes in the movement speed of the piston valve 41 by calculating the period of the large vibration that occurs when the piston valve 41 reaches the top dead center and bottom dead center positions. Therefore, since it is not necessary to bring the vibration sensor 51 into contact with the fluid material to detect changes in the movement speed of the piston valve 41, a decrease in the accuracy of determining the replacement time due to the solidification of the fluid material can be suppressed. In addition, since there is no concern about the fluid material solidifying on the vibration sensor 51, maintenance work such as checking for solidification is also unnecessary.

[0031] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it detects changes in the movement speed of the piston valve 41 using a photoelectric sensor 53. The following will focus on explaining these differences.

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a fluid material supply device 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the determination device 5 of the fluid material supply device 100 according to this embodiment is equipped with a photoelectric sensor 53 that detects objects based on reflected light when light is irradiated, instead of a vibration sensor 51.

[0034] The photoelectric sensor 53 is positioned to illuminate any point on the motion trajectory of the interlocking component that moves in conjunction with the piston valve 41, and detects the passage of the interlocking component. In this embodiment, the photoelectric sensor 53 is attached to the stud bolt 6 that connects the pump 4 and the ram 3, and detects the passage of the interlocking component on the upper rod 42A located outside the ram 3, specifically the coupling 43 that connects the upper rod 42A extending downward from the pump 4 side and the lower rod 42B located inside the ram 3.

[0035] Figures 6 and 7 show the detection data of the coupling 43 (interlocking component) acquired by the photoelectric sensor 53, respectively. More specifically, Figure 6 shows the detection data of the coupling 43 acquired by the photoelectric sensor 53 when there is a sufficient amount of fluid material remaining in the container 1, and Figure 7 shows the detection data of the coupling 43 acquired by the photoelectric sensor 53 when the fluid material in the container 1 has decreased and the container 1 is almost empty.

[0036] As mentioned above, when the fluid material inside container 1 decreases and container 1 becomes almost empty, the viscous resistance when moving the piston valve 41 up and down within the hollow portion 31 of the ram 3 decreases. Therefore, when the pump 4 is driven at a constant output, the movement speed of the piston valve 41 increases. Consequently, as shown in Figure 7, when container 1 is almost empty, the detection cycle of the coupling 43, which is an interlocking component, becomes shorter compared to when there is a sufficient amount of fluid material remaining inside container 1, as shown in Figure 6.

[0037] Therefore, as in this embodiment, even if the detection period of the coupling 43 is calculated based on the detection data of the coupling 43 acquired by the photoelectric sensor 53, and it is determined that it is time to replace the container 1 when the detection period falls below a predetermined threshold, the same effects and advantages as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0038] In other words, even if the determination device 5 is configured to include a photoelectric sensor 53 that illuminates a point on the motion trajectory of the coupling 43 (interlocking component) which moves in conjunction with the piston valve 41 to detect the passage of the coupling 43, and an electronic control unit 52 that calculates the detection period of the coupling 43 based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 53 and detects the change in the moving speed of the piston valve 41 based on the said detection period, the same effects and advantages as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0039] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments only represent a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 1 container 2 Platen 3 Ram 4 pumps 5 Judgment device 41 Piston valve (piston) 51 Vibration Sensor 52 Electronic control unit 53 Photoelectric Sensor 100 Flowable material supply device

Claims

1. A platen contained within a container holding a fluid material, A cylindrical ram attached to the platen, A pump that reciprocates a piston housed within the ram to draw up the fluid material inside the container, A determination device that determines the timing for replacing the container based on the change in the moving speed of the piston, Equipped with, The determination device is A vibration sensor is mounted at any position to which vibrations generated by the reciprocating motion of the piston are transmitted, An electronic control unit that calculates the period of vibration generated when the piston moves to the top dead center and bottom dead center based on the vibration sensor's detection value, and detects the change in the piston's movement speed based on the period, A supply device for fluid materials equipped with the following features.

2. A platen housed in a container containing a fluid material, A cylindrical ram attached to the platen, A pump that reciprocates a piston housed within the ram to draw up the fluid material inside the container, A determination device that determines the timing for replacing the container based on the change in the moving speed of the piston, Equipped with, The determination device is A photoelectric sensor detects the passage of a linked component by illuminating a point on the motion trajectory of the linked component, which moves in conjunction with the piston. An electronic control unit calculates the detection cycle of the interlocking component based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor and detects the change in the piston's movement speed based on the detection cycle. A supply device for fluid materials equipped with the following features.

3. The pump comprises a first rod that is reciprocated by the power of the pump, and a second rod on which the piston, which is connected to the first rod and housed in the ram, is provided. The aforementioned interlocking component is a coupling located outside the ram, connecting the first rod and the second rod. The fluid material supply device according to claim 2.

4. The determination device is When the change in the piston's movement speed exceeds a predetermined amount, it is determined that it is time to replace the container. A device for supplying fluid materials according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images