Multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions

Abstract

To provide a multi-nozzle pump for applying a viscous solution, which dispenses the viscous solution through a plurality of nozzles with high resolution.SOLUTION: The multi-nozzle pump for applying the viscous solution has advantages of being capable of narrowing intervals between the nozzles and reducing a total size while capable of simultaneously or individually applying the viscous solution through the plurality of nozzles. In addition, according to the multi-nozzle pump for applying the viscous solution, the intervals between the plurality of nozzles may be formed to be narrow as compared with the entire size and the pressing force, and thus, the viscous solution of high viscosity may be applied with high resolution advantageously.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-nozzle pump for applying a viscous solution, and more particularly, to a multi-nozzle pump for applying a viscous solution with high resolution through a plurality of nozzles.

Background Art

[0002] Dispensers that supply a fixed amount of solutions in a liquid state such as water, oil, and resin are used in various fields such as semiconductor processes and the medical field.

[0003] Recently, in the process of applying a sealant or exterior paint in an automobile manufacturing process, attempts have been made to use a dispenser in a form that applies a viscous solution through a nozzle.

[0004] In the case of an automobile manufacturing process, a dispenser with a structure that can easily adjust the shape in the figure, the thickness (width) of the line, various patterns, etc. while applying a solution with a relatively high viscosity over a large area is required. In order to apply such a large area in a short time, a pump with a structure having a plurality of nozzles is required. Furthermore, in order to apply a viscous solution with high resolution to an accurate position, a dispenser with a structure in which the interval between a plurality of nozzles is narrow and the discharge of the viscous solution from each nozzle can be individually adjusted is required.

[0005] In addition, in order to apply a large volume of a viscous solution with a high viscosity to a relatively large area, the driving pressure of the pump must be increased, so the size of the pump itself becomes large. However, in order to apply a viscous solution with high resolution while moving the pump using a robot to the internal structure of an automobile having a complex shape, the driving force of the pump must be strong while the size of the pump must be small. Also, the interval between the nozzles must be narrow.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 1301107 (Published August 27, 2013) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions that can strongly discharge a highly viscous solution through multiple nozzles while having a small size and a narrow spacing between nozzles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions, comprising a pump body, a lever rotatably mounted on a hinge shaft installed on the pump body, a valve rod connected to the lever so as to move up and down in accordance with the rotation of the lever, and a piezoelectric actuator installed on the pump body, the end of which contacts the lever so as to pressurize the lever while increasing in length when a voltage is applied, causing the lever to rotate around the hinge shaft, and a plurality of pump units, A pump support member is provided to which the plurality of pump units are connected and fixed, in a state in which at least some of the plurality of pump units are arranged such that the distance between them decreases as they advance in the direction in which the valve rod is located, and The valve body is characterized by including a plurality of storage sections into which the ends of the valve rods of the plurality of pump units are each inserted and into which a solution is stored, and a plurality of nozzles formed to lead to the plurality of storage sections, such that the solution from the plurality of storage sections is discharged as the plurality of valve rods move forward and backward relative to the plurality of storage sections by the plurality of levers. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions of the present invention has the advantage of being able to dispense viscous solutions simultaneously or individually through multiple nozzles, while also allowing for a narrower spacing between nozzles and a smaller overall size.

[0010] Furthermore, the multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions of the present invention has the advantage of being able to dispense highly viscous solutions with high resolution because the spacing between the multiple nozzles can be made narrow compared to the overall size and applied pressure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a separated perspective view of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution dispensing. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution dispensing. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution dispensing. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view along the line VI-VI in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution dispensing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] A multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a separated perspective view of the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating shown in Figure 1.

[0014] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of pump units 100, a pump support member 200, a valve body 300, and a control unit 600.

[0015] Each of the multiple pump units 100 comprises a pump body 110, a lever 130, a valve rod 140, and piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172.

[0016] The lever 130 and the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 are installed and supported on the pump body 110. In this embodiment, the pump unit 100 has a pair of piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 installed on the pump body 110. The piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 are composed of piezoelectric elements. When a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element, the length of the piezoelectric actuator increases or decreases according to the potential of the applied voltage. A hinge shaft 150 is installed on the pump body 110, and the lever 130 is rotatably mounted on the hinge shaft 150. On both sides of the hinge shaft 150, the ends of the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 are installed so as to contact the lever 130. When a voltage is applied and the length of the piezoelectric actuators alternately increases, the lever 130 is pushed into the piezoelectric actuator and rotates relative to the hinge shaft 150. When voltages are applied in opposite directions to the pair of piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172, the lever 130 sequentially reciprocates and rotates relative to the hinge shaft 150. In this embodiment, multi-stack type piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172, which are constructed by stacking multiple piezoelectric elements, are used.

[0017] The valve rod 140 extends vertically and is connected to the end of the lever 130. When the lever 130 rotates with respect to the hinge shaft 150, the lever 130 causes the valve rod 140 to move up and down with respect to the valve body 300.

[0018] In the case of this embodiment, five pump units 100 configured as described above are provided. Such pump units 100 are arranged radially at equal angular intervals with respect to each other as shown in FIG. 4. That is, the pump units 100 are arranged such that the distance between each adjacent pump unit 100 decreases as the lever 130 advances toward the valve body 300, and are coupled to the pump support member 200. The pump support member 200 is configured to fixedly couple and support the position and direction of such pump units 100. By arranging the pump units 100 in this manner, it is possible to configure the distance between the valve rods 140 to be narrow.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, the valve body 300 includes a plurality of storage portions 310 and a plurality of nozzles 330. The number of storage portions 310 is the same as the number of pump units 100. In the case of this embodiment, five storage portions 310 are formed in the valve body 300. A viscous solution is stored in the storage portions 310. Also, the lower portions of the valve rods 140 of the pump units 100 are respectively formed to be inserted into the respective storage portions 310. In conjunction with the reciprocating rotational movement of the lever 130, the valve rods 140 reciprocate back and forth with respect to the respective storage portions 310. The plurality of nozzles 330 are formed in the valve body 300 so as to communicate with the respective storage portions 310. In response to the operation of the valve rod 140, the viscous solution stored in the storage portion 310 is discharged to the outside through the nozzle 330. In the case of this embodiment, five nozzles 330 are formed in the valve body 300 so as to be arranged linearly at equal intervals.

[0020] Referring to Figure 5, in this embodiment, the valve body 300 is equipped with five springs 350. Each spring 350 is positioned to push the valve rod 140 away from the nozzle 330. The springs 350 assist the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 in raising the valve rod 140. The pressure from the springs 350 causes the valve rod 140 to rise and move away from the nozzle 330, thereby opening the nozzle 330.

[0021] The storage sections 310 may be formed independently of each other, or they may be formed to communicate with each other. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the storage sections 310 are formed to communicate with other adjacent storage sections 310. The valve body 300 also has an inlet 301 and an outlet 302. The viscous solution is supplied to the storage section 310 through the inlet 301. If the viscous solution is not discharged through the nozzle 330, the viscous solution in the storage section 310 returns to the storage tank through the outlet 302 and circulates.

[0022] The multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions in this embodiment can discharge viscous solutions in two modes, depending on the configuration of the pump unit 100 and the valve body 300. When dispensing viscous solutions in continuous mode, the valve rod 140 opens and closes the corresponding nozzles 330. When the valve rod 140 is in contact with the nozzle 330, the nozzle 330 is closed. When the valve rod 140 is lifted by the lever 130 and spring 350, the nozzle 330 is opened and the viscous solution is discharged through the nozzle 330. To ensure that the viscous solution is discharged with sufficient pressure, the viscous solution is supplied to the inlet 301 at an appropriate pressure. When dispensing viscous solutions in pulse mode, the viscous solution is discharged through the nozzle 330 in a so-called jetting manner. When the valve rod 140 descends towards the nozzle 330 at a high speed and then rises, the moment of the valve rod 140 is transmitted to the viscous solution, causing the viscous solution to be discharged through the nozzle 330 in the form of droplets or similar. At this time, depending on the characteristics of the viscous solution or the characteristics of the solution application, the valve rod 140 may descend to a position where it contacts the nozzle 330, or descend to a position where it does not contact the nozzle before rising. The stroke of the valve rod 140 is adjusted by the control unit 600 by operating the pump unit 100.

[0023] Referring to Figure 5, an inflow channel 410 is connected to the inlet 301 of the valve body 300. A pressure pump 450 is installed in the inflow channel 410 to pressurize the solution to sufficient pressure and supply it to the inlet 301. Various types of pumps can be used for the pressure pump 450. In this embodiment, a gear pump type pressure pump 450 as shown in Figure 7 is used. A gear pump has the advantage of being able to transmit a high-viscosity viscous solution to the inlet 301 of the valve body 300 at sufficient pressure. In this embodiment, a pressure pump 450 with the structure shown in Figures 2 and 7 is used. The pressure pump 450 comprises a servo motor 453 and a gearbox. The control unit 600 controls the operation of the servo motor 453. The servo motor 453 rotates the drive gear 451, and the driven gear 452 rotates by meshing with the drive gear 451. The rotation of the drive gear 451 and driven gear 452 installed in the gearbox pressurizes the viscous solution and transmits the pressure to the inflow channel 410.

[0024] A pressure sensor 411 is installed in the inflow channel 410 between the pressurizing pump 450 and the inlet 301. The measurement value from the pressure sensor 411 is transmitted to the control unit 600. The control unit 600 receives feedback from the measurement value from the pressure sensor 411 and controls the operation of the pressurizing pump 450 and the pump unit 100. When the control unit 600 operates the valve rods 140 of the pump unit 100 individually or simultaneously, the pressure in the reservoir 310 changes in accordance with the opening of each nozzle 330. The pressure sensor 411 measures this pressure change, and the control unit 600 adjusts the operation of the pressurizing pump 450 so that the viscous solution is supplied at an appropriate pressure according to the application of the viscous solution. The control unit 600 controls the operation of the pressurizing pump 450 so that a preset constant pressure is maintained in the reservoir 310. The pressure in the reservoir 310 may decrease depending on the number of nozzles 330 opened by the valve rod 140 and spring 350, but the control unit 600 operates the pressurizing pump 450 to compensate for such a pressure drop.

[0025] An outflow channel 420 is connected to the outlet 302 of the valve body 300. Viscous solution that is not discharged from the storage section 310 through the nozzles 330 returns to the storage tank via the outflow channel 420. An outflow valve 430 is installed in the outflow channel 420. The control unit 600 also controls the operation of the outflow valve 430. When all nozzles 330 are closed by the valve rod 140, the outflow valve 430 is opened, causing the viscous solution to circulate and continuously return to the storage tank. By circulating the viscous solution through the outflow valve 430 and the outflow channel 420 in this way, hardening of the viscous solution can be prevented. In addition, in cases where the valve body 300 is heated to increase the temperature of the viscous solution due to the discharge characteristics of the viscous solution, circulating the viscous solution through the outflow valve 430 and the outflow channel 420 can prevent the temperature of the viscous solution from rising unnecessarily or the viscous solution from hardening.

[0026] The operation of a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution application according to one embodiment configured as described above will be explained below.

[0027] First, the control unit 600 operates the pressurizing pump 450 to supply the viscous solution to the inlet 301 of the valve body 300 via the inflow channel 410. At this time, the control unit 600 receives feedback from the pressure sensor 411 installed in the inflow channel 410 and operates the pressurizing pump 450 so that the viscous solution is supplied at a predetermined pressure.

[0028] Using a gear pump type pressurizing pump 450, even highly viscous viscous solutions can be pressurized to a sufficient pressure and supplied to the inlet 301. In this embodiment, the viscous solution is pressurized by driving a gear connected to a servo motor 453. The control unit 600 controls the pressurizing pump 450 by adjusting the angular displacement and angular velocity of the servo motor 453 so that the viscous solution reaches the target pressure.

[0029] The viscous solution supplied through the inlet 301 is supplied to the storage section 310. At this time, the control unit 600 operates the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 to lower the valve rod 140, thereby closing the corresponding nozzle 330. Furthermore, the control unit 600 also closes the outlet valve 430, so that the viscous solution is confined in the storage section 310.

[0030] In this state, the control unit 600 operates the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 to raise and lower the valve rod 140. When the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172 rotate the lever 130 in the direction of raising the valve rod 140, the valve rod 140 rises with the help of the pressure from the spring 350, thereby opening the corresponding nozzle 330. When the nozzle 330 is opened, the viscous solution stored in the reservoir 310 is discharged through the nozzle 330 due to the pressure of the viscous solution.

[0031] When the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution application according to this embodiment is installed on a separate transport device or transport robot and the viscous solution is discharged through the nozzles 330 while moving, the viscous solution can be discharged in various ways, such as curves, straight lines, and dotted lines. In the case of the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution application according to this embodiment, since it is configured to have five nozzles 330, when the control unit 600 individually raises and lowers each valve rod 140 while discharging the viscous solution, it is possible to apply the viscous solution to the target material while drawing various patterns, similar to the printing method.

[0032] Furthermore, as described above, since the viscous solution is pressurized at high pressure using the gear pump type pressure pump 450 and discharged through the nozzle 330, the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution application in this embodiment is capable of precisely and delicately applying even highly viscous solutions, and can accurately apply viscous solutions to target products at relatively long distances.

[0033] Furthermore, as described above, since the five pump units 100 are arranged at equal angular intervals from each other, even if the volume of the pump units 100 is relatively large, the spacing between the nozzles 330 can be made smaller than the spacing between the pump units 100. Therefore, by finely arranging the spacing of the nozzles 330 in the valve body 300 so that the spacing between multiple nozzles 330 is narrow, it is possible to apply viscous solutions accurately and precisely in various patterns with relatively high resolution.

[0034] As described above, the valve body 300 of this embodiment is formed so that the five storage sections 310 are interconnected. Therefore, a viscous solution can be supplied to each storage section 310 simultaneously through a single inlet 301. This configuration has the advantage of allowing the valve body 300 to be made smaller.

[0035] On the other hand, the degree of pressure drop in the storage section 310 can vary depending on the number of nozzles 330 that are opened when the control unit 600 raises or lowers the valve rods 140 simultaneously or individually. At this time, the control unit 600 receives the measured value from the pressure sensor 411 installed in the inflow channel 410 and operates the pressurizing pump 450 to compensate for the pressure drop. In this manner, the control unit 600 can maintain a constant discharge characteristic of the viscous solution discharged from each nozzle 330.

[0036] Depending on the circumstances, the control unit 600 may operate the pressurizing pump 450 to increase or decrease the pressure of the viscous solution in advance for a predetermined time before generating an operation signal to open the nozzles 330 by each valve rod 140. The control unit 600 may consider the number of nozzles 330 that will be opened by raising the valve rods 140, calculate the resulting pressure drop, and operate the pressurizing pump 450 to compensate for that value. Furthermore, considering the difference between the time it takes for the pressure in the reservoir 310 to increase or decrease due to the operation of the pressurizing pump 450 and the time it takes for the valve rods 140 to rise and fall by the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172, the control unit 600 may also pre-operate the pressurizing pump 450 regardless of the measurement value of the pressure sensor 411.

[0037] When the valve body 300 is not coated with the viscous solution, all valve rods 140 descend, closing all nozzles 330. In this case, the control unit 600 opens the outflow valve 430, allowing the viscous solution supplied to the storage section 310 by the pressurizing pump 450 to return to the storage tank. When the outflow valve 430 is opened, the viscous solution circulates, continuously returning to the storage tank. This circulation of the viscous solution prevents it from hardening and sticking to the nozzles 330 or the area around the storage section 310. Furthermore, if the valve body 300 is heated, circulating the viscous solution prevents the temperature of the viscous solution from rising unnecessarily.

[0038] On the other hand, as mentioned above, the method in which the viscous solution is discharged when the valve rod 140 rises and the nozzle 330 opens is a continuous mode discharge method. Unlike this continuous mode, it is also possible to discharge the viscous solution in pulse mode (jetting method). In this case, the control unit 600 ensures that the viscous solution is supplied by the pressurizing pump 450 at a relatively low pressure. In this case, the viscous solution is not discharged through the nozzle 330 even when the valve rod 140 is raised. In the jetting method, when the valve rod 140 is rapidly lowered by the piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172, the viscous solution around the lower end of the valve rod 140 is discharged through the nozzle 330 due to the moment of the valve rod 140.

[0039] The multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions according to this embodiment can be used by selecting either a continuous mode or a pulsed mode, depending on the characteristics of the viscous solution, including its viscosity, the purpose of dispensing the viscous solution, or the characteristics of the target product.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred examples, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated above.

[0041] For example, as mentioned above, the pump unit 100 has a structure that includes two piezoelectric actuators 171 and 172, but the number and arrangement of the piezoelectric actuators can be varied in various ways. Although a structure that uses a spring 350 to raise the valve rod 140 was described and illustrated above, it is also possible to configure a pump unit that uses only piezoelectric actuators without using the spring 350. Furthermore, it is also possible to install and use a spring to apply a pressurizing force in the downward direction of the valve rod rather than raising the valve broad. In addition, it is possible to configure the multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions of the present invention by installing a displacement detection sensor on the piezoelectric actuator, lever, or valve rod and adjusting the behavior of the valve rod by the control unit.

[0042] As mentioned above, the five pump units 100 are arranged at equal angular intervals and installed on the pump support member 200, but the number of pump units and the arrangement of the pump units can be varied as needed. The spacing and positional relationship between the multiple nozzles of the valve body can also be varied as needed.

[0043] Furthermore, although it was previously mentioned that the valve body 300 is configured so that multiple storage sections 310 are connected to each other, it is also possible to configure the storage sections in a structure that is isolated from each other and does not connect to each other.

[0044] Furthermore, the structure of the pressure pump 450 installed in the inflow channel 410 can be modified to various other pump configurations besides the gear pump configuration described above. In some cases, it is also possible to implement a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating that does not have a pressure pump. It is also possible to implement a multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating that does not have a pressure sensor installed in the inflow channel.

[0045] Furthermore, although the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating described above can be used in both continuous and pulsed modes, it is also possible to configure the multi-nozzle pump for viscous solution coating to operate in only one of the two modes, continuous or pulsed, depending on the circumstances. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0046] 100 Pump Units 110 Pump Body 130 Lever 140 Valve Rod 150 Hinge Axle 171, 172 Piezoelectric actuators 200 Pump support member 300 Valve Body 310 Storage section 330 nozzles 301 Inlet 302 Outlet 410 Inflow channel 411 Pressure Sensor 420 Outlet channel 430 Outlet valve 450 Pressure pump 451 Drive Gear 452 Driven gear 453 Servo motor 600 Control Unit 350 spring

Claims

1. A plurality of pump units comprising: a pump body; a lever rotatably mounted on a hinge shaft installed on the pump body; a valve rod connected to the lever so as to move up and down in accordance with the rotation of the lever; and a piezoelectric actuator installed on the pump body, the end of which contacts the lever so as to pressurize the lever while increasing in length when a voltage is applied, causing the lever to rotate around the hinge shaft; A pump support member is provided to which the plurality of pump units are connected and fixed, in a state in which at least some of the plurality of pump units are arranged such that the distance between them decreases as they advance in the direction in which the valve rod is located, and A valve body comprising: a plurality of storage sections into which the ends of the valve rods of the plurality of pump units are each inserted, and into which a solution is stored and communicates with each other; a plurality of nozzles formed to communicate with the plurality of storage sections so as the plurality of valve rods move back and forth relative to the plurality of storage sections by the plurality of levers, the solution from the plurality of storage sections is discharged; an inlet formed to supply the solution to the plurality of storage sections; and an outlet from which the solution from the plurality of storage sections is discharged; An inflow channel connected to the aforementioned inlet, A pressurizing pump configured in the form of a gear pump installed in the inflow channel to pressurize the solution and supply it to the inlet, An outflow channel connected to the outlet of the valve body, which returns the solution from the plurality of storage sections to the storage section, An outlet valve installed in the aforementioned outlet channel, The control unit controls the operation of the plurality of pump units, the pressurizing pump, and the outlet valve, Includes, The control unit controls the operation of the outlet valve so that, if all of the multiple nozzles are closed, the outlet valve is opened and the solution is continuously circulated back to the multiple storage units. Multi-nozzle pump for dispensing viscous solutions.

2. The multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pump units are arranged at equal angular intervals from one another.

3. The multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pump units are arranged such that the distance between them decreases as they get closer to the valve body, and are coupled to the pump support member.

4. The valve body is a multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged in a straight line at equal intervals.

5. The system further includes a pressure sensor installed in the inflow channel connecting the pressurizing pump and the valve body, which measures the pressure of the solution, The control unit controls the operation of the pressurizing pump upon receiving the measured value from the pressure sensor, as described in claim 1, for a multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions.

6. The valve body is configured such that the plurality of nozzles are individually opened and closed in accordance with the movement of the plurality of valve rods, thereby discharging the solution. The multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions according to claim 5, wherein the control unit operates the pressurizing pump to compensate for the pressure in the plurality of storage sections due to the individual opening and closing of the plurality of nozzles in accordance with the individual operation of the plurality of valve rods.

7. The multi-nozzle pump for coating viscous solutions according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pump units operate to discharge the solution through the plurality of nozzles in a jetting manner as the plurality of valve rods move forward and backward relative to the plurality of storage units.

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