Application nozzle and application method

Abstract

An application nozzle (10) for applying a fluid (S) to a workpiece (1) comprises: a discharge tube (20) that includes a discharge port (22a) for discharging the fluid (S); a partitioning member (30) provided in the discharge tube (20) across the discharge port (22a); and a drive mechanism section (40) for relatively rotating the discharge tube (20) and the workpiece (1) about a center axis (L1, L2) of the discharge tube (20). The application nozzle (10) is configured to use the drive mechanism section (40) to relatively rotate the discharge tube (20) and the workpiece (1) about the center axis (L1, L2), thereby using the partitioning member (30) to cut the fluid (S) discharged from the discharge port (22a) of the discharge tube (20).

Description

Application nozzle and application method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a coating nozzle and a coating method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a paste discharge device for discharging a paste material as a conventional fluid application technology. This paste discharge device includes a wire drive means for moving a wire stretched in a plane parallel to the open end face of a nozzle from an initial position outside the open end face across the discharge port to a cutting position outside the open end face. With this paste discharge device, a predetermined amount of paste material is discharged from the nozzle toward the discharge area of ​​a workpiece, and then the wire drive means moves the wire from the initial position to the cutting position, cutting the paste material and separating it into the discharge area side and the nozzle side. In this way, the paste material discharged from the nozzle is applied to the application surface of the workpiece.

[0003] JP 2018-183882 A

[0004] The paste discharge device of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a wire is moved in a direction transverse to the discharge port of a discharge pipe to cut the paste material. This structure requires periodic cleaning of the wire to prevent the paste material adhering to the wire from dripping onto the workpiece during cutting. In addition, if the paste material adhering to the wire drips onto the workpiece, cleaning work is required to remove the excess paste material. Therefore, this paste discharge device has the disadvantage of increasing the number of steps required to apply the paste material to the workpiece. While it is conceivable to perform the cleaning work automatically, this requires additional equipment for automating the cleaning work, which increases the equipment costs.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a technology that is effective in reducing the number of work steps required when applying a fluid to a workpiece using an application nozzle.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is an application nozzle for applying a fluid to a workpiece, comprising: a discharge pipe having a discharge port for discharging the fluid; a partition member provided on the discharge pipe so as to cross the discharge port; and a drive mechanism for rotating the discharge pipe and the workpiece relatively around a central axis of the discharge pipe, wherein the application nozzle is configured such that the fluid discharged from the discharge port of the discharge pipe is cut by the partition member by rotating the discharge pipe and the workpiece relatively around the central axis by the drive mechanism.

[0007] In the above-described embodiment, a partition member is provided in the discharge pipe of the application nozzle so as to cross the discharge port. The discharge pipe and the workpiece are rotated relative to each other around the central axis of the discharge pipe by the drive mechanism, causing the partition member to physically cut the fluid discharged from the discharge port of the discharge pipe. Because the application nozzle is designed so that the partition member cuts the fluid by utilizing the relative rotation between the discharge pipe and the workpiece, compared to a design in which the partition member moves in a direction crossing the discharge port of the discharge pipe to cut the fluid, the fluid adhering to the partition member during cutting is removed by the fluid discharged from the discharge port, resulting in less fluid remaining on the partition member and less excess fluid adhering to the workpiece. This prevents the need for cleaning excess fluid adhering to the workpiece and fluid adhering to the partition member, thereby simplifying the process of applying the fluid to the workpiece.

[0008] According to the above-described aspect, it is possible to provide a technique that is effective in reducing the number of work steps required when applying a fluid to a workpiece using an application nozzle.

[0009] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a coating nozzle of embodiment 1, Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing region A of the discharge pipe of the coating nozzle of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a view of the discharge pipe of Fig. 2 as seen from the discharge port side, Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the coating method of embodiment 1, Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the first step in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the second step in Fig. 4, Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the third step in Fig. 4, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the third step in Fig. 4, Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the fourth step in Fig. 4, and Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge pipe of the coating nozzle of embodiment 2. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of the partition member in the discharge pipe of FIG. 10 , FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the application method of embodiment 2 , FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the third step in FIG. 12 , FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the fourth step in FIG. 12 , FIG. 15 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 for the discharge pipe of embodiment 3 , FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 for the discharge pipe of embodiment 4 , FIG. 17 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 for the discharge pipe of embodiment 5 , FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the inner pipe portion of the discharge pipe of FIG. 17 , and FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the inner pipe portion of the discharge pipe of FIG. 17 .

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the above aspects are described below.

[0011] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, the partition member is preferably a wire that contacts the end face of the discharge pipe. With this application nozzle, it is possible to position the wire partition member as close as possible to the discharge opening of the discharge pipe.

[0012] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, the discharge pipe preferably includes an outer pipe portion and an inner pipe portion disposed inside the outer pipe portion, the inner pipe portion having the discharge port and fixed to the nozzle body portion so as to allow rotation about the central axis of the outer pipe portion, and the outer pipe portion preferably rotates about the central axis by the drive mechanism. With this application nozzle, the discharge pipe and the workpiece can be rotated relative to each other using a simple structure in which only the outer pipe portion is rotated by the drive mechanism. Furthermore, because the inner pipe portion through which the fluid passes is a non-rotating structure, it is possible to prevent the fluid from twisting during discharge, thereby preventing the coating shape from being distorted.

[0013] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, the discharge pipe preferably has a non-concentric structure in which the central axis of the inner pipe portion is deviated from the central axis of the outer pipe portion. This application nozzle can provide a discharge pipe in which the central axes of the inner pipe portion and the outer pipe portion are non-concentric.

[0014] In the coating nozzle of the above aspect, it is preferable that the inner pipe portion has a circular or non-circular cross-sectional shape and is detachably provided inside the outer pipe portion. With this coating nozzle, the inner pipe portion of the discharge pipe can be replaced with one having a different cross-sectional shape as needed, thereby increasing the versatility of the coating nozzle.

[0015] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, the discharge pipe preferably includes an outer pipe portion having a plurality of internal teeth on its inner circumferential surface, an inner pipe portion having a plurality of external teeth on its outer circumferential surface and disposed inside the outer pipe portion, and a planetary gear meshing with the internal teeth of the outer pipe portion and the external teeth of the inner pipe portion. The outer pipe portion is rotated about the central axis by the drive mechanism, and the inner pipe portion rotates in the opposite direction to the outer pipe portion about the central axis via the planetary gear when the outer pipe portion rotates. With this application nozzle, the structure of rotating the outer pipe portion and the inner pipe portion in opposite directions via the planetary gear allows the relative rotational speed of the outer pipe portion and the inner pipe portion to be set high. This increases the cutting speed of the fluid by the partition member, thereby improving the cutting performance of the fluid.

[0016] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, it is preferable that the partition members are provided so as to cross the discharge port at different positions from each other. With this application nozzle, the number of times the fluid material is cut per unit rotation of the discharge pipe can be increased, thereby improving the cutting performance of the partition members for the fluid material.

[0017] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, it is preferable that none of the plurality of partition members intersect with the central axis. With this application nozzle, it is possible to eliminate immobile regions of the partition members that do not move relative to the discharge port when the discharge pipe rotates (i.e., regions where the rotational speed is zero), thereby improving the efficiency of cutting the fluid by the partition members.

[0018] In the application nozzle of the above aspect, the discharge pipe preferably has three or more fixing portions to which the end of the partition member is detachably fixed, at different positions in the circumferential direction. With this application nozzle, by using the three or more fixing portions to change the position of the end of the partition member, it is possible to increase the variety of arrangements of the partition member across the discharge outlet of the discharge pipe. Furthermore, it is possible to optimally arrange the partition member depending on various conditions such as the properties of the fluid, thereby improving the cutting condition (application condition) of the fluid by the partition member.

[0019] In the coating method using the coating nozzle of the above aspect, it is preferable that the fluid is cut by rotating the discharge pipe and the workpiece relatively about the central axis by the drive mechanism when the fluid is discharged from the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and the cut pieces are applied to the workpiece. According to this coating method, the fluid discharged from the discharge port of the discharge pipe is cut by a partition member, and the cut pieces are applied to the workpiece.

[0020] In the coating method of the above aspect, it is preferable that the workpiece has an opening having an opening diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and that the opening of the workpiece is blocked with the cut material. According to this coating method, the opening of the workpiece can be blocked with the cut material produced by cutting the fluid discharged from the discharge port of the discharge pipe with a partition member. When the fluid is applied to the opening of the workpiece, the contact area between the fluid and the workpiece is smaller than when the fluid is applied to a workpiece without an opening, making it difficult for the fluid to adhere to the workpiece. However, even in such cases, blocking the opening of the workpiece with the cut material of the fluid makes it easier for the fluid to adhere to the workpiece.

[0021] In the coating method of the above aspect, the relative rotation of the discharge pipe and the workpiece by the drive mechanism is preferably performed while the coating nozzle is being moved away from the workpiece. According to this coating method, the fluid is cut while the coating nozzle is being moved away from the workpiece, which can prevent the recombination phenomenon in which the cut pieces reconnect to the fluid on the coating nozzle side. In particular, in the case of upward coating, in which the fluid is applied to the workpiece with the coating nozzle facing upward, the cut pieces are subject to the influence of gravity, making the recombination phenomenon more likely to occur. Therefore, this coating method is particularly effective when performing upward coating.

[0022] Specific embodiments of a coating technique for coating a workpiece with a fluid will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings describing the embodiments, unless otherwise specified, the axial direction of the coating nozzle is indicated by arrow X, the radial direction of the coating nozzle is indicated by arrow Y, and the circumferential direction of the coating nozzle is indicated by arrow Z.

[0023] (Embodiment 1) A coating nozzle 10 of embodiment 1 is shown in Figure 1. This coating nozzle 10 is used to coat a workpiece 1 with a fluid material S. This coating nozzle 10 can be used in various fields, including, for example, automobile manufacturing equipment and food production equipment.

[0024] The workpiece 1 may be a flat plate-like member having a coating surface 1a such as a flat surface or a stepped surface, or may be a member having openings such as through-holes or recesses. A highly viscous paste-like fluid that has flowability at room temperature is used as the fluid material S. The "room temperature" referred to here typically refers to a temperature in the range of about 5 to 40°C. The viscosity and other physical properties of the fluid material S are set appropriately depending on the application of the coating nozzle 10 and the shape of the workpiece 1.

[0025] 1, the coating nozzle 10 is mainly composed of a fluid supply unit 11, a nozzle main body 12, a discharge pipe 20, a partition member 30, and a drive mechanism unit 40. The coating nozzle 10 is held by a robot arm (not shown) and is adjusted to a desired posture by robot control that moves the robot arm according to a pre-taught movement trajectory.

[0026] A supply pump (not shown) is built into the fluid supply unit 11 or is connected to the supply pump. The fluid S is pressurized by the supply pump and supplied from the fluid supply unit 11 to the nozzle main body 12. A discharge pipe 20 is built into the nozzle main body 12. The discharge pipe 20 has a discharge port 22a that discharges the fluid S supplied from the fluid supply unit 11.

[0027] The discharge pipe 20 includes an outer pipe portion 21 and an inner pipe portion 22, which is a sleeve provided inside the outer pipe portion 21. In this embodiment, both the outer pipe portion 21 and the inner pipe portion 22 are cylindrical with a circular cross-sectional shape. The outer pipe portion 21 and the inner pipe portion 22 are concentric, and are configured and arranged so that the longitudinal center axis L1 of the outer pipe portion 21 and the longitudinal center axis L2 of the inner pipe portion 22 overlap each other. The inner pipe portion 22 is arranged so that its end face is generally flush with the end face 21a of the outer pipe portion 21 (see FIG. 2).

[0028] The nozzle body 12 supports the outer tube 21 so that it can rotate about the central axis L1 via bearing mechanisms 13 and 14. The inner tube 22 has a discharge port 22a and is fixed to the nozzle body 12 so as to allow rotation of the outer tube 21 about the central axis L1. A pulley 23 is provided on the outer periphery of the outer tube 21.

[0029] The partition member 30 is provided so as to cross the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22 while contacting the end surface 21a (see FIG. 2) of the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20. This makes it possible to position the partition member 30 as close as possible to the discharge port 22a of the discharge pipe 20. The partition member 30 is a cutting member for cutting the fluid material S discharged from the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22. The fluid material S is cut by the partition member 30 when it is discharged from the discharge port 22a, and the cut pieces Sa are applied to the application surface 1a of the workpiece 1.

[0030] In this embodiment, the partition member 30 is composed of a single wire. The term "wire" as used herein refers to a thin, elongated member that extends linearly, such as a wire. The cross-sectional shape of the wire may be circular, elliptical, polygonal, or other shapes. The diameter of the wire is not particularly limited, but a smaller diameter reduces the contact resistance of the wire with the fluid material S. It is known that the ease with which the fluid material S can be cut is affected not only by the diameter of the wire, but also by the properties of the fluid material S and the specifications of the drive unit that moves the wire. Therefore, in order to achieve the desired cutting performance of the fluid material S, it is preferable to set the diameter of the wire based on these various conditions. The material of the partition member 30 is not particularly limited, but a metal material with excellent strength is preferably used.

[0031] A fixing portion 31 to which an end portion 30a (see FIG. 2) of the partition member 30 is detachably fixed is provided on the outer peripheral surface 21b of the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20. Therefore, the end portion 30a of the partition member 30 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface 21b of the outer pipe portion 21. Note that instead of this structure, a structure may be employed in which the end portion 30a of the partition member 30 is fixed to the end surface 21a or the inner peripheral surface of the outer pipe portion 21.

[0032] In order to improve the cutting performance of the fluid material S, the partition member 30 is preferably maintained in a state in which a certain value or more of tension is applied (in a taut state) with the end portion 30a fixed to the fixing portion 31. In addition, in order to improve the cutting performance of the fluid material S, a structure in which a conductive wire is used and this wire is heated by passing electricity through it, or a structure in which ultrasonic vibrations are applied to the wire, may also be employed.

[0033] The partition member 30 may have a width smaller than the inner diameter of the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22. In this case, the shape, number, material, etc. of the partition member 30 may be appropriately changed as needed. In addition to wire, for example, a plate-like member wider than wire or a blade-like member with an edge may be used. Furthermore, the partition member 30 may be provided integrally with the discharge pipe 20.

[0034] The drive mechanism 40 has a function of rotating the discharge pipe 20 and the workpiece 1 relatively about the central axes L1 and L2. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 40 functions to rotate the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 about the central axis L1 relative to the fixed workpiece 1. To achieve this function, the drive mechanism 40 includes a motor 41, a motor shaft 42, a pulley 43 provided on the outer periphery of the motor shaft 42, and a drive belt 44 that is wound around the pulley 23 and the pulley 43 provided on the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20.

[0035] According to this drive mechanism 40, when the motor 41 operates, the rotational drive force is transmitted to the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 via the drive belt 44. As a result, a rotational drive force about the central axis L1 is imparted to the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20. In this manner, the outer pipe portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 is rotated about the central axis L1 by the drive mechanism 40. In this embodiment, the rotation of the outer pipe portion 21 is also referred to as "rotation of the discharge pipe 20" for convenience.

[0036] The application nozzle 10 of this embodiment is configured to cut the fluid S discharged from the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 with the partition member 30 by rotating the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 around the central axis L1 using the drive mechanism portion 40 (by rotating the outer tube portion 21 and the workpiece 1 relative to each other around the central axis L1).

[0037] According to the application nozzle 10, the discharge pipe 20 and the workpiece 1 can be rotated relative to each other by a simple structure in which only the outer pipe portion 21 is rotated by the drive mechanism portion 40. Furthermore, because the inner pipe portion 22 through which the fluid S passes is a non-rotating structure, it is possible to prevent the fluid S from twisting during discharge and causing the coating shape to become distorted. On the other hand, instead of a structure in which the outer pipe portion 21 rotates relative to the fixed workpiece 1, a structure in which the workpiece 1 rotates relative to the fixed outer pipe portion 21, or a structure in which both the outer pipe portion 21 and the workpiece 1 rotate relative to each other may be employed.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, the partition member 30 is disposed across the discharge port 22a with a length corresponding to the diameter of the inner pipe portion 22 of the discharge pipe 20. In addition, in this embodiment, a plurality of (eight in Fig. 3) fixing portions 31 are disposed on the outer peripheral surface 21b of the outer pipe portion 21 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction Z. In other words, the plurality of fixing portions 31 are provided on the discharge pipe 20 at different positions in the circumferential direction Z. By using a plurality of fixing portions 31, the number and positions of the partition members 30 can be easily changed.

[0039] When providing a plurality of fixing portions 31, it is sufficient to provide three or more fixing portions 31. By using three or more fixing portions 31 to change the position of the end portion 30a of the partition member 30, it becomes possible to increase the variety of arrangements of the partition member 30 across the discharge port 22a of the discharge pipe 20. Furthermore, it becomes possible to optimally arrange the partition member 30 depending on various conditions such as the properties of the fluid S, thereby improving the cutting state (application state) of the fluid S by the partition member 30.

[0040] 2. Coating Method Next, the coating method of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 9. This coating method uses the coating nozzle 10 configured as described above. As shown in Figure 5, the workpiece 1 used in this embodiment has an opening 2. The opening 2 is a through-hole that penetrates the workpiece 1. The opening diameter d2 of this opening 2 is smaller than the inner diameter d1 of the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 of the discharge pipe 20.

[0041] In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the application nozzle 10 approaches the workpiece 1 from below the workpiece 1 with the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22 of the discharge pipe 20 facing upward. If necessary, the application nozzle 10 may approach the workpiece 1 from above the workpiece 1 with the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22 of the discharge pipe 20 facing downward, or the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22 of the discharge pipe 20 may approach the workpiece 1 from an appropriate direction such as horizontally, diagonally upward, or diagonally downward.

[0042] The first step S101 in Fig. 4 is a step of discharging a predetermined amount of fluid S from the application nozzle 10. According to the first step S101, as shown in Fig. 5, the fluid S is formed in a protruding state in which it protrudes upward to a predetermined height from the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22. In this protruding state, the fluid S passes through the partition member 30 and protrudes upward.

[0043] The second step S102 in Fig. 4 is a step of moving the application nozzle 10 from its initial position to a contact position where the protruding fluid S contacts the workpiece 1. In this second step S102, the application nozzle 10 itself is moved in the approach direction X1 in Fig. 5 by robot control. This second step S102 may be performed after the first step S101, or may be performed in parallel with the first step S101. According to the second step S102, as shown in Fig. 6, the application nozzle 10 is raised to an elevated position where the fluid S protruding upward from the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 contacts the opening 2 of the workpiece 1 so as to block it.

[0044] 4 is a step following the second step S102, in which the rotation and sliding of the coating nozzle 10 are performed in parallel. In this third step S103, as shown in FIG. 7, the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 is rotated in a rotation direction Z1 about the central axis L1 by the drive mechanism 40, while the coating nozzle 10 itself is slid from the contact position in a sliding direction Y1 by robot control. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, with the outer tube portion 21 rotated in the rotation direction Z1, the discharge pipe 20 moves to a sliding position where the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 is out of contact with the opening 2 of the workpiece 1 in the radial direction Y.

[0045] According to the third step S103, with the protruding fluid material S in contact with the workpiece 1, the partition member 30 rotates along the opening surface of the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 in conjunction with the rotation of the outer tube portion 21 of the application nozzle 10. At this time, the fluid material S protruding upward from the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 is physically cut off by the partition member 30, which moves integrally with the outer tube portion 21 as the application nozzle 10 rotates. Furthermore, during the sliding motion of the application nozzle 10, the edge of the discharge pipe 20 slides in the radial direction Y, thereby cutting off the fluid material S. That is, in this embodiment, the fluid material S is cut off by utilizing both the rotational motion and the sliding motion of the application nozzle 10. Then, the cut pieces Sa of the protruding fluid material S cut off by the partition member 30 are separated from the remaining fluid material S on the discharge port 22a side of the inner tube portion 22 as the application nozzle 10 slides. Therefore, the cut pieces Sa remain on the workpiece 1 side while blocking the opening 2 of the workpiece 1. When applying the fluid S to the opening 2 of the work 1 as in this embodiment, the contact area between the fluid S and the work 1 is smaller than when applying the fluid S to a work 1 that does not have a portion such as an opening 2, so the fluid S is less likely to adhere to the work 1. However, even in such a case, blocking the opening 2 of the work 1 with a cut piece Sa of the fluid S makes it easier for the fluid S to adhere to the work 1.

[0046] 4 is a step of moving the coating nozzle 10 downward from the contact position to the initial position. In this fourth step S104, as shown in FIG. 9, the coating nozzle 10 itself is moved in the separation direction X2 by robot control. As a result, the coating nozzle 10 returns to the initial position.

[0047] 3. Effects According to the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

[0048] In the first embodiment, a partition member 30 is provided in the discharge pipe 20 of the application nozzle 10 so as to cross the discharge port 22 a. The discharge pipe 20 and the workpiece 1 are rotated relative to each other about the central axis L1 of the discharge pipe 20 by the drive mechanism 40, whereby the partition member 30 physically cuts the fluid S discharged from the discharge port 22 a of the discharge pipe 20. The application nozzle 10 has a structure in which the partition member 30 cuts the fluid S by utilizing the relative rotation between the discharge pipe 20 and the workpiece 1. Therefore, compared to a structure in which the partition member 30 moves in a direction crossing the discharge port 22 a of the discharge pipe 20 to cut the fluid S, the fluid S adhering to the partition member 30 during cutting is removed by the fluid S discharged from the discharge port 22 a, which results in less fluid S remaining adhering to the partition member 30 and less likelihood of excess fluid S adhering to the workpiece 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the need for cleaning up excess fluid S adhering to the workpiece 1 and the partition member 30, thereby simplifying the work of applying the fluid S to the workpiece 1. Furthermore, there is no need for a device for automating the cleaning work, which prevents the equipment costs from increasing.

[0049] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a technique that is effective in reducing the number of work steps required when applying the fluid material S to the workpiece 1 using the application nozzle 10 .

[0050] Hereinafter, other embodiments related to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the other embodiments, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements will be omitted.

[0051] 10 and 11, a discharge pipe 20A of embodiment 2 differs from the discharge pipe 20 of embodiment 1 in that it uses a plurality of partition members 30. In this embodiment, the arrangement structure of FIG. 10 or the arrangement structure of FIG. 11 can be adopted for the arrangement of the plurality of partition members 30. The number of partition members 30 is not particularly limited, and any appropriate number of partition members 30 can be used.

[0052] 10, four partition members 30 are provided at different positions across the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22. All four partition members 30 are provided so as to intersect with the central axes L1 and L2. The end portion 30a of each partition member 30 is fixed to a fixing portion 31.

[0053] 11, eight partition members 30 are provided at different positions across the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22. None of the eight partition members 30 are provided at positions that do not intersect with the central axes L1, L2. The end portion 30a of each partition member 30 is fixed to a fixing portion 31. The eight partition members 30 may each be independent members, or may be successively hung on the eight fixing portions 31 using a single wire in a single stroke.

[0054] The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0055] Next, the coating method of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0056] The first step S201 and the second step S202 in FIG. 12 are the same as the first step S101 and the second step S102 in the first embodiment (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

[0057] The third step S203 in FIG. 12 differs from the third step S103 in the first embodiment. This third step S203 is a step in which the rotation operation and the separation operation of the application nozzle 10 are performed in parallel. In this third step S203, as shown in FIG. 13 , the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 is rotated in the rotation direction Z1 about the central axis L1 by the drive mechanism unit 40, while the application nozzle 10 itself is moved from the contact position in the separation direction X2 by robot control. That is, in the third step S203, the cutting operation of the fluid material S by the partition member 30, which occurs in conjunction with the rotation of the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20, is performed while the application nozzle 10 is separated from the workpiece 1.

[0058] According to the third step S203, the fluid material S protruding upward from the discharge port 22a of the inner tube portion 22 is physically cut by the multiple partition members 30 that move integrally when the outer tube portion 21 rotates. In this embodiment, multiple partition members 30 are used, which provides a higher cutting performance for the fluid material S than when a single partition member 30 is used. The cut pieces Sa of the fluid material S cut by the multiple partition members 30 are separated from the fluid material S on the discharge port 22a side of the inner tube portion 22 and remain on the workpiece 1 side while still blocking the opening 2 of the workpiece 1.

[0059] In the third step S203, the application nozzle 10 is not moved in the radial direction Y from the contact position while the outer tube portion 21 is rotating, which is effective in retaining the cut material Sa at a position corresponding to the opening 2 of the workpiece 1 and also has the effect of reducing the number of work steps. Furthermore, in the third step S203, the fluid material S is cut while the application nozzle 10 is pulled away from the workpiece 1, which prevents the cut material Sa from reconnecting with the fluid material S on the application nozzle 10 side. In the case of upward application, in which the application nozzle 10 is facing upward and the fluid material S is applied to the workpiece 1, as in this embodiment, the cut material Sa is subjected to a downward force due to gravity, which makes the reconnection phenomenon more likely to occur. Therefore, the third step S203 is particularly effective when performing upward application.

[0060] 12, similar to the fourth step S104 in the first embodiment, the coating nozzle 10 is moved downward from the workpiece 1 to an initial position. In this fourth step S204, as shown in FIG. 14, the coating nozzle 10 itself is moved from the contact position in the separation direction X2 by robot control. This returns the coating nozzle 10 to the initial position.

[0061] According to the second embodiment, the number of partition members 30 is greater than in the first embodiment, thereby increasing the number of times the fluid S is cut per unit rotation of the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20. This improves the cutting performance of the partition members 30 for the fluid S. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a sliding motion of the application nozzle 10 to cut the fluid S. However, depending on various conditions, such as the properties of the fluid S, the application nozzle 10 may perform a sliding motion. Furthermore, by arranging each partition member 30 at a position that does not intersect with the central axes L1 and L2, as in the arrangement structure shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to eliminate immobile regions (i.e., regions where the rotational speed is zero) of each portion of the partition member 30 that do not move relative to the discharge outlet 22a when the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 rotates. This improves the cutting efficiency of the fluid S using the multiple partition members 30.

[0062] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0063] (Embodiment 3) As shown in FIG. 15 , embodiment 3 uses a discharge pipe 20B having a different structure from the discharge pipe 20 of embodiment 1. The discharge pipe 20B includes an outer pipe portion 21, an inner pipe portion 22, and a planetary gear 24. The outer pipe portion 21 has multiple internal teeth 21c around the entire circumference of its inner circumferential surface. Note that FIG. 15 shows only some of the internal teeth 21c on the inner circumferential surface of the outer pipe portion 21 for convenience's sake. The inner pipe portion 22 has multiple external teeth 22b on its outer circumferential surface and is disposed inside the outer pipe portion 21. Both the outer pipe portion 21 and the inner pipe portion 22 are held in the nozzle main body 12 (see FIG. 1 ) so as to be rotatable relative to each other. The planetary gear 24 is a gear that meshes with the internal teeth 21c of the outer pipe portion 21 and the external teeth 22b of the inner pipe portion 22.

[0064] In the discharge pipe 20B, when the outer pipe portion 21 is rotated around the central axis L1 by the drive mechanism portion 40, for example in a rotational direction Z1, the inner pipe portion 22 rotates around the central axis L2 via the planetary gear 24 in a rotational direction Z2, which is the opposite direction to the outer pipe portion 21.

[0065] The other configurations and application methods are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0066] According to the discharge pipe 20B of the third embodiment, the outer pipe portion 21 and the inner pipe portion 22 are rotated in opposite directions via the planetary gears 24, which makes it possible to set a high relative rotation speed between the outer pipe portion 21 and the inner pipe portion 22. This makes it possible to increase the cutting speed of the fluid S by the partition member 30, thereby improving the cutting performance of the fluid S.

[0067] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0068] In the discharge pipe 20B having the above configuration, a structure using a plurality of partition members 30 (see FIGS. 10 and 11 ) as in the second embodiment can be adopted as needed. In this case, the same application method as in the second embodiment is carried out. This provides the same effects as in the second embodiment.

[0069] 16 , in the fourth embodiment, a discharge pipe 20C having a different structure from the discharge pipe 20 of the first embodiment is used. In the discharge pipe 20C, the inner pipe portion 22 has an elliptical (non-circular) cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional shape of the inner pipe portion 22 may be other non-circular shapes (e.g., triangular, rectangular, polygonal, star-shaped, etc.) in addition to an elliptical shape. The inner pipe portion 22 may have a concentric structure in which its central axis L2 overlaps with the central axis L1 of the outer pipe portion 21, or may have a non-concentric structure in which its central axis L2 is deviated from the central axis L1 of the outer pipe portion 21.

[0070] The discharge pipe 20C preferably has a structure in which the inner pipe portion 22 is detachably provided inside the outer pipe portion 21. According to this structure, the inner pipe portion 22 of the discharge pipe 20C can be replaced with one having a different cross-sectional shape as needed, thereby increasing the versatility of the application nozzle 10.

[0071] The other configurations and application methods are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0072] According to the discharge pipe 20C of embodiment 4, by using the inner pipe portion 22 having a non-circular cross-sectional shape, it is possible to provide variation in the shape of the cut pieces Sa formed by cutting the fluid material S.

[0073] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0074] In the discharge pipe 20C having the above configuration, a structure using a plurality of partition members 30 (see FIGS. 10 and 11 ) as in the second embodiment can be adopted as needed. In this case, the same application method as in the second embodiment is carried out. This provides the same effects as in the second embodiment.

[0075] 17 , in the fifth embodiment, a discharge pipe 20D having a different structure from the discharge pipe 20 of the first embodiment is used. The discharge pipe 20D has a non-concentric structure in which the central axis L2 of the inner pipe portion 22 is offset from the central axis L1 of the outer pipe portion 21. In addition, the discharge pipe 20D has an arrangement in which the entire inner pipe portion 22 is positioned radially outward from the central axis L1 of the outer pipe portion 21. In this embodiment, the inner pipe portion 22 is sized so that its outer diameter is smaller than the radius of the inner circle of the outer pipe portion 21. With this arrangement, the crossing portion 30b of the partition member 30, which is positioned to cross the discharge port 22a of the inner pipe portion 22 when the outer pipe portion 21 rotates, constantly moves relative to the discharge port 22a when within the range of the discharge port 22a.

[0076] The other configurations and application methods are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0077] According to the discharge pipe 20D of embodiment 5, it is possible to eliminate immobile areas (i.e., areas where the rotational speed is zero) among the various parts of the partition member 30 that do not move relative to the discharge outlet 22a when the outer tube portion 21 of the discharge pipe 20 rotates, thereby improving the cutting efficiency of the fluid material S by the partition member 30.

[0078] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0079] In the discharge pipe 20D having the above configuration, a structure using a plurality of partition members 30 (see FIGS. 10 and 11 ) as in the second embodiment can be adopted as needed. In this case, the same application method as in the second embodiment is carried out. This provides the same effects as in the second embodiment.

[0080] In the discharge pipe 20D having the above configuration, the structure of the discharge outlet 22a of the inner pipe portion 22 may be modified, as necessary, based on a first modified example shown in FIG. 18 or a second modified example shown in FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 18, the first modified example is a structure in which a lattice-like mesh structure consisting of vertical wires 22c and horizontal wires 22d is provided at the discharge outlet 22a of the inner pipe portion 22. As shown in FIG. 19, the second modified example is a structure in which a punched plate structure consisting of a punched plate 21e having a plurality of through holes 21f is provided at the discharge outlet 22a of the inner pipe portion 22. The plurality of through holes 21f form the discharge outlet 22a. This allows the fluid S to be smoothed between the partition member 30 provided in the outer pipe portion 21 and the mesh structure or punched plate structure provided in the inner pipe portion 22, making it easier to cut the fluid S.

[0081] The function of the partition member 30 in the outer tube portion 21 may be realized by using the mesh structure of the first modified example or the punched plate structure of the second modified example instead of the partition member 30. For example, in the discharge pipe 20A shown in Figures 10 and 11, a modified example can be adopted in which the structure of the inner tube portion 22 is not changed and the multiple partition members 30 provided in the outer tube portion 21 are changed to a mesh structure or a punched plate structure. According to this modified example, the function of providing multiple partition members 30 in the outer tube portion 21 to increase the number of times the fluid S is cut is achieved by the mesh structure or punched plate structure provided in the outer tube portion 21.

[0082] It is also possible to adopt a structure in which the mesh structure of the first modified example or the punched plate structure of the second modified example is adopted for the outer pipe portion 21, and the partition member 30 is provided for the inner pipe portion 22. In this case, if necessary, it is possible to rotate only the inner pipe portion 22 without rotating the outer pipe portion 21.

[0083] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0084] In the above-described embodiment, an example is given of a structure in which the number of partition members 30 in the application nozzle 10 is one, and the rotational movement and sliding movement of the application nozzle 10 are performed in parallel to cut the fluid material S, but instead, the rotational movement and pulling-away movement of the application nozzle 10 may be performed in parallel to cut the fluid material S.

[0085] In the above embodiment, an example is given of a case in which, in upward coating, the outer tube portion 21 is rotated while the coating nozzle 10 is moved until the fluid S contacts the workpiece 1. In contrast, in the case of downward coating, for example, it is assumed that the fluid S will drip toward the workpiece 1 due to gravity when the outer tube portion 21 rotates. Therefore, if necessary, the outer tube portion 21 may be rotated before the fluid S contacts the workpiece 1.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the application nozzle is moved using robot control, but instead of or in addition to this, the application nozzle may be moved using machine control, or the application nozzle may be moved by an operator directly holding it with his or her fingers. In either case, the workpiece may be moved relative to the application nozzle.

Claims

1. A coating nozzle for applying a fluid to a workpiece, comprising: a discharge pipe having an outlet through which the fluid is discharged; a partition member arranged on the discharge pipe so as to cross the outlet; and a drive mechanism for rotating the discharge pipe and the workpiece relatively about a central axis of the discharge pipe, wherein the coating nozzle is configured such that the fluid discharged from the outlet of the discharge pipe is cut by the partition member when the drive mechanism rotates the discharge pipe and the workpiece relatively about the central axis.

2. The application nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is a wire that contacts the end face of the discharge pipe.

3. A coating nozzle as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge pipe comprises an outer tube portion and an inner tube portion provided inside the outer tube portion, the inner tube portion has the discharge port and is fixed to the nozzle main body portion so as to allow rotation about the central axis of the outer tube portion, and the outer tube portion rotates about the central axis by the drive mechanism portion.

4. The application nozzle according to claim 3, wherein the discharge pipe has a non-concentric structure in which the central axis of the inner pipe portion is offset from the central axis of the outer pipe portion.

5. The coating nozzle according to claim 3, wherein the inner tube portion has a circular or non-circular cross-sectional shape and is detachably provided inside the outer tube portion.

6. The application nozzle described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge pipe comprises an outer tube portion having a plurality of internal teeth around the entire circumference of its inner surface, an inner tube portion having a plurality of external teeth around the entire circumference of its outer surface and disposed inside the outer tube portion, and a planetary gear that meshes with the internal teeth of the outer tube portion and the external teeth of the inner tube portion, the outer tube portion rotates around the central axis by the drive mechanism, and the inner tube portion rotates in the opposite direction to the outer tube portion around the central axis via the planetary gear when the outer tube portion rotates.

7. The coating nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the partition members are provided so as to cross the discharge port at different positions from one another.

8. The application nozzle according to claim 7, wherein none of the plurality of partition members intersects with the central axis.

9. The application nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the discharge pipe has three or more fixing portions at different circumferential positions to which the ends of the partition member are detachably fixed.

10. A coating method using the coating nozzle described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the fluid is discharged from the discharge port of the discharge pipe, the discharge pipe and the workpiece are rotated relatively about the central axis by the drive mechanism, thereby cutting the fluid, and the cut material is applied to the workpiece.

11. The coating method according to claim 10, wherein the workpiece has an opening having an opening diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the discharge port of the discharge pipe, and the opening of the workpiece is blocked by the cut piece.

12. The coating method according to claim 11, wherein the relative rotation of the discharge pipe and the workpiece by the drive mechanism is performed while the coating nozzle is being moved away from the workpiece.

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