Dispenser-detachable extruder device capable of sensing filament

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dispenser-detachable extruder device capable of sensing filament. The device comprises: a filament holder having a filament wound thereon; and an extruder, disposed below the filament holder, that receives the filament from the filament holder, heats the filament, and extrudes the filament through a nozzle, wherein the extruder may include: a lower dispenser having the nozzle, a heater for heating the filament before introduction into the nozzle, and a heat sink for cooling the nozzle portion; an upper dispenser to which the lower dispenser is detachably coupled, and which has a filament guide tube through which the filament is introduced from the filament holder, and two adjacent rollers for moving the filament to the lower dispenser; and a plurality of filament detection sensors provided in the upper dispenser for detecting a position of the filament.

Description

Filament sensing dispenser detachable extruder device

[0001] The present invention relates to a filament-sensing dispenser-mountable extruder device for automatically inserting filament to a set position when inserting filament into an extruder.

[0002] Korean Patent No. 10-1828345 discloses an extruder that heats and extrudes filaments to form scaffolds and other structures, and a syringe that outputs liquid biomaterials.

[0003] The extruder creates a scaffold, a basic structure used to form biological tissues or organs during 3D bioprinting. When an extruder is used to create a scaffold, this structure acts as a framework, providing stability to the biological tissue.

[0004] In Korean Patent No. 10-1828345, the dispenser comprises a lower dispenser having a nozzle formed therein, and an upper dispenser having a filament guide tube and two adjacent rollers for moving the filament. The user inserts the filament into the filament guide tube, moves it toward the two rollers, and then drives the filament through the rollers. However, in some cases, the filament initially falls away from the rollers, preventing it from passing through the rollers even when driven. Even if the filament passes through the rollers, it is difficult to determine how far it has passed.

[0005] Therefore, a device is needed to sense the position of the filament within the dispenser and set the initial position of the filament to an optimal position, thereby preventing the filament from not coming out or from being excessively output at the output start point.

[0006] Additionally, in the filament holder where the filament is mounted, there are many cases where the filament wound on the bobbin detaches or becomes stuck during filament mounting or output. To overcome this, a device is needed that allows the bobbin to perform rotational motion without shaking its position while attached to the shaft of the filament holder.

[0007] [Prior Art Literature]

[0008] [Patent Document]

[0009] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-1828345 (announced on March 29, 2018)

[0010] The purpose of the present invention is to prevent filament from not coming out or from being excessively output at the output start point by sensing the position of the filament within the dispenser and setting the initial position of the filament to an optimal position.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to prevent the filament from coming off or getting stuck by fixing a bobbin on which a filament is wound when mounting or outputting the filament.

[0012] The present invention, which aims to solve the above-described problem, relates to a filament-sensing, detachable dispenser extruder device. The device comprises: a filament holder having a filament wound thereon; and an extruder disposed below the filament holder, which receives a filament from the filament holder, heats the filament, and ejects the filament through a nozzle. The extruder may include: a lower dispenser having the nozzle, a heater for heating the filament before introduction into the nozzle, and a heat sink for cooling the nozzle portion; an upper dispenser to which the lower dispenser is detachably coupled, the upper dispenser having a filament guide tube through which the filament is introduced from the filament holder, and two adjacent rollers for moving the filament to the lower dispenser; and a plurality of filament detection sensors provided in the upper dispenser for detecting the position of the filament.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the filament detection sensor may include a first filament detection sensor disposed above the two rollers and configured to detect whether the filament is introduced; and a second filament detection sensor disposed below the two rollers and configured to detect whether the filament passes through the rollers.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second filament detection sensors include a light source located on one side of a filament introduction path; and a light detector positioned opposite the light source on the other side of the filament introduction path, such that the light detector can detect whether a filament is introduced between the light source and the light detector.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser-mountable extruder further includes a driving unit that drives the two rollers, and after the filament is introduced through the filament guide tube of the upper dispenser, the driving unit can drive the rollers until the filament is detected by both the first filament detection sensor and the second filament detection sensor.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the filament holder includes a housing in which a filament is stored; a shaft formed inside the housing and having a bobbin on which a filament is wound; and a knob coupled to an end of the shaft on a side facing the housing, wherein the knob is formed to have a diameter larger than an end surface of the shaft, thereby preventing the bobbin mounted on the shaft from coming off.

[0017] According to the present invention, by sensing the position of the filament within the dispenser and setting the initial position of the filament to an optimal position, it is possible to prevent the filament from not coming out or from being output excessively at the output start point.

[0018] In addition, the bobbin on which the filament is wound can be fixed during filament mounting or output to prevent the filament from coming off or getting caught.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a filament sensing-capable dispenser detachable extruder device according to the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing each component inside the dispenser detachable extruder device of Fig. 1.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a bobbin and a knob mounted on the shaft of the filament holder of the device of Fig. 2.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the filament movement path within the extruder of the device of Fig. 2.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a component diagram showing the first and second filament detection sensor parts provided in the extruder of the device of FIG. 2.

[0024] Hereinafter, specific details for implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known functions that are obvious to those skilled in the art and that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a filament sensing-capable dispenser-mountable extruder according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating each component inside the dispenser-mountable extruder of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating a bobbin and a knob mounted on the shaft of a filament holder in the device of FIG. 2.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a filament sensing dispenser detachable extruder device according to the present invention includes a filament holder (100) and an extruder (200).

[0027] The filament holder (100) is located above the extruder (200), and filament (not shown) to be supplied to the extruder (200) is wound around it. The filament holder (100) functions as a device for stably storing and supplying the filament. Before printing, the user removes the filament wound around the filament holder (100) and inserts it into the introduction portion (211a) of the filament guide tube (221) of the extruder (200).

[0028] The filament holder (100) includes a housing (110), a bobbin (120), a shaft (130), and a knob (140). The housing (110) is a space for storing and protecting the filament. The housing (110) has a semicircular outer wall (111), and the filament is stored within the outer wall (111).

[0029] A bobbin (120) is a cylindrical or roll-shaped device for winding and storing filament. Filament is wound and stored on the bobbin (120), and the user removes the filament wound on the bobbin (120) and inserts it into the introduction port of the filament guide tube (221) of the extruder (200). The bobbin (120) is coupled to the shaft (130) of the filament holder (100) and rotates. This rotation supplies the filament to the extruder (200).

[0030] The knob (140) is coupled to the end of the shaft (130) on the side facing the housing (110). The knob (140) is formed to have a diameter larger than the end surface of the shaft (130), thereby preventing the bobbin (120) mounted on the shaft (130) from coming off. The bobbin (120) can perform a rotational movement without shaking while being coupled to the shaft (130). Accordingly, the knob (140) can fix the bobbin on which the filament is wound during filament mounting or output, thereby preventing the filament from coming off or getting stuck.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the filament movement path within the extruder of the device of Fig. 2.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 4, the extruder (200) is placed below the filament holder (100), receives filament from the filament holder (100), heats it, and ejects it through the nozzle (211). The extruder (200) melts the filament at an appropriate temperature and forms a scaffold by layering the filament to form a 3D model layer by layer.

[0033] The extruder (200) includes a lower dispenser (210), an upper dispenser (220), and a filament detection sensor (230).

[0034] The lower dispenser (210) includes a nozzle (211), a heater (212), a temperature sensor (213), a heat sink (214), and a cooling fan (215). The nozzle (211) is mounted at the bottom of the lower dispenser (210) and serves to discharge filament to form a scaffold layer by layer. The heater (212) is located on the filament movement path directly above the nozzle (211) and heats and melts the filament. The temperature sensor (213) measures the core temperature on the nozzle (211) side. Based on this measured value, the temperature for melting the filament is controlled.

[0035] The heat sink (214) cools the nozzle neck of the nozzle (211) portion to cool the heat transferred to the filament inside, thereby ensuring smooth supply of the filament. A cooling fan (215) is provided on the side of the heat sink (214) to cool the heat sink (214).

[0036] The upper dispenser (220) is detachably connected to the lower dispenser (210), which includes a filament guide tube (211) and two rollers (222). The lower dispenser (210) is detachably connected to the upper dispenser (220) via a lever (240). A user can pull the lever (240) to separate the lower dispenser (210) from the upper dispenser (220), and the lower dispenser (210) may be configured as a replaceable consumable.

[0037] The filament guide tube (211) has an introduction portion (211a), an upper roller guide portion (211b), a lower roller guide portion (211c), and a discharge-side guide portion (211d) from top to bottom to form a filament movement path. A user takes out a filament from the filament holder (100) and introduces it into the upper introduction portion (211a). The upper dispenser (220) is equipped with an upper roller guide portion (211b) and a lower roller guide portion (211c), and the lower dispenser (210) is equipped with a discharge-side guide portion (211d). A space is formed between the upper roller guide portion (211b) and the lower roller guide portion (211c) for two rollers (222) to drive the filament.

[0038] The two rollers (222) are formed of two adjacent rollers having a gear shape for moving the filament to the lower dispenser (210). The two rollers (222) are connected to a two-roller connecting portion (222a), which is a space into which the rollers (222) are inserted. When the two rollers (222) are driven by the driving portion, the filament moves between the two rollers (222).

[0039] FIG. 5 is a component diagram showing the first and second filament detection sensor parts provided in the extruder of the device of FIG. 2.

[0040] Referring to Fig. 5, a filament detection sensor (230) is provided in the upper dispenser (220) to detect the position of the filament. The filament detection sensor (230) includes a light source (230a) and a light detector (230b).

[0041] The light source (230a) is located on one side of the filament introduction path within the upper dispenser (220). The light detector (230b) is located on the other side of the filament introduction path. That is, the light source (230a) and the light detector (230b) are positioned opposite each other with the filament introduction path between them.

[0042] The light detector (230b) can detect whether a filament is introduced between the light source (230a) and the light detector (230b). If the laser generated from the light source (230a) is blocked by the filament and is not detected by the light detector (230b), it is determined that a filament has been introduced at that location.

[0043] The filament detection sensor (230) includes a first filament detection sensor (231) and a second filament detection sensor (232). The first filament detection sensor (231) is positioned above the two rollers (222) and is used to detect whether a filament is introduced. The second filament detection sensor (232) is positioned below the two rollers (222) and is used to detect whether a filament passes through the rollers (222).

[0044] After the filament is introduced into the upper dispenser (220), it is first detected by the first filament detection sensor (231), and then driven by the roller (222), and the filament that has passed through the roller (222) is detected by the second filament detection sensor (232). That is, the first and second filament detection sensors (231, 232) can both detect the point in time before and after the filament passes through the roller (222).

[0045] After the filament is introduced through the introduction portion (211a) of the filament guide tube (221) of the upper dispenser (220), the driving unit drives the roller (222) until the filament is detected by both the first filament detection sensor (231) and the second filament detection sensor (232).

[0046] The position of the second filament detection sensor (232) is set to a predetermined reference position, and when the filament is detected by the second filament detection sensor (232), the roller (222) stops operating. Accordingly, the filament reaches the reference position and stops.

[0047] After introducing the filament, the user can drive the roller (222) to confirm that the first and second filament detection sensors (231, 232) are sequentially driven, thereby confirming that the newly introduced filament has passed the roller (222) and reached the reference position of the second filament detection sensor (232).

[0048] The scope of protection in this field is not limited to the description and expression of the embodiments explicitly described above. Furthermore, it should be noted that obvious modifications or substitutions within the technical field to which the present invention pertains may not limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 100: Filament Holder

[0051] 110: Housing

[0052] 111: Housing exterior wall

[0053] 120: Bobbin

[0054] 130: Shaft

[0055] 140: Knob

[0056] 200: Extruder

[0057] 210: Lower dispenser

[0058] 211: Nozzle

[0059] 212: Heater

[0060] 213: Temperature sensor

[0061] 214: Heatsink

[0062] 215: Cooling fan

[0063] 220: Upper dispenser

[0064] 221: Filament guide tube

[0065] 221a: Introduction

[0066] 211b: Roller upper guide section

[0067] 211c: Roller lower guide section

[0068] 211d: Discharge side guide section

[0069] 222: Roller

[0070] 222a: Roller joint

[0071] 230: Filament detection sensor

[0072] 230a: Light source

[0073] 230b: Photodetector

[0074] 231: First filament detection sensor

[0075] 232: Second filament detection sensor

[0076] 240: Lever

[0077] 300: Cooling fan

Claims

1. A filament holder with a filament wound around it; and It is placed on the lower side of the filament holder, and includes an extruder that receives filament from the filament holder, heats it, and ejects it through a nozzle. The above extruder, A lower dispenser having the nozzle, a heater for heating the filament before introduction into the nozzle, and a heat sink for cooling the nozzle portion; An upper dispenser having a filament guide tube through which filament is introduced from the filament holder, and two adjacent rollers for moving the filament to the lower dispenser, to which the lower dispenser is detachably coupled; and A filament sensing-capable dispenser-mountable extruder device, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of filament detection sensors provided in the upper dispenser for detecting the position of the filament.

2. In paragraph 1, The above filament detection sensor, A first filament detection sensor is placed on the upper part of the two rollers and is used to detect whether the filament is introduced; and A filament sensing-capable dispenser-mountable extruder device, characterized in that it comprises a second filament detection sensor disposed below the two rollers and configured to detect whether the filament passes through the rollers.

3. In paragraph 1, The first and second filament detection sensors, A light source located on one side of the filament introduction path; and Including a photodetector positioned opposite to the light source on the other side of the filament introduction path, A filament sensing dispenser detachable extruder device, characterized in that the photodetector detects whether a filament is introduced between the light source and the photodetector.

4. In paragraph 2, The above dispenser detachable extruder is, It further includes a driving unit that drives the above two rollers, A filament sensing-capable dispenser-mountable extruder device, characterized in that after the filament is introduced through the filament guide tube of the upper dispenser, the driving unit drives the roller until the filament is detected by both the first filament detection sensor and the second filament detection sensor.

5. In paragraph 1, The above filament holder, A housing in which the filament is stored; a shaft formed inside the housing and equipped with a bobbin on which a filament is wound; and A knob is included that is coupled to the end of the shaft on the side facing the housing, A filament sensing-capable dispenser-mounted extruder device, characterized in that the knob is formed to have a diameter larger than an end surface of the shaft, thereby preventing the bobbin mounted on the shaft from coming off.

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