Tank unit

Abstract

The tank unit (9) is provided with a tank part (40), a piping part (50) capable of discharging a liquid (101) housed in a housing chamber (41) to the outside, and a cap part (60) attached to the end of the piping part (50) located inside the housing chamber (41). The cap part (60) has a recessed part (66) capable of storing the liquid and an opening (68) for allowing communication between the recessed part and the inside of the housing chamber. The cap part (60) is attached to the end of the piping part (50) so that the open end (51a) of the piping part is positioned in a groove in the recessed part.

Description

Tank Unit

[0001] The present invention relates to a tank unit comprising a tank portion having a storage chamber capable of storing a liquid, a piping portion capable of discharging the liquid stored in the storage chamber to the outside, and a cap portion attached to the end of the piping portion inside the storage chamber.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been proposed to store a liquid such as a liquid resin in a tank and supply the liquid to a coating device or the like through a pipe connected to the tank (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-324052

[0004] In the tank described above, the open end of the pipe is typically located in the liquid contained in the tank (i.e., below the liquid surface). In this state, the liquid is sucked into the pipe through the open end of the pipe using a pump or the like. When the liquid contained in the tank is used up, the tank is typically refilled with liquid or replaced with a new tank. If the open end of the pipe is removed from the liquid, the remaining liquid may be ejected from the pipe, and air may enter the pipe. In this case, if the open end of the pipe is reinserted into the liquid after refilling and the liquid is sucked out from the open end of the pipe, air may become mixed into the liquid supplied through the pipe. This air mixing can cause malfunctions in the coating device. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress the mixing of air into the liquid.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide a tank unit that can prevent air from being mixed into the liquid.

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, a tank unit comprises: a tank portion having a storage chamber capable of storing a liquid; a piping portion capable of discharging the liquid stored in the storage chamber to the outside; and a cap portion attached to an end of the piping portion inside the storage chamber, wherein the cap portion has a recess capable of storing the liquid and an opening connecting the recess to the inside of the storage chamber, and is attached to the end of the piping portion so that the open end of the piping portion is positioned within the groove of the recess.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a corrosion prevention treatment apparatus incorporating an application device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the conveying unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a top view of the conveying unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is a first diagram for explaining the process flow when corrosion prevention treatment is performed on an electric wire with a terminal by the corrosion prevention treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4B is a second diagram for explaining the process flow when corrosion prevention treatment is performed on an electric wire with a terminal by the corrosion prevention treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4C is a third diagram for explaining the process flow when corrosion prevention treatment is performed on an electric wire with a terminal by the corrosion prevention treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4D is a fourth diagram for explaining the process flow when corrosion prevention treatment is performed on an electric wire with a terminal by the corrosion prevention treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a tank unit belonging to the application unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing a state in which a lid and a nozzle have been removed from the tank unit for tank cartridge replacement. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a state in which the lid and the nozzle removed from the tank unit have been placed in a temporary storage area. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the nozzle cap shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a rear view of the nozzle cap shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 8. Fig. 11 is a view corresponding to Fig. 10, showing a state in which the opening end of the nozzle is immersed in the liquid coating material even when the lid and nozzle are removed from the tank. Fig. 12 is a view corresponding to Fig. 10, showing a state in which the opening end of the nozzle is still immersed in the liquid coating material even when the nozzle is slightly tilted from the state shown in Fig. 11.

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" will be defined as shown in Fig. 1 etc. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "upper-lower direction" are mutually orthogonal.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a corrosion prevention treatment device 1 incorporating an application device (application unit 5) of the present invention. The corrosion prevention treatment device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that applies a coating agent (corrosion prevention agent) 101 made of an ultraviolet-curable resin (UV-curable resin) to the end of a terminal-attached electric wire 100 (a so-called workpiece; see also FIGS. 4A to 4D ). As shown in FIG. 4A , the terminal-attached electric wire 100 includes an electric wire 102 and a terminal 103 attached to the end of the electric wire 102. The electric wire 102 has a coating 102A stripped from the end to expose a conductor core 102B. The terminal 103 is crimped to the coating 102A and the conductor core 102B exposed at the end. The corrosion prevention treatment device 1 covers the connection point between the conductor core 102B and the terminal 103 with the coating agent 101, thereby preventing corrosion at the connection point between the conductor core 102B and the terminal 103.

[0010] The corrosion prevention treatment device 1 includes a conveying unit 2, an electric wire supplying unit 3 that sets the electric wire with terminal 100 on the conveying unit 2, an imaging unit 4 that images the electric wire with terminal 100 conveyed by the conveying unit 2, an application unit 5 (see also Figure 4B) that applies an application agent 101 to the end of the electric wire with terminal 100 conveyed by the conveying unit 2, a UV irradiation unit 6 (see also Figure 4C) that irradiates the applied application agent 101 with ultraviolet light 104, a control unit 7 that controls each of these units, and a display unit 8.

[0011] The above-described electric wire supply unit 3, image capture unit 4, coating unit 5, and UV irradiation unit 6 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, that is, from right to left, the electric wire supply unit 3, image capture unit 4, coating unit 5, and UV irradiation unit 6 are arranged in this order.

[0012] The configuration of the transfer unit 2 will be described. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the transfer unit 2 has four rear electric wire chucks 21 and four front electric wire chucks 22. The four rear electric wire chucks 21 are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction. The four rear electric wire chucks 21 are provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction between a first position and a second position.

[0013] 2 and 3 , at the first position, the four rear electric wire chucks 21 face the electric wire supply unit 3, the imaging unit 4, the coating unit 5, and the UV irradiation unit 6 in the front-rear direction. At the second position, the rightmost rear electric wire chuck 21 faces the imaging unit 4 in the front-rear direction, the second rightmost rear electric wire chuck 21 faces the coating unit 5 in the front-rear direction, the second leftmost rear electric wire chuck 21 faces the UV irradiation unit 6 in the front-rear direction, and the leftmost rear electric wire chuck 21 is located to the left of the UV irradiation unit 6.

[0014] 3, the four front electric wire chucks 22 are arranged further forward in the front-rear direction than the four rear electric wire chucks 21 (on the side of the electric wire supply unit 3, the imaging unit 4, the coating unit 5, and the UV irradiation unit 6). The four front electric wire chucks 22 are arranged side by side at equal intervals in the left-right direction and face the electric wire supply unit 3, the imaging unit 4, the coating unit 5, and the UV irradiation unit 6 in the front-rear direction. The four front electric wire chucks 22 do not move in the left-right direction.

[0015] Next, the configurations of the rear electric wire chuck 21 and the front electric wire chuck 22 will be described. The four rear electric wire chucks 21 have the same configuration. Each rear electric wire chuck 21 has a cubic main body 23 and a pair of chucks 24, 24 that are attached to the main body 23 so as to be able to open and close freely and that clamp and hold the terminal-attached electric wire 100 from the left and right directions.

[0016] The chuck portion 24 has an arm 24A attached to the main body 23 so that a first end thereof is rotatable about an axis along the front-rear direction, and chuck claws 24B attached to a second end of the arm 24A. When the second ends of the pair of arms 24A are rotated so that they protrude in the left-right direction from the main body 23, the pair of chuck claws 24B open, releasing the hold of the terminal-attached electric wire 100. When the second ends of the pair of arms 24A are rotated so that they protrude upward from the main body 23, the pair of chuck claws 24B close, allowing the terminal-attached electric wire 100 to be clamped and held from the left-right direction.

[0017] The front wire chuck 22 has a similar configuration to the rear wire chuck 21, and therefore a detailed description of the front wire chuck 22 will be omitted here. The main body 23 of the rear wire chuck 21 is attached to a slider (not shown) that moves in the left-right direction.

[0018] The conveying operation of the conveying unit 2 configured as described above will be described. The wire supplying unit 3 sets the terminal-fitted wire 100 in the rightmost rear wire chuck 21 and front wire chuck 22 (holding it in the correct position). Next, the front wire chuck 22 is opened and moved from the first position to the second position. This causes the terminal-fitted wire 100 to be conveyed to the imaging unit 4, where it can be held by the front wire chuck 22, which is the second from the right and arranged opposite the imaging unit 4. Thereafter, the rear wire chuck 21 is opened and returned from the second position to the first position, whereby the terminal-fitted wire 100 can be held by the rear wire chuck 21, which is the second from the right. By repeating this process, the terminal-fitted wire 100 can be conveyed in order to the wire supplying unit 3, the imaging unit 4, the coating unit 5, and the UV irradiation unit 6.

[0019] The wire supply unit 3 has a work setting jig (not shown). When an operator inserts an end of the terminal-fitted wire 100 into the work setting jig and the end abuts against a positioning wall within the work setting jig, the front wire chuck 22 closes. This allows the terminal 103 of the terminal-fitted wire 100 to be positioned in the front-rear direction.

[0020] The imaging unit 4 has a camera (not shown) and a ring-shaped illumination unit (not shown) disposed below the camera. The camera is attached facing downward. When the terminal-fitted wire 100 is conveyed to the imaging unit 4 and held by the front wire chuck 22 facing the imaging unit 4 in the front-rear direction, the terminal 103 comes within the imaging range of the camera.

[0021] The applicator 5 includes a nozzle 30 (see FIG. 4B ) that dispenses the coating agent 101 toward the application target (terminal-attached electric wire 100), a tank 40 (see FIG. 5 ) that stores the coating agent 101, and a piping 50 (see FIG. 5 ) that connects the tank 40 and the nozzle 30. The liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank 40 is supplied to the nozzle 30 via the piping 50 and dispensed from the nozzle 30. The nozzle 30 is movable left and right and front and rear by left and right cylinders (not shown) and front and rear cylinders (not shown). The terminal-attached electric wire 100 is transported to the applicator 5 and held by the front electric wire chuck 22 that faces the applicator 5 in the front and rear directions. When the terminal-attached electric wire 100 is conveyed to the applicator 5 and held by the front electric wire chuck 22, which faces the applicator 5 in the front and rear directions, the terminal 103 enters the dispensing range of the nozzle 30. The applicator 5 may further include an ultraviolet light source (not shown) that temporarily irradiates ultraviolet light. If the coating material 101 cannot be transported to the UV irradiation unit 6 within a predetermined time after being discharged onto the terminal-attached electric wire 100, ultraviolet rays may be temporarily irradiated from an ultraviolet source to prevent the coating material 101 from dripping.

[0022] The UV irradiation unit 6 has an ultraviolet light source (not shown) that irradiates ultraviolet light 104 (see FIG. 4C ). When the electric wire with terminal 100 is transported to the UV irradiation unit 6 and held by the front electric wire chuck 22 that faces the UV irradiation unit 6 in the front-rear direction, the terminal 103 comes within the irradiation range of the ultraviolet light source.

[0023] The control unit 7 is composed of a microcomputer that operates according to a program stored in the memory unit and controls the entire corrosion prevention treatment device 1. The control unit 7 transports the terminal-attached electric wire 100 through the electric wire supply unit 3, the imaging unit 4, the coating unit 5, and the UV irradiation unit 6 in this order, sequentially setting the terminal-attached electric wire 100 (see FIG. 4A), applying the coating agent 101 (see FIG. 4B), and irradiating with ultraviolet light (see FIG. 4C). The coating agent 101, which is made of a UV-curable resin, is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light. The control unit 7 measures the terminal position from an image of the terminal 103 captured by the imaging unit 4, determines the application position of the coating agent 101 based on the measured terminal position, and controls the movement of the nozzle unit 30 of the applicator 5 to apply the coating agent 101 to the determined application position (i.e., the position that covers the exposed conductor core wire 102B). The display unit 8 sequentially displays the control status of the corrosion prevention treatment device 1 by the control unit 7 on a monitor or the like (not shown).

[0024] Next, the tank unit 40 belonging to the application unit 5 will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 5 etc. As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the tank unit 40 mainly includes a tank cartridge 41 that contains (retains) the application agent 101, a tank holding unit 42 that detachably holds the tank cartridge 41, and a plate-shaped lid 43 that is detachably attached to the top of the tank holding unit 42.

[0025] A nozzle 51, which extends in a rod-like shape in the vertical direction and constitutes the end of the piping unit 50 on the tank unit 40 side, is inserted from above into a through-hole (not shown) that penetrates the lid 43 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) near the center, and the nozzle 51 is fixed integrally to the through-hole at approximately the center in the vertical direction (see FIG. 6). A nozzle cap 60 is attached to the tip (lower end) of the nozzle 51. The configuration of the nozzle cap 60 and the effect of providing the nozzle cap 60 will be described later. The tank unit 40, the piping unit 50, and the nozzle cap 60 constitute the tank unit 9 (see FIG. 5).

[0026] To put the tank unit 40 into a use state (see FIG. 5 ), first, the tank cartridge 41, which stores the liquid coating agent 101 and has its top lid 41 a (see FIG. 6 ) removed so that its top opening (not shown) is open, is attached to and held in the tank holding unit 42. Next, the lid 43, which is fixed integrally to the nozzle 51, is attached to the tank unit 40 so that the tip of the nozzle 51 of the piping unit 50 (i.e., the nozzle cap 60) is inserted into the hollow portion of the tank cartridge 41 through the top opening of the tank cartridge 41. This puts the tank unit 40 into the use state shown in FIG. 5 . When the tank unit 40 is in use, the tip of the nozzle 51 of the piping unit 50 (i.e., the nozzle cap 60) is located near the bottom of the hollow portion of the tank cartridge 41 and is immersed in the liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank cartridge 41.

[0027] The liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank cartridge 41 is sequentially supplied to the piping unit 50 and the nozzle unit 30 via the nozzle 51 and then ejected from the nozzle unit 30 (see FIG. 4B ). As the ejection of the coating agent 101 from the nozzle unit 30 progresses, the amount of the liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank cartridge 41 gradually decreases. When the amount of the liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank cartridge 41 decreases to a predetermined amount indicating the time to replace the tank cartridge 41, the tank cartridge 41 is replaced with a new tank cartridge 41 storing the liquid coating agent 101. To replace the tank cartridge 41 with a new one, as shown in FIG. 6 , the lid 43 is first removed from the tank unit 40, and the lid 43 and the nozzle 51 are moved upward to remove the nozzle 51 (i.e., the nozzle cap 60) from the tank cartridge 41. Next, the used tank cartridge 41 is removed from the tank holding unit 42. Then, the tank portion 40 is put into a usable state again by performing the above-described procedure for putting the tank portion 40 into a usable state again using a new tank cartridge 41 containing the liquid coating material 101.

[0028] The tank unit 9 of this embodiment prevents air from entering the nozzle 51 even if the opening end of the nozzle 51 extends outside the liquid coating material 101 when replacing the tank cartridge 41 in this manner, and also prevents air from mixing into the coating material 101 when the liquid coating material 101 is subsequently ejected.

[0029] Specifically, in the tank unit 9 according to this embodiment, a nozzle cap 60 shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 is attached to the tip (lower end) of the nozzle 51. The nozzle cap 60 includes a fixing portion 61 that is fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the nozzle 51, and a storage portion 62 that is supported by the fixing portion 61 and aligned below the fixing portion 61. As shown in FIG. 8 , the fixing portion 61 has a generally cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction and a generally circular central hole 63 that penetrates it in the vertical direction. The tip of the nozzle 51 is inserted into the central hole 63 from above. A slit 64 that extends across the fixing portion 61 in the radial direction is formed in the fixing portion 61. The fixing portion 61 is elastically deformable so that the width of the slit 64 increases or decreases. The width of the slit 64 is adjustable by a bolt 65. Adjusting the width of the slit 64 makes it possible to adjust the clamping force on the tip of the nozzle 51 inserted into the central hole 63.

[0030] The reservoir 62 has a generally cylindrical shape that is open at the top and closed at the bottom, extending in the vertical direction. A recess 66 that opens upward and is recessed downward is formed inside the reservoir 62 (see FIGS. 8 and 10 ). The reservoir 62 is fastened to the fixed portion 61 with two bolts 69 so as to be aligned with the lower side of the fixed portion 61. Two notches 67 are formed at the top end of the reservoir 62, facing each other in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 8 and 9 ). As a result, openings 68 that communicate between the recess 66 and the outside of the nozzle cap 60 are formed at the positions of the two notches 67 (see FIGS. 8 and 10 ). The open end (lower end) 51 a of the nozzle 51 inserted into the center hole 63 of the fixed portion 61 is positioned within the groove of the recess 66 (see FIG. 11 ).

[0031] When the tank unit 40 is in use (see FIG. 5 ), the nozzle cap 60 attached to the tip of the nozzle 51 is immersed in the liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank cartridge 41. In this state, the liquid coating agent 101 is stored in the recess 66, and the two openings 68 connect the recess 66 to the interior of the tank cartridge 41. Because the openings 68 are provided in two locations, when the coating agent 101 is discharged from the nozzle unit 30, the liquid coating agent 101 stored in the tank cartridge 41 can smoothly flow from the two openings 68 through the recess 66 into the nozzle 51 (piping unit 50). Therefore, even when the nozzle cap 60 is provided on the tip of the nozzle 51, the original performance of the tank unit 40 (i.e., discharging liquid from the piping unit 50) is not impaired.

[0032] Furthermore, when replacing the tank cartridge 41, the lid 43 and nozzle 51 are moved upward, so that even when the nozzle 51 (i.e., the nozzle cap 60) is removed from the tank cartridge 41, the opening end 51a of the nozzle 51 remains immersed in the liquid coating material 101 stored in the recess 66 of the nozzle cap 60, as shown in FIG. 11 . Even when the nozzle 51 is slightly tilted from the state shown in FIG. 11 to that shown in FIG. 12 , the opening end 51a of the nozzle 51 remains immersed in the liquid coating material 101. Therefore, air does not enter the nozzle 51 (piping unit 50). In other words, air is prevented from being mixed into the liquid coating material 101. The lid 43 and nozzle 51 removed from the tank unit 40 are temporarily stored in a temporary storage area 71 provided in a case 70 that houses the tank unit 40, as shown in FIG. 7 , with the nozzle 51 facing up or down (the state shown in FIG. 11 ). This prevents the liquid coating material 101 stored in the recess 66 from leaking from the opening 68 .

[0033] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0034] Here, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the tank unit (9) is a tank unit (9) comprising: a tank portion (40) having a storage chamber (41) capable of storing a liquid (101); a piping portion (50) capable of discharging the liquid (101) stored in the storage chamber (41) to the outside; and a cap portion (60) attached to an end of the piping portion (50) inside the storage chamber (41), wherein the cap portion (60) has a recess (66) capable of storing the liquid (101) and an opening (68) that connects the recess (66) to the inside of the storage chamber (41), and is attached to the end of the piping portion (50) so that an open end (51 a) of the piping portion (50) is positioned within the groove of the recess (66).

[0035] According to the tank unit having the above configuration, a cap is attached to the end of the piping within the storage chamber of the tank. The cap has a recess capable of storing liquid and an opening that connects the recess to the interior of the storage chamber, and is attached to the end of the piping so that the open end of the piping is positioned within the groove of the recess. As a result, when a sufficient amount of liquid is stored in the tank, liquid flows into the recess from the opening of the cap and flows out of the recess into the piping. Furthermore, even when the piping is pulled out of the storage chamber of the tank for purposes such as replacing the tank, the open end of the piping remains immersed in the liquid stored in the recess of the cap. This prevents air from entering the piping. Therefore, the tank unit having this configuration can prevent air from mixing into the liquid.

[0036] Furthermore, the cap portion (60) may have a plurality of the openings (68).

[0037] According to the tank unit having the above configuration, the cap portion has multiple openings. This allows the liquid contained in the storage chamber to smoothly flow from the multiple openings in the cap portion through the recess into the pipe of the pipe when the tank unit is used to discharge liquid to the outside through the pipe. This reduces the impact of providing a cap portion on the end of the pipe on the tank unit's inherent performance (i.e., the magnitude of pressure loss, the ability to discharge liquid from the pipe, etc.).

[0038] Furthermore, the cap portion (60) may have a fixing portion (61) that is fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the piping portion (50), and a storage portion (62) that is supported by the fixing portion (61) and has the recess (66).

[0039] According to the tank unit having the above configuration, the cap part has a fixing part that is fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the piping part, and a reservoir part that is supported by the fixing part and has a recess, which makes it possible to easily fix the cap part to piping parts of various outer diameters.

[0040] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2024-102895) filed on June 26, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0041] The tank unit of the present invention can prevent air from being mixed into the liquid. The present invention having this effect can be used, for example, in the production of electric wires with terminals.

[0042] 9 Tank unit 40 Tank portion 41 Tank cartridge (storage chamber) 50 Piping portion 51a Open end 60 Nozzle cap (cap portion) 61 Fixing portion 62 Storage portion 66 Recess 68 Opening 101 Coating agent (liquid)

Claims

1. A tank unit comprising: a tank section having a storage chamber capable of storing a liquid; a piping section capable of discharging the liquid stored in the storage chamber to the outside; and a cap section attached to an end of the piping section inside the storage chamber, wherein the cap section has a recess capable of storing the liquid and an opening section that connects the recess section to the inside of the storage chamber, and is attached to the end of the piping section so that the open end of the piping section is positioned within a groove in the recess.

2. A tank unit according to claim 1, wherein the cap portion has a plurality of the openings.

3. A tank unit according to claim 1, wherein the cap portion has a fixing portion that is fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the piping portion, and a storage portion that is supported by the fixing portion and has the recess.

Images