Underbody Door-Handling Robot Layout for Paint Booth Space Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing painting systems face challenges in efficiently opening and closing vehicle doors during the painting process, particularly in confined spaces, leading to inefficiencies and potential paint mist scattering.
Innovation Solution
A door opening/closing robot system with a multi-arm configuration, including a base, first, second, third, and fourth arms, and a tool, designed to operate below the vehicle doors, allowing for precise door manipulation and paint application without requiring additional conveyance for the robot itself, thus optimizing space usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the robot is fixed in the painting booth like traditional painting systems, then door opening/closing operations can be performed, but the space required for the system increases and the robot structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The door opening/closing robot is merged with the existing vehicle conveyance system by positioning the robot on the conveyance line where vehicles pass through. This integration allows the robot to perform door operations without requiring separate fixed installation space in the painting booth, thereby reducing the overall space requirement while maintaining operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
The robot utilizes the temporal dimension by operating on vehicles during their conveyance through the painting booth, rather than requiring fixed spatial installation. The robot positions itself at strategic points along the conveyance path to perform door operations as vehicles pass, transforming a spatial problem into a temporal solution
2Ease of operation
If the robot operates above the vehicle body, then door access is easier, but paint mist enters the robot more easily
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of operating the door from above the vehicle, the robot positions itself below the vehicle body and operates the door from the underneath side. This inverted approach allows the robot to access the door while remaining in a position where paint mist concentration is lower, as the spray painting typically occurs from above the vehicle
Solution Approach 2:
The robot uses the vehicle's own structure (the space between the vehicle body and the ground) as an intermediary workspace. By operating in this intermediate zone below the vehicle, the robot achieves door access while being naturally shielded from direct exposure to paint mist that rises from the painting process
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional conveyance systems are added for the robot, then robot positioning flexibility increases, but the system complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robot leverages the existing vehicle conveyance system for its own positioning, using the same infrastructure that moves vehicles through the painting booth. This multi-functional use of the conveyance system allows the robot to achieve positioning flexibility without requiring a separate dedicated conveyance mechanism, thereby avoiding additional system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A door opening/closing robot includes: a base provided at a position different from a conveyance line on which a vehicle body is conveyed; a first arm attached to the base to rotate around a first axis and extending away from the first axis; a second arm attached to the first arm to rotate around a second axis and extending away from the second axis; a third arm attached to the second arm to rotate around a third axis and extending away from the third axis; and a fourth arm attached to the third arm to extend vertically and configured to vertically move a tool for holding a door of the vehicle body. At least a portion of a connection area including a distal end of the second arm and a proximal end of the third arm is positioned at a same height as at least a portion of the base.