Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – Plural holders for diverse materials
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-26
2004-06-01
Nguyen, Dinh Q. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
Plural holders for diverse materials
C239S322000, C239S329000, C239S569000, C239S703000, C239S708000, C239S223000, C222S148000, C222S326000, C222S389000, C901S043000, C141S020500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06742722
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a cartridge type coating system employing a plural number of paint cartridges, for example, a plural number of paint cartridges of different colors, which are adapted to be replaceably attached to a sprayer unit of the coating system.
BACKGROUND ART
Generally, coating systems which are in use for coating automotive vehicle bodies or the like are largely constituted by a coating action mechanism like a coating robot, and a sprayer unit which is mounted on the coating action mechanism. Coating systems of this sort can perform coating operations automatically, as paint is sprayed by a sprayer unit which is operated according to programed operational procedures. In this connection, the coating systems of this class are required to be able to cope with a larger number of paint colors and at the same time to meet demands for reductions in the amount of paint which has be discarded at the time of changing the paint color and also in the amount of thinner which is consumed in cartridge washing operations.
As well known in the art, in an attempt to meet the requirement or demands for reductions of the amounts of paint discard and thinner consumption and for capability of handling a larger number of colors, there have thus far been developed a number of cartridge type coating systems (e.g. as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. H8-229446). Cartridge type coating systems of this sort employ a number of paint cartridges which are filled with paint of different colors and adapted to be replaceably mounted or loaded on a sprayer unit.
For instance, a cartridge type coating system is largely constituted by a housing which is provided with a sprayer mount portion on the front side and a cartridge mount portion on the rear side thereof, and a sprayer unit which is mounted on the sprayer mount portion of the housing and comprised of an air motor with a rotational shaft and a rotary atomizing head which is mounted on a front end portion of the rotational shaft of the air motor. Further, formed axially and internally of the rotational shaft of the sprayer unit is a feed tube passage hole having fore and rear ends thereof opened into the sprayer unit and cartridge mount portion of the housing, respectively.
Further, in the case of above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. H8-229446, the cartridge type coating system is arranged to replaceably mount on the housing a number of separate paint cartridges of different colors. Each paint cartridge is constituted by a casing having a container which is internally filled with paint, and a feed tube which is extended axially forward from a fore end of the container. The container of the paint cartridge is replaceably set on the cartridge mount portion of the housing, with the feed tube passed into the above-mentioned feed tube passage hole on the side of the housing.
Further, in the cartridge type coating system according to the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. H8-229446, the casing of the cartridge is provided with a movable partition wall which divides the container into a paint chamber in communication with the feed tube and a paint-extruding air chamber, and an air passage on the side of the paint cartridge, which supplies extruding air to the extruding air chamber. Further, an extruding air passage is provided on the part of the housing for communication with the extruding air passage on the side of the paint cartridge. Thus, extruding air is circulated to the extruding air chamber through the extruding air passage on the side of the housing and the extruding air passage on the side of the paint cartridge to displace the movable partition wall in a direction of extruding paint in the paint chamber toward the feed tube and the rotary atomizing head.
With the cartridge type coating system which is arranged in the manner as described above, one paint cartridge to be used in a coating operation is selected from a plural number of paint cartridges of different colors, and set in position on the cartridge mount portion of the housing. Then, air is supplied to the extruding air chamber of the cartridge at a suitable rate to discharge paint in the paint chamber of the cartridge toward the rotary atomizing head through the feed tube. Consequently, paint is sprayed toward a work piece by the rotary atomizing head.
The paint color can be changed simply by replacing the paint cartridge by another paint cartridge which is filled with paint of a desired color, without necessitating to discard paint and thinner on each color change.
On the other hand, the paint cartridge, which has been consumed in a previous coating operation and removed from the housing by the color changing operation, is returned to a cartridge holder table for paint replenishment.
The cartridge type coating system by the above-described prior art, employing a plural number of paint cartridges of different colors, has made it possible to change the paint color simply by replacing the paint cartridge on the housing by a cartridge of a different color, without requiring to wash interior portions of the paint cartridge or feed tube.
However, in the case of a cartridge type coating system as described above, sometimes the whole system is put at rest for a long period of time for the sake of maintenance and serve or for carrying out repairing work. On such an occasion, it has been necessary to wash interiors of paint cartridges and feed tubes to prevent separation or solidification of paint.
In the case of the cartridge type coating system of the above-described prior art without cartridge washing functions, paint cartridges have to be washed manually despite the fact that the cartridge washing job is troublesome and time consuming.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-discussed problems with the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge type coating system, which can wash away deposited paint from paint cartridges within a shortened period of time in such a manner as to improve the efficiency of cartridge washing operations to a considerable degree.
In order to solve the above-discussed problems with the prior art, the present invention contemplates to provide improvements in a cartridge type coating system which basically includes: a paint sprayer unit, a plural number of paint cartridges each detachably connectable to the sprayer unit to supply paint thereto from an internal paint source, and a paint replenisher detachably connectable to an empty paint cartridge for replenishing paint thereinto.
According a feature of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge type coating system which comprises: a plural number of paint cartridges each constituted by a casing having a container and a feed tube extended forward from a fore end portion of the container, a movable partition wall provided in the container and dividing same into a paint chamber in communication with the feed tube and a paint-extruding liquid chamber, a normally closed paint valve provided in the casing and adapted to be opened at the time of supplying paint from the paint chamber to the sprayer unit through a paint passage in the feed tube or at the time of replenishing paint into the paint chamber, an extruding liquid passage for circulating the extruding liquid to and from the extruding liquid chamber, a wash fluid passage for supplying a wash fluid to the paint chamber, and a normally closed wash fluid valve provided in the wash fluid passage and adapted to be opened at the time of supplying the wash fluid to the paint chamber; and a paint replenisher constituted by a replenishing stool on which the paint cartridge is set at the time of replenishing paint into the paint chamber, a replenishing valve connected to the replenishing stool and adapted to replenish paint into the paint chamber of the paint cartridge through the paint passage in the feed tube while the paint valve is in an open state, an extruding liquid feed/discharge valve connected to the replenishing stool and adapted to feed or discharge the extrud
Hosoda Toshio
Matsuda Hidetsugu
Yoshida Osamu
ABB K.K.
Nguyen Dinh Q.
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