HK1238603A1 - Liquid material discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Liquid material discharge device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for discharging a liquid in a fixed amount, and more particularly to a liquid material discharge device having a mechanism for separating or coupling a liquid contact portion from a main body portion.

The term "discharge" in the present invention includes a discharge mode in which the liquid material is in contact with the work before being separated from the discharge port, and a discharge mode in which the liquid material is in contact with the work after being separated from the discharge port.

Background

As a technique for discharging a liquid material such as an adhesive onto a substrate, for example, a method is known in which a screw having a flange formed spirally in an axial direction of a surface of a rod-shaped body is rotated, and the flange transports the liquid material by the rotation of the screw to discharge the liquid material.

As a screw type discharge device, for example, patent document 1 discloses a viscous material application device including: an injection cylinder storing a viscous material; a pressurizing device for pressurizing the interior of the syringe; a viscous material application member that receives and guides a viscous material that is pressure-fed by pressurization; a viscous material supply pipe for connecting the syringe and the viscous material application member and supplying the viscous material from the syringe to the viscous material application member through the viscous material supply pipe; a discharge shaft that is a rod-shaped member fitted into a hollow portion extending in a longitudinal direction of the viscous material application member, and that has a screw portion provided at one end thereof, the screw portion being configured to press the viscous material guided to the viscous material application member in an axial direction by rotating about a shaft; a nozzle that discharges the viscous material, which is pressure-fed by rotation of the discharge shaft, to the outside; a rotating mechanism that rotates the nozzle about the nozzle axis; an object-to-be-coated holding device for adjusting and holding an object to be coated; and a controller; under the control of the controller, either the nozzle or the coated object holding device or both are moved and relatively positioned, and the nozzle is lowered to apply a certain amount of the viscous material discharged from the nozzle to a predetermined position of the coated object.

Patent document 2 discloses a solder paste application apparatus in which a motor having a rotating shaft and provided with a 1 st connecting member at a tip thereof is attached to a base so that the 1 st connecting member is located downward, a pump unit including a screw having a 2 nd connecting member with one end thereof engaged with the 1 st connecting member and a cylinder accommodating the screw and provided with a solder paste inlet at a side portion thereof into which solder paste flows from the outside is coaxial with the rotating shaft, an insertion hole formed in the base and including a through hole capable of accommodating the diameter of the cylinder is formed, and the cylinder is accommodated in the insertion hole so as to be movable in the axial direction while being unrotatable.

Patent document 3 discloses a paste discharge device including: a main body having a liquid chamber with a circular cross section and an upper end opening, and a nozzle for discharging a paste in the liquid chamber; an injection tube for storing the paste supplied to the liquid chamber; and a gas supply unit for supplying pressurized gas into the syringe; the main body is formed in a liquid chamber so as to be detachable from the screw for conveying the paste to the nozzle by rotational driving, and is formed as a cover member for closing an opening of the liquid chamber in a state where the screw is detached.

Here, the apparatus proposed by the applicant includes a liquid material discharge apparatus including: a liquid receiving portion integrally constituting the nozzle, the storage container and the discharge member through the housing; and a main body section including a holding section having a support member to which the casing is attached and a drive section for operating the discharge member, wherein the discharge member and the drive section are detachably constituted by a coupling member, and the casing and the holding section are detachably constituted, whereby the liquid receiving section and the main body section are detachably attached, the casing is attached to and detached from the holding section in a state of being supported by the support member so as to be horizontally movable, and the discharge member and the drive section are detachably attached by moving up and down in a state of being attached to the holding section (patent document 4).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2002-

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-181434

Patent document 3: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-52350

Patent document 4: japanese patent No. 5089969

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In order to apply a desired pattern to a workpiece, the liquid material discharge device is generally mounted on an automatic machine (XYZ robot) for moving relative to the workpiece. When a consumable material such as a liquid material or a nozzle is replaced or maintained in the discharge device, there is not only a small accident such as dropping a component or a unit of the discharge device onto a workpiece, but also damage to the workpiece, a robot driving unit, a work table on which the workpiece is placed, and the like, not only the dropped unit.

The inventions described in the above patent documents constitute the liquid contact portion in a detachable manner, but in apparatuses other than patent document 4 (i.e., patent documents 1 to 3) proposed by the applicant, there is no countermeasure against dropping of components, units, and the like during maintenance work.

In the invention described in patent document 4 proposed by the applicant, although a certain effect is improved by taking measures against dropping, there is a technical problem that skill is required for handling attachment and detachment. Further, in order to fix the liquid contact portion, a member requiring attachment and detachment such as a screw is necessary, and there is still a risk of dropping the member. Further, since the widest part of the liquid-contacting portion is inserted into the recess of the holder (holder), the width of the entire device is increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid material discharge device that can more safely and easily perform the attachment and detachment operation of a liquid receiving portion and a main body portion.

Means for solving the problems

The liquid material discharge device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a liquid receiving section including a housing including a nozzle and a discharge member, and a storage container fluidly connected to the housing via a mounting member; and a main body part which is provided with a bracket for detachably mounting the shell and a driving part for operating the detachably connected ejection component; the discharge device further includes a movable member that moves in a vertical direction along the housing in a state of being attached to the housing, and the discharge member and the drive unit are detachable by moving the movable member in the vertical direction.

In the liquid material discharge device, the housing may include a housing lower portion having a shoulder portion and a housing upper portion having a smaller width than the housing lower portion, and the liquid contact portion may be fixed to the main body portion by sandwiching the holder between the movable member and the shoulder portion. Preferably, the movable member is a flat plate-shaped member having a through hole into which the upper portion of the housing is inserted, and more preferably, the movable member has a width equal to or smaller than a width of the holder, and further preferably, the movable member has an external thread portion on an outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the housing, and an internal thread portion engaged with the external thread portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the movable member, and the discharge member and the drive portion are detachable from each other by the action of the internal and external thread portions by rotating the movable member forward and backward.

In the liquid material discharge device including the lower housing portion and the upper housing portion, the liquid material discharge device may be characterized in that, the holder includes a pair of support arms, the width of the movable member is larger than the distance between the pair of support arms, in this case, it is preferable that the holder is configured to include a holder upper portion and a holder lower portion, the pair of support arms have a distance smaller than the width of the housing lower part at the upper part of the bracket and a distance larger than the width of the housing lower part at the lower part of the bracket, the liquid receiving portion is fixed to the main body portion by sandwiching the upper portion of the holder between the movable member and the shoulder portion, and further, preferably, the upper housing portion and the lower housing portion are both cylindrical and have an arc-shaped connecting surface connecting the upper holder portion and the lower holder portion.

In the liquid material discharge device including the housing lower portion and the housing upper portion, the housing lower portion may be prism-shaped.

The coating device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: the liquid material discharge device described above; a compressed gas source for supplying a compressed gas for applying pressure to the liquid stored in the storage container; a discharge control unit for controlling a driving unit of the liquid material discharge device and a pressure of a compressed gas source gas; a workpiece stage on which an object to be coated is placed; an XYZ drive mechanism that moves the liquid material discharge device and the workpiece stage relative to each other; and a drive control unit that controls the operation of the XYZ drive mechanism.

Another coating apparatus of the present invention is a coating apparatus including: a liquid material discharge device including the housing lower portion and the housing upper portion; a compressed gas source for supplying a compressed gas for applying pressure to the liquid stored in the storage container; a discharge control unit for controlling a driving unit of the liquid material discharge device and a pressure of a compressed gas source gas; a workpiece stage on which an object to be coated is placed; an XYZ drive mechanism that moves the liquid material discharge device and the workpiece stage relative to each other; and a drive control unit that controls the operation of the XYZ drive mechanism.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.

(1) Since there is no need for a member to be attached and detached such as a screw or a tool to be attached and detached to fix the liquid contact portion, damage to the workpiece or the like due to falling objects can be prevented.

(2) Since the liquid receiving portion is attached to the upper surface of the holder while supporting the movable member, the liquid receiving portion can be prevented from falling down during the operation of inserting the holder.

(3) In the configuration including the internal and external screw portions, the movable member is rotated forward and backward, whereby the liquid receiving portion and the main body portion can be attached and detached by the action of the internal and external screw portions, and therefore, the attachment and detachment can be easily performed even by the first-time worker.

(4) Since the narrow portion of the liquid-receiving portion is held by the holder, the entire width of the device can be made narrow.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the liquid section is detached from the main body section in the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a holder in the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a main portion for explaining a procedure of attaching and detaching the liquid contact portion of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1, and shows a state in which the liquid contact portion is fixed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a main portion for explaining a procedure of attaching and detaching a liquid receiving portion of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1, and shows a state in which a casing is lowered.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a main portion for explaining a procedure of attaching and detaching the liquid contact portion of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1, and shows a state where the liquid contact portion is drawn out from the holder.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a main portion for explaining a procedure of attaching and detaching a liquid contact portion of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1, and shows a state where the liquid contact portion is inserted into a holder.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a main portion for explaining a procedure of attaching and detaching a liquid receiving portion of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1, and shows a state where a housing is raised.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an application device including the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the liquid material discharge device according to embodiment 4.

Detailed Description

Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

EXAMPLE 1 embodiment

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a liquid material discharge device 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the liquid receiving portion 2 is detached from the main body portion 15 in the liquid material discharge device 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a cross section of the holder 19 in the liquid material discharge device 1 according to embodiment 1. In fig. 1 and 2, the storage container 4 is shown by a broken line so that the overlapped portion of the members can be easily seen.

Hereinafter, a screw-type liquid material discharge device will be described as an example. For convenience of explanation, the driving unit 16 side is referred to as "up", the nozzle 3 side is referred to as "down", the base 18 side is referred to as "back", and the storage container 4 side is referred to as "near".

The liquid material discharge device 1 according to embodiment 1 is mainly composed of the liquid contact portion 2 and the main body portion 15.

The liquid-receiving portion 2 includes a nozzle 3 for discharging a liquid material, a storage container 4 formed of a syringe for storing the liquid material, a screw 5, a housing 6, and an extension member 7. The nozzle 3, the storage container 4, and the screw 5 are integrally formed via a housing 6 and an extension member 7. The housing 6 has a discharge passage formed therein and communicating with the nozzle 3 and the storage container 4, and the screw 5 is inserted into the discharge passage. The screw 5 is a discharge member for conveying the liquid material in the discharge flow path to the nozzle 3 by conveying. Further, the storage container 4 is attached to the housing 6 via an attachment member. The mounting member of embodiment 1 is an extension member 7 extending in the horizontal direction, and the storage container 4 is mounted in a positional relationship parallel to the housing 6. The attachment member for attaching the housing 6 to the storage container 4 is not limited to the illustrated shape, and for example, an attachment member extending obliquely downward from the storage container 4 may be used. The extension member 7 has a flow path formed therein, and communicates the storage container 4 with the nozzle 3 via the extension flow path and the discharge flow path formed in the housing 6. A connection pipe 14 for connecting a pipe for supplying compressed gas is attached to the storage container 4 on the opposite side of the extension member 7.

The housing 6 is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, and more specifically, in a shape in which two cylinders having different diameters are connected in the longitudinal direction. As shown in fig. 2, the housing upper portion 8 has a smaller diameter than the housing lower portion 9, and a screw portion 10 is formed on the outer periphery thereof. Since the upper housing part 8 and the lower housing part 9 differ in diameter, the upper end of the lower housing part 9 forms a shoulder 11. A lock nut 12 serving as a movable member for fixing the liquid receiving portion 2 to the bracket 19 is engaged with the screw portion 10. The lock nut 12 is a circular nut having a disk shape with a through hole at the center, and has a flat bottom surface. However, the shape of the lock nut 12 is not limited to a disc shape, and any shape may be adopted as long as it can move in the vertical direction in a state of being attached to the housing upper portion 8, and for example, a polygonal nut such as a square nut or a hexagonal nut, a gear-shaped nut, a wing nut provided with a pair of wings, or a shape in which projections with 3 to 8 rounded corners are arranged at equal intervals in a radial shape (in other words, a shape like a handle of a faucet). The side peripheral surface of the lock nut 12 may be subjected to machining such as knurling or sandblasting, or may be coated with resin or rubber (surface treatment).

The lock nut 12 is in contact with the holder upper surface 32, and sandwiches the holder upper part 20 with the case shoulder part 11 to fix the liquid-receiving part 2 to the body part 15. The lock nut 12 is rotatable relative to the housing screw portion 10, and the housing 6 (the liquid contact portion 2) can be moved up and down by rotating the lock nut 12 in a state where the housing 6 is mounted on the bracket 19 to move up and down. Here, the threaded portion 10 may be as long as the locknut 12 is not detached and can be reliably attached and detached. As illustrated in embodiment 1, the screw portion 10 may be formed only as long as necessary (see fig. 4 and 5), or the screw portion 10 may be formed integrally with the housing upper portion 8.

The screw 5 serving as the discharge member is a rod-shaped member having a helical blade (not shown), and has a shaft end 13 chamfered at a side surface over a certain length at an upper end (on the side of the drive unit 16). The coupling member 17 is provided with a coupling hole 33 having a shape matching the cross-sectional shape of the shaft end 13. Further, by fitting the shaft end 13 chamfered in this manner into the connection hole 33, the discharge member 5 and the driving portion 16 can be coupled to transmit power without using a member to be attached and detached such as a screw. In the example of fig. 2, the cross section is formed to be a square, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the cross section may be a polygon such as a hexagon or a shape (a segment) in which a part of a circle is cut off by a flat surface, that is, a shape having at least one flat surface. (the mode of the connection hole 33 is described in detail in Japanese patent No. 5089969 (patent document 4) relating to the applicant's invention.)

The main body 15 is configured to include: a drive unit 16 including a motor for operating the discharge member 5; a coupler 17 which is a connecting member for transmitting the force of the motor to the discharge member 5; a base 18; and a bracket 19 to which the housing 6 is attached and detached. The upper driving unit 16 and the lower holder 19 are integrally attached to the base 18 with a predetermined distance therebetween.

The holder 19 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 3. The holder 19 of embodiment 1 is a single member in a U shape in plan view, and is mainly composed of a holder upper portion 20 and a holder lower portion 21.

The holder upper portion 20 has a pair of support arms extending in parallel, and the inner side surfaces of the pair of support arms are U-shaped. An upper curved surface portion 26 located on the back side of the U-shape and a pair of upper flat surface portions 27 formed by side-view L-shaped flat surfaces located on the front side of the U-shape are formed on the inner side surface of the U-shape of the holder upper portion 20. The upper curved surface portion 26 is formed in a shape (circular arc shape) along the outer surface of the housing upper portion 8 (housing screw portion 10), and is semicircular in shape when viewed from above. The distance between the pair of support arms constituting the holder upper portion 20 (i.e., the distance between the 2 upper flat portions 27 formed on the near side of the upper curved portion 26) is substantially the same as the diameter of the housing upper portion 8. The upper flat surface portion 27 is formed by a holder upper inner surface 22 formed by a large rectangular surface forming an L-shape and an extension surface 24 formed by a small rectangular surface forming an L-shape. The extension surface 24 is connected to the holder lower inner surface 23 via a connecting surface 25 having an arc-shaped curved surface.

A bracket lower inner surface 23 formed of a U-shaped curved surface is formed on the U-shaped inner surface of the bracket lower portion 21. The holder lower inner surface 23 has a lower curved surface portion 28 on the inner side of the U-shape, and lower flat surface portions 29 having a side-view triangular shape on both sides of the near side of the U-shape. The lower curved surface portion 28 and the lower flat surface portion 29 constitute a pair of support arms extending in parallel. The lower curved surface portion 28 is formed in a shape (circular arc shape) along the outer side surface of the housing lower portion 9, and is semicircular in shape when viewed from below. The connecting surface 25 connected to the holder lower inner surface 23 is also formed in an arc shape so as to follow the shape of the housing lower portion 9. The distance between the 2 lower flat portions 29 formed on the near side of the lower curved portion 28 is substantially the same as the diameter of the housing lower portion 9. Stated differently, the distance between the pair of support arms that make up the stand upper portion 20 is less than the width of the housing lower portion 9, and the distance between the pair of support arms that make up the stand lower portion 21 is greater than the width of the housing lower portion 9, so even if the housing lower portion 9 can be made to enter the stand lower portion 21, it cannot enter the stand upper portion 20.

The upper curved surface portion 26 and the upper flat surface portion 27 constituting the inner peripheral surface of the holder upper portion 20 having the pair of support arms are formed in an arc shape with a small diameter along the outer side surface of the housing upper portion 8, whereas the lower curved surface portion 28 and the lower flat surface portion 29 constituting the inner peripheral surface of the holder lower portion 21 positioned below the pair of support arms are formed in an arc shape with a large diameter along the outer side surface of the housing lower portion 9. That is, the upper curved surface portion 26 of the small diameter receiving case upper portion 8 and the lower curved surface portion 28 of the large diameter receiving case lower portion 9 have different diameters, and a step is formed between the holder upper portion 20 and the holder lower portion 21. The lower surface formed at the step (i.e., the lower surface of the holder upper part 20) constitutes a boundary surface a 30. The boundary surface a30 contacts the lower curved surface portion 28 of the bracket 19 and the upper end of the connecting surface 25, and tapers toward the end where the connecting surface 25 contacts the elongated surface 24.

A step is also formed between the upper flat surface portion 27 and the lower flat surface portion 29, and a lower surface formed at the step (i.e., a lower surface of the holder upper portion 20) constitutes a boundary surface B31. The boundary surface B31 is in contact with the upper end of the lower flat surface portion 29 of the bracket 19, and tapers toward the tip end near the terminal end position where the lower flat surface portion 29 contacts the lower curved surface portion 28.

The holder upper surface 32 is a flat surface formed at the upper end of the holder upper part 20. By supporting the lock nut 12 attached to the housing 6 by the holder upper surface 32, the liquid receiving portion 2 can be prevented from dropping.

The upper and lower widths of the connecting surface 25 (or the extension surface 24) have a length equal to or greater than the depth of the connecting hole 33 of the connecting member 17 (or equal to or greater than the length of the chamfered shaft end 13), and the liquid-receiving portion 2 can be reliably attached and detached. The vertical width of the stand upper portion 20 and the stand lower portion 21 is not limited to a length, and the stand upper portion 20 may have a length of about half the total length of the housing upper portion 8, and the stand lower portion 21 may have a length of about 2/3 of the total length of the housing lower portion 9. In other words, the length of the guide housing 6 may be sufficient to allow the guide housing to function when moving up and down.

The bracket 19 may be provided with a pin in the forward direction at the innermost portion of the bracket lower inner surface 23 (in other words, the deepest portion of the lower curved surface portion 28), and an elongated groove (having a length approximately equal to the distance of the upward and downward movement of the housing 6) into which the pin is fitted at a position of the housing 6 facing the pin. With such a configuration, the rotation of the housing 6 in the holder 19 (rotation in the same direction as the rotation of the lock nut 12) can be prevented, and as a result, the storage container 4 can be positioned more accurately on the front surface.

< coating apparatus >

As shown in fig. 9, the liquid material discharge device 1 is mounted on a desktop type coating device 100, and the discharge device 1 and the workpiece table 103 are relatively moved by XYZ-axis drive devices (111, 112, 113) for the task of coating the liquid material on the workpiece 106. The exemplary coating apparatus 100 includes the following components: a base 101; a workpiece stage 103 on which a workpiece 106 as a coating object is placed; an X drive device 111 that moves the liquid material discharge device 1 and the workpiece table 103 relative to each other in the X direction 121; a Y drive device 112 that moves the liquid material discharge device 1 and the work table 103 relative to each other in the Y direction 122; a Z drive device 113 that moves the liquid material discharge device 1 and the work stage 103 relative to each other in the Z direction 123; a distribution controller (discharge control unit) 105 that controls the operation of the liquid material discharge device 1; and a drive control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the XYZ drive devices (111, 112, 113).

The distribution controller 105 supplies the compressed gas from the compressed gas source 102 to the storage container 4 under desired conditions. Further, an operation key 104 is provided on the upper surface of the base 101.

The XYZ driving device is configured to include, for example, a known XYZ servo motor and a ball screw, and can move the discharge port of the liquid material discharge device 1 to an arbitrary position of the workpiece at an arbitrary speed. The action of the XYZ drive device is controlled by a control device.

The liquid material discharge device 1 of the present invention may be mounted not only on a desktop type application device but also on a non-desktop type application device.

< disassembly sequence >

Next, the procedure of removing and attaching the liquid contact portion 2 in the liquid material discharge device 1 according to embodiment 1 will be described. In the following description, the case where the lock nut 12 is rotated to raise the housing 6 is sometimes referred to as "lock", and the case where the lock nut 12 is rotated to lower the housing 6 is sometimes referred to as "unlock".

The procedure of detaching the liquid receiving portion 2 from the main body portion 15 will be described with reference to fig. 4, 5, and 6.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a main portion for explaining a procedure of attaching and detaching the liquid-receiving portion 2 of the liquid material discharge device 1 according to embodiment 1, and shows a state where the liquid-receiving portion 2 is fixed to the main body portion 15. In this state where the liquid-contacting portion 2 is fixed, the holder upper surface 32 is in contact with the bottom surface of the lock nut 12, and the boundary surface a30 is in contact with the housing shoulder 11. In other words, the bracket upper part 20 is clamped by the lock nut 12 and the housing 6 (housing lower part 9). Since the lock nut 12 is engaged with the screw portion 10 formed in the housing upper portion 8, the housing 6 is firmly fixed to the bracket 19 by tightening the lock nut 12. In the state where the liquid contact portion 2 is fixed, the housing upper portion 8 contacts the upper curved surface portion 26 of the holder 19, and the housing lower portion 9 contacts the lower curved surface portion 28 of the holder 19. By configuring such that the respective portions (8, 9) of the housing 6 are in contact with the respective curved surfaces (26, 28) of the holder 19 as described above, the shaft end 13 of the discharge member 5 and the connection hole 33 of the connection member 17 can be positioned by merely fitting the housing 6 into the recess of the holder 19 in the following mounting procedure. The curved surfaces (26, 28) of the holder 19 also serve as guides when the housing 6 is moved up and down.

When the lock nut 12 is turned and loosened from the state of fig. 4, the housing 6, the storage container 4, and the like are lowered by the screw portion 10 formed in the housing upper portion 8 while the lock nut 12 is kept in contact with the holder upper surface 32. At this time, since the lock nut 12 is supported on the holder upper surface 32, the housing 6 (the liquid receiving portion 2) does not fall. When the housing 6 is lowered, the boundary surface a30 of the holder 19 separates from the housing shoulder 11, and the force of sandwiching the holder upper portion 20 is relaxed, thereby releasing the fixation with the main body portion 15. Further, the lock nut 12 is turned to gradually lower the housing 6, and when the distance equal to or larger than the vertical width of the connecting surface 25 (the extended surface 24) is lowered, the operation of loosening the lock nut 12 is stopped (fig. 5). In this state, the shaft end 13 of the discharge member 5 is disengaged from the connection hole 33 of the connection member 17, and the shoulder portion 11 is located lower than the boundary surface B31. Here, it is preferable that the length of the screw portion 10 is configured so that the distance G between the upper end of the screw portion 10 and the upper end of the lock nut 12 can be sufficiently secured (for example, the distance G is 1 to 5 times the vertical width of the connecting surface 25 (the extended surface 24)) at the stage where the shoulder portion 11 is located lower than the boundary surface B31, so that the lock nut 12 does not come off the screw portion 10 and the housing 6 is not erroneously dropped.

After releasing the housing 6 fixed to the main body 15 by a distance equal to or greater than the vertical width of the contact surface 25 (extended surface 24) (the state of fig. 5), the housing 6 (liquid contact portion 2) is moved to the near side (i.e., moved in a direction away from the curved surface portions (26, 28)) and detached from the holder 19 (fig. 6). At this time, since the lock nut 12 is supported on the holder upper surface 32, the housing 6 (the liquid receiving portion 2) does not fall.

Thus, the housing 6 (liquid receiving portion 2) can be lowered by loosening the lock nut 12 by rotating it and releasing the fixation from the holder 19. Further, since the lock nut 12 is engaged with the screw portion 10 formed in the housing 6 and the lock nut 12 is supported by the holder upper surface 32, the liquid receiving portion 2 can be prevented from dropping and the entire width of the device 1 can be made narrow. Further, in embodiment 1, the width of the lock nut 12 is set to be equal to or less than the width of the bracket 6 (more specifically, equal to or less than the width of the main body portion 15 in the left-right direction), thereby achieving further slimness (originally, the width of the lock nut 12 is set to be equal to or less than the width of the bracket 6, which is not an essential configuration, and the above-described problem can be solved even if the width of the lock nut 12 is set to be larger than the width of the bracket 6 to some extent).

< installation sequence >

The procedure of attaching the liquid-contacting portion 2 to the main body portion 15 will be described with reference to fig. 7, 8, and 4.

The position of the lock nut 12 of the liquid receiving portion 2 (i.e., the distance between the case shoulder 11 and the lock nut 12) at which the maintenance work such as replenishment of the liquid material or cleaning of the inside of the flow path is completed is adjusted. Here, the position of the lock nut 12 is adjusted so that the distance between the position of the lock nut 12 and the shoulder portion 11 is larger than the vertical width of the upper flat surface portion 27, and the housing lower portion 9 is prepared so as to be able to enter below the boundary surface B31. Next, the liquid receiving portion 2 is inserted into the recess of the holder 19 while placing the bottom surface of the lock nut 12 on the holder upper surface 32, and is mounted (fig. 7). At this time, the holder upper surface 32 supports the lock nut 12, and prevents the housing 6 (liquid receiving portion 2) to which the lock nut 12 is engaged from dropping.

The housing 6 is inserted until the housing upper portion 8 and the housing lower portion 9 hit the innermost portions of the upper curved surface portion 26 and the lower curved surface portion 28, respectively, and the shaft end 13 of the discharge member 5 and the connection hole 33 of the connection member 17 are positioned. In this state, the curved surfaces (26, 28) of the holder 19 are positioned as guides when the housing 6 is moved up and down.

When the lock nut 12 is turned and locked from a state where the housing 6 hits the holder 19, the housing 6, the storage container 4, and the like are raised by the screw portion 10 formed in the housing upper portion 8 while the lock nut 12 is kept in contact with the holder upper surface 32 (fig. 8). At this time, since the lock nut 12 is supported on the holder upper surface 32, the housing 6 (the liquid receiving portion 2) does not fall. When the housing 6 further rises, the boundary surface a30 of the holder 19 comes into contact with the housing shoulder 11, and the holder upper part 20 is sandwiched and fixed to the main body part 15 (that is, the state of fig. 4).

As described above, according to the liquid material discharge device 1 of embodiment 1, the housing 6 can be fixed to the holder 19 by the action of the screw portion 10 by simply rotating and tightening the lock nut 12, and therefore, even a first-time worker can easily attach the liquid contact portion 2 to the main body portion 15. Further, since the lock nut 12 is engaged with the screw portion 10 formed in the housing 6 and is detached and attached in a state where the lock nut 12 is supported by the holder upper surface 32, the liquid-receiving portion 2 can be substantially reliably prevented from dropping. Further, since the small diameter portion of the liquid contact portion 2 is held by the holder 19, the entire width of the device 1 can be made thin and long. Further, since the lock nut 12 which is not attached and detached at the time of attachment and detachment work is fixed, it is possible to prevent damage to the workpiece and the like due to dropping of the screw, the tool and the like.

EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE

Fig. 10 shows a schematic perspective view of the liquid material discharge device 40 according to embodiment 2.

The liquid material discharge device 40 according to embodiment 2 is a plunger type that moves a plunger 42 that slides in close contact with and reciprocates in the inner surface of a metering section 44 having a nozzle 43 at the tip thereof by a desired amount to discharge the liquid material, and is mainly composed of a liquid contact section 41 and a main body section 49, as in embodiment 1.

The liquid receiving portion 41 includes a plunger 42 serving as a discharge member, a metering portion 44 for housing the plunger 42 therein, a nozzle 43 for discharging a liquid material, a housing 45 to which the metering portion 44 and the nozzle 43 are fixed, and a storage container 46 for storing the liquid material.

The main body 49 is configured to include the following components: a driving section 52 in which a plunger moving member 50 for moving the plunger 42 forward and backward is disposed; and a holder 53 that holds the housing 45. The plunger 42 is provided with a large-diameter plate-like member at an upper end portion thereof, and is fixed to a recess of the plunger moving member 50 so as to be sandwiched by the plunger holder 51.

The housing 45 has a shape similar to that of embodiment 1, in which a screw portion 47 is formed in an upper portion of the cylindrical housing, and a lock nut 48 is engaged with the screw portion 47. The shape of the holder 53 is also the same as that of embodiment 1. In embodiment 2, the upper housing portion is narrower than the lower housing portion, and the bracket 53 holds the narrow upper housing portion, so that the entire device can be made narrow.

The attaching and detaching method is also the same as in embodiment 1. The liquid material discharge device 40 according to embodiment 2 is also mounted on an application device provided with an XYZ drive device and used.

EXAMPLE 3

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid material discharge device 60 according to embodiment 3.

The liquid material discharge device 60 according to embodiment 3 is of an ejection type in which the valve body 62 is caused to collide with a valve seat and the liquid material is ejected and discharged from the tip of the nozzle 64, and is mainly composed of the liquid contact portion 61 and the body portion 68, as in embodiment 1. It is to be noted that, unlike embodiment 3, the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to an injection type in which the valve element (plunger) is not collided with the valve seat, or an injection type in which the valve element (plunger) is moved and then abruptly stopped and is similarly ejected from the nozzle tip.

The liquid-receiving portion 61 includes a valve body 62 as a discharge member, a housing 63 for housing the valve body 62 therein, a nozzle 64 for discharging a liquid material, and a storage container 65 for storing the liquid material.

The main body portion 68 is configured to include the following components: a drive unit 69 having an air chamber and a switching valve 70 for switching air supply to the spring chamber and the air chamber; a chuck 71 as a coupling member for coupling the driving portion 69 and the valve body 62; a holder 72 that holds the housing 63; and a base 73 to which the driving portion 69 and the bracket 72 are attached so as to maintain a constant interval.

The shape of the housing 63 is similar to that of embodiment 1 in that a screw portion 66 is formed in the upper portion of the cylindrical housing, and a lock nut 67 is engaged with the screw portion 66. The shape of the holder 72 is also the same as that of embodiment 1. In embodiment 3, the upper housing portion is narrower than the lower housing portion, and the narrow upper housing portion is held by the holder 72, so that the entire device can be made narrow.

The attaching and detaching method is also the same as in embodiment 1. The liquid material discharge device 60 according to embodiment 3 may be mounted on an application device provided with an XYZ driving device.

EXAMPLE 4 embodiment

Fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid material discharge device 80 according to embodiment 4.

The liquid material discharge device 80 according to embodiment 4 is different from embodiment 1 in that the housing lower portion 82 is not cylindrical but formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing upper portion 81 is cylindrical for engaging the lock nut 84.

The lower inner surface of the bracket 83 is formed of a flat surface only, instead of being formed into a curved surface portion, in accordance with the shape (rectangular parallelepiped shape) of the housing lower portion 82. Therefore, the connecting surface 25 connecting the extension surface 24 and the holder lower inner surface 23 as in embodiment 1 may not be formed. In embodiment 4, the upper housing portion is narrower than the lower housing portion, and the narrow upper housing portion is held by the holder 83, so that the entire device can be made narrow.

The method of loading and unloading is not changed from embodiment 1. The liquid material discharge device 80 according to embodiment 4 is also mounted on an application device provided with an XYZ drive device and used.

In the present embodiment, the housing lower portion 82 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and therefore the storage container can be easily and accurately positioned on the front surface.

Description of the symbols

1: discharge device, 2: liquid receiving portion, 3: nozzle, 4: storage container (syringe), 5: discharge member (screw), 6: outer shell, 7: extension setting member, 8: upper housing portion, 9: lower housing portion, 10: threaded portion, 11: shoulder, 12: lock nut (movable member), 13: shaft end, 14: pipe connection, 15: main body portion, 16: drive unit (motor), 17: connecting member (coupler), 18: base, 19: support, 20: bracket upper part, 21: lower bracket part, 22: inner face of upper part of bracket, 23: inner face of lower part of bracket, 24: extension surface, 25: connecting surface, 26: upper curved surface portion, 27: upper flat surface portion, 28: lower curved surface portion, 29: lower planar portion, 30: boundary surface a, 31: boundary surfaces B, 32: upper surface of the bracket, 33: connection hole, 40: discharge device (embodiment 2), 41: liquid receiving portion, 42: discharge member (plunger), 43: nozzle, 44: measurement unit, 45: outer shell, 46: storage container, 47: thread portion, 48: lock nut, 49: main body portion, 50: plunger moving member, 51: plunger fixing member, 52: drive unit, 53: support, 60: discharge device (embodiment 3), 61: liquid receiving portion, 62: discharge member (valve body), 63: housing, 64: nozzle, 65: storage container, 66: thread portion, 67: lock nut, 68: main body portion, 69: drive unit, 70: switching valve, 71: coupling member (clip), 72: support, 73: base, 80: discharge device (embodiment 4), 81: housing upper portion, 82: lower housing portion, 83: bracket, 84: lock nut, 100: coating apparatus, 101: base, 102: compressed gas source, 103: workpiece stage, 104: operation keys, 105: distribution controller (discharge control unit), 106: workpiece, 111: x-axis drive device, 112: y-axis drive device, 113: z-axis drive device, 121: x direction, 122: y direction, 123: the Z direction.

Claims (11)

1. A liquid material discharge device characterized in that,

the disclosed device is provided with:

a liquid receiving section including a housing including a nozzle and a discharge member, and a storage container fluidly connected to the housing via a mounting member; and

a main body part including a holder to which the housing is detachably attached and a driving part that operates the detachably connected discharge member,

further comprises a movable member which moves in the vertical direction along the housing in a state of being attached to the housing,

the discharge member and the drive unit are detachably attached to each other by moving the movable member in the vertical direction.

2. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 1,

the housing is provided with a housing lower part having a shoulder part and a housing upper part having a smaller width than the housing lower part,

the liquid receiving portion is fixed to the main body portion by sandwiching the holder between the movable member and the shoulder portion.

3. The liquid material discharge apparatus according to claim 2,

the movable member is formed of a flat plate-like member provided with a through hole into which the upper portion of the housing is inserted.

4. The liquid material discharge apparatus according to claim 3,

the width of the movable member is equal to or less than the width of the bracket.

5. The liquid material discharge apparatus according to claim 3,

an external thread part is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the upper part of the shell,

an internal thread portion that engages with the external thread portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the movable member,

the discharge member and the drive portion can be attached and detached by the action of the female and male screw portions by rotating the movable member forward and backward.

6. A liquid material discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5,

the support is provided with a pair of support arms,

the width of the movable member is greater than the distance between the pair of support arms.

7. The liquid material discharging device according to claim 6,

the bracket is provided with a bracket upper part and a bracket lower part,

the pair of support arms having a distance at the upper portion of the bracket that is less than the width of the lower portion of the housing and a distance at the lower portion of the bracket that is greater than the width of the lower portion of the housing,

the liquid receiving portion is fixed to the main body portion by sandwiching the upper portion of the holder between the movable member and the shoulder portion.

8. The liquid material discharging device according to claim 7,

the upper part of the shell and the lower part of the shell are both cylindrical,

the bracket is provided with an arc-shaped connecting surface which connects the upper part of the bracket and the lower part of the bracket.

9. A liquid material discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5,

the lower part of the shell is prism-shaped.

10. A coating device is characterized in that a coating device is provided,

the disclosed device is provided with:

the liquid material discharge device according to claim 1;

a compressed gas source that supplies a compressed gas for applying pressure to the liquid stored in the storage container;

a discharge control unit for controlling a driving unit of the liquid material discharge device and a pressure of a compressed gas source gas;

a workpiece stage on which an object to be coated is placed;

an XYZ drive mechanism that moves the liquid material discharge device and the workpiece stage relative to each other; and

and a drive control unit that controls the operation of the XYZ drive mechanism.

11. A coating device is characterized in that a coating device is provided,

the disclosed device is provided with:

a liquid material discharging device according to any one of claims 2 to 5;

a compressed gas source that supplies a compressed gas for applying pressure to the liquid stored in the storage container;

a discharge control unit for controlling a driving unit of the liquid material discharge device and a pressure of a compressed gas source gas;

a workpiece stage on which an object to be coated is placed;

an XYZ drive mechanism that moves the liquid material discharge device and the workpiece stage relative to each other; and

and a drive control unit that controls the operation of the XYZ drive mechanism.