Patent Application
20230311139
The present invention generally relates to a voltage assisted painting system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a voltage assisted painting system for applying paint to a vehicle body.
Vehicle paints are typically applied using rotary atomizers that include a rotating bell cup having a generally conical overflow surface that opens to an atomizing edge. The paint that is dispensed from rotary atomizers tends to be tortuous and non-uniform as the atomizing process results in a turbulent path of the paint droplets. Conventional rotary bell atomizers cannot handle high low-shear viscosity paint fluid. Thus, current commercial paint has to contain about 50% of solvent which requires drying through a baking process. Additionally, the atomizing process tends to result in waste and it is difficult to utilize for customizations and application of multi-tone paint.
In view of the state of the known technology, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a voltage assisted painting system comprising a housing, at least one nozzle, and at least one electrode. The housing has a conduit for receiving paint from an external source into the housing. The at least one nozzle is disposed in the housing. The at least one nozzle has an inlet that is fluidly connected to the conduit to receive paint from the conduit. The at least one nozzle has an outlet that dispenses paint. The at least one electrode is provided at the housing at a location downstream of the inlet with respect to the conduit. The at least one electrode is configured to generate a magnetic field in the vicinity of the outlet.
Also other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the disclosed voltage assisted painting system will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses one embodiment of the voltage assisted painting system.
Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure:
Selected embodiments will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Referring initially to
In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 12 houses a plurality of nozzles 14 and a plurality of electrodes 16. As will be described, in the illustrated embodiment, the electrodes 16 can be provided as part of the nozzles 14 or can be provided exterior to the nozzles 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the voltage assisted painting system 10 is illustrated as a multi-nozzle painting system. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the voltage assisted painting system 10 can be utilized as a single-nozzle painting system with one or more electrodes provided for the single nozzle.
As best seen in
In the illustrated embodiment, the term “paint” will refer to any material including, but not limited to, one or more of the following substances: traditional paint, ink, polymers, water, solvents, and other fluids imparting color to a substrate and mixtures of the above-mentioned substances. “Paint” can also refer to material(s) having viscosities significantly higher and significantly lower than traditional paint viscosities.
The voltage assisted painting system 10 of the illustrated embodiment uses electric ionization to induce droplet formation formed at the nozzles 14. In particular, the voltage assisted painting system 10 utilizes the electrodes 16 to produce electromagnetic or electric fields near or at the nozzles 14 to induce a continuous droplet formation process from the nozzles 14. Thus, the voltage regulators 18 of the voltage assisted painting system 10 are electrically connected to each of the plurality of nozzles 14 to regulate electric current to the electrodes 16. As stated, the voltage assisted painting system 10 can comprise one or more voltage regulators 18 that are connected to the nozzles 14 to deliver and regulate electric current to the electrodes 16. The voltage regulators 18 are illustrated as being connected to some of the nozzles 14 schematically for simplicity.
As the voltage regulators 18 are identical, only one of the voltage regulators 18 will be further described herein. The voltage regulator 18 can include a circuit that creates and maintains a fixed output voltage. The voltage regulator 18 is connected to a power supply (not shown) that can be internally provided to the housing 12 or can be external to the housing 12. The applied voltage from the voltage regulator 18 can produce an electric field at or near the nozzles 14 to fine tune the size or diameter of the droplets that are formed at the nozzles 14. The application of voltage from the voltage regulator 18 can also help discharge the droplets that are formed at the tips of the nozzles 14 to facilitate a continuous droplet deposition onto the substrate.
In particular, the application of voltage creates an electric field generated from the electrodes 16. The electric field can form a continuous stream of droplets having diameters that are much smaller than typical droplets formed without electrostatic assistance, such that the paint droplets formed by the voltage assisted painting system 10 has a lower viscosity and can be a continuous stream that can be sprayed onto a substrate. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the application of a high voltage electric field from the electrodes 16 helps eject the droplets from the nozzles 14 to form charged droplets.
The voltage assisted painting system 10 further utilizes a series of air flow channels to apply gas to the droplets at the nozzles 14. Therefore, the voltage assisted painting system 10 utilizes a combination of electric field application and air flow application to facilitate droplet formation, as will be further described below. In the illustrated embodiment, the voltage assisted painting system 10 can increase the voltage application to the electrodes 16 to increase the intensity of the electric field(s) created by the electrodes 16. By doing so, the size of the droplets formed at the nozzles 14 can decrease. Increasing the voltage application can also increase the frequency of droplet formation at the nozzles 14.
The voltage assisted painting system 10 preferably applies argon (Ar), helium (He) or nitrogen (N2) gas to the droplets that are formed at the nozzles 14 to help pull or discharge the droplets from the nozzles 14 by providing further momentum to the droplets, as will be further described below. Preferably, the application of air from the air flow channels also helps spray the formed droplets such that the housing 12 can act as a spray chamber.
Conventional vehicle paint has high viscosity that result in the formation of large-sized paint droplets during application of the paint to the vehicle body. Therefore, the voltage assisted painting system 10 of the illustrated embodiment is provided for forming and dispensing uniformly-sized paint droplets from the housing 12 to the vehicle body. The voltage assisted painting system 10 is provided to apply continuous pressure of the paint droplets that are dispensed from the housing 12.
Referring to
As seen in
As best seen in
Thus, the nozzles 14 are fluidly connected to the reservoir 20 and the outlets 24 of the housing 12. That is, the nozzles 14 fluidly connect the reservoir 20 with the outlets 24 of the housing 12 to dispense the paint. As seen in
As shown in
It will be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the sizes of the nozzles 14 can vary depending on the intensity of the voltage that is applied to the droplets from the voltage regulators 18. Therefore, the sizes of the nozzles 14 can vary depending the intensity of the voltage that is emitted by the voltage regulators 18. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the outlets 14B of the nozzles 14 can be larger when the voltage regulators 18 emit a higher voltage.
As stated, the nozzles 14 are made of any conducting material capable of conducting electricity, such as copper. Preferably, the nozzles 14 are metallic bodies or tubes. Each metallic body has the at least one electrode 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzles 14 can define the electrodes 16 of the voltage assisted painting system 10. Alternatively speaking, each of the electrodes 16 of the voltage assisted painting system 10 is provided at each of the nozzles 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 12 is preferably made of an electric insulating material such as ceramic. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzles 14 can be considered the electrodes 16 that generate electric fields upon receiving voltage application, as will be further discussed below. The at least one electrode 16 is formed as part of the metallic body of the nozzles 14.
The voltage assisted painting system 10 further includes one or more additional electrodes 16A that are provided offset of the nozzles 14. Therefore, the voltage assisted painting system 10 includes electrodes 16 that are the nozzles 14, and additional electrodes 16A that can work in conjunction with the nozzles 14 to provide an electric field to the droplets. In particular, the additional electrodes 16A are preferably provided near the outlets 14B of the nozzles 14. Therefore, in the embodiment illustrated in
As best seen in
Therefore, in the embodiment of
Preferably, the housing 12 further includes an additional chamber 30A that houses additional voltage regulators 18A. The additional chamber 30A is downstream of the chamber 30 such that the additional voltage regulators 18A are downstream of the voltage regulators 18. The additional chamber 30 As are positioned near the inlets of the channels 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the voltage regulators 18 deliver electric voltage to the nozzles 14 which act as the electrodes 16. The additional voltage regulators 18A deliver electric voltage to the additional electrodes 16A. It will be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the arrangement and the positioning of the chambers 30 and 30A and the voltage regulators 18 and 18A within the housing 12 can vary depending on the arrangement of the nozzles 14 and the electrodes 16 and 16A. Therefore, the housing 12 being depicted as having a pair of chambers 30 and a pair of additional chambers 30A disposed on either side of the housing 12 are illustrated as an example only.
In the illustrated embodiment, a direction of paint flow flows from the conduit 22, to the reservoir 20, to the nozzles 14, to the channels 28, to the outlets 24. That is, the reservoir 20 is upstream of the nozzles 14 and the nozzles 14 are upstream of the outlets 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the chamber(s) 30 that houses the voltage regulator(s) 18 are disposed downstream of the reservoir 20 and upstream of the outlets 24 of the housing 12. As best seen in
As best seen in
Similarly, the additional voltage regulators 18A can be electrically connected to an array of additional electrodes 16A to provide voltage to the additional electrodes 16A. It will be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the number and arrangement of voltage regulators 18 that can be implemented with the housing 12 can vary. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the positions of the voltage regulators 18 within the chamber 30 can vary. Therefore, the illustration of the electrical connection between the voltage regulators 18 and 18A with the nozzles 14 and the additional electrodes 16A are illustrated as an example only.
As best seen in
The first airflow channel 32 opens to the exterior of the housing 12, as shown in
The second airflow channels 34 intersect with the channels 28 of the housing 12 to enable airflow from the second airflow channels 34 to the channels 28. In particular, as best seen in
In the illustrated embodiment, air flow forces flow from the air pump 36, to the first airflow channels 32, to the second airflow channels 34, to the channels 28. In this way, air is pumped from the exterior to the channels 28 to apply airflow forces that will help push the droplets that have been detached from the outlets 14B downward into the channels 28. Therefore, the air flows through the first and second airflow channels 32 and 34 to apply airflow force to the nozzles 14.
Referring to
As stated, the additional electrodes 16A are provided to increase the intensity of the electric field around the outlets 14B where the droplets are formed. The additional electrodes 16A are capable of being charged to generate electric fields as a series of arrays around the outlets 14B. Referring to
The electronic controller 40 can control the voltage regulators 18 to apply voltage to the nozzles 14 as the paint is traveling down the bodies of the nozzles 14. The electronic controller 40 can also control the additional voltage regulators 18A to apply voltage to the additional electrodes 16A once droplets begin forming at the outlets 14B. The electronic controller 40 can control the additional voltage regulators 18A to apply voltage to all the additional electrodes 16A in the array in conjunction.
Alternatively, the electronic controller 40 can control the additional voltage regulators 18A to apply voltage to the additional electrodes 16A in sequence or one at a time. The sequential control of the additional electrodes 16A one at a time sequentially can create a series of electric fields around the outlets 14B to generate rotation of the droplets from the outlets 14B. The electronic controller 40 can also control the voltage regulators 18 and 18A to adjust the voltage level that is applied to the nozzles 14 and/or the electrodes 16 and 16A. The electronic controller 40 can control the voltage regulators 18 and the additional voltage regulators 18A in order to stagger the velocity (e.g., the stop and start flow) of the discharge of droplets from the nozzles 14, or provide a constant velocity of droplet discharge from the nozzles 14.
The control system 38 can include memory 44 such as any computer storage device or any computer readable medium with the sole exception of a transitory, propagating signal. For example, the memory 44 can be nonvolatile memory and volatile memory, and can includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) device, a RAM (Random Access Memory) device, a hard disk, a flash drive, etc. The storage device can be any a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) device, a RAM device, a hard disk, a flash drive, etc. The memory 44 is configured to store settings, programs, data, calculations and/or results of the processor 42(s).
The electronic controller 40 can be programmed to control the sequence, frequency and/or the voltage level emitted by the voltage regulators 18 and 18A. For example, the electronic controller 40 can be programmed to modulate the electrodes 16 and 16A to change the oscillation (e.g. frequency, phase and/or amplitude) of the voltage emitted by the voltage regulators 18 and 18A. The electronic controller 40 can control the oscillation of the electrodes 18A to modulate voltage upon detection that droplets have formed at the outlets 14B of the nozzles 14 and/or that the droplets have been formed are at a predetermined size.
In view of this, the housing 12 can include one or more detector(s) (not shown) disposed at the nozzles 14 or in the vicinity of the nozzles 14 to detect the presence and size of droplets forming at the outlets 14B of the nozzles 14. The detectors can be any type of sensor as needed and/or appropriate. For example, the detector(s) can utilize thermal imaging or acoustic imaging to measure a size or profile of the droplets. The detectors can be equipped with wireless communication devices to send detection signals to the electronic controller 40.
The memory 44 of the electronic controller 40 can store parameters for the frequencies emitted by the electrodes 16. The memory 44 can be programmed to set these parameters or programmed to pre-store these parameters. For example, the memory 44 can store ranges of modulation frequencies that correspond to detected size(s) of the droplets. For example, the electronic controller 40 can be programmed to control the electrodes 16 and 16A to increase electric field emission when the droplets are detected to be greater than a predetermined size to dislodge the droplets. The electronic controller 40 can also include a timer such that the electronic controller 40 is programmed to control the electrodes 16 to automatically emit pre-determined electric field intensity based on pre-set time periods. The electronic controller 40 can control the electrodes 16 and 16A in accordance with a voltage phase diagram as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring now to
Due to the similarities between the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 and the voltage assisted painting system 10, identical components in the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 will receive the same reference numerals as the voltage assisted painting system 10. Modified components of the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 will receive the same reference numerals as corresponding components of the voltage assisted painting system 10 but increased by 100.
The first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 includes a plurality of nozzles 114 that are identical to the nozzles 14 of the voltage assisted painting system 10. The nozzles 114 are made of any conducting material capable of conducting electricity, such as copper. Preferably, the nozzles 114 are metallic bodies or tubes. Each metallic body has the at least one electrode 116. Thus, the nozzles 114 defines the electrodes 116 of the voltage assisted painting system 110. Alternatively speaking, each of the electrodes 116 of the voltage assisted painting system 110 is provided at each of the nozzles 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 112 is preferably made of an electric insulating material such as ceramic. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzles 114 can be considered the electrodes 116 that generate electric fields upon receiving voltage application, as will be further discussed below. The at least one electrode 116 is formed as part of the metallic body in the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110.
The first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 does not include the additional electrodes 16A at the outlets of the nozzles 114. The first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 also does not include the additional voltage regulators 18A. Therefore, in the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110, the electrodes 116 that provide electric charge to the paint is the nozzles 114 themselves.
With the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110, the voltage regulators (similar to the voltage regulators 18 of the voltage assisted painting system 10) can apply voltage to the nozzles 114 with a positive charge. The vehicle body (e.g., the substrate) has a negative charge. The application of paint using the first modified voltage assisted painting system 110 can use electrostatic forces utilized in electrostatic spray systems.
Referring now to
The second modified voltage assisted painting system 210 includes a plurality of second modified nozzles 214. The second modified nozzles 214 are made of any conducting material capable of conducting electricity, such as copper. Preferably, the second modified nozzles 214 are metallic bodies or tubes. The metallic tubes of the modified nozzles 214 are formed of different sections, as will be further described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, each metallic body has the at least one electrode 216. Thus, the second modified nozzle 214 define the electrodes 216 of the second modified voltage assisted painting system 210. Alternatively speaking, each of the electrodes 216 of the second modified voltage assisted painting system 210 is provided at each of the second modified nozzles 214. In the illustrated embodiment, the second modified nozzles 214 can be considered the electrodes 216 that generate electric fields upon receiving voltage application, as will be further discussed below. The at least one electrode 216 is formed as part of the metallic body in the second modified voltage assisted painting system 210.
As best seen in
Referring now to
The first and second sections 216A and 216B are disposed on opposite sides of the second modified nozzle 214 with respect to each other. The third and fourth sections 216C and 216D are disposed on opposite sides of the second modified nozzle 214 with respect to each other. The fifth and sixth sections 216E and 216F are disposed on opposite sides of the second modified nozzle 214 with respect to each other. Each of the sections are separated from the next one of the sections by insulation 250 such as rubber.
As best seen in
The voltage regulator 18 can send voltage to the first, second and third electrodes 1E, 2E and 3E in a sequential pattern to charge the first, second and third electrodes 1E, 2E and 3E one at a time. The voltage regulator 18 can stagger the voltage application to the first, second and third electrodes 1E, 2E and 3E to create electric fields that will cause rotation of the droplet formation inside the metallic body. That is, the control of the first, second and third electrodes 1E, 2E and 3E creates a rotational magnetic field inside the body of the second modified nozzle 214. The voltage regulator 18 can be controlled by an electronic controller similar to the electronic controller described for the voltage assisted painting system.
While the second modified nozzles 214 of the second modified voltage assisted painting system 210 are illustrated as including first, second and third electrodes 1E, 2E and 3E each, it will be apparent to those skilled in the vehicle field from this disclosure that the number of electrodes similar to that described herein can vary depending as needed and/or desired. The electronic controller can be programmed to control multiple numbers of electrodes to generate electric fields that will cause rotation of the droplets formed inside the nozzles 214.
As best seen in
Referring now to
As shown, the first array of nozzles 310 are also provided with modified first and second air flow channels 332 and 334. The modified first and second air flow channels 332 and 334 are similar in function to the first and second air flow channels 32 and 34 of the voltage assisted painting system 10. The only difference is that the second air flow channels 334 extend at an angle with respect to the first air flow channels 332 towards the outlets.
As seen in
As seen in
In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. Also as used herein to describe the above embodiment(s), the following directional terms “forward”, “rearward”, “above”, “downward”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “below” and “transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a vehicle equipped with the voltage assisted painting system. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a vehicle equipped with the voltage assisted painting system.
The term “detect” as used herein to describe an operation or function carried out by a component, a section, a device or the like includes a component, a section, a device or the like that does not require physical detection, but rather includes determining, measuring, modeling, predicting or computing or the like to carry out the operation or function.
The term “configured” as used herein to describe a component, section or part of a device includes hardware and/or software that is constructed and/or programmed to carry out the desired function.
The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed.
While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
