Spray painter

Claim 2

A paint sprayer device comprising a frame, an arm assembly including two parallel arms, means to pivotally mount said arm assembly on said frame about a first axis, means to pivot said parallel arms individually at first ends thereof about separate second axes at right angles to the first axis, driving means to drive said arm assembly about said first axis in an oscillatory motion, a spray gun mounting member, second ends of the parallel arms being pivoted to the spray gun mounting member about axes parallel to the separate second axes, means to control angular movement of said arms about said second axes, including means operable to cause said arm assembly to move in an arc about said second axes as it moves about said first axis, a spray gun being mounted to the spray gun mounting member for movement about a third axis substantially perpendicular to the first and second axes, control means to control spraying of material from the spray gun, linkage means between said spray gun and said driving means to cause the spray gun to pivot about the third axis as the parallel arms pivot about their second axes a preselected amount to cause the axis of the spray from the gun to remain oriented with respect to a surface being sprayed.

Claim 3

A paint sprayer device comprising a frame, sprayer arm means, first means mounting a first end of said sprayer arm means on said frame for movement about a first axis, second means mounting said first end of said sprayer arm means for movement about a second axis at substantially right angles to the first axis, means to drive said sprayer arm about said first axis in a preselected path, and selectively about the second axis, a spray gun, means mounting said spray gun adjacent a second end of said sprayer arm means about third and fourth spray gun axes parallel to the first and second axes respectively, parallel linkage means to maintain said spray gun oriented in space in respect to a reference during movement of said sprayer arm means about the first and second axes, and first control means to control dispensing of materials from the spray gun in response to a predetermined signal.

Claim 4

A paint sprayer device comprising a frame, sprayer arm means, first means mounting a first end of said sprayer arm means on said frame for movement about a first axis, second means mounting said first end of said sprayer arm means for movement about a second axis at substantially right angles to the first axis, means to drive said sprayer arm about said first axis in a preselected path, and selectively about the second axis, a spray gun, means mounting said spray gun adjacent a second end of said sprayer arm means about third and fourth spray gun axes parallel to the first and second axes respectively, parallel linkage means to maintain said spray gun oriented in space in respect to a reference during movement of said sprayer arm means about the first and second axes, and first control means to control dispensing of materials from the spray gun in response to a predetermined signal.

Claim 5

The paint sprayer of claim 2 and a lever mounted onto said sprayer arm means for controlling movement of the arm about its second axis, a swinging control arm pivotally mounted to said lever at a first end thereof and pivotally mounted to the frame at a second end thereof at position spaced in direction along the first axis from said first end and from said sprayer arm means, the second end of said swinging arm being movable abOut the first end pivot from a first position to a second position, the effective pivotal axis of the second end of said control arm being coaxial with the first axis when said swinging arm is in said first position, and being spaced from said first axis when the swinging arm is in the second position to cause the sprayer arm means to move in an arc about the second axis as it is driven about the first axis, and means to permit selective movement of said swinging arm between its first and second positions.

Claim 6

The paint sprayer of claim 3 and means to permit changing the length of said swinging arm between its pivots.

Claim 7

The paint sprayer of claim 3 and means to mount said spray gun for movement about a fifth axis perpendicular to the third and fourth axes, drive linkage means between said drive means and said spray gun to move the spray gun about said fifth axis when said drive linkage is in a driving position, means coupling said drive linkage means and said swinging arm to cause movement of said drive linkage means to a driving position when the swinging arm is moved to its second position and to move said drive linkage to a nondriving position when the swinging arm is in its first position.

Claim 8

A paint sprayer assembly comprising a frame, a pair of parallel arms, a hub, said arms being mounted to said hub at first ends thereof about substantially parallel first axes, a first shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, said hub being drivably mounted on said first shaft, means to drive said first shaft about its axis in an oscillatory motion through a controlled arc in a first plane, a spray gun assembly, said spray gun assembly having a mounting member pivotally mounted to each of said parallel arms about axes parallel to the first axes mounting said arms, a pin rotatably mounted to said mounting member about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said first shaft and perpendicular to the first plane, a sleeve rotatably mounted over said pin, a bracket fixed to a first end of said pin, a gun holding member rotatably mounted to said bracket about a gun pivot axis perpendicular to the axis of the pin and parallel to the first plane, driving means between the sleeve and the gun holding member for determining the position of the gun holding member about the gun pivot axis, a first control arm attached to said pin at an opposite end thereof from the gun holding member, a second control arm attached to said sleeve, first and second links pivotally attached to the control arms, the opposite end of said first link being pivoted to said frame, a third control arm, the opposite end of said second link being pivotally mounted to said third control arm, a second shaft, said third control arm being drivably mounted onto said second shaft, said first link acting as a parallel link to maintain the orientation of the gun holding member in respect to a plane passing through the pin axis of said arms and links oscillate up and down, a contour control lever mounted onto one of said parallel arms for controlling movement of the arms about the axes between said arms and said hub, a swinging arm, means to universally, pivotally mount said swinging arm to said lever at a first end thereof, a contour control bar, said swinging arm being universally, pivotally mounted to the contour control bar at position transversely spaced from said first end of said swinging arm, the second end of said swinging arm being movable with said contour control bar from a first position to a second position, the effective pivotal axis of the second end of said swinging arm being aligned with the axis of the first shaft when said swinging arm is in said first position, and being spaced from the axis of said first shaft when the swinging arm is in the second position, drive means for said second shaft comprising a crank arm mounted onto the first shaft, a yoke mounted onto said second shaft and extending toward said crank arm, a control member between said yoke and said crank arm, a drive pin, first, Second and third slider means on the pin and slidably mounted in said yoke, said control member and said crank arm, respectively, so that upon movement of the control member the sliders will move in the yoke, the control member and said crank arm and the yoke pivots the second shaft to accommodate the change, said control member being movable in direction to move said pin from position wherein it is to be coaxial with said first shaft when the swinging arm is in its first position, to position spaced from the axis of said first shaft when said swinging arm is in said second position, linkage means between said control member and said contour bar to control movement of the control member responsive to movement of said swinging arm, and intermeshing gear teeth between said gun holding member and said sleeve so that when said sleeve rotates from rotation of said second shaft and movement of said second link and the second control arm, said gun holding member is driven to pivot about the gun pivotal axis, and control means for controlling the dispensing of spray material from said spray gun responsive to a predetermined program.

Claim 9

A paint sprayer assembly comprising a frame, a pair of parallel arms, a hub, said arms being mounted to said hub at first ends thereof about substantially parallel first axes, a first shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, said hub being drivably mounted on said first shaft, means to drive said first shaft about its axis in an oscillatory motion through a controlled arc in a first plane, a spray gun assembly, said spray gun assembly having a mounting member pivotally mounted to each of said parallel arms about axes parallel to the first axes mounting said arms, a pin rotatably mounted to said mounting member about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said first shaft and perpendicular to the first plane, a sleeve rotatably mounted over said pin, a bracket fixed to a first end of said pin, a gun holding member rotatably mounted to said bracket about a gun pivot axis perpendicular to the axis of the pin and parallel to the first plane, driving means between the sleeve and the gun holding member for determining the position of the gun holding member about the gun pivot axis, a first control arm attached to said pin at an opposite end thereof from the gun holding member, a second control arm attached to said sleeve, first and second links pivotally attached to the control arms, the opposite end of said first link being pivoted to said frame, a third control arm, the opposite end of said second link being pivotally mounted to said third control arm, a second shaft, said third control arm being drivably mounted onto said second shaft, said first link acting as a parallel link to maintain the orientation of the gun holding member in respect to a plane passing through the pin axis of said arms and links oscillate up and down, a contour control lever mounted onto one of said parallel arms for controlling movement of the arms about the axes between said arms and said hub, a swinging arm, means to universally, pivotally mount said swinging arm to said lever at a first end thereof, a contour control bar, said swinging arm being universally, pivotally mounted to the contour control bar at position transversely spaced from said first end of said swinging arm, the second end of said swinging arm being movable with said contour control bar from a first position to a second position, the effective pivotal axis of the second end of said swinging arm being aligned with the axis of the first shaft when said swinging arm is in said first position, and being spaced from the axis of said first shaft when the swinging arm is in the second position, drive means for said second shaft comprising a crank arm mounted onto the first shaft, a yoke mounted onto said second shaft and extending toward said crank arm, a control member between said yoke and said crank arm, a drive pin, first, Second and third slider means on the pin and slidably mounted in said yoke, said control member and said crank arm, respectively, so that upon movement of the control member the sliders will move in the yoke, the control member and said crank arm and the yoke pivots the second shaft to accommodate the change, said control member being movable in direction to move said pin from position wherein it is to be coaxial with said first shaft when the swinging arm is in its first position, to position spaced from the axis of said first shaft when said swinging arm is in said second position, linkage means between said control member and said contour bar to control movement of the control member responsive to movement of said swinging arm, and intermeshing gear teeth between said gun holding member and said sleeve so that when said sleeve rotates from rotation of said second shaft and movement of said second link and the second control arm, said gun holding member is driven to pivot about the gun pivotal axis, and control means for controlling the dispensing of spray material from said spray gun responsive to a predetermined program.

Claim 10

A paint sprayer device comprising a frame, a sprayer arm mounted on said frame about a first axis, and a second axis at right angles to the first axis, drive means to drive said sprayer arm back and forth about said first axis, and selectively about the second axis, a spray gun mounted at the outer end of said arm about third and fourth perpendicular spray gun axes parallel to the first and second axes, parallel linkage means between said spray gun and said frame to maintain the axes of said gun oriented with respect to the axes of rotation of the sprayer arm during movement of said arm, and first control means to control dispensing of materials from the spray gun in response to a predetermined signal.

Claim 11

A paint sprayer device comprising a frame, a sprayer arm mounted on said frame about a first axis, and a second axis at right angles to the first axis, drive means to drive said sprayer arm back and forth about said first axis, and selectively about the second axis, a spray gun mounted at the outer end of said arm about third and fourth perpendicular spray gun axes parallel to the first and second axes, parallel linkage means between said spray gun and said frame to maintain the axes of said gun oriented with respect to the axes of rotation of the sprayer arm during movement of said arm, and first control means to control dispensing of materials from the spray gun in response to a predetermined signal.

Claim 12

The combination as specified in claim 7 and means to control the position of said arm about its second arm axis including first linkage means connected to said drive means so said arm moves about said second axis as it moves about said first axis, said spray gun also being mounted to the arm about a fifth axis, and second separate linkage means between said spray gun and said drive means to control the movement of the spray gun about its fifth axis, and second control means to engage or disengage the first and second linkage means simultaneously.

Claim 13

The combination as specified in claim 7 wherein the first control means includes a drum, photocell means positioned adjacent the periphery of said drum to be aligned with an annular line as the drum rotates, and energizable in response to a reflective surface on the drum, a strip of reflective material adhesively attached to the surface of the drum along said annular line, means to darken the reflective surface of said tape in predetermined locations, means to drivably connect the drive means to rotate the drum, and solenoid controlled valve means to control operation of the spray gun energizable in response to energization of the photocell means.

Claim 14

The combination as specified in claim 7 wherein conveyor means are used to move objects past the paint sprayer, an electric control for the conveyor means and an interlock relay means to disable the drive means when the electric control for the conveyor is not energized.

Claim 15

The combination as specified in claim 10 and contact means controlled by the interlock relay to disable the circuit to the solenoid controlled valve means for the spray gun, when the electric control for the conveyor is not energized.

Claim 16

The combination as specified in claim 11 and detector means to determine when an object on the conveyor is properly positioned by the spray gun, detector relay means operative in response to the detector means, and timer means to disable said detector means for a predetermined time after it has once been activated.

Claim 17

The combination as specified in claim 7 wherein the drive means comprises a cam rotatably mounted on the fraMe, power means to rotate the cam, a cam follower, and linkage means between the follower and the sprayer arm to cause oscillation of the sprayer arm as the cam is rotated.

Claim 18

A paint sprayer assembly comprising a frame, a pair of parallel arms, said parallel arms being mounted to a common hub at a first end thereof about first substantially parallel axes, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame about a second axis, said hub being drivably mounted on said shaft, the axis of said shaft being substantially perpendicular to the first axes, means to drive said shaft back and forth in an oscillatory motion, a spray gun assembly, said spray gun assembly having a mounting block mounted to second ends of said parallel arms about third axes parallel to the first axes mounting said parallel arms to form a parallelogram, a pin rotatably mounted to said mounting block about a fourth axis substantially parallel to the second axis, a sleeve rotatably mounted over said pin, brackets fixed to an end of said pin, a spray gun holding member mounted to said brackets about a fifth axis perpendicular to the mounting axis of the pin, rotary drive means between the sleeve and the spray gun holding member for determining the position of the spray gun holding member about the fifth axis, parallel linkage means between the frame and said pin to maintain the angular orientation of said fifth axis with respect to a reference plane as said parallel arms oscillate, a lever mounted onto one of said parallel arms for controlling movement of the parallel arms about the first axes, a swinging control arm universally pivotally mounted to said lever at a first end thereof and universally pivotally mounted to the frame at a second end thereof at position transversely spaced from said first end of the swinging control arm and from said parallel arms, the second end of said swinging control arm being movable from a first position to a second position, the effective pivotal axis of the second end of said swinging control arm being substantially aligned with the second axis when said swinging control arm is in its first position, and being spaced from said second axis when the swinging control arm is in its second position to cause the parallel arms to move in an arc about the first axes as said parallel arms oscillate about the second axis, a linkage from the shaft drive means to the rotary drive means, to rotate the spray gun about the fifth axis a preselected amount only when the parallel arms move in the arc about the first axes, means to move the swinging control arm between its first and second positions, and control means to control said spray gun.

Claim 19

A paint sprayer assembly comprising a frame, a pair of parallel arms, said parallel arms being mounted to a common hub at a first end thereof about first substantially parallel axes, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame about a second axis, said hub being drivably mounted on said shaft, the axis of said shaft being substantially perpendicular to the first axes, means to drive said shaft back and forth in an oscillatory motion, a spray gun assembly, said spray gun assembly having a mounting block mounted to second ends of said parallel arms about third axes parallel to the first axes mounting said parallel arms to form a parallelogram, a pin rotatably mounted to said mounting block about a fourth axis substantially parallel to the second axis, a sleeve rotatably mounted over said pin, brackets fixed to an end of said pin, a spray gun holding member mounted to said brackets about a fifth axis perpendicular to the mounting axis of the pin, rotary drive means between the sleeve and the spray gun holding member for determining the position of the spray gun holding member about the fifth axis, parallel linkage means between the frame and said pin to maintain the angular orientation of said fifth axis with respect to a reference plane as said parallel arms oscillate, a lever mounted onto one of said parallel arms for controlling movement of the parallel arms about the first axes, a swinging control arm universally pivotally mounted to said lever at a first end thereof and universally pivotally mounted to the frame at a second end thereof at position transversely spaced from said first end of the swinging control arm and from said parallel arms, the second end of said swinging control arm being movable from a first position to a second position, the effective pivotal axis of the second end of said swinging control arm being substantially aligned with the second axis when said swinging control arm is in its first position, and being spaced from said second axis when the swinging control arm is in its second position to cause the parallel arms to move in an arc about the first axes as said parallel arms oscillate about the second axis, a linkage from the shaft drive means to the rotary drive means, to rotate the spray gun about the fifth axis a preselected amount only when the parallel arms move in the arc about the first axes, means to move the swinging control arm between its first and second positions, and control means to control said spray gun.

Claim 20

In a control device for a work arm member performing work at a remote station adjacent a first end thereof, and mounted for movement about first and second mutually perpendicular axes at a second end thereof, wherein movement about said second axis is obtained selectively and at different amounts with respect to movement about said first axis, a link attached to said work arm and movable with said work arm about its second axis, a control arm pivotally attached to an outer end of said link spaced from said second axis, mounting means to pivotally mount a second end of said control arm at a position spaced from said second axis, said mounting means permitting movement of said control arm from a position wherein said second end of said control arm is in a first position and will pivot about a second end pivot positioned at a known relationship to the first axis to a second different position wherein said second end pivot is in a different relationship to said first axis than with the control arm in its first position as said work arm moves about said first axis.

Claim 21

In a control device for a work arm member performing work at a remote station adjacent a first end thereof, and mounted for movement about first and second mutually perpendicular axes at a second end thereof, wherein movement about said second axis is obtained selectively and at different amounts with respect to movement about said first axis, a link attached to said work arm and movable with said work arm about its second axis, a control arm pivotally attached to an outer end of said link spaced from said second axis, mounting means to pivotally mount a second end of said control arm at a position spaced from said second axis, said mounting means permitting movement of said control arm from a position wherein said second end of said control arm is in a first position and will pivot about a second end pivot positioned at a known relationship to the first axis to a second different position wherein said second end pivot is in a different relationship to said first axis than with the control arm in its first position as said work arm moves about said first axis.

Claim 22

The combination as specified in claim 15 wherein said mounting means for the second end of said control arm includes a framework, and power means to move said framework between first and second framework positions.

Claim 23

The combination as specified in claim 15 and a working member at the First end of said work arm, said working member being movable with respect to the work arm about a tilting axis mutually perpendicular to said first and said second axes, and linkage means controlling movement of said working member about its tilting axis, means to permit movement of said linkage means to change the amount of tilting of the working member about said tilting axis in correspondence with the amount of movement of the second end of said control arm away from its first position.

Claim 24

The combination as specified in claim 17 wherein the second end pivot substantially coincides with the first axis with the control arm in its first position and a crank arm mounted for movement with said work arm about said first axis, a tilting axis control pin mounted for movement with said crank arm about said first axis, a tilting axis control lever actuated by said control pin, and linkage means between said tilting axis control lever and said working member to control movement of said working member about said tilting axis, and means movable in response to movement of said control arm to move said control pin along said crank arm from a position substantially coinciding with said first axis when the pivot of the second end of said control arm coincides with said first axis, to position on said crank arm proportionally spaced from said first axis when the second end of said control arm moves away from its first position.

Claim 25

The combination as specified in claim 18 wherein said means mounting said control pin to said crank arm comprise slider means movable along said crank arm in proportion to the movement of the second end of said control arm from its first position.

Claim 26

The combination as specified in claim 19 and guide means for said slider means, said guide means controlling movement of said slider means along said crank arm and slidably restraining movement of said pin to a linear path as said crank arm moves with said work arm.