阅读说明：本技术 用于控制固化过程的系统和方法 (System and method for controlling a curing process ) 是由 约瑟夫·多米尼克·瓦内斯 于 2020-01-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：包括一种固化系统。该固化系统包括显示器、第一辐射发射灯和控制系统。该控制系统可操作地耦接到第一辐射发射灯。该控制系统包括处理器,该处理器被配置为在显示器上呈现第一烘烤周期,该烘烤周期包括具有至少两个点的曲线。该处理器还被配置为接收用户输入,以通过在图内移动该至少两个点来调整这些点。该处理器附加地被配置为遵循该烘烤周期通过第一辐射发射灯发射辐射。(A curing system is included. The curing system includes a display, a first radiation emitting lamp, and a control system. The control system is operatively coupled to the first radiation emitting lamp. The control system includes a processor configured to present a first toasting cycle on the display, the toasting cycle comprising a curve having at least two points. The processor is also configured to receive user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graph. The processor is additionally configured to emit radiation through the first radiation emitting lamp following the toasting cycle.)

1. A curing system, comprising:

a display;

a first radiation emitting lamp; and

a control system operatively coupled to the first radiation emitting lamp; wherein the control system comprises a processor configured to:

presenting a first toasting cycle on the display, the first toasting cycle comprising a curve having at least two points;

receiving user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graph, thereby creating a second toasting cycle; and

emitting radiation through the first radiation emitting lamp following the second toasting cycle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises a memory configured to store a first bake cycle and the second bake cycle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a touch screen, and wherein the user input comprises touch screen input received by the touch screen.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to receive a "hold-and-drop" user input through the touchscreen and create a new point included by the curve based on the "hold-and-drop" user input.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the new point is located between a first point and a second point of the at least two points, and to delete a line segment connecting the first point and the second point if the new point is located between the first point and the second point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive a second user input to input a length of time, a maximum temperature, or a combination thereof for displaying the curve, redraw the curve into a redrawn curve based on the second input, and display the redrawn curve upon receiving the second user input.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to redraw the curve into a redrawn curve and display the redrawn curve upon receiving the user input.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile includes a first ramp portion to increase the baking temperature and a plateau portion following the first ramp portion to maintain the baking temperature.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the curve includes a second ramp portion that increases the baking temperature after the plateau portion.

10. A method, comprising:

presenting a first bake cycle on a display included in a curing system, the bake cycle including a curve having at least two points;

receiving user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graphic to create a second toasting cycle; and

emitting radiation through a first radiation emitting lamp included in the curing system following the second bake cycle.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising receiving a "press and hold" user input through a touch screen and creating a new point included by the curve based on the "press and hold" user input.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising determining whether the new point is located between a first point and a second point of the at least two points, and deleting a line segment connecting the first point and the second point if the new point is located between the first point and the second point.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising receiving a second user input to input a length of time, a maximum temperature, or a combination thereof for displaying the curve, redrawing the curve as a redrawn curve based on the second input, and displaying the redrawn curve upon receiving the second user input.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the profile includes a first ramp portion that increases the bake temperature and a plateau portion following the first ramp portion that maintains the bake temperature.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the curve includes a second ramp portion that increases the baking temperature after the plateau portion.

16. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

presenting a first bake cycle on a display included in a curing system, the bake cycle including a curve having at least two points;

receiving user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graph, thereby creating a second toasting cycle; and

emitting radiation through a first radiation emitting lamp included in the curing system following the second bake cycle.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to receive a "hold and no drop" user input through a touch screen and create a new point included by the curve based on the "hold and no drop" user input.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to determine whether the new point is located between a first point and a second point of the at least two points, and delete a line segment connecting the first point and the second point if the new point is located between the first point and the second point.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the curve includes a first ramp portion that increases a bake temperature and a plateau portion following the first ramp portion that maintains the bake temperature.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the curve includes a second ramp portion that increases the baking temperature after the plateau portion.

Background

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to curing, and more particularly to curing control.

In curing such as Ultraviolet (UV) curing or oven curing, hot air convection or longer wavelength infrared heating systems apply energy to the surface molecules of the coating with little or no radiation penetration. Energy is transferred inward by conduction principles to cure, for example, paint. Curing typically uses a curve that specifies the time versus temperature of the curing process. Different curves may be used for different types of coatings, different sizes of objects to be cured, etc. It would be beneficial to improve the cure control of a curing system.

Disclosure of Invention

The following summarizes certain embodiments that are commensurate in scope with the originally claimed invention. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but rather, they are intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

In a first embodiment, a curing system is provided. The curing system includes a display, a first radiation emitting lamp, and a control system. The control system is operatively coupled to the first radiation emitting lamp. The control system includes a processor configured to present a first toasting cycle on the display, the toasting cycle comprising a curve having at least two points. The processor is also configured to receive user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graph. The processor is additionally configured to emit radiation through the first radiation emitting lamp following the toasting cycle.

In a second embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes presenting a first bake cycle on a display included in the curing system, the bake cycle including a curve having at least two points. The method further includes receiving user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graph. The method additionally includes emitting radiation through a first radiation emitting lamp included in the curing system following the bake cycle.

In a third embodiment, a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to present a first bake cycle on a display included in a curing system, the bake cycle including a curve having at least two points. The instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to receive user input to adjust the points by moving the at least two points within the graph. The instructions, when executed by the processor, additionally cause the processor to emit radiation through a first radiation emitting lamp included in the curing system following the bake cycle.

Drawings

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a curing system, such as a curing system including Ultraviolet (UV) curing by an infrared emitter;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an embodiment of a bake cycle that the curing system of FIG. 1 may follow to cure an object;

FIG. 3 is a screen shot of an embodiment of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) suitable for customizing or creating a toasting cycle; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process for customizing an existing bake cycle or creating a bake cycle, and then performing the bake cycle in the curing system of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in engineering or design projects, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present invention, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and methods that can improve curing of a particular surface (e.g., a painted surface) through an improved temperature profile. In some embodiments, the user may enter a custom curve, for example, through a touch screen, which may improve the cure cycle. For example, a curing machine (such as Autocure available from Karley fluid technologies, Stockhol, Arizona, USA)^TMInfrared heaters) may provide infrared radiation suitable for heating a surface, such as a painted surface. The techniques described in more detail below can improve the curing process by enabling a visual display of customizable temperature cycles. That is, the visual display may be used to display the temperature cycle and to manually customize the temperature cycle based on the surface coating being cured, the size of the object being cured, the type of coating, and the like. By providing a customizable temperature cycle, the techniques described herein can improve the curing of a surface by customizing the delivery of curing radiation.

It may be useful to describe systems to which the curing techniques described herein may be applied. Thus, turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown illustrating an embodiment of a curing system 10 that may include one or more infrared emitters 12. The curing system 10 may be suitable for curing a variety of surfaces and materials, including automotive applications, such as field service. In use, the user 14 may interact with the control system 16 through the touch screen display 18.

The control system 16 may include an industrial controller and, thus, a memory 20 and a processor 22. The processor 22 may include multiple microprocessors, one or more "general-purpose" microprocessors, one or more special-purpose microprocessors, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), and/or one or more Reduced Instruction Set (RISC) processors, or some combination thereof. The memory 20 may include volatile memory, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as ROM, a hard disk drive, a memory card, a memory stick (e.g., a USB stick), and so forth. The memory 20 may include a computer program or instructions executable by the processor 22 and adapted to control the curing system 10. The memory 20 may further include computer programs or instructions executable by the processor 22 and adapted to create a customized temperature profile for the curing system 10.

During operation, a user may adjust and reposition infrared emitter 12 to a desired "point" and then begin a "toasting" cycle. That is, certain surface material and coating combinations may exhibit improved curing when the infrared emitter 12 is positioned at a desired distance. Accordingly, the depicted curing system 10 includes a repositionable arm 24 mechanically coupled to the emitter 12 that enables a user to position the emitter 12 at various positions and distances above a curing object, such as a vehicle 26. A bake cycle may then be initiated, and the surface may be in a cured state at the completion of the bake cycle.

The techniques described herein may provide for customization of the toasting period, for example, by visually presenting the toasting period in a display such as the touch screen display 18. User 14 may then consider various factors as described further below and modify the toasting cycle. Once the bake cycle is modified, user 14 may run a custom bake cycle, resulting in improved curing.

It may be useful to describe the toasting cycle. Thus, turning now to fig. 2, a diagram of an embodiment of a bake cycle 100 (e.g., the bake cycle used by the curing system 10 of fig. 1) that may provide a standard "bake" for an object such as a vehicle 26. The graph includes an X-axis with time and a Y-axis with temperature. It should be noted that the toasting cycle 100 shown in the figures is merely exemplary and other toasting cycles 100 may include different gradients and/or portions.

In the depicted embodiment, bake cycle 100 is a two ramp bake cycle. That is, the first ramp section 102 may increase the temperature by increasing the infrared radiation radiated via the infrared emitter 12 for a certain period of time. Once the first temperature is reached, the bake cycle may reach a plateau during a portion 104 of the time. The pre-bake plateau 104 may enable certain chemical reactions to occur that may later contribute to the final bake.

The pre-bake plateau 104 may be followed by a second ramp portion 106. The second ramp portion 106 can increase the baking temperature to a final baking set point. Bake cycle 100 may then include a final bake section 108 at a higher temperature than first bake section 104. The final baking section 108 can cure the desired surface coating (e.g., paint) to a final coated surface. In some embodiments, the cool down period 110 may then reduce the temperature from the final bake set point to ambient temperature. By providing the bake cycle 100, a surface coating (such as paint) may be cured to provide a protective surface suitable for enhancing the appearance and/or protection of the vehicle(s) 26.

In some embodiments, bake cycle 100 may be provided as a default bake cycle. In other embodiments, multiple bake cycles 100 may be stored in memory 20 and retrieved during operation of curing system 100. For example, bake cycles 100 for different surfaces, such as metal, plastic, and other substrates, may be stored and used in memory 20. It may be desirable to adjust or otherwise customize the toasting cycle 100. Thus, the techniques described herein provide for the use of a toasting cycle that can be customized or created from scratch according to the toasting cycle 100.

Fig. 3 is a screen shot showing an embodiment of a Graphical User Interface (GUI)200 suitable for customizing and/or creating a toasting cycle. GUI 200 may be implemented by computer code or instructions stored in memory 20 and executed by processor(s) 22. The GUI 200 may then be displayed in the touch screen display 18.

In the illustrated embodiment, the GUI 200 includes an X-axis 202 with time measurements and a Y-axis 204 with temperature measurements. The curve 206 may then be used to define a desired bake cycle. In the depicted example, the curve 206 may be defined by using two or more points 208. In some embodiments, the user 14 may "hold and hold" on an area of the touch screen display 18 that has no existing points, and may then create a new point 208. The curve 206 may then be automatically redrawn to include the new point 208. For example, if the new point 208 is located between two existing points (e.g., left and right existing points), the new curve 206 may include two new line segments: a first line segment connecting the left point and the new point and a second line segment connecting the new point and the right point. The line segment previously connecting the left existing point and the right existing point may be automatically deleted. The user 14 may also move the point 208. For example, a user may touch an existing point 208 and then drag the touched point to any desired location within the two axes 202, 204. Once the user lets go of the touched point, the curve 206 is redrawn again.

The user 14 may also delete the existing point 208. For example, touching and holding an existing point may bring up a message box requesting confirmation to delete the existing point. If the user confirms the deletion, the GUI 200 may then remove the point and redraw the curve 206. Once the curve 206 is defined, the user 14 may press the save icon 210 to save the curve 206 to, for example, a digital storage device. The curve 206 may also be shared, for example, when the digital storage device is provided in the form of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive. The USB drive may then be plugged into another curing system 10 to load the curve 206 into memory 20.

The GUI 200 also includes a load icon 212 that can be pressed to bring up a set of folders for navigation. The user 14 may then navigate the folder to retrieve the existing curve and load the curve through the GUI 200 for customization. A zoom icon 214 is provided. The user 14 may press the zoom-in icon 214 and the GUI 200 may then zoom in on the center portion of the curve 206. Similarly, a restore zoom-in (i.e., zoom-out) icon 216 is also provided. The zoom-out icon 216 may, when pressed, cause the GUI 200 to zoom out of the curve 206. A range up/down icon 218 is also shown. The user 14 may select an area (e.g., a rectangular area) in the screen and then zoom in or out of the selected area via icons 214 and 216, respectively. Icon 220 may be used to retrieve certain messages, such as alerts, and icon 222 may be used to return to the "home" screen. It should be noted that the GUI 200 may also be used with a joystick, mouse, keyboard, and other input devices. It should also be noted that the measurements of the axes 202 and 204 may be configurable. For example, the user 14 may input the length of time of the curve 206. Likewise, the user 14 may input the maximum temperature to be used, and the axis 204 may re-draw itself accordingly.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a process 300 that may be suitable for creating a customized bake cycle. Process 300 may be implemented as computer code or instructions stored in memory 20 and executable by processor(s) 22. In the depicted embodiment, the process 300 may first present (block 302) a default toasting period on the touch screen display 18. For example, bake cycle 100 may be displayed via GUI 200.

The process 300 may then enable (block 304) the user 14 to configure the displayed toasting cycle. For example, a set of points 208 may be created, moved, and/or deleted via the GUI 200 (e.g., icons 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 220, 222) and user input. The user may also define the time of the toasting cycle (e.g., by updating the time axis 202) and the desired temperature. User 14 may define a toasting cycle to include one, two, three, four or more ramps (e.g., gradients between plateaus), set points, etc. For example, the user may decide that for a clear coat on top of a metal, the bake cycle should be a two ramp bake cycle. In fact, customization may include any type of toasting cycle profile achievable by point 208, including ramp-like profiles or profiles having a geometric shape.

The process 300 may then save (block 306) the new or customized baking cycle. For example, icon 210 may be pressed and user 14 may then navigate through a series of folders to save a new or customized toast cycle. The process 300 may then execute (block 308) a new or customized bake cycle configuration. For example, user 14 may position infrared emitter 12 to a desired location near the vehicle(s) to cure a desired surface. A new or customized bake cycle may then be performed. The control system 16 may thus control the infrared emitter 12 to deliver the desired radiation at the desired temperature and time. By enabling in-situ (e.g., on-site) customization of the bake cycle, the techniques described herein can deliver cured products with specific customizations for substrate type, coating type (e.g., paint), environmental location, and the like. It should also be noted that customization may be performed during baking. That is, when the infrared emitter 12 follows a certain baking period at time T, the temperature at time T +1 may be adjusted by adjusting point 208, so that dynamic baking may be generated.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.