Spray coating control device

1. An electronic spraycoating control device for controlling a spraycoating operation of a spraycoating unit, the device comprising:

a plurality of spray coating programs divided into a first group of programs and a second group of programs, each program from the first group of programs and from the second group of programs having a plurality of adjustable parameters of the spraycoating operation;

a first program selecting element for selecting the first group of programs;

at least one second program selecting element different from the first program selecting element and for selecting the second group of programs;

manually driven parameter setting elements different from the first and the second program selecting elements and for setting parameter reference values for the adjustable parameters of the first and second groups of programs;

optical display units associated with the first and the second groups of programs to automatically display the set parameter reference values;

at least one program from the second group of programs being selectable, by activation of the at least one second program selecting element, and including at least one adjustable parameter of the first group of programs and at least one fixed parameter of the second group of programs, wherein the at least one fixed parameter from the second group of programs is one of the adjustable parameters from the first group of programs;

two program switching elements configured such that each actuation of one of the two program switching elements activates another program from the first group of programs in an ascending sequence, and each actuation of the other program switching element activates yet another program from the first group of programs in a reverse sequence; and

an optical display configured to display an identification of the currently activated program from the first group of programs,

wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is selected from the group consisting of a rate of coating powder fed to a spray gun, an electrode spray current, and a rate of compressed air supplied to fluidize the coating powder in the supply container.

2. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

memory locations for storing the parameter reference values for the adjustable parameters of the first group of programs separate from the parameter reference values for the adjustable parameter of the second group of programs;

wherein the at least one adjustable parameter of the second group of programs is another first adjustable parameter from the first group of programs; and

wherein the parameter reference values for the adjustable parameters of the second group of programs is settable at the same parameter setting elements of the particular parameters as the parameter reference values for the adjustable parameters of the first group of programs and is displayable at same related display units of the particular parameters as the parameter reference values of the adjustable parameters of the first group of programs, and

a reference value or actual value of the at least one fixed parameter of the second group of programs is displayable at at least one of the same related display units of said one of the adjustable parameters of the first group of programs whenever a program from the second group of programs is selected.

3. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising multiple said second program selecting elements each configured to activate the respective program from the second group of programs and deactivate the currently activated program regardless of whether the currently activated program is a program from the second group of programs or a program from the first group of programs.

4. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the program selecting elements include at least a mechanical, pressure-responsive key.

5. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the parameter setting elements include mechanical, pressure-responsive keys.

6. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

optically recognizable parameter symbols disposed at or adjacent to the parameter setting elements to symbolize the nature of the parameters, said parameter symbols comprising self-luminous or illuminated parameter symbols.

7. A control device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the adjustable parameters for the first and second groups of programs is stored in one of the memory locations which is alternatively activated and different than the other parameters.

8. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising multiple said optical display units which are luminous displays, having multi-segment light display elements.

9. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the parameter setting elements, the at least one optical display unit, and the program selecting elements are integrated in a single planar operating panel.

10. A control device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein

the operating panel is sub-divided into two optically recognizable areas including a program and a parameter the program selecting elements are disposed in the program area, and

all parameter setting elements and the at least one optical display unit are configured in the parameter area.

11. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein upon parameter activation, the at least one optical display unit is configured to first automatically display its reference value and, after a predetermined time interval, automatically switch to displaying the activated parameter's actual value.

12. A control device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein

the first program selecting element for selecting the first group of programs is positioned between the two program switching elements.

13. An electronic spraycoating control device for controlling a spraycoating operation of a spraycoating unit, the device comprising:

a plurality of spray coating programs all sharing a same set of parameters of the spraycoating operation;

different said programs having different sets of preset values for said parameters;

said plurality of spray coating programs being divided into a first group of programs and a second group of programs;

the preset values of the parameters of each program from the first group of programs being adjustable;

at least one of the preset values of the parameters of each program from the second group of programs being fixed and not adjustable;

a first program selecting element for selecting the first group of programs;

multiple second program selecting elements different from the first program selecting element;

manually driven parameter setting elements different from the program selecting elements and for adjusting the adjustable preset values of the parameters of a currently selected program; and

multiple optical display units each for displaying the preset or adjusted value of one of the parameters of the currently selected program,

wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is selected from the group consisting of a rate of coating powder fed to a spray gun, an electrode spray current, and a rate of compressed air supplied to fluidize the coating powder in the supply container.

14. A control device as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising:

two program switching elements configured such that each actuation of one of the two program switching elements activates another program from the first group of programs in an ascending sequence, and each actuation of the other program switching element activates yet another program from the first group of programs in a reverse sequence, and

an optical display different from said multiple optical display units and for displaying an identification of the currently activated program from the first group of programs.