Granted Patent B2

US 12,523,992 · App. 17/608,468 · Granted Jan 13, 2026

Inventors: Frank Herre (Oberriexingen, DE); Michael Zabel (Winnenden, DE); Dietmar Wieland (Waiblingen, DE); Sören Wehler (Ludwigsburg, DE)

Assignee: Dürr Systems AG

G05B19/41875B05B12/084B05B13/0452B05B14/43B05B16/20G05B2219/32368

Abstract

Claims (45)

1 . A method for checking workpieces, the method comprising:

determining one or more workpiece parameters of the workpieces to be checked by an automatic checking station; and

categorizing the workpieces depending on at least one of the workpiece parameters determined by the checking station,

wherein one or more workpieces, which have been categorized as defect-free by the checking station, are supplied to a quality inspection station downstream of the checking station, and

wherein results of the quality inspection station are utilized to adjust one or more facility parameters in one or more treatment stations for treating the workpieces.

2 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein workpieces are post-treated, in which case one or more workpiece parameters are determined by the checking station which are to be classified as defective or which result in a defect on the workpiece.

3 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein workpieces are not subjected to post-treatment if all workpiece parameters determined by the checking station are to be classified as free of defects and do not result in any defects on the workpiece.

4 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the workpieces supplied to the quality inspection station are a selection from all manufactured and/or treated workpieces, and wherein only these workpieces are subjected to a quality inspection.

5 . A method in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the selection of the workpieces to be supplied to the quality inspection station is made based on measured and/or calculated and/or simulated workpiece parameters and/or based on measured and/or calculated and/or simulated treatment result parameters, in particular based on one or more of the following parameters:

hue and/or brightness and/or color match and/or gradient and/or gloss level of a coating;

quality of a coating and/or a substrate surface, in particular evenness and/or roughness of a coating, in particular of each layer or individual layers;

uniformity of a layer thickness of a coating;

thickness of a coating;

hardness of a coating;

chemical composition of a coating, in particular degree of cross-linking and/or solvent content;

information about a nature and/or a type of at least one workpiece;

information about physical and/or production-related workpiece characteristics;

an individual workpiece identification number;

information about a manufacture and/or processing of at least one workpiece preceding the treatment;

information about a post-treatment and/or further processing of at least one workpiece following the treatment; or

information about measured, simulated and/or expected defects or other quality deficiencies on at least one workpiece, in particular position and/or extent of coating faults.

6 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein one or more of the following parameters are measured during a quality inspection:

hue and/or brightness and/or color match and/or gradient and/or gloss level of a coating;

quality of a coating and/or a substrate surface, in particular evenness and/or roughness of a coating, in particular of each layer or individual layers;

uniformity of a layer thickness of a coating;

thickness of a coating;

hardness of a coating;

chemical composition of a coating, in particular degree of cross-linking and/or solvent content;

degree of contamination of a coating;

reflection properties of a workpiece surface;

absorption properties of a workpiece surface; or

emission properties of a workpiece surface.

7 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein, during a quality inspection, quality measurements are performed only at those points of the workpieces which are free of defects according to a result of the check in the checking station.

8 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein, based on results of quality measurements, an adjustment of one or more facility parameters, in particular in one or more treatment stations for treating the workpieces, is performed even if the one or more facility parameters lie within predefined limit values, wherein in particular drifts in a temporal development of the one or more facility parameters are already mitigated or compensated.

9 . A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the one or more workpieces are supplied to the quality inspection station based on the categorizing of the workpieces.

10 . A checking facility for checking workpieces, the checking facility comprising:

one or more checking stations for automatically determining one or more workpiece parameters of the workpieces to be checked; and

a control device which is set up and configured in such a way that the workpieces can be categorized by the control device depending on at least one of the workpiece parameters determined by the one or more checking stations, in particular by a method in accordance with claim 1 .

11 . A checking facility in accordance with claim 10 , wherein one or more checking stations each include one or more checking units which are formed as robots or include a robot.

12 . A checking facility in accordance with claim 10 , wherein one or more checking stations are formed as a gantry, through which the workpieces can be conveyed to be checked.

13 . A treatment facility for treating workpieces, the treatment facility comprising:

one or more treatment stations for treating the workpieces;

a checking facility for checking workpieces, in particular a checking facility in accordance with claim 11 ; and

a conveyor device by which workpieces can be conveyed to one or more checking stations of the checking facility, through the one or more checking stations and/or away from the one or more checking stations and/or by which workpieces can be conveyed to one or more treatment stations, through one or more treatment stations and/or away from the one or more treatment stations.

14 . A treatment facility in accordance with claim 13 , wherein one or more checking stations are integrated into a treatment station and/or into a post-treatment station of the treatment facility, and wherein a check of at least one workpiece can be performed by one or more treatment units of the treatment station and/or of the post-treatment station, which each have one or more checking units.

Priority Claims (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (215)