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CN-122003534-A - Gap filler nozzle for gap filler extruder

CN122003534ACN 122003534 ACN122003534 ACN 122003534ACN-122003534-A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an underfill nozzle for an underfill extruder of an automated underfill robotic apparatus. The underfill nozzle has a coupling member for coupling to the underfill extruder and an opening for receiving the underfill from the underfill extruder. The caulking member includes a caulking agent surface, a restriction device for restricting the flow of the caulking agent on the caulking agent surface, at least one outlet for discharging the extruded caulking agent, at least one scraper for pushing the caulking agent into a gap in an application area. The at least one wiper is axially aligned with the at least one outlet along the caulking direction, wherein the at least one outlet is before the at least one wiper in the caulking direction.

Inventors

  • ZHANG ZHIYUAN
  • Yakubu Suchenek
  • Ronald Luke
  • Wu Nuosong
  • German Ye Cheng
  • LU JINLONG

Assignees

  • 法布里卡机器人私人有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20241003
Priority Date
20231004

Claims (20)

  1. 1. An underfill nozzle (10) for an underfill extruder (102) of an automated underfill robot apparatus (100), the underfill nozzle (10) comprising: a coupling member (12) for coupling to the underfill extruder (102), the coupling member (12) having a coupling device (16) for engaging the underfill extruder (102) and an opening (18) for receiving the underfill from the underfill extruder (102), and A caulking member (14) for applying a caulking agent into a gap in an application area, said caulking member (14) being disposed opposite said coupling member (12) for allowing the caulking agent to pass from said caulking agent extruder (102) to said application area, wherein said caulking member (14) comprises: a joint compound surface (20); -a restriction device (22) for restricting the flow of the underfill on the underfill surface (20), the restriction device (22) extending from the underfill surface (20) and defining an underfill flow area (24); at least one outlet (26) for discharging the extruded underfill, the at least one outlet (26) being disposed in the underfill surface (20) and in the underfill flow area (24), and At least one scraper (30) for pushing the expelled underfill into the gap in the application area, the at least one scraper (30) extending from the underfill surface (20) and being located in the underfill flow area (24), wherein the at least one outlet (26) and the at least one scraper (30) are axially aligned in a first caulking arrangement and the at least one outlet (26) is in front of the at least one scraper (30) in a caulking direction (X).
  2. 2. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 1, further comprising a second wiper (32) for pushing the caulk into the gap in the application area, the second wiper (32) extending from the caulk surface (20) and being located in the caulk flow region (24), wherein the second wiper (32) is axially spaced from the first caulking arrangement in the caulk flow region (24).
  3. 3. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 2, further comprising a second outlet (28), the second outlet (28) for discharging the extruded caulk, the second outlet (28) disposed in the caulk surface (20) and located in the caulk flow region (24), wherein the second outlet (28) is axially aligned with the second wiper (32) in a second caulking arrangement, and the second outlet (28) is before the second wiper (32) in a caulking direction (X), wherein a first caulking arrangement is axially spaced from the second caulking arrangement.
  4. 4. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 3, wherein said coupling member (12) has a second opening (19) for receiving the caulk from said caulk extruder (102), said second opening (19) being axially spaced from said first opening (18), wherein said first opening (18) is connected to said first outlet (26) and said second opening (19) is connected to said second outlet (28).
  5. 5. The joint compound nozzle (10) of claim 2,3 or 4 wherein said second wiper (32) has a vertical surface (37) facing said second outlet (28).
  6. 6. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 3,4 or 5, wherein the second wiper (32) is spaced apart from the second outlet (28).
  7. 7. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein said caulking member (14) further includes a deflector (34), said deflector (34) for redirecting residual caulk toward said second outlet (28) and/or said second wiper (32), said deflector (34) extending from said caulk surface (20) and being located in said caulk flow region (24).
  8. 8. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 7, wherein the deflector (34) includes a first flange (36) and a second flange (38), each flange (36, 38) being inclined away from the first outlet (26) and toward the second outlet (28) or the second wiper (32) relative to a longitudinal axis (a) of the caulk nozzle (10).
  9. 9. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 8, wherein said restraining device (22) includes a restraining wall (22), wherein said first flange (36) protrudes from a first restraining wall (22) and said second flange (38) protrudes from a second restraining wall (22), wherein said first restraining wall (22) faces said second restraining wall (22).
  10. 10. The joint compound nozzle (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first wiper (30) is contiguous with the first outlet (26).
  11. 11. The joint compound nozzle (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first wiper (30) has an inclined surface (33) facing said first outlet (26), wherein the direction of inclination is away from said first outlet (26).
  12. 12. The caulk nozzle (10) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the restraining device (22) includes a pair of side walls (40, 42), the pair of side walls (40, 42) being located on opposite sides of the first caulking arrangement formed by the at least one wiper portion (30) and at least one outlet (26).
  13. 13. The underfill nozzle (10) according to claim 12 wherein an end wall (44) connects the two sidewalls (40, 42) at an end of the underfill surface (20) adjacent to the at least one first outlet (26).
  14. 14. The caulk nozzle (10) of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of first caulking arrangements, wherein the plurality of first wiper portions (30) are axially aligned with the first outlet (26).
  15. 15. The underfill nozzle (10) according to claim 14 wherein the first plurality of underfill arrangements are spaced apart from each other along the underfill surface (20).
  16. 16. The joint compound nozzle (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a flexible connecting member (50) is interposed between the coupling member (12) and the joint compound member (14).
  17. 17. The caulk nozzle (10) of claim 2, wherein said second wiper (32) has an angled portion (54) configured to move relative to said caulk surface (20).
  18. 18. The joint compound nozzle (10) of any of the preceding claims, wherein said coupling device (16) is configured to slidingly engage a correspondingly configured structure in said joint compound extruder (102).
  19. 19. The joint compound nozzle (10) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said coupling member (12) has an opening at a second end (13) of said joint compound nozzle (10) for accessing said coupling means (16) and is closed at a first end (11) of said joint compound nozzle (10) to limit sliding engagement of said coupling means (16).
  20. 20. The caulk nozzle (10) of any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one applicator (56), the at least one applicator (56) for wiping across a caulked gap, wherein the at least one applicator (56) is located on the caulking member (14) and behind the restraining device (22) in a caulking direction (X), and wherein the at least one applicator (56) is inclined relative to the caulking direction (X).

Description

Gap filler nozzle for gap filler extruder Technical Field The present disclosure relates to the field of tile caulking and caulking products thereof. In particular, to a nozzle of an underfill extruder that can be used for caulking, and more particularly, to a nozzle of an underfill extruder for an automated caulking robot. Background After the tiles are mounted on a surface, a gap filler is typically applied to fill the gap between adjacent tiles or between the edge tiles and the wall. The joint compound is a hardenable fluid mixture, typically a cement-based fluid mixture, that includes water, cement, and application-dependent additives (such as sand and polymers). Epoxy and polymeric caulks are also used in certain applications. The joint compound is used to increase the mechanical strength of the tiles (i.e., to support the edges and keep them spaced apart) to protect the surface under the tiles and to improve the visual appearance of the tiles. The application of the caulking agent is a laborious process in which a tool such as a spatula or a caulking agent trowel is used to push the caulking agent into the gap between the tiles. The application is performed by pushing the joint compound over the gap between the tiles in the joint-filling direction. Any excess joint compound on the tiles is then gradually removed using a sponge or cloth, taking care not to break/remove the joint compound in the gaps between the tiles. In view of the manual and laborious nature of this task, various attempts have been made to develop improved tools and devices (including automated robots). However, this is a challenging task because caulking must be performed on tiles of various different sizes, shapes and colors laid in various geometric configurations. In particular, the perimeter size and shape of the area of the caulk application varies widely, and care must be taken in caulking around the edges to avoid the caulking from sticking to the wall or surrounding area. Furthermore, caulking must be performed under a variety of lighting and environmental conditions (e.g., indoor and outdoor locations). Thus, many of the tools or devices developed so far are only useful for specific tasks, such as cleaning with sponge or operating in large open areas away from the boundary. Thus, these tools or devices remain inefficient, are more versatile and can gap-fill a range of different tiles (including entering corners and edges) in a range of locations and environments, as compared to experienced human gap-fill/tiling workers who possess spatulas and sponges. Underfill nozzles for use in underfill extruders are generally known. These gap filler nozzles are suitable for applying the gap filler into the gap between floor tiles and into the edge gap between the floor tiles and the wall or wall tiles. The underfill nozzle typically has a slot that needs to be aligned with the gap for proper underfill application. However, there remains a need to improve the caulking reliability of automated caulking systems or apparatus. The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of the prior art systems. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure describes an underfill nozzle for an underfill extruder of an automatic underfill robot device as defined in claim 1. The joint compound nozzle improves joint compound reliability by allowing for greater misalignment between the application of the joint compound and the gap between tiles or joint compound lines. The underfill nozzle simulates the use of a spatula or an underfill trowel that allows for both applying and pushing the expelled underfill into the underfill line. The hydrostatic pressure of the caulk is also regulated during application. The underfill nozzle is removable and can be swapped based on the needs of the particular situation (e.g., without limitation, width of the underfill line and depth of the underfill line). The underfill nozzle provides a plurality of scrapers that work sequentially to push the underfill further into the underfill line, as defined in the appended dependent claims. The plurality of scrapers simulate a human hand passing through the caulk wire multiple times. The underfill nozzle also redirects the residual underfill with a deflector so that the residual underfill may be recoated on the underfill line. Drawings The foregoing and other features and advantages of the disclosure will be more fully understood from the following description of various embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a first embodiment of an underfill nozzle according to the present disclosure; FIG. 1B is a top view of the nozzle of FIG. 1A; FIG. 1C is a side view of the nozzle of FIG. 1A; FIG. 1D is a rear view of the nozzle of FIG. 1A; FIG. 1E is a front view of the nozzle of FIG. 1A; FIG. 1F is a bottom view of the nozzle of FIG. 1A; FIG. 2A is an isometric view o