WE CLAIM:
1. A paint apparatus comprising:
a paint booth including an upper chamber in which a painting operation is
5 performable and a lower chamber placed below the upper chamber;
a receiving portion configured to receive air discharged from the paint booth;
a filter module attachable to and detachable from the receiving portion and
including:
a filter portion configured to trap paint mist from air that passed through the
10 receiving portion,
a filter inlet portion configured to receive an inflow of air from the receiving
portion, and
a filter outlet portion configured to discharge air from which the paint mist
was trapped by the filter portion; and
15 at least one rail configured to guide the filter module to an attached position at
which the filter module is attached to the receiving portion,
wherein the filter module further includes:
at least one floor travel wheel configured to travel on a floor surface lower
than a surface on which the paint booth is disposed; and
20 at least one rail travel wheel configured to travel on the at least one rail.
2. The paint apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein while the filter module is at the attached position, the at least one rail
travel wheel is in contact with the at least one rail, and the at least one floor travel wheel is
25 separated from the floor surface, and
while the filter module travels on the floor surface, the at least one floor travel
wheel is in contact with the floor surface, and the at least one rail travel wheel is separated
from the floor surface.
30 3. The paint apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the at least one rail includes:
a base-side portion in a vicinity of the receiving portion; and
a distal-side portion on a side of the base-side portion opposite to the
receiving portion, wherein a height of the distal-side portion is lower than a height of the
35 base-side portion.
4. The paint apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the at least one rail travel wheel includes:
a front wheel on a side corresponding to the receiving portion while the filter
module is at the attached position; and
5 a rear wheel more distant from the receiving portion than the front wheel ,
and
wherein a lower portion of the rear wheel is located lower than a lower portion of
the front wheel.
10 5. The paint apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein a height difference between a height of the lower portion of the front
wheel and a height of the lower portion of the rear wheel is the approximately same as a
height difference between a height of the base-side portion and a height of the distal-side
portion.
15
6. The paint apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein each of the at least one rail further includes:
a first inclined portion connecting a first end of the base-side portion to a
first end of the distal-side portion; and
20 a second inclined portion connecting a second end of the distal-side portion
to the floor surface.
7. The paint apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein the at least one rail travel wheel includes:
25 a front wheel on a side corresponding to the receiving portion while the filter
module is at the attached position; and
a rear wheel more distant from the receiving portion than the front wheel ,
and
the rear wheel is in contact with the second inclined portion while the front wheel
30 is in contact with the first inclined portion.
8. The paint apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the at least one rail includes a pair of rails having base ends on a side
corresponding to the receiving portion and extending parallel with each other,
35 the at least one rail travel wheel includes at least two rail travel wheels, and
the at least one floor travel wheel includes:
front wheels inward of the pair of rails and on a side corresponding to the
receiving portion while the at least two rail travel wheels travel on the pair of rails; and
rear wheels outward of the pair of rails and more distant from the receiving
portion than the front wheel while the at least two rail travel wheels travel on the pair of
5 rails.
9. The paint apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a discharge portion configured to receive the air discharged from the filter outlet
portion and guide the received air outside the paint apparatus,
10 wherein the filter outlet portion and the discharge portion are aligned with each
other while the filter module is at the attached position.
10. The paint apparatus according to claim 9,
wherein the filter outlet portion includes a flange,
15 the discharge portion includes a flange accommodation portion configured to
accommodate the flange, and
the flange and the flange accommodation portion are aligned with each other while
the filter module is at the attached position.
20 11. The paint apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:
a sealing member configured to seal a connection between the filter outlet portion
and the discharge portion that are aligned with each other while the filter module is at the
attached position.
25 12. The paint apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein each of the at least one rail includes:
a main rail extending from the receiving portion on a base side; and
an extension rail attachable to and detachable from the main rail and having
a height substantially equivalent to a height of the main rail.
30
13. A filter module attachable to and detachable from a receiving portion of a paint
apparatus,
the paint apparatus including:
a paint booth having an upper chamber in which a painting operation is
35 performable and a lower chamber placed below the upper chamber,
the receiving portion configured to receive air discharged from the paint
booth, and
at least one rail configured to guide the filter module to an attached position
at which the filter module is attached to the receiving portion,
the filter module comprising:
5 a filter portion configured to trap paint mist from air that passed through the
receiving portion;
a filter inlet portion configured to receive an inflow of air from the receiving
portion;
a filter outlet portion configured to discharge air from which the paint mist was
10 trapped by the filter portion;
at least one floor travel wheel configured to travel on a floor surface lower than a
surface on which the paint booth is disposed; and
at least one rail travel wheel configured to travel on the at least one rail.
15 14. The filter module according to claim 13,
wherein while the filter module is at the attached position, the at least one rail
travel wheel is in contact with the at least one rail, and the at least one floor travel wheel is
separated from the floor surface, and
while the filter module travels on the floor surface, the at least one floor travel
20 wheel is in contact with the floor surface, and the at least one rail travel wheel is separated
from the floor surface.
15. The filter module according to claim 13,
wherein each of the at least one rail includes:
25 a base-side portion in a vicinity of the receiving portion; and
a distal-side portion on a side of the base-side portion opposite to the
receiving portion, wherein a height of the distal-side portion is lower than a height of the
base-side portion.
30 16. The filter module according to claim 15,
wherein the at least one rail travel wheel includes:
a front wheel on a side corresponding to the receiving portion while the filter
module is at the attached position; and
a rear wheel more distant from the receiving portion than the front wheel ,
35 and wherein a lower portion of the rear wheel is located lower than a lower portion of
the front wheel.
17. The filter module according to claim 16,
wherein a height difference between a height of the lower portion of the front
5 wheel and a height of the lower portion of the rear wheel is the approximately same as a
height difference between a height of the base-side portion and a height of the distal-side
portion.
18. The filter module according to claim 17,
10 wherein each of the at least one rail includes:
a first inclined portion connecting a first end of the base-side portion to a
first end of the distal-side portion; and
a second inclined portion connecting a second end of the distal-side portion
to the floor surface.
15
19. The filter module according to claim 18,
wherein the at least one rail travel wheel includes:
a front wheel on a side corresponding to the receiving portion while the filter
module is at the attached position; and
20 a rear wheel more distant from the receiving portion than the front wheel ,
and
the rear wheel is in contact with the second inclined portion while the front wheel
is in contact with the first inclined portion.
25 20. The filter module according to claim 13,
wherein the at least one rail includes a pair of rails having base ends on a side
corresponding to the receiving portion and extending parallel with each other,
the at least one rail travel wheel includes at least two rail travel wheels, and
the at least one floor travel wheel includes:
30 front wheels inward of the pair of rails and on a side corresponding to the
receiving portion while the at least two rail travel wheels travel on the pair of rails; and
rear wheels outward of the pair of rails and more distant from the receiving
portion than the front wheel while the at least two rail travel wheels travel on the pair of rails.