Robotic airbrush apparatus

A method of producing multiple copies of a work, comprising the steps of:

• converting a work of the visual arts into bits of information and storing said information in a memory means;
• providing a surface upon which said work is to be reproduced;
• placing a paint reservoir means containing paint under positive pressure into fluid communication with a conduit means;
• placing a normally closed valve means at an end of said conduit means remote from said paint reservoir means;
• mounting said airbrush means at the terminus of a robotic arm having plural degrees of freedom;
• providing tubular quill means as a part of said airbrush means;
• opening said normally closed valve means by bringing it into engagement with said quill means;
• providing a paint flow control means;
• and
• reproducing said work by reading said memory means, said information instructing said robotic arm to follow a predetermined path of travel and said information simultaneously instructing said paint flow control means to regulate the flow of paint from said reservoir means sequentially through said normally closed valve means, said quill means and said airbrush means in the recited sequence and hence onto said second surface so that the visual image is reproduced.

A method of duplicating a work of the visual arts, comprising the steps of:

• placing an airbrush means having a flow control means in fluid communication with a source of paint under positive pressure;
• mounting said airbrush means to a computer controlled robotic arm having plural degrees of freedom;
• moving said airbrush means relative to paint accepting surface along a predetermined path of travel while simultaneously adjusting the flow of paint through said airbrush means as required to duplicate said work;
• positioning plural sources of different colored paint under positive pressure in preselected locations and sequentially connecting the airbrush means with predetermined individual sources of paint as required to duplicate said work;
• placing an equal number of elongate flexible conduit means in fluid communication with each of said sources of paint, and closing a remote end of each of said conduit means with a normally closed valve means that opens to paint flow only when it is engaged by said airbrush means;
• positioning a normally closed valve means between each of said sources of paint and said airbrush means, and configuring said airbrush means to open said normally closed valve means to paint flow only when said normally closed valve means is engaged by said airbrush means.

A method of painting a visual image with a robot means programmed to continually repeat a series of steps so that the visual image is continuously duplicated, comprising the steps of:

• arranging as many paint holding container members at a first predetermined location as there are different colors of paint in the visual image to be reproduced;
• applying a positive pressure to the paint in said container members;
• arranging a like number of normally closed valve means at a second predetermined location;
• extending a flexible conduit means between each of said container members and a normally closed valve means such that a first end of said conduit means is coupled to its associated container member and a remote second end of said conduit means is coupled to said normally closed valve means;
• positioning an airbrush means on a robotic arm;
• providing a quill means capable of opening said normally closed valve means as a part of said airbrush means;
• instructing said robotic arm to carry said airbrush means to a first preselected normally closed valve means;
• thereafter placing said quill means and said normally closed valve means in fluid communication with one another so that paint in a container member associated with said valve means may flow through said airbrush means;
• instructing said robotic arm and hence said airbrush means to follow a first predetermined path of travel relative to a paint-accepting surface while said paint is flowing through said airbrush means;
• simultaneously controlling the flow rate of paint through said airbrush means;
• terminating the flow of paint when the robotic arm completes said first path of travel;
• instructing said robotic arm to return said first valve means to its predetermined position;
• instructing said robotic arm to select a second normally closed valve means;
• thereafter instructing said robotic arm to follow a second predetermined path of travel while said airbrush means is applying paint to said paint accepting surface;
• instructing said robotic arm to return said second valve means to its predetermined position;
• and
• instructing said robotic arm to repeat said steps as many times as there are colors in the visual image to be reproduced.

An apparatus capable of repetitively producing copies of an airbrushed work of the visual arts, comprising:

• a robotic arm;
• an airbrush member carried by said robotic arm at a free end thereof;
• a paint pod member having first and second gripping surfaces formed therein in spaced relation to one another;
• a first gripper member adapted to grip said first gripping surface of said paint pod member;
• a second gripper member adapted to grip said second gripping surface of said paint pod member;
• said first gripper member being permanently disposed in a preselected location;
• and
• said second gripper member being mounted on the free end of said robotic arm and being movable therewith.