Mobile, climbing robotic system to perform remote welds on ferrous materials

• US 20120111843A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: James Beard, Stephen Canfield, Steven Glovsky
• Original Assignee: James Beard, Stephen Canfield, Steven Glovsky
• Inventors: Beard, James, Canfield, Stephen, Glovsky, Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/291,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20120111843A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/136
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/006 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/04 Steel or steel alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0241 Attachments between the welding or cutting element and the carriage
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0264 magnetically attached to the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0282 Carriages forming part of a welding unit
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/173 and of a consumable electrode

Abstract

An endless-track type mobile climbing vehicle containing a suspension apparatus and tool manipulator to perform trackless, guide-free welding in all positions or other manufacturing tasks. The invention can conform to a wide range of surface irregularities while maintaining contact between the track and adhering members and uniformly distributing the climbing loads on the adhering members giving the system a high payload to weight ratio. The vehicle with tool manipulator provides all necessary tool motion and stabilizes tool motion for tasks with strict requirements such as welding. The invention allows an operator to supervise and control the weld process through a controller. The invention allows the operator to specify weld motion control parameters for five axes and provides closed loop motion control to track the settings input by the welding operator. The invention also provides closed-loop tracking control to maintain the position of the robot along the longitudinal weld seam.

Claims

1. A trackless mobile device for mechanization of welding or other manufacturing tasks on metal work surfaces in all positions comprising

a chassis,

an endless track revolving about the chassis having an interior portion and an exterior portion, with a plurality of magnetic members capable of producing an attracting force with the climbing surface and attached to the exterior portion of the endless track and a protrusion such as a flange or rolling element attached to the inner portion of the endless track,

a drive mechanism attached to the chassis comprising a drive wheel and drive source, with the drive wheel engaging the interior portion of the endless track for driving the endless track,

a suspension apparatus comprising a track link guide, a force distribution member, and a track tensioning device,

the track link guide further comprising a plurality of suspension links, the suspension having an adjacent suspension link, the suspension link further having an interior and exterior portion, the interior portion having a slot, with the slot dimensions configured to mate with the protrusion of the endless track in a slidable manner, the suspension link connected to the adjacent suspension link with a pivot or slidable connections with the pivots or the slidable connections positioned to maintain a slidable transition of the slot along the suspension links,

the force distribution member such as a spring connecting the track link guide to the chassis, the force distribution member selected to uniformly distribute the forces required for climbing along the endless track and the adhering force members,

a carriage comprising a carriage link, a carriage spring and a carriage wheel, the carriage wheel affixed to the carriage through a revolute joint and positioned to be in contact with the climbing surface, the carriage link with one link end connected to the carriage through a revolute joint and a second link end connected to the chassis through a revolute joint with the carriage and the wheel generally aligned parallel to the endless track, the carriage spring with one spring end connected to the carriage link and a second spring end connected to the chassis to place a force on the carriage directed toward the climbing surface,

a tool bar with one bar end connected to the carriage through a slidable axis and a tool mounting bracket affixed through a mounting means on a second bar end, with the longitudinal axis of the slidable axis generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the endless track

2. A device as in claim 1 in which the tool bar can be adjusted manually to hold the tool at different positions and orientations relative to the workpiece.

3. A device as in claim 1 in which a control interface that allows setting and adjustment of the endless track and tool bar slidable axis motion along the surface of the work piece and allows these settings to be changed during the tool operation to maintain a desired tool performance.

4. A device as in claim 1 in which the tool bar mounting device can be adjusted with actuators to hold the tool at different positions and orientations relative to the work piece, and the actuators controlled through the control interface.

5. A device as in claim 1 in which the permanent magnets attached to the endless tracks are designed in a way to have a prescribed magnetic field passing through the base material that, when using a tool whose operation may be affected by the presence of a certain level of magnetic field, minimizes the interaction of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets in the work piece.

6. A device in claim 1 in which a suitable sensor is attached to the vehicle and can provide spatial information about the manufacturing task to the control interface.

7. A device as in claim 1 in which a suitable sensor is attached to the vehicle to provide spatial information about the manufacturing task and a control method is implemented in the control interface to use the manufacturing task sensor information to adapt vehicle and tool motion to maintain an initial setting and adjustment of the tool motion.

8. A device as in claim 1 in which a control method is implemented in the control interface to predict corrections to the tool motion from the manual inputs during the tool operation and use the predicted corrections to adapt vehicle tool motion to maintain a preferred tool motion.

9. A devices as in claim 1 in which the carriage and the carriage link can be attached to the chassis in a modular and reconfigurable arrangement to position the tool anywhere inside, outside or around the platform within a minimal distance of the permanent magnet tracks, inside or outside, in front or behind, to act on a large range of manufacturing task configurations.

10. A trackless mobile device for mechanization of welding or other manufacturing tasks on metal work surfaces in all positions comprising

a chassis,

an endless track revolving about the chassis having an interior portion and an exterior portion, with a plurality of magnetic members capable of producing an attracting force with the climbing surface and attached to the exterior portion of the endless track and a protrusion such as a flange or rolling element attached to the inner portion of the endless track,

a drive mechanism attached to the chassis comprising a drive wheel and drive source, with the drive wheel engaging the interior portion of the endless track for driving the endless track,

a suspension apparatus comprising a track link guide, a force distribution member, and a track tensioning device,

the track link guide further comprising a plurality of suspension links, the suspension having an adjacent suspension link, the suspension link further having an interior and exterior portion, the interior portion having a slot, with the slot dimensions configured to mate with the protrusion of the endless track in a slidable manner, the suspension link connected to the adjacent suspension link with a pivot or slidable connections with the pivots or the slidable connections positioned to maintain a slidable transition of the slot along the suspension links,

the force distribution member such as a spring connecting the track link guide to the chassis, the force distribution member selected to uniformly distribute the forces required for climbing along the endless track and the adhering force members,

a tool bar with one bar end connected to the chassis through a slidable axis and a tool mounting bracket affixed through a mounting means on a second bar end, with the longitudinal axis of the slidable axis generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the endless track

11. A device as in claim 10 in which the tool bar can be adjusted to hold the tool at different positions and orientations relative to the workpiece.

12. A device as in claim 10 in which the permanent magnets attached to the endless tracks are designed in a way to have a prescribed magnetic field passing through the base material that, when using a tool whose operation may be affected by the presence of a certain level of magnetic field, minimizes the interaction of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets in the work piece.

13. A trackless mobile device for mechanization of welding or other manufacturing tasks on metal work surfaces in all positions comprising

a chassis,

an endless track revolving about the chassis having an interior portion and an exterior portion, with a plurality of magnetic members capable of producing an attracting force with the climbing surface and attached to the exterior portion of the endless track and a protrusion such as a flange or rolling element attached to the inner portion of the endless track,

a drive mechanism attached to the chassis comprising a drive wheel and drive source, with the drive wheel engaging the interior portion of the endless track for driving the endless track,

a suspension apparatus comprising a track link guide, a force distribution member, and a track tensioning device,

the track link guide further comprising a plurality of suspension links, the suspension having an adjacent suspension link, the suspension link further having an interior and exterior portion, the interior portion having a slot, with the slot dimensions configured to mate with the protrusion of the endless track in a slidable manner, the suspension link connected to the adjacent suspension link with a pivot or slidable connections with the pivots or the slidable connections positioned to maintain a slidable transition of the slot along the suspension links,

the force distribution member such as a spring connecting the track link guide to the chassis, the force distribution member selected to uniformly distribute the forces required for climbing along the endless track and the adhering force members,

a carriage comprising a carriage link, a carriage spring and a carriage wheel, the carriage wheel affixed to the carriage through a revolute joint and positioned to be in contact with the climbing surface, the carriage link with one link end connected to the carriage through a revolute joint and a second link end connected to the chassis through a revolute joint with the carriage and the wheel generally aligned parallel to the endless track, the carriage spring with one spring end connected to the carriage link and a second spring end connected to the chassis to place a force on the carriage directed toward the climbing surface,

a tool bar with one bar end connected to the carriage through a slidable axis and a tool mounting bracket affixed through a mounting means on a second bar end, with the longitudinal axis of the slidable axis generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the endless track

a control interface that allows setting and adjustment of the tool motion along the surface of the work piece and allows these settings to be changed during the tool operation to maintain a desired tool performance.

14. A device as in claim 13 in which the tool bar can be adjusted to hold the tool at different positions and orientations relative to the workpiece.

15. A device as in claim 13 in which the permanent magnets attached to the endless tracks are designed in a way to have a prescribed magnetic field passing through the base material that, when using a tool whose operation may be affected by the presence of a certain level of magnetic field, minimizes the interaction of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets in the work piece.

16. A device as in claim 13 in which a control method is implemented in the control interface to predict corrections to the tool motion from the manual inputs during the tool operation and use the predicted corrections to adapt vehicle tool motion to maintain a preferred tool motion.