| JP5712290 | Plate locking mechanism |
| WO/2005/060810 | DISPOSABLE SCRUBBING PRODUCT |
| EP0155161A2 | 1985-09-18 | |||
| DE19513657A1 | 1996-10-17 | |||
| US4510718A | 1985-04-16 |
CLAIMS
1) Automatic sanding device, conceived in particular for surface finishing interventions on the hulls of boats in boatyards, characterised in that it comprises twin oscillating arms (3) connected to the sanding list (4) to form with the list a deformable four-sided element (2).
2) Device according to claim 1 characterised in that said deformable four-sided element (2) comprises means (8, 9, 18) conceived to oscillate said arms (3).
3) Device according to claim 1 characterised in that said deformable four-sided element (2) is supported by rotating means (11), a means for tilting in a forward direction (12, 15), a means of axial dislocation (13), and a means for vertical elevation and sideways translation.
4) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said deformable four-sided element (2) comprises means (6, 7) to induce said arms (3) to exercise pressure on said sanding list (4).
5) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said deformable four-sided element (2) is composed of two arms (3) distally connected to the ends of a sanding list (4) by means of articulated joints (5). 6) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said arms (3) have proximally respective joints (6) for the relative forward tilting action controlled by at least one of the front hydraulic pistons (7), as well as respective articulated joints (8) for the relative sideways oscillation controlled by at least one of the side hydraulic pistons (9) to which the ends of a support beam (10) have been connected.
7) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said deformable four-sided element (2) also comprises a support beam (10) in the median point of which is a circular joint for rotation (11) preferably motor-driven, together with a circular joint for forward tilting action (12), also preferably motor-driven, in turn connected to an extendible telescopic arm (13) for automatic axial dislocation and projection.
8) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that it is connected to a telescopic arm (13) for axial dislocation mounted on a shelf (14) which can be tilted by an automatic system (15) and mounted on a pallet (16) conceived for blade insertion by a fork lift.
9) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that it comprises a general motor unit (17) to drive all the actuators required, controlled by electronic logic monitored by automatic sensors which also control any other separate drive motors for further actuators. 10) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said arms (3) are driven by their respective motors (18) to perform a sideways oscillating action.
11) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that a band of sandpaper (19) is motor-driven (20) to rotate around said list (4).
12) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said sanding list (4) can be connected to said oscillating arms (3) in different alternative points along the longitudinal direction.
13) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that the position of the oscillation fulcrum of said oscillating arms
(3) can be varied.
14) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said rotation means (11), said forward tilting means (12), said axial dislocation means (13), said means for elevation and said means for sideways translation are in any case actually constructed.
15) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said sanding list (4) is connected to said oscillating arms (3) by the interpositioning of a bar or some other relative support structure in a longitudinal direction. 16) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said sanding list (4) is connected to said oscillating arms (3) by the interpositioning of a bar or some other relative support structure in a longitudinal direction, conceived as multi-purpose for sanding lists (4) having various lengths, and to which the sanding lists (4) are attached by means of adjustable extendible check rods to vary the concavity or convexity.
17) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said rotating means (11), said forward tilting means (12), said axial dislocation means (13), said means for elevation and said means for sideways translation are in any case, actually constructed, and automatically activated in a manner conceived for this purpose.
18) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that said rotating means (11), said forward tilting means (12), said axial dislocation means (13), said means for elevation and said means for sideways translation are in any case, actually constructed, and automatically activated in a manner conceived for this purpose, and also controlled by an electronic logic monitored by automatic sensors.
19) Device according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterised in that it is , equipped with operational means for direction and contact, constructed, conceived, configured and interconnected in a manner designed for this purpose.
20) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that said sanding list (4) can be adapted to also mount other types of equipment.
21) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that it can be mounted on a fork lift.
22) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that it is constructed to interface with the slider of the fork lift without blade insertion.
23) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that it is structured to interface with the slider of the fork lift without blade insertion and that it comprises means for relative sideways translation.
24) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that it can be mounted on a self-propelling elevating support in any case actually constructed, and automatically activated in a manner conceived for this purpose.
25) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that it can also be assembled on self-bearing supports to be hooked onto the bulwarks, or lowered from above and attached to the decks of the boat, or alternatively, using "spider" stays able to bear the weight.
26) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that a combination or plurality of working structures can be mounted on a single support. 27) Device according to any one of the previous claims characterised in that it can be adapted for use in other contexts such as building construction for example, for automatic intervention of various types on walls and sides of buildings. 28) Automatic sanding device, conceived in particular for surface finishing of boat hulls in boatyards, as described in the previous claims and substantially as illustrated in the description and the appended drawings as well as the specific aims described. |
AUTOMATIC SANDING DEVICE
DESCRIPTION
In boat yards boat hulls need to be finished by careful sanding of the external surface using sandpaper.
In order to smooth off any uneven parts on the hull surface, sanding is performed by applying a strip of abrasive sandpaper on a list of suitable length, which is then rubbed back and forward by hand on the part to be sanded. The operator grips the list with both hands and moves it in axial and undulating directions.
It is obvious that a technique of this type requires considerable time and effort, especially when finishing large-scale boat hulls.
The principal aim of the present invention is to provide a device for sanding boat hulls in order to reduce human intervention for hull finishing and to increase productivity and work speed. Other aims of the present invention are to furnish a device able to:
- provide the same accuracy levels in surface finishing as those performed by hand; - provide operational versatility and ductility in order to adapt the device easily for intervention on a variety of forms and convex areas on portions of boat hull surfaces given the hydrodynamic configuration of the craft;
- provide a device that is as user-friendly as possible;
- provide a device with a wide variety of modular components and work applications that make it easily adaptable to existing equipment;
- provide a device which is also valid for other types of work application on various surfaces.
A further aim is to provide a simple efficacious device, safe and reliable to use and which is as economical as possible to produce. These and other aims are all achieved by an automatic sanding device for use with a sanding list, particularly conceived for surface finishing of boat hulls in boat yards, as illustrated in the following description as well as in the appended drawings and claims, the latter being an integrated part of the description in question.
Further characteristics and advantages of the device according to the present invention will be made more clear in the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, provided simply as an example but by no means limiting, in the four appended drawings wherein:
- figure 1 shows a view in perspective of an automatic sanding device according to the present invention, schematically illustrated in a position in contact with a hull that is shown partially;
- Figures 2 and 3 show respective portions of the device in question;
- Figures 4 and 5 show respective alternative embodiments of the same device. With reference to the appended figures and in particular to figure 1 , a portion of the hull, for example made from plastic reinforced with fibre glass, is identified throughout by the numeral 1, while the numeral 2 refers to the total device according to the present invention, which is basically composed of a deformable four-sided element, also identified throughout by the numeral 2.
The deformable four-sided element 2 comprises two parallel arms 3, distally connected at the ends of a sanding list 4 by means of ball and socket joints 5. The arms 3 have proximally respective articulated joints 6 for the relative forward tilting action, by means of respective frontal hydraulic pistons 7, as well as respective articulated joints 8 for the relative sideways oscillation, controlled by respective side hydraulic pistons 9, the ends of which are connected to a support beam 10. hi the median point of the support beam 10 is a circular rotating joint 11, preferably driven by a motor not illustrated, together with a forward tilting circular joint 12, also
preferably driven by a motor, not illustrated, in turn associated with an extending telescopic arm 13 with axial dislocation, hydraulically operated for example (also refer to figures 2 and 3).
The telescopic arm 13 is mounted on a shelf 14 which can be tilted through the action of a hydraulic piston 15, and assembled on a pallet 16, conceived for the insertion of the blades of a fork-lift, not illustrated; the pallet 16 also bears a motor unit schematically illustrated and identified by numeral 17, that drives all the hydraulic devices, preferably controlled by electronic logic monitored by automatic sensors, which also control all motor-driven components. Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the deformable four-sided element 2 wherein the arms 3 are made to oscillate in a sideways motion by respective electric motors 18.
Figure 5 shows another alternative embodiment, wherein a band of sandpaper 19 is wound around list 4, and driven by a motor at the front end 20, to perform the functions which will be described below.
The aforesaid description can be defined as the static description of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention; below is a description of the dynamic action, illustrating how the device functions.
The pallet 16 can be loaded using the blades of a normal forklift, not illustrated, and can be moved vertically as well as sideways in any position along the front of the hull, and in contact with the surface as required.
The telescopic arm 13 with axial dislocation is able to approach the support beam 10 even closer to the surface of the hull 1, until:
- through the appropriate tilting of the shelf 14 controlled by the relative hydraulic piston 15,
- and/or through the suitable rotation of the circular joint 12 for the forward tilting of the support beam 10,
- and/or through appropriate rotation of the circular joint 11 to provide support beam 10 rotation, - and/or through appropriate extension of the frontal hydraulic pistons 7 of the
oscillating arms 3, the sanding list 4 comes into contact with the appropriate amount of pressure against the surface of the hull 1, no matter what the convexity or the shape of the selected working area to be sanded. At this point, through the action of the side hydraulic pistons 9 of the oscillating arms 3, or the electric motors 18 in the alternative version of the embodiment shown in figure 4, the sanding list 4 is driven to perform a continuous alternating amplitude, with appropriate pressure, on the surface of the hull 1, thus carrying out the appropriate sanding action automatically in the same manner as the manual method currently used in prior technical art.
In the alternative embodiment shown in figure 5, the sanding effect is increased even further with the action of the rotating sandpaper band 19 on the sanding list 4, so that the action of the alternative movement is added to that of the band rotation, and also possibly with an inversion of the relative rotation direction in appropriate synchrony. Naturally in further alternative embodiments, which remain within the context of the invention in compliance with the embodiment described above and in the appended claims, the device according to the present invention can be produced using technical and structural equivalents, in other words, it can be equipped with further integrated elements, the same concept also applying to the configuration of the relative components, kinematics, and motors, which can be varied in a manner suitable for the purpose.
In particular, it is possible to envisage connecting the sanding list in different alternative points for the longitudinal extension of the arms, and/or to change the position of the arm oscillation fulcrum so that they do not act in a parallel manner and thus, the sanding list will perform specific amplitude dynamics according to the particular requirements of the moment.
The sanding list can also be connected to the oscillating arms by interpositioning a bar between, and in any case, a relative support structure extended in a longitudinal direction, conceived as multi-purpose for sanding lists of different lengths, and with which the sanding lists can be assembled by means of adjustable extendible check rods,
so that, by adjusting the projection in different ways, the sanding list can be set according to the concavity or convexity required.
The drive motor, however it is conceived, can be mounted on a single oscillating arm leaving the other arm idle. The construction and metal structural work of all components can be performed in a manner which differs from that shown in the embodiment.
Instead of being adapted for raising using a fork lift, the device can be conceived for interfacing with the slider without the presence of the blades, possibly by means of relative lateral translation such as a rail track. The device can be assembled on specific self-propelled elevator supports instead of being conceived for a fork lift.
The device can also be assembled on self-bearing supports to be hooked onto the bulwarks, or lowered from above and attached to the decks of the boat, or alternatively, using "spider" stays able to bear the weight. The list can be conceived to be adapted for other types of equipment such as polishing disks for example.
A combination or plurality of working structures can be mounted on a single support.
The kinematics can be motor driven if required.
Whatever the design of the device, it can be adapted for use in other contexts such as building construction for example, for automatic intervention of various types on walls and sides of buildings.
As can be seen from the aforesaid detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the aforesaid variants to the embodiment, the device according to the present invention offers the advantages that achieve the required aims as well as many others: it comprises a practical, functional, simple and immediate device for sanding operations on hulls in boatyards, being multi-purpose and adaptable to any one of the wide range of convex shapes and angularity on boat hulls, as well as being well-suited to other applications in a wide variety of working sectors.
Having described the device according to the present invention with reference to its preferred embodiments, naturally all embodiments including variants familiar to those
skilled in the art, must be protected against any variants that will change the invention while remaining within the context of the invention; this intends that both the aforesaid description and the following appended claims protect all embodiments and variants included within the concept of the solution, as well the notion and aims of the invention herein.