Railways – Suspended – Track systems
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-28
2001-05-29
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Suspended
Track systems
C104S089000, C104S094000, C104S095000, C409S202000, C409S212000, C248S317000, C248S323000, C212S226000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to suspension systems for rail-supported tools and more particularly to a suspension system having reduced weight and frictional characteristics to reduce the effort with which a tool is moved along a set of rails.
2. Discussion
In assembly plants for automotive vehicles, it is common practice to hang a pair of rails or runways above or parallel to an assembly line. The pair of rails are then used to hang various tools, such as hoists, fastening equipment, fixtures, gages and articulating arms which are used in the assembly process. Often times, these tools can be hung from a single rail with a single trolley set where the weight of the tool is relatively small. The trolley set includes a plurality of rollers which permit the tool to be moved in a direction parallel the rail.
If the tool is configured in a manner where it is not desirable to hang it from a single rail, as when the weight of the tool prevents it from being safely hung from a single rail, a suspension system having a support structure is typically employed. Generally, the support structures used in these suspension systems are H-shaped with four trolley assemblies, one trolley assembly being coupled to each leg of the support structure. While such suspension systems have proven themselves to be robust, several drawbacks have been noted.
One drawback with the suspension systems having an H-shaped support structure concerns their weight and the ease with which they can be pushed along the rails to move the tool to a desired location. As these suspension systems typically weigh up to several hundred pounds, it is frequently difficult for assembly technicians to move the tool and suspension system along the rails to a desired position.
This situation may be alleviated through the incorporation of an electric or pneumatic tractor system to the suspension system wherein the tractor system includes a drive motor to push the suspension system along the rails. Such tractor systems, however, are costly to purchase and maintain and are often more cumbersome to operate than suspension systems that must be manually positioned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention to provide a suspension system for a tool which may be easily positioned in a manual manner along a rail system.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a suspension system for mounting a tool to a pair of rails which uses three trolley assemblies to reduce friction and drag between the suspension system and the rail.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a suspension system for a tool which utilizes a triangularly shaped support structure.
In one form, the present invention provides a suspension system for suspending a tool from a pair of parallel rails. The suspension system consists of a support structure, a tool mounting interface and exactly three trolley assemblies. The support structure has three trolley assembly mounting structures wherein a first one of the trolley assembly mounting structures positioned on a first side of the support structure and the remaining trolley assembly mounting structures are positioned on the opposite side. The tool mounting interface is adapted to couple the tool to the support structure. Each of the trolley assembly mounting structures is coupled to a trolley assembly. Each trolley assembly has at least one trolley set with a plurality of wheels adapted to roll on one of the parallel rails. The three trolley assemblies collectively adapted to exert a reaction force onto the pair of parallel rails equal to the weight of the suspension system and the tool.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Attalla Emad Z
Dering Timothy A
Miller Terry W
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Fuller III Roland A.
Jules Frantz F.
Morano S. Joseph
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