Motor vehicles – Special driving device – Portable track
Patent
1996-10-02
1999-04-20
Oberleitner, Robert J.
Motor vehicles
Special driving device
Portable track
180 946, 180 964, 180 67, 305185, 305202, 305 46, B62D 5500
Patent
active
058949011
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an endless track magnetic traveling device, particularly, to an endless track magnetic traveling device constituting an endless track or endless tracks by permanent magnets and capable of being self-propelling on a wall surface made of magnetic material such as a steel structure, i.e. on a perpendicular surface or a ceiling surface utilizing attraction of the permanent magnet.
BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
There are disclosed conventional endless track magnetic traveling devices as a technology of this type in JP-A47-40635, JP-A51-79498, JP-A 56-79069, JP-A 60-18464, JP-A61-89184, etc., wherein the endless track magnetic traveling device is used as various devices depending on its purpose, for example, an apparatus such as an ultrasonic inspection device.
The conventional endless track magnetic traveling devices set forth above can travel smoothly on a horizontal surface having no uneven spot on the traveling surface, thereby performing an excellent traveling performance. However, these conventional endless track magnetic traveling devices have not considered the traveling surface having an uneven spot.
Further, these conventional devices comprise a vehicle body and two endless tracks which have the same dimensions and are provided at both sides of the vehicle body.
In the conventional endless track magnetic traveling device set forth above, there are following problems to be solved.
First, in the conventional traveling devices of this type, connecting portions for connecting each magnet constituting each endless track are needed to be loosened to have the slack so as to get over the uneven spot of the traveling surface. That is, when there is the slack on each connecting portion, the traveling device can travel on a ceiling surface 60 having an uneven spot 60a as shown in FIG. 58. However, since the weight of the traveling device including driving wheels 93 is applied to magnets 91 located adjacent to both ends of the endless tracks at the front and rear thereof in the traveling direction but not applied to the magnets constituting the endless tracks comprising a combination of the magnet 91 and the chain 92 when traveling on the ceiling surface 60, it is not assured that the danger of falling of the traveling device is sufficiently avoided.
Accordingly, in the conventional traveling device having such a wall surface moving mechanism, it is necessary to increase attraction of each magnet. This is solved by taking a measure, for example, as disclosed in a traveling device of JP-A47-40635 wherein an interval between driving wheels 93 is widened by a spring 94 (FIG. 59), and an endless track is extended in the traveling direction thereof. However, when the endless track is extended, the traveling performance is decreased on the uneven spot of the traveling surface so that the weight of the traveling device can not be supported by all the magnets 91 by way of a chain 92 when traveling on the uneven spot 60a of the ceiling surface 60 as shown in FIG. 60. As a result, there occurs a possibility of the falling of the traveling device. Further, the endless track can not be extended in the traveling direction (to widen the interval between the driving wheels 93) unless the magnets 91 attracted to the traveling wall surface are slid.
To solve the aforementioned problems of the traveling device when traveling on the ceiling surface, a traveling device as disclosed in JP-A 63-90484 has a load dispersion type crawler in which magnets are supported by a guide plate fixed to a traveling device body, so that it can not get over the uneven spot easily.
In the conventional traveling device as disclosed in JP-A61-89184, as shown in FIG. 61, a buffer member( which is not shown but covering an outer periphery of a magnet 91) is provided between magnets 91 and a chain 92 respectively constituting an endless track so as to press the magnets 91 against a traveling surface 60. However, a sufficient stroke is not assured by merely pressing the magnets 91 against the traveling surface 60
REFERENCES:
patent: 3682265 (1972-08-01), Hiraoka et al.
patent: 3960229 (1976-06-01), Shio
patent: 4828059 (1989-05-01), Naito et al.
patent: 4842086 (1989-06-01), Michna
Awamura Norio
Takasu Youji
Uchida Shigeto
Babcock-Hitachi Kabushiki Kaisha
Lerner Avraham H.
Oberleitner Robert J.
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