Trackless Welding Carriage With Seam-Guided Tapered Wheel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable welding carriages that rely on guide rollers for movement are not suitable for all manufacturing processes, as not all workpieces have a vertical member to guide the carriage, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs in setup and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A self-propelled portable welding carriage with a carriage guide wheel having a tapered rim that conformably contacts and rolls in a seam of the workpiece, allowing for alignment and movement along the seam without external guidance, eliminating the need for tracks or pulley systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If guide rollers are used to guide the welding carriage, then the carriage can be guided along the workpiece, but additional cost, time and complexity to setup the track are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external track system entirely and extracts only the essential guidance function, implementing it through a guide wheel that directly contacts the seam on the workpiece itself, eliminating the need for separate track infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The seam on the workpiece serves multiple functions: it is both the object to be welded and the guidance path for the carriage, eliminating the need for separate guidance infrastructure
2Ease of operation
If guide rollers are used to guide the welding carriage, then the carriage can be guided along the workpiece, but additional cost and time for setup are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the time-consuming track setup process by removing the external track system and using the workpiece seam itself as the guidance path, requiring no additional setup time
Solution Approach 2:
The workpiece seam serves its own dual purpose as both the welding target and the guidance path, making the system self-guiding without requiring external setup
3Ease of operation
If guide rollers are used to guide the welding carriage, then the carriage can be guided along the workpiece, but not all workpieces have a vertical member to guide the carriage
Solution Approach 1:
The seam on the workpiece serves multiple functions: it is both the object to be welded and the guidance path for the carriage, eliminating the need for separate guidance infrastructure and making the system universally applicable to any workpiece with a seam
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the carriage guided by external vertical members or tracks, the invention inverts the approach by having the carriage guided directly by the seam itself through the guide wheel contact
4Manufacturing precision
If a tapered rim guide wheel is used to align with the seam, then precise alignment is achieved, but the wheel design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wheel features an asymmetric tapered rim profile that naturally conforms to the seam geometry, providing self-alignment and precise positioning through the asymmetric contact geometry
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise alignment and automatic trackless welding of seams, reducing setup time and costs, and improving welding consistency by maintaining alignment with the seam, even on workpieces without vertical members.
Implementation Method 1
a carriage guide wheel (120) sized and shaped for conformable contact with a carriage guiding seam (163), of the workpiece (160). The carriage guide wheel (120) conformably contacts and rolls in the carriage guiding seam (163)
Data Source
AI summary
A self-propelled welding carriage has a body supported by a wheeled suspension having a plurality of wheels including a carriage guide wheel having a tapered rim sized and shaped to roll in conforming contact with a carriage guiding seam of a workpiece, restricting lateral movement of the welding carriage for alignment with the carriage guiding seam. Welding equipment is mounted to the body, and has a welding torch for welding an unwelded seam of the workpiece. The welding torch is mounted to the body relative to the carriage guide wheel for disposition of a welding torch tip of the welding torch in alignment with the unwelded seam of the workpiece to weld the unwelded seam when the welding carriage moves with the carriage guide wheel rolling in the carriage guiding seam. The welding carriage has a motor coupled to drive the carriage guide wheel to propel the welding carriage.