Traveler for ships' cleaning implements

Application filed. August 7, 1920. Serial No. 402,073.

To all whom it may coneern:

Be it known that I, Edward Cecil Villiers, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Hendersyde, 5 Ascot, Berkshire, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Travelers for Ships’ Cleaning Implements, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trolleys, travel10 ers and other like movable members such as are intended for use in cleaning ships’ hulls or for other like operations and of the kind embodying wheels, rollers, or the like, by means of which. The device may be pro15 pelled over the surface to be treated and which are associated with electro-magnetic coils and thus rendered, magnetic so as to cause the device to adhere to such surface.

It is the object of my invention to improve 20 the construction and arrangement of such devices by concentrating the magnetic force in the wheels, rollers, or the like, whereby maximum adhesion for any given expenditure of electrical energy will be obtainable 25 and the invention consists in a trolley, traveler, or other like movable member of the kind referred to in which each wheel, roller or other propelling member has one or more electro-magnetic coils arranged in a recess 30 or recesses therein.

The invention further consists in other details and arrangements hereinafter more particularly referred to.

The accompanying drawings illustrate 35 several modes of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one convenient form of apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a second form of apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on a larger scale, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view also on a larger scale showing a longitudinal sectional elevation.

Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are respectively a side elevation, plan, and cross-sectional elevation 50 (on a larger scale) of a third form of apparatus.

In carrying my invention into effect in one convenient manner as, for example, in its application to a rotary scrubber mounted 55 upon a trolley adapted to be drawn over the surface of the hull of a ship or other surface for the purpose or cleaning the same and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, I form my improved trolley from a steel or like framework, base plate a or other support 60 in which I mount by suitable means three wheels 1) adapted to project slightly below the framework in order to contact with the surface of the ship’s hull c or other surface to permit of the trolley being moved 65 over the surface for the purpose of cleaning the same by means of one or more rotary scrubbers d or other cleaning members carried upon the trolley and conveniently driven by a motor d' carried thereby. 70

Each of the traveling wheels is formed with a double flange e within which I arrange a coil f through which an electric current is caused to pass from any convenient source of supply, such for example as that 75 which feeds the motor d' or a separate source, the arrangement being such that when the current is passing the wheels δ are rendered magnetic and will thus cause the whole device to adhere to the surface c 80 by the magnetic attraction between the wheels and the material of the hull, the latter being assumed to be of iron, steel or other magnetic material.

The driving and steering of the wheels 85 may be effected by means of a flexible drive or in any other suitable manner, and if necessary or desirable, I may arrange in proximity to the wheels one or more members providing an additional path for the 90 magnetic lines of force in order to increase the magnetic adhesion.

In the example shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rear wheels are driven from the motor d' while the front wheel is steered. The de- 95 vice is also shown as carrying a paint sprayer g for painting the cleaned surface, but it will be obvious that the appliance may: carry and operate any machine tool or other device and is particularly suitable 100 for use on gasometers or other structures which at, present necessitate the use of scaffolding for the performance of any operation thereon.

In place of the wheels above described 105 I may employ any other arrangement of rollers or the like or I may provide one or more chains of wheels or one or more endless tracks similar to those employed with vehicles of the self-laying track type, the 110 a

1,362,618 members in all cases being associated with one or more stationary or other coils through which an electric current passes and, if necessary or desirable, I may provide means 5 for automatically re-magnetizing that part of the chain or track which is about to leave the surface of the hull in the endless path that is provided for it.

Figs. 3 to 8 show two forms of apparatus, 10 in which endless tracks are used.

Such tracks may be formed in any suitable manner, that illustrated involving the use of sets of laminae or plates h adapted to overlap one another, and being held by pins 15 i, one or more of which may be formed as a bolt to facilitate removal of the tracks as a whole. The tracks are carried by sprocket wheels k or the like which are mounted upon any suitable framing I, it being preferred to 20 make one sprocket wheel movable in relation to the frame and associated with a spring suspension such as m in order that the truck may readily accommodate itself to any inequalities in the surface g over 25 which the trolley is required to move. The coil f is arranged to pass between the tracks and may be supported on a channel or between a pair of channels n or by other suitable means, the channels being conveniently 30 secured to and carried by the framing Ϊ. By this means an extremely flexible arrangement is obtained which at the same time is capable of exerting an enormous adhesive force, and it will be understood that, al36 though not shown, the device may carry a motor and a scrubber, paint sprayer, machine tool or any other contrivance or contrivances whether operated by the motor or not.

Figs. 6 to 8 show an arrangement generally similar to that of Figs. 3 to 5, the principal difference being that, whereas the coil f in the former case passes right around the tracks, in the latter case it is confined to 45 the lower part of the track which as shown in Fig. 8, is subdivided into three parts with a two part -coil passing between them. In this case the coil or the bracket for the same may be carried on pivoted arms o controlled 50 by springs p so that the coil will be maintained clear of the surface over which the trolley or the like is to travel.

In any modification involving the use of tracks built up of laminated plates, the lat55 ter may be so formed or arranged that the tread portions of contiguous plates may be staggered in relation to one another or arranged in advance of one another, so that the strain on the sprocket wheels may be 60 relieved when drawing the track away from the surface to which it adheres.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the applications which are hereinbefore given by way of example as it may be employed with equal effect and 65 like advantage in the case of any trolley, traveler or other like movable member which is adapted to be moved over a surface while being at the same time required to adhere to the surface and the particular form and 70 arrangement of movement transmitting members, the manner of providing for the magnetizing of the same and the means adopted for driving and steering the trolley or the like and the articles, objects, con- 75 trivances or apparatus carried thereby may be suitably modified to suit any practical requirements that may have to be fulfilled, or the purpose for which the apparatus is to be used. 80

It is also to be understood that a track, chain or the like as hereinbefore described may be employed in any situation or for any purpose for which such chains, tracks or the like are ordinarily or may be em~ 8 5 ployed.