Guidance of treatment devices on target surfaces

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefore.

The present invention relates to guided positioning of a surface treatment device in spaced relation to a target surface, such as the hull of a ship.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ship hulls and other large surfaces are traditionally painted manually using power spray guns and involving for example scaffolding and over-spray protection during a relatively inefficient coating process. Such surfaces are also treated for removal of paint therefrom, involving discharges of grit or water under high pressures from de-paint devices attached to manipulating facilities requiring use of additional labor and materials. Patent protection was heretofore provided for surface attachable guidance apparatus and method for different devices, to the exclusion of coating of vertical surfaces such as ship hulls with paint. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide for efficient transfer of coatings such as paint to and from surfaces such as ship hulls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention rail track guidance facilities are attachable to a target surface, such as a ship hull, on which it is exclusively supported to thereby establish horizontal and vertical guide paths in spaced relation to the target surface along which a guide support for a surface treatment device is displaced to plural locations at which the treatment device is positioned preferably along an ejection axis aligned perpendicular to the target surface so as to perform paint coating or de-coating operations with maximized efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is a side elevation view of a guidance support apparatus for treatment of a target surface to which the apparatus is attached;

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> is a front view of the apparatus shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> as viewed from section line <b>2</b>—<b>2</b>; and

<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 3</figref>, <b>4</b> and <b>5</b> are partial sections taken substantially through planes <b>3</b>—<b>3</b>, <b>4</b>—<b>4</b> and <b>5</b>—<b>5</b> in FIG. <b>2</b>.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing in detail, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates a guidance assembly, generally referred to by reference numeral <b>10</b>, through which movement of a surface treatment device <b>12</b> is selectively controlled in spaced relation to a vertical target surface <b>14</b> to which the guidance assembly <b>10</b> is removably attached at different locations. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, the surface treatment device <b>12</b> is in the form of a pressurized paint spray ejection nozzle connected to a paint supply <b>16</b>. A spray <b>18</b> of liquid paint is accordingly shown ejected from the ejection nozzle type treatment device <b>12</b> so as to paint the target surface <b>14</b>, which may be on the exterior of a ship hull <b>20</b> on which a pair of fixed guide rails <b>22</b> of the guidance assembly <b>10</b> are attached in parallel spaced relation to each other so as to exclusively support the guidance assembly <b>10</b>. A pair of vertical rail guide supports <b>24</b> are associated with the guidance assembly <b>10</b> as shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 1 and 2</figref>. Upper and lower arms <b>26</b> and <b>28</b> extending from the vertical supports <b>24</b> are slidably received in the guide rails <b>22</b> for guided displacement of the supports <b>24</b> relative to the vertical target surface <b>14</b> in a horizontal direction. As shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 2 and 5</figref>, the vertical guide supports <b>24</b> are interconnected and held in horizontally spaced relation to each other by a pair of horizontal support rails <b>30</b> having end sections <b>32</b> slidably received within vertical guide slots <b>34</b> formed in the guide supports <b>24</b>.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the treatment ejection device <b>12</b> positioned on the rack plate <b>40</b> at each of a plurality of locations along the support rails <b>30</b> and guide slots <b>34</b> in perpendicular alignment with the target surface <b>14</b> as shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 1 and 4</figref> so as to apply the spray <b>18</b> to the surface <b>14</b> between the supports <b>24</b> and the upper and lower surface guide rails <b>22</b> with maximized surface treatment. A portion of the surface <b>14</b> between the horizontal rails <b>22</b> and the vertical supports <b>24</b> may thereby be efficiently and completely treated. The vertical supports <b>24</b> may be shifted horizontally along linear paths on the surface <b>14</b> along the rails <b>22</b> to sequentially cover other portions of the surface <b>14</b> during a treatment process. The horizontal guide rails <b>22</b> removably attached to the surface <b>14</b> may be furthermore shifted to other locations on the surface <b>14</b> for treatment purposes to thereby cover the entire surface <b>14</b> to be treated.

Obviously, other modifications and variations of the present invention may be possible in light of the foregoing teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.