EP1419354B1

EP1419354B1 - Adjustable frame inside of pre-existent spray boothss and plant, comprising such frame, to dry bodies

Info

Publication number: EP1419354B1
Application number: EP02720329A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Salvatore Morale
Original assignee: Morale Salvatore
Current assignee: MORALE, SALVATORE
Priority date: 2001-03-28
Filing date: 2002-03-27
Publication date: 2006-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 2022-03-27
Also published as: WO2002084191A9; WO2002084191A1; ITTO20010292A1; ATE319971T1; AU2002251396A1; DE60209701D1; ITTO20010292A0; EP1419354A1

Abstract

It is described a portal frame Fig. 1 (10) characterized by a variable configuration that may be installed inside a pre-existing spry booth Fig. 1 (12) and Fig. 3 (12') and includes a supporting structure carried out by means rods Fig. 1 (20) or integrated inside the walls of spry booth Fig. 1 (12) and Fig. 3 (12') and a connecting cross group Fig. 1 (24) supported by a lateral supporting structure Fig. 1 (20), that have at least a cross component Fig. 1 (40) that may be positioned at variable height. It is foreseen a mechanism Fig. 1 (42) and Fig. 1 (44) to get the articulation of the cross component Fig. 1 (40) with lateral supporting structure Fig. 1 (20), this mechanism is able to assume a plurality of configuration to lift or to low cross component Fig. 1 (40) in respect to lateral supporting structure Fig. 1 (20) and to modify the total cross extension of cross connecting group Fig. 1 (40). It is furthermore described a plant to dry vehicle bodies, that includes a supporting frame Fig. 1 (10), a drying equipment configured as arc Fig. 1 (30) constituted by radiant panels Fig. 1 (32) that may be installed inside a pre-existing spry booth Fig. 1 (12) and Fig. 3 (12'), where the frame Fig. 1 (10) has a portal structure with a variable configuration.

Description

This invention relates to a portable frame structure for supporting drying equipment comprising the features of the preamble of claim 1. Such a frame structure is known, for example, from documents EP-A-O 851 193, DE - U - 292 11 072 and US - A - 2 841 684.
The invention also relates to a drying plant for vehicle bodies. In industrial processing, in several technical fields, one or more processing equipments are supported or borne in different configurations/arrangements requested, by a portal frame that allows to work upon a product in processing, placed through the portal span. When it is necssary upon huge equipments it is requested to install fixed and rugged frames.
A typical plant where a frame is like the one recalled above installed, is a traditional plant for painting of vehicle bodies.
Plants until today used to dry paints upon vehicle body are generally placed inside a spray booth shaped as tunnel and include a bank of radiant elements, placed in cross section of spray booth, according a general configuration shaped as arch, faced parts of vehicle body to dry.
Equipment to dry is supported by the cross member of the portal frame, in order to overcome and to surround at least partially with radiant elements a vehicle placed, through the portal span, in correspondence of its cross section .
During dry processing, relative position between drying equipment and vehicle are varied getting a motion of the vehicle in respect to the dry equipment, or getting a translation motion of dry equipment for the entire length of vehicle. In this last case we use a portal sliding frame in which the cross member, to which is connected dry equipment, may translate along a couple of slides/tracks parallel longitudinal supported by correspondent plates placed along the vertical walls of the spray booth. The installation of a dry plant like that one above mentioned inside a pre-existent spray booth, is bound to the dimension of the same spray booth, in particular is bound to its cross dimensions and to its height, and has the inconvenient to request adjustments to the cross member of the frame; such adjustment works are generally onerous, even if, to find the right position it is necessary to adjust only for few millimetres. In this situation we must add that such mechanical works, generally may be made, exclusively, by skilled technicians, or in some cases cannot be done at all; so it will be necessary to design a new frame exactly for the spray booth in which the dry equipment foreseen has to be installed , or vice versa it will be necessary to design a new spray booth. In such cases the only known possible alternative is to install a frame whose cross profile as to be contained within internal section profile of the spray booth and this kind of solution do not allow to exploit the entire volume at disposal of spray booth; in this case it is imperative to renounce to the exploiting of the available maximum width and /or available maximum height of spray booth.
This invention intends to reach the scope to supply a satisfying solution for problems and situations explained before, avoiding the inconveniences of known technique.
According to this invention, this object is solved by the features of claim 1.
Particular ways to carry out invention are established in the dependent claims.
The invention also relates to a plant to dry vehicle bodies as defined in claim 15.
In short, this invention is founded upon the principle to carry out an adjustable frame to the internal cross profile of a spray booth and in particular suitable to get a continual regulation of its height and its cross dimension within a prefixed space of values, relating to pre-existent profile of spray booth in which it has to be installed.
It is generally considered , hereafter, a pre-existent spray booth , designed independently from the portal frame dimensions where it is foreseen to install the last one frame portal.
According a preferred form the frame is a sliding frame suitable to translate longitudinally and supported by structures carried out with vertical rods or with support plates placed along walls of the spray booth.
Advantageously, this structure according to this invention allows an industrial production of a frame in which the cross extension and the height may be varied without any mechanical modification of the frame, either upon its cross portion or upon its motion system along structure and/or support plates placed longitudinally, but modifying exclusively articulated configuration of cross portion at the moment installation.
Variation allowed on cross dimension upon the frame according to this invention may be made also for some decimetres.
This solution, extremely simple both under the constructive profile, and under installation profile, allows the adjustability of the frame for a drying plant within spray booths whose width is included within space values from 3.2 metres to 4.5 metres.
Furthermore this solution offers the advantage to adapt the height of the frame at the maximum height of the spray booth; this regulation is impossible to get with the frame built according to technique already known
The adjustability of the frame to the internal profile of spray booth gives a technologic improvement for drying phases during a complete cycle of painting regarding any outline of vehicles.
Conveniently , also the production cost of the frame and of the store come down as spare parts costs.
The support structure may be built with vertical rods placed at the moment of installation or, according to a constructive variant, support structures may be integrated inside the lateral walls of the spray booth, substituting vertical rods with plates that have a regulation rigging system for longitudinal runway of the frame.
Further peculiarities and advantages of the invention will be more in detail exposed in the description as follows for a type of realization that is given as example, not limitative, with reference to annexed drawings where:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the portal frame according to invention installed within a spray booth, upon the frame a known drying equipment with radiant panels is mounted.
Fig. 2 is a partial lateral view of the portal frame of Fig. 1 according to the direction of "arrow II "; ( view from the inside of the spray booth).
Fig. 3 is a frontal view of the portal frame of Fig. 1 in another different operative configuration.
Fig. 4 is a partial view from the top frame of Fig. 3; (view from the inside of the spray booth).

This frame is described with particular reference its use in spraying and drying plants sector for treatment of the bodies of the cars, but will be clear that the same frame may be advantageously used , in any other sector where there is the problem to adapt a support frame inside spray booth or inside any other pre-existent situation as lay-out no alterable.
With reference to the particular of (10) a frame, is showed, according to the invention, installed within a spray booth (12); such frame is extended along longitudinal direction and has an internal cross section with a profile given by the internal profile of the spray booth, represented in (13).
The frame represented in (10) has plurality of lateral fixed vertical rods (20) placed near lateral walls, inside the spray booth (12).
A couple of longitudinal and parallel runways (22) is supported by vertical rods along the walls of the spray booth. An articulate cross sliding group (24) is assembled on the runways; this group supports a drying equipment (30) that includes a plurality of radiant panels or other drying equipments (32), conforming generally a continuous radiating arc.
The equipment represented in (30) is assembled on the cross group (24) of the articulated frame, by a slide (34) that slides transversally along a part, until the middle of this group, in such a way as to adapt the cross position of the panels (32) to the vehicle placed at the internal of the spray booth.
The cross group (24) includes a plurality of components constrained between them in so that they can be adjustable upon a plan of vertical and cross section and in particular : a couple of parallel cross members (40), two couple of horizontal parallel rods of slide and support (42) - these two couples of cross members can be reduced also to two simple little trunks for support -, and two couple of parallel arms of connection (44) for the articulation of the particular (40) to the correspondent couple of cross members of slide and support (42). Only the "front" components of the group (24) are visible inside Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 the word " front" is determinate, according to an observer in front of the plant.
The cross members (40) are here represented each one by an only profiled component and both support, in a transversally sliding to variable height, the equipment (30) by the slide (34).
Rods of slide and horizontal support (42) are assembled on a longitudinal sliding trolley (46) along the slides/crane ways (22) protrude in direction to inside the spray booth.
Components (22) can be reduced also to simple little trunks allowing to the two couples rods to get ready in a tangential position as to the internal profile of the spray booth.
The adjustable arms (44) are hinged at each lateral end of the couple of the cross member (40) and on the opposite side they are assembled transversally adjustable upon the corresponding rods (42)
A couple of longitudinal higher connection rods (50), are assembled upon the couple of the cross members (40) near the end and connect cross members among them; every rod (50) is supplied, at its own end, with a respective flange (52) or according a second alternative form of realization, an articulated joint carried out by an ended disk/component.
A first disk/component of articulation ( 54) is placed in front of to each articulated flange/component (52) and assembled revolving around its axis (A) of the rod (50); two connecting arms (44) of couple of arms are fixed to disks/components of articulation (54) pivoted in a same rod (50) at the proximity of their higher part of the end (high part of connecting arm) (44).
On the opposite side to the first disks /components of articulation higher (54) each arm (44) is connected in adjustable way upon a respective second disk /component of articulation (56) connected revolving around its longitudinal axis, pointed out at (B) , to a correspondent end flange (58) of a longitudinal rod of lower connection (60), in analogue way as foreseen for the higher rods (50).
Each longitudinal lower rod (60), from opposite part as respect to the couple of cross members (40), rests in adjustable way, along transversal axis of the spray booth, to conform with the pre-existing width of the spray booth. Such rods (60) slide during the operation of adjustment upon components (42).
Every disk/component of articulation (54), (56) shows the respective locking component to the correspondent end flange of rods pointed out in (50) and (60) to obtain the locking , in stable configuration, of the articulated group. Such locking components include, preferably, a plurality of bolts disposed through correspondent holes made in the disks and in the flanges , but comprehensibly can be used every different system of locking in site , equivalent, of the type removable or fixed system.
At moment to install the frame at pre-existent spray booth it is possible to locate vertical rods or plates against to walls of the spray booth and therefore to conform the frame to the real width of the last one , modifying the extension in the transversal direction.
This occurs essentially taking advantage of the possibility to approach or to move away between them the longitudinal lower rods (60) allowing them to slide along the slide rods of Fig. 2(42).
The arms of connection (44) are free to revolve around their axis (A) of higher rods (50) in order to allow the articulation of cross members (40) and around axis (B) of lower rods (60).
It is furthermore possible to conform the height of the frame or more exactly to conform the height of cross members (40) that support drying equipment (30), at the height of the spray booth, increasing or decreasing the distance among the cross members (40) and the slide rods (42) by rotation of connecting arms (44) around their axis (A) and (B), or varying also the length of the same connecting arms.
Once determined desired configuration for that specific spray booth, disks of articulation (54) and (56) will be fixed firmly at the angular position reached in respect to the flanges (52) and (58) acting upon the predisposed locking couplers.
In Fig. 1 and in Fig. 3 is showed a different obtainable configuration of articulate described frame, in which arms of connection (44) and (44) form a different angle of inclination with slide roods (42), (42) and precisely a obtuse angle in the configuration Fig. 1, and a acute angle in the configuration Fig. 3. In case represented on Fig. I the spray booth (12) is larger then spray booth represented on (12').
Naturally, still remaining the principle of invention, the forms and particular of accomplishment will be amply varied in respect to how much has been described and showed at pure title of example no limitative, without, for this, to go out from ambit of protection of the present invention.
In particular, in the form of realization described in detail and at present preferred, the transversal group (24) is conveniently carried out under a complex form frame, using a couple of cross members (40), two couples of slide and support rods (42) and two couples of connecting arms (44), for load resistance reasons and to keep between front portion and rear portion other devices of the plant.
As option, the frame may be carried out, with a transversal group including:

a) only one cross member (40);
b) only one couple of slide and support lateral rods (42);
c) only one couple of connecting arms (44).

Such components may be constrained among them, in adjustable way, on cross vertical section plan, without to go out, for this, from general invective principles above exposed.

Claims

A portable frame structure (10) for supporting drying equipment, for example for drying vehicle bodies, adapted for installation into an existing spray booth (12, 12') extending in a longitudinal direction, in relation to the cross section of the spray booth (12, 12'), the frame including a lateral supporting structure carried by rods or plates (20) supporting a connecting cross group (24), said cross group (24) includes at least one cross component (40) for supporting said drying equipment (30) at a variable height, characterized in that said frame structure further comprises an articulation component (42, 44) for varying the configuration in order to obtain an articulation of said cross component (40) in relation to said rods or plates (20), at a cross vertical plain, said articulation component (42, 44) are constructed to lift or to lower said cross component (40) and to assume a plurality of configurations with respect to the position of said rods or plates (20), for modifying the total cross extension of said connecting cross group (40) between said rods or plates (20) or between plates connectable in use with a longitudinal wall of said spray booth.
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that said articulation components (42, 44) include, by opposite sides in respect to cross component (40), at least a couple of cross connecting arms (44) between cross component (40) and rods/plates (20), articulated in revolving way to the cross component (40) around at a first perpendicular axis (A) in respect to the cross section plain, at correspondence of the first their extremity, and connected to the relative rod/plate (20) in revolving way around at a second perpendicular axis (B) in respect to cross section plain, near a second their extremity, the second axis being mobile along relative arms (44).
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that it includes at least a couple of slide and support cross lateral rods (42) supported by rods/plate (20) whereby each connecting arm (44) is assembled sliding upon a slide and support rod (42) near the second own extremity.
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 3 characterized in that such slide and support rods (42) are placed according a direction essentially horizontal.
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 3 or 4 characterized in that such slide and support rods (42) are placed projecting in respect to rods /plates (20), toward inside spray booth (12, 12')
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 3 to 5 characterized in that such slide and support rods (42) are assembled upon a trolley (46) sliding along its own longitudinal slide (22) supported by a plurality of lateral rods/plates (20).
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 3 to 6 characterized in that cross group includes two cross parallel components (40), to couples of slid and support parallel rods (44) in order to obtain articulation of each cross component (40) with a correspondent couple of slide and support rods (42).
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 7 characterized in that said parallel cross components (40) are articulated to relative connecting arms (44) by means of a couple of longitudinal first rods (50) placed along the first axis (A).
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 8 characterized in that the first longitudinal rods (50) are provided, at their extremities, with flanges or disks (52) whereby respective first disks for articulation (54) are jointed to correspondent parallel connecting arms (44), by said flanges or disks.
frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 9 characterized in that said first disks for articulation (54) have respective locking systems to flanges or disks of extremity (52) of the first longitudinal rods (50) to block frame at stable configuration of articulated group.
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 7 characterized in that respective connecting parallel arms (44) are assembled sliding upon correspondent slide and support parallel rods (42) by means of a couple of second longitudinal rods (60) placed along axis (B).
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 11 characterized in that these second longitudinal rods (60) are provided, at their respective extremities, with flanges or disks (58) whereby said flanges or disks are assembled in revolving way, with respective articulation disks of extremity (56) assembled sliding in respect to correspondent parallel connecting arms (44).
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in claim 12 characterized in that these second articulation disks (56) have respective locking systems to their flanges or disks of extremity (58) pertaining to second longitudinal rods (60) to block frame at stable configuration of the articulated group.
Portable frame structure (10) as claimed in any preceding claim characterized in that it includes a supporting lateral structure integrated inside the walls of spray booth (12, 12') in place of a supporting structure carried out by rods (20).
Plant to dry vehicle's bodies, including at least one dry equipment (30) and one supporting frame (10) for the dry equipment useful made to be installed inside a existing spray booth (12, 12'), in which said dry equipment (30) includes a plurality of radiant elements (32) placed at correspondence of a cross section of spray booth (12, 12') according to a general configuration as arc and pre-placed in front of parts of vehicle's bodies that have to be dried, characterized in that the supporting frame (10) has a structure as portal with a variable configuration on a cross section plain of spray booth (12, 12'), as defined in claims, 1 to 14.