Apparatus for guiding a workholder relative to a tool

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE HAVING A SEAM PRODUCING TOOL OPERABLE AT A FIXED STATION, FOR FASTENING TOGETHER FLATWISE SUPERIMPOSED PLIES OF MATERIAL WHILE THEY ARE SECURED IN A WORKHOLDER HAVING A PLATE-LIKE ELEMENT THAT OVERLIES THE TOPMOST PLY AND WHICH ELEMENT HAS A SLOT IN THE SHAPE OF A SEAM TO BE MADE: (A) A SUBCARRIAGE ON THE MACHINE CONSTRAINED TO MOVEMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ALONG A FIRST AXIS; (B) A CARRIAGE SO CONNECTED WITH THE SUBCARRIAGE AS TO BE CONSTRAINED TO MOVEMENT THEREWITH ALONG SAID FIRST AXIS BUT TO BE MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE SUBCARRIAGE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ALONG A SECOND AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE FIRST, SAID CARRIAGE BEING ADAPTED TO HAVE A WORKHOLDER DETACHABLY FIXED THERETO FOR MOTION WITH THE CARRIAGE IN DIRECTIONS EDGEWISE OF ITS PLATELIKE ELEMENT; (C) A FIRST REVERSIBLE FLUID MOTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN THE SUBCARRIAGE AND A FIXED PART OF THE MACHINE FOR ACTUATING THE SUBCARRIAGE ALONG THE FIRST AXIS; (D) A SECOND REVERSIBLE FLUID MOTOR CONNECTED BETWEEN THE SUBCARRIAGE AND THE CARRIAGE, FOR ACTUATING THE CARRIAGE ALONG SAID SECOND AXIS; (E) A PROBE FIXED ON THE MACHINE WITH ITS AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID AXES AND ENGAGEABLE IN SAID SLOT IN THE PLATE-LIKE ELEMENT, ENGAGEMENT OF THE PROBE AGAINST THE EDGES OF THE SLOT IMPOSING REACTION FORCES UPON THE FLUID MOTORS THROUGH THE CARRIAGE WHEREBY THE FLUID MOTORS ARE CONSTRAINED TO ACTUATION OF THE CARRIAGE AT RELATIVE RATES ALONG EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND AXES SUCH THAT THE CARRIAGE MOVES ALONG A PATH CORRESPONDING TO THE SHAPE OF SAID SLOT; (F) MEANS FOR DELIVERING PRESSURE FLUID FROM A SOURCE THEREOF TO EACH FLUID MOTOR AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PRESSURE BUT AT A RATE CONTROLLED BY THE REACTION FORCE WHICH THE PROBE, IN COOPERATION WITH THE EDGES OF THE SLOT, IMPOSES UPON THE MOTOR; AND (G) A PAIR OF FLOW REVERSING VALVE, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID REVERSIBLE FLUID MOTORS, EACH CONNECTED BETWEEN ITS MOTOR AND THE PRESSURE FLUID DELIVERING MEANS THEREFOR, FOR CONTROLLING THE DIRECTION OF OPERATION OF THE MOTOR.