Automatic welding machine

Claim 2

An automatic welder comprising a supporting structure, a generally horizontally disposed table journally carried on said supporting structure for free rotation, said freely rotating table adapted to carry a part to be seam welded, said supporting structure having a generally vertically disposed post spaced from said table, parallel linkage arms having their one ends pivotally mounted on horizontally disposed pivot pins on said vertical post, a bracket having the other ends of the parallel linkage arms pivotally mounted thereto on horizontally disposed pivot pins, a welding head joining said bracket with a generally vertically disposed pivot pin, whereby the welding head may have both vertical and horizontal swinging movement, drive means mounted in said welding head and adapted to engage and impart drive to the top of a part to be seam welded, cam means mounted on said welding head and adapted to engage the sides of a part to be seam welded, and a welding nozzle mounted on said welding head, whereby the drive means and the cam means cooperate to hold the welding head to a part to be welded which is rotated thus exposing to the welding nozzle successive portions of a part to be welded.

Claim 3

In a welding machine, a table for carrying a part to be seam welded, means mounting said table for free rotation in a horizontal plane, a welding head having a welding gun carried thereon, means carrying said head above said table for free movement in limited horizontal and vertical directions, means in said head for imparting rotational drive to the upper horizontal surface of a part to be seam welded when said part is carried on said table and said head is positioned to rest on said upper horizontal surface of said part, cam means carried on said head to depend therefrom in contact with the upper vertical side edge portion of said part, and said cam means arranged to cooperate with said means in said head for imparting rotational drive to produce a horizontal force on said head to urge said cam means in contact with said upper vertical side edge portion of said part to thereby cause said welding gun to follow the contour of said upper vertical Side edge portion of said part as said part is rotationally driven by said means for imparting rotational drive.

Claim 4

In a welding machine, a table for carrying a part to be seam welded, means mounting said table for free rotation in a horizontal plane, a welding head having a welding gun carried thereon, means carrying said head above said table for free movement in limited horizontal and vertical directions, means in said head for imparting rotational drive to the upper horizontal surface of a part to be seam welded when said part is carried on said table and said head is positioned to rest on said upper horizontal surface of said part, cam means carried on said head to depend therefrom in contact with the upper vertical side edge portion of said part, and said cam means arranged to cooperate with said means in said head for imparting rotational drive to produce a horizontal force on said head to urge said cam means in contact with said upper vertical side edge portion of said part to thereby cause said welding gun to follow the contour of said upper vertical Side edge portion of said part as said part is rotationally driven by said means for imparting rotational drive.

Claim 5

In a welding machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said means in said head for imparting rotational drive to the upper horizontal surface of said part comprises a driving wheel rotatively carried in said head for rotation about a horizontal axis, a portion of said wheel extending below said head and resting on said upper horizontal surface of said part to substantially support said head on said part and in frictional contact with said part, and means in said head for rotating said driving wheel.

Claim 6

In a welding machine as defined in claim 3, wherein said cam means comprises a pair of cam rollers mounted on said head to depend therefrom in rolling contact with said upper vertical side edge portion of said part, and said pair of cam rollers further mounted relative to the axis of said driving wheel to produce a horizontal component force from the rotational driving force of said wheel on said part in a direction tending to urge said cam rollers in rolling contact with said upper vertical side edge portion of said part.

Claim 7

In a welding machine as defined in claim 4, wherein said welding gun is mounted on said head so that the lower tip of said welding gun is positioned substantially in a vertical plane including the axis of said driving wheel.

Claim 8

In a welding machine as defined in claim 5, wherein one of said pair of cam rollers is mounted on said head so that the axis of rotation of said one roller is positioned substantially in said vertical plane including the axis of said driving wheel.

Claim 9

In a welding machine as defined in claim 6, wherein the other of said pair of cam rollers is mounted on said head so that a plane including the axes of said pair of cam rollers is disposed at an acute angle to a plane including the periphery of said driving wheel with the apex of said angle generally directed in the direction said part is rotated by said driving wheel.

Claim 10

In a welding machine as defined in claim 6, an arm, means carrying said arm substantially centrally thereof for pivotal movement on said head, said other of said pair of cam rollers being rotatively mounted on one end of said arm, a third cam roller, means rotatively mounting said third cam roller on the other end of said arm, detent means mounted on said arm and said means carrying said arm for holding said arm in alternative pivoted positions, said other of said pair of cam rollers positioned on said arm so that when said arm is in one of said alternative pivoted positions said other cam roller is positioned in general horizontal alignment with said one cam roller and so that a plane including the axes of said pair of cam rollers is disposed at an acute angle to a plane including the periphery of said driving wheel with the apex of said angle generally directed in the direction said part is rotated by said driving wheel, said third cam roller positioned on said arm so that when said arm is in the other of said alternative pivoted positions said third cam roller is positioned in general horizontal alignment with said one cam roller and so that a plane including the axes of said one cam roller and said third cam roller is disposed at an acute angle to a plane including the periphery of said driving wheel with the apex of said acute angle generally directed in the direction said part is rotated by said driving wheel.

Claim 11

In a welding machine as defined in claim 8, wherein said means carrying said head above said table for free movement in limited horizontal and vertical directions comprises, a vertical fixed column, a sleeve rotatably carried on said column, a hinge member mounted on said head for pivotal movement about a vertical axis, and linkage arms pivotally connected as a parallelogram between said sleeve and said hinge member.