Patent ID: 6554145
Filing Date: 2003-04-29
Classification: B66C

Abstract:
A universal traversing assembly for a workpiece, comprising:a platform; a set of driving wheels and supporting wheels supported on said platform and aligned so as to roll on a long underlying rail for traversing motion of the workpiece; a tunnel resting on the ground and including an upper opening and a base, a portion of said rail being fixed to said base; a pair of upper guides fixed on said tunnel at the upper opening; at least one pair of mutually coaxial idler wheels freely mounted on said platform and arranged below said pair of upper guides; pinions rigidly coupled and coaxial with respect to said driving wheels; a rack fixed to a side of said rail portion so as to mesh with said pinions; at least one motorization assembly rigidly coupled to said platform and coupled to at least one of said driving wheels and pinions; at least one stabilizer comprising at least one ground resting foot having an surface, said stabilizer being vertically slideable and moveable from a lowered configuration for supporting the workpiece to a raised inactive configuration, wherein, in said supporting configuration, the tunnel is raised from the ground and the pinions are actuated to produce traversing motion of the tunnel with respect to the workpiece, and wherein in the inactive configuration, the tunnel rests on the ground and the driving wheels are enabled to produce traversing motion of the workpiece with respect to the tunnel; and motion transmission elements comprising a closed loop chain and two sprockets around which the chain is wound, said motorization assembly being coupled to at least one of said driving wheels and pinions through said motion transmission elements.