Patent Publication Number: US-2009218149-A1

Title: Modular multi-purpose machine

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 97107363, filed Mar. 3, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of The Invention 
     The present invention relates to a modular machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a modular machine with a plurality of substitutable and different purpose apparatuses such as a marking apparatus, a rock-breaking machine, a cutting apparatus etc. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventional small construction machines such as road marking machines, rock-breaking machines and road cutters are single purpose machines. Therefore, single purpose machines are inconvenient when doing construction work because construction work often requires the completion of many different tasks. If the single purpose machine is used in construction work, many different machines must be used to complete the different construction tasks. 
     Further, most of the small engineering machines are hand held type. Some of them equipped with simple wheels to enable the machine working parts to move. Hand held type machines generally cause fatigue to the hand and may gradually harm the hands. Some machines however are moved on wheels. Construction sites generally have very bumpy or muddy surfaces severely inhibiting the mobility of the mobile machines. 
     Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved multiple-purpose machine to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a modular multi-purpose machine that has a modular apparatus, and the modular apparatus is substitutable with a specific function and is easy to substitute to provide different engineering function to improve convenience of construction. 
     An apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes a body, a control device, a power device, a chassis device, a height adjustment device and a modular apparatus. The body comprises an elongated hole and has a bottom. The control device is mounted on the body and comprises a controller. The power device comprises a power source and is electrically connected to the controller. The chassis device is connected to the bottom of the body and comprises a movement device, wherein the movement device is demountably connected to the bottom of the body and comprises a driving device and multiple moving members, and the driving device is connected to the moving members. The height adjustment device is mounted in the body and comprises a first connection portion and an elevating device. The first connection portion is movably mounted and partially held in the elongated hole and is connected to the elevating device. The modular apparatus comprises a machine body and a second connection portion, wherein the machine body is connected to the second connection portion and is electrically connected to the controller, the second connection portion is demountably connected to the first connection portion. 
     In an embodiment, the movement device is a track device, the driving device is a motor, and the moving members are vehicle tracks. 
     In an embodiment, the movement device is a wheel device, the driving device is a motor, and the moving members are wheels. 
     In an embodiment, the movement device is an omni-wheel device, the driving device is a motor, and the moving members are omni-wheels. 
     In an embodiment, the machine body is a marking apparatus, a rock-breaking apparatus or a cutting apparatus. 
     Therefore, the multi-purpose machine of the disclosed embodiment is suitable for various engineering tasks and is a convenient substitute for single multi-purpose machines including marking apparatus, rock-breaking apparatus and cutting apparatus etc. The controller controls the operations of the different machines using preinstalled control programs for the different machines. In addition, since the operation heights of the different machines are different, the operations of the elevating device can be controlled through the control panel and the buttons to lift or lower the elevating base of the elevating device through changing the rotation directions of the linear transmission members of the height adjustment device. The elevating base moves the connected first and second connection portions so that the entire modular apparatus can be lifted or lowered to adjust its height. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a modular multi-purpose machine; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a movement device of the multi-purpose machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a movement device of the multi-purpose machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a movement device of the multi-purpose machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a section view of a height adjustment device of the multi-purpose machine in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a modular apparatus of the multi-purpose machine in  FIG. 1  wherein the modular apparatus is a marking apparatus; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a modular apparatus of the multi-purpose machine in  FIG. 1  wherein the modular apparatus is a cutting apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
     Refer to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . An embodiment of a modular multi-purpose machine  100  comprises a body  110 , a control device  120 , a power device  130 , a chassis device, a height adjustment device  160  and a modular apparatus  170 . 
     The body  110  has a front  111 , a rear  112  and two sides  113 . The body  110  comprises an elongated hole  114  defined in the front  111 , a pushing rod  115  mounted on the rear  112  and two handles  116  mounted respectively at the sides  113 . 
     The control device  120  is mounted on the body  110  and comprises a controller  121 , a controlling panel  122 , one or more than one button  123  and a positioning device  124 . The controller  121  is mounted in the body  110  and is a programmable controller. The controller  121  may have preinstalled controlling programs saved therein that respectively control different modular apparatuses  170 . The controlling panel  122  may be a touch panel, is electronically connected to the controller  121  and is mounted in the body  110  such as the top of the body  110 . In addition, the controlling panel  122  may be pivotally mounted on the body  110  so that the controlling panel  122  can be pivoted to a given angle relative to the body  110  to conveniently view or input data. The buttons  123  are electrically connected to the controller  121  and are mounted on the pushing rod  115  for conveniently being pressed to operate the machine. The positioning device  124  is electrically connected to the controller  121  and may be a digital compass module. The digital compass module cooperates with two reference points outside the modular multi-purpose machine  100  to enable moving the modular multi-purpose machine  100  along a given path. 
     The power device  130  comprises a power source and is electrically connected to the controller  121  to provide electricity for other electronic components of the modular multi-purpose machine  100  through the controller  121 . 
     The chassis device is connected to the bottom of the body  110  and comprises a shock absorbing device  140  and a movement device  150 . The movement device  150  is demountably connected to the bottom of the body  110 . Demountable fastening members such as bolts can be used to fasten the chassis device and the body  110 . Thus, the movement device  150  is conveniently substituted with different types. The shock absorbing device  140  is mounted between the bottom of the body  110  and the movement device  150  and may comprise two shock absorbers to absorb and dissipate shocks or vibrations during operation or moving period. 
     Refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . The movement device  150  may be a different type of wheel device or band device. The movement device  150  may be a track device as shown in  FIG. 3 , a wheel device as shown in  FIG. 2 , an omni-wheel device as shown in  FIG. 4 . The movement device  150  supports the body  110  so that the whole modular multi-purpose machine  100  can move on a surface such as the ground. The movement device  150  comprises a driving device  151  and multiple moving members  152 . The driving device  151  may be servo motors and is electrically connected to the controller  121  so that the controller  121  controls the driving device  151  to drive the moving members  152 . A connector  153  may connect the driving device  151  and the controller  121 . When the movement device  150  is a wheel device, the moving members  152  are wheels. When the movement device  150 ′ is a track device, the moving members  152 ′ are vehicle tracks. When the movement device  150 ″ is an omni-wheel device, the moving members  152 ″ are omni-wheel. Thus, the movement device  150  is substitutable to be able to meet different terrain conditions. 
     Refer to  FIG. 5 . The height adjustment device  160  is mounted in the body  110  and comprises a first connection portion  161  and an elevating device  162 . The first connection portion  161  may be a flange, is movably mounted and partially held in the elongated hole  114 , and is connected to the elevating device  162  so that the elevating device  162  moves upwardly and downwardly the first connection portion  161  along the elongated hole  114 . 
     The elevating device  162  comprises an elevating base  163 , two linear transmission members  164 , a reducing device  165  and a motor  166 . The linear transmission members  164  may be lead screws and are located alongside the elongated hole  114 . Changing the rotating direction and revolution speed of the linear transmission members  164  adjusts the height of the elevating base  163 . The linear transmission members  164  are coupled to the reducing device  165 . The reducing device  165  is connected to the motor  166 . Thus, the motor  166  can rotate the linear transmission members  164  by the reducing device  165  to adjust the height of the elevating base  163  i.e. the height of the first connection portion  161 . The motor is electrically connected to the controller  121  and is controlled by the controller  121 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 . The modular apparatus  170  may be substituted with different functions based on the practical demands and comprises a machine body  171  and a second connection portion  172 . The machine body  171  may be a marking apparatus  171   a,  a rock-breaking machine  171   b,  a cutting apparatus  171   c  etc. and is electrically connected to the controller  121  through a connector  173  so that the controller  121  controls the operations of the modular apparatus  170 . The second connection portion  172  is connected to the machine body  171  and may be a flange. The second connection portion  172  is demountably connected to the first connection portion  161  through fasteners such as nuts and bolts that secure them firmly together. When the different machine body  171  is needed to substitute, the second connection portion  172  and the first connection portion  161  provide quickly and conveniently demounting and mounting operations to substitute the modular apparatus  170 . 
     Therefore, for various engineering demands, the multi-purpose machine  100  provides convenient substitution of the machine body  171 , such as the marking apparatus  171   a,  the rock-breaking apparatus  171   b,  the cutting apparatus  171   c  etc. The controller  121  controls the operations of the different machines  171   a , 171   b  and  171   c  by the previously stored control programs for the different machines  171   a , 171   b  and  171   c.  In addition, since the operation heights of the different machines  171   a , 171   b  and  171   c  are different, the operations of the elevating device  162  can be controlled through the control panel  122  and the buttons  123  to lift or lower the elevating base  130  through changing the rotation directions of the linear transmission members  164 . The elevating base  163  moves the connected first and second connection portions  161 , 172  so that the entire modular apparatus  170  can be lifted or lowered to adjust its height. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.