Patent Application
20210154718
Embodiments of the present inventive concept generally relate to correcting flaws in metallic materials and, more particularly, to portable devices for use in correcting flaws in metallic materials.
A vehicle is a one of the biggest investments a consumer will make in a lifetime, second or third to a house or education. When a consumer buys a “new” vehicle, he or she may park that vehicle away from other vehicles in a parking lot to avoid getting the first blemish on the new vehicle. However, eventually it will happen and sometimes fixing this blemish will require removing an indentation in the body of the vehicle, i.e. a ding or a dent. Existing devices and systems for removing dings and dents in the body of a vehicle are generally large, heavy and cumbersome. For example, some existing devices may be about two hundred pounds with six or more feet of wire extending therefrom. Improved systems and devices for removing dings and dents are desirable.
Some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a portable device for manipulating metals, the portable device including a housing; an actuator positioned in the housing; and a battery positioned in the housing and coupled to the actuator. The battery provides a discharge current large enough to the actuator to cause a rod in contact with metal of target item to adhere to a surface of the target item and manipulate the metal of the target item where the rod contacts the metal of the target item.
In further embodiments, the battery may include one or more lithium batteries and the actuator may be a solenoid.
In still further embodiments, the device may further include a coupling module configured to couple the actuator to a trigger associated with the rod.
In some embodiments, the device may further include a wireless transceiver. The coupling module may be one of wired and wireless. In embodiments where the coupling module is wireless, the wireless transceiver may be configured to facilitate communication between the actuator and the rod in contact with the metal target item.
In further embodiments, the device may be further configured to manipulate the metal of the target item by one of pulling out a dent in the target item where the rod contacts the metal of the target item and heating the metal of the target item where the rod contacts the metal of the target item to shrink the metal back into place.
In still further embodiments, the housing and contents thereof may weigh less than about ten pounds.
In some embodiments, the housing may further include one or more fastening elements. The fastening elements may be configured to attach the housing to a user in a wearable embodiment.
In further embodiments, the housing may be curved to accommodate a curve of a user's hip.
In still further embodiments, the device may further include an external port interface configured to receive external devices.
In some embodiments, the target item may be a vehicle.
Further embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a system for manipulating metals including a housing including an actuator and a battery coupled to the actuator; and a handheld module coupled to the actuator in the housing. The handheld module may include a trigger and a rod coupled to the trigger thereon, wherein activation of the trigger causes the battery to provide a discharge current large enough to the actuator to cause the rod in contact with metal of target item to adhere to a surface of the target item and manipulate the metal of the target item where the rod contacts the metal of the target item.
The inventive concept now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. This inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,” “including” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this inventive concept belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
As discussed above, a vehicle is a one of the biggest investments a consumer will make in a lifetime. When a consumer buys a “new” vehicle, he or she may park that vehicle away from other vehicles in a parking lot to avoid getting the first blemish on the new vehicle. However, eventually the vehicle will get its first blemish and sometimes fixing this blemish will require removing an indentation in the body of the vehicle, i.e. a ding or a dent. Existing devices and system for removing dings and dents in the body of a vehicle are large, heavy and cumbersome.
Accordingly, some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a light weight, portable device that removes dents and dings in the body of a vehicle. In some embodiments, the portable device is a portable automotive collision repair tool for use by both professionals and non-professionals alike. The portable form-factor of devices in accordance with embodiments of the present inventive concept, which is a fraction of the weight and size of conventional devices, provides an advantage. For example, the portability and relatively small size of devices discussed herein allow for rapid, relatively easy action/movement, reduction of cost and time associated with body repair and the like. In some embodiments, the portable device discussed herein may be handheld or “wearable” and may respond to voice commands and have wireless properties as will be discussed further with respect to
As used herein, the term “portable” refers to the ability to be easily carried or moved, especially due to being a lighter and smaller version than usual. Thus, although conventional devices may be capable of being put in a vehicle or on a dolly and transported to a location of a vehicle in need of repair, this would not be considered portable in accordance with embodiments discussed herein. Rather, portable implies a relatively small, light-weight device capable of performing similar functions to a larger device. Similarly, as used herein, the term “wearable” refers to a mechanism associated with the device discussed herein that allows the device to be affixed/clipped to the user such that user does not have to hold the device in their hands. The advantage of wearable embodiments is the ability to use both hands while actually attending to the damage to the vehicle. However, even when the device is placed on a flat surface so that both hands of the user would be free, wearable embodiments would allow the user to move around the space without relocating the device that was placed on the flat surface.
Referring now to
As illustrated in
The controller 120 may be provided by a printed circuit board (PCB) including various components that cause the device 101 to engage the actuator 125 and repair the dent/bubble in the target item 175. As illustrated, the controller 120 interfaces with all components of the device 101. In particular, the actuator 125, which may be provided by a solenoid in some embodiments, is coupled to the trigger 170 through the coupling module 160. In some embodiments, the coupling module 160 may be a physical wire connection connecting the physical device 101 with the trigger and rod/gun 185. In further embodiments, the coupling module may be a wireless connection between the physical device 101 and the trigger 170 and rod/gun. These embodiments utilize the wireless transceiver 150 in the device 101 and a wireless element of the handheld portion of the device.
The timer 140 determines how long power is provided to the tip 288, which may depend on the material being adhered to as well as the extent of the damage to the target item. The value of the timer may be a user-selected time of action, which creates a one-shot activation of the welding action. In some embodiments, the timer 140 may provide a predetermined number of positions. The timer module 140 of the controller 120 controls a relay for momentary, one-shot activation.
In some embodiments, an additional material may be added to the surface of the target item 175 and used to increase the strength of the weld. In some embodiments, wave rod may be used to provide the additional material, however, embodiments of the present inventive concept are not limited thereto.
Referring again to
In some embodiments, the device 101 includes three 6000 milliamp (mA) lithium polymer batteries that equal a total of 18,000 mA of current. In other embodiments, the battery may be a single 21,000 mA lithium battery. It will be understood that embodiments of the present inventive concept are not limited to this specific example, other form factors may be used without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. As further illustrated in
As further illustrated in
External devices, such as portable electronic devices, external storage drives, and the like, may be plugged into the device 101 using the external ports interface 130. In some embodiments, the external ports may be universal serial bus (USB) ports, however, other types of connectors may also be provided. The USB port may be used to plug in or charge a portable electric device as well as implement an application stored on the portable electronic device.
As discussed above, some embodiments of the present inventive concept include a wireless transceiver 150 that allows the device 101 to communicate wirelessly with the rod 185 that attaches to the target item. The wireless transceiver may be Bluetooth, WiFi or any applicable wireless communication protocol without departing from the scope of the present inventive concept. The wireless transceiver 150 may also be used to for wireless monitoring via a portable electronic device or application.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Although of the present inventive concept are discussed herein specifically with respect to the target item 175 being a vehicle, it will be understood that embodiments are not limited to this configuration. Systems and devices discussed herein may be used to remove indentations (dings and dents) in any item that lends itself to dings and dents, for example, metal garage doors, children's riding toys and the like. In other words, devices and systems discussed herein are not limited to automotive applications. Numerous industries and trades can benefit from a lightweight, portable device used to manipulate metals, these industries may include, for example, welding; manufacturing (either as an assembly, modification, or repair operation); heating and air conditioning; plumbing; arts and crafts and the like.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a portable, lightweight device that facilities removal of blemishes by manipulating metal. In some embodiments, the device may be provided in a wearable form factor that weighs less than 9 pounds. Devices and systems discussed herein can operate in space-constricted environments where traditional power and ample space may not be available. The battery-powered nature of the device allows to device to be a portable repair tool such that repairs can be made nearly anywhere and in any location. For example, devices in accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive concept may be used for emergency repair or use for roadside collisions/accidents, potentially eliminating the need to tow a car or may be used home or on-the-road collision or dent repair.
In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept. However, many variations and modifications can be made to these embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present inventive concept. Accordingly, although specific terms are used, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the inventive concept being defined by the following claims.
