Mounting arrangement for anchor fingers on a surface traversing apparatus

In a surface traversing apparatus adapted to be supported near a member, the member having an ordered array of laterally spaced longitudinally extending openings in its surface, the surface traversing apparatus including base means, first and second finger means each sized for relatively close fitting insertion into the member openings, means for connecting the respective first and second finger means to the base means to extend longitudinally toward the member, the first and second finger means each being mounted for longitudinal reciprocation toward and away from the member for extension into and withdrawal from the openings therein respectively, the insertion of a finger means into an opening in the member serving to restrict relative lateral motion therebetween, the first and second finger means each being movable transversely relative to the base means and one another, first and second selectively operable drive means operatively connected to the first and second finger means respectively and to the base means to move the first and second finger means respectively transversely relative to one another for movement from one member opening into near alignment with another member opening, means for selectively alternately extending the first or second finger means while the other of said finger means is withdrawn so as to transport the first or second finger means transversely relative to the other of the finger means and the base means to move the first and second finger means to new relative positions, the improvement wherein the means for connecting the first and second finger means to the base means comprise mounting means interposed in operative engagement between the base means and at least one of the first and second finger means for flexibly mounting said at least one of the first and second finger means for limited lateral deflection relative to the other of the finger means by engagement with a sidewall surface of a said member opening thereby to exactly align said first and second finger means with respective openings in the member to facilitate their insertion thereinto.

In a surface traversing apparatus adapted to be supported near a member for traversing the surface of the member in discrete steps, the member having an ordered array of laterally spaced parallel cylindrical openings extending thereinto from the surface thereof, said array of openings comprising a plurality of parallel lines of said holes and a plurality of parallel rows of said holes extending at an angle to said lines of holes, the surface traversing apparatus including base means, multiple first finger means and multiple second finger means, each said first and second finger means being respectively sized for relatively close fitting longitudinal insertion into respective member openings and selectively radially expansible into retained engagement with the sidewall surface of an opening into which inserted for supporting the surface traversing apparatus near the member, first and second connecting means respectively connecting the plural first finger means en bloc and the plural second finger means en bloc to the base means for respective stepwise lateral motion relative to the base means in different respective directions, first and second drive means operatively connected to the plural first and plural second finger means respectively and to the base means to move the plural first and plural second finger means respectively en bloc laterally relative to the base means and to one another in steps, the lengths of said steps for said first and second finger means corresponding substantially with an integer multiple of the center-to-center spacing between adjacent said rows of holes and adjacent said lines of holes respectively, the plural first and plural second finger means being mounted for respective en bloc longitudinal reciprocation toward and away from the member for extension into and withdrawal from the openings therein respectively, means to selectively alternately extend the plural first finger means en bloc or the plural second finger means en bloc while the other of said finger means are withdrawn so as to alternately transport the first or second finger means en bloc laterally relative to the other of the finger means and the base by the first or second drive means to move the first and second finger means en bloc to new relative positions, the improvement wherein the first and second means for connecting the plural first and second finger means to the base means comprise respective first and second rigid support elements connected to the base means for lateral movement by the respective first and second drive means, and resiliently flexible mounting means in operative engagement between each individual said first and second finger means and the respective said support element for allowing resilient lateral deflection of each said finger means relative to the other said finger means, a said finger means being laterally deflected by engagement with a sidewall surface of a said member opening to facilitate insertion of said first and second finger means into respective member openings.