The invention relates to an apparatus for handling rods in rock drilling and especially in core drilling. The invention further relates to a rock drilling unit and a method of handling rock drilling rods.
The field of the invention is defined more specifically in the preambles of the independent claims.
Core drilling is executed for investigating rock ground at a distance in order to determine conditions for extracting minerals. Thus, core drilling is used for exploration drilling purposes and construction work. During core drilling, aiming to extract a drill core, it is often drilled to very great depths and distances. As an example, it is common to drill holes over thousands of meters. During rock drilling of such long drill holes, it is necessary to join a plurality of drilling components such as drilling rods for forming a drill string. A drill bit, which is located at a distal end of the drill string, needs to be changed regularly, several times for every hole, typically after every 30-50 meters, which means that the entire drill string needs to be disassembled and assembled 15-20 times for each drill hole. Traditionally handling of the drilling components is done manually. Nowadays the core drilling devices are more and more provided with rod handling apparatuses for moving drilling rods and other drilling components between a pick-up position and a drilling center of the rock drilling machine. However, the known handling devices have shown to contain some disadvantages.
An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for rod handling. The invention further relates to a novel and improved rock drilling unit and method of handling rods.
The apparatus according to the invention is characterized by the characterizing features of first independent apparatus claim.
The rock drilling unit according to the invention is characterized by the characterizing features of second independent apparatus claim.
The method according to the invention is characterized by the charactering features and steps of independent method claim.
An idea of the disclosed solution is that the rock drilling unit, which is intended especially for exploration drilling, may be provided with an apparatus for handling drilling rods and other elongated drilling components. The apparatus comprises a rod feeder for moving the drilling rods between a pick-up position and an intermediate position, and a swing device for moving the drilling rods between the intermediate position and a drilling center. The mentioned rod feeder and swing device are separate units so that they can be moved independently relative to each other. In other words, the rod feeder and the swing device are not integrated into one physical entity, but instead, they are separately operable devices.
An advantage of the disclosed solution is that handling of the drilling rods may be quickened when the swing device and the rod feeder may be driven independently and may thereby execute handling tasks simultaneously. This way the drill string may be assembled and disassembled quicker than by using the known apparatuses.
In this patent application the used terms drilling component and drilling rod include elongated drilling tools such as drilling tubes and solid rod type elements. The terms further include water swivel rods, inner tubes and retrieval elements, such as wire line retrieval tools, which are implemented in core and sample drilling.
According to an embodiment, the swing device and the rod feeder comprise dedicated frames and dedicated actuators for executing their independent movements. Thanks to this, the swing device and the rod feeder may be mounted relatively freely relative to each other, which has positive impact on the layout of the drilling unit. A further advantage of the embodiment is that construction and operation of the dedicated devices may be designed according to their special needs.
According to an embodiment, movement of the rod feeder has no influence to the swing device and correspondingly movement of the swing device has no influence to the rod feeder. Thus, the rod feeder and the swing device are separate units which can be moved independently.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder and the swing device are separate units without direct physical connection between them.
According to an embodiment, direction of movements of the rod feeder and the swing device are transversal relative to each other.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder is configured to execute only turning movements. Thus, the rod feeder reciprocates only in one single movement direction.
According to an embodiment, the drilling unit has a vertical first plane and the rod feeder has a vertical second plane. The second vertical plane of the rod feeder is configured to be constantly parallel relative to the first vertical plane during movement of the rod feeder.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder is configured to be turned relative to at least one first turning axis and the swing device is configured to be turned relative to at least one second turning axis. The first turning axis and the second turning axis are perpendicular relative to each other.
According to an embodiment, the swing device has a fixed mounting and the only movement of the swing device is transversal turning movement relative to the drilling center.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder comprises at least two arms connected to each other by means of at least one connecting joint axis, which connecting joint is perpendicular to the drilling axis. A first arm is connected to a base structure of the drilling unit by means of a rotational joint axis, which is transversal to the drilling axis. At a distal end of a second arm is a gripping device or gripper, which may be turned relative to the second arm around a rotational joint axis, which is transversal to the drilling axis. Thus, the basic mechanism of the rod feeder may comprise two arms and three rotational joints, as well as actuators to carry out the movements.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder comprises at least one extendable arm for adjusting operative length of the device. In other words the rod feeder may comprise one linear joint enabling a so called zoom feature.
According to an embodiment, location of the pick-up position is adjustable by adjusting movement control of the rod feeder. Mechanism of the rod feeder allows its gripping device to be driven in a versatile manner into desired position and height which is beneficial for effective and ergonomic handling.
According to an embodiment, the apparatus is controlled by means of at least one control unit and the location of the pick-up position is programmable. The rod feeder may have a large reach area inside which one or more pick-up positions may be determined at desired locations. An advantage of this embodiment is that the position of the pick-up position may be selected by taking into account available free space around the drilling unit, location of a rod storage and desires of an operator. Height from the ground may also be determined and stored.
According to an embodiment, orientation of the drilling component at the pick-up position is adjustable by adjusting movement control of the rod feeder whereby it is easy to take into account personal desires and ergonomic issues of different operators.
According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises one or more control units. Then, orientation of the drilling component at the pick-up position is controlled by means of the control unit. Thus, the desired orientation and exact position may be easily re-programmed. Alternatively, the desired positions and orientations of the pick-up positions may be taught and stored in a memory device. Updating of such programmed and taught pick-up positions is easy.
According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises at least one control unit which is configured to determine position and orientation of the intermediate position and the pick-up position. In other words, the intermediate position and the pick-up position are both imaginary positions which are not limited by means of any mechanical limiting elements. This way, the position and orientation are freely selectable. The control unit is configured to control the rod feeder to move between the defined intermediate position and pick-up position.
According to an embodiment, the rock drilling unit comprises one or more sensors, scanners or corresponding measuring devices for sensing pose of the rock drilling unit. The sensing data is transmitted to at least one control unit, which is configured to determine position and orientation of the current position and is configured to determine position and orientation of the intermediate position on the basis of the detected position and orientation in order to carry out transport of the rods between the intermediate position and the drilling axis.
According to an embodiment, one drill rod may be hold at the intermediate position by means of the rod feeder while the swing device is handling another drill rod. This way the swing device may be operable with a rod while a gripping device of the rod feeder is occupied by another rod. Thus, the rod feeder may provide the apparatus with an intermediate storage.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder is configured to receive and supply the drilling rod at the pick-up position in horizontal or substantially horizontal orientation. This embodiment may be implemented for example when the drilling rods are stored on horizontal racks or supports.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder is configured to receive and supply the drilling rod at the pick-up position in vertical or substantially vertical orientation. In narrow mine spaces it may be easier to store and handle the drilling components which are orientated vertically. The drilling components may also be stored in vertical direction inside a rod storage.
According to an embodiment, between the intermediate position and the pick-up position is a horizontal distance when viewed in the direction of the drilling center, whereby the pick-up position is located horizontally at rearward end portion of the drilling unit.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder and the swing device are both provided with at least one dedicated gripper for gripping the rods.
According to an embodiment, each of the dedicated grippers of the rod feeder and the swing device comprise at least two jaws, which are located at a distance from each other when seen in longitudinal direction of the drilling component being handled.
According to an embodiment, the swing device may comprise grippers which are based on roller-like gripping elements. These elements may be an alternative solution to jaw-like grippers. The roller-like gripping elements may be not only moved relative to each other but also be rotated so that they may also be enabled in threading of the drilling components. In that case, the roller-like gripping elements may serve as an integrated threading unit whereby no separate threading unit elsewhere in the drilling unit is needed. An advantage of such a combination swing device is that the apparatus has fewer devices, may be smaller in size and also lighter in weight.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder may be configured to serve as an intermediate rod storage at the intermediate position. Then one rod may be stored on the dedicated grippers of the rod feeder. This way, the rod feeder may bring the next drilling component to the intermediate rod storage, wherein it may wait for the swing device to become vacant.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder is mountable on either longitudinal side of the rock drilling unit. An advantage of this embodiment is that the same construction may be used for right- and left-hand implementations, whereby need for two different rod feeders with different handedness is not needed. In other words, the rod feeder may have a symmetrical structure, whereby it may be a more universal and versatile device. The same applies also for the swing device, which may have a symmetrical structure so that it may be mounted on either sides of the feed beam.
According to an embodiment, the swing device is supported to the drilling unit and the rod feeder is supported directly to the base structure. The apparatus may comprise one common base structure, or alternatively, dedicated base structures for drilling unit and the rod feeder. The base structure may be designed to be supported against the ground and may comprise a frame structure made of steel bars or tubes, for example.
According to an embodiment, the swing device is mounted to a slide element so that it may be moved in longitudinal direction of the feed beam. The mentioned slide element may be supported directly to the feed beam or to an additional fastening beam mounted to the feed beam and being parallel to the feed beam. The longitudinal movement of the slide element and the swing device may be synchronized to longitudinal movements of the threading unit.
According to an embodiment, the swing device is mounted longitudinally immovably to the feed beam of the drilling unit or to an additional fastening beam mounted to the feed beam and being parallel to the feed beam. This way the mounting may be firm and the structure of the mounting may be simple.
According to an embodiment, directions of movement paths of the rod feeder and the swing device are transverse relative to each other. The rod feeder is arranged to be moved predominantly in front-rear direction whereas the swing device is arranged to move predominantly in transverse direction. Thus, the basic movements of the devices are easy to handle and no complicated joints and movement control are needed. The simple movements may be fast, which has positive impact on effectivity.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder and the swing device have both only one dedicated function and they are separately controllable units. Thus, the rod feeder and the swing device may be devices which are designed for special purposes without any need for compromises. This way their effectivity and durability, for example, may be improved.
According to an embodiment, the rock drilling unit comprises at least one control unit. The control unit is configured to control the rod handling apparatus to move according to its work cycle simultaneously and independently relative to the operation of the threading unit. This way the threading unit and the rod handling apparatus may be driven simultaneously, which increases the performance of the handling of the drilling components. The control unit may comprise a processor which is configured to execute a software designed to control the operation of the apparatus. The control device may be located in connection to the apparatus or it may be located externally of the apparatus.
According to an embodiment, the rod feeder is an independently movable device, which is movable simultaneously with the swing device. The ability for simultaneous movements of these two devices has a significant impact on improved efficiency for the rod handling procedure. In other words, multitasking of the co-operating rod feeder and the swing device quickens loading and removing drilling components to and from the drill string.
According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises a control unit which is configured to control the rod handling device, the threading device and the alignment device to perform multiple operational functions at the same time.
According to an embodiment, the threading unit is located at an extension of the feed beam. An advantage of this embodiment is that at the rear end of the feed beam may be an extension part, which offers proper support for the threading unit. A further advantage is that at the rear of the feed beam there is sufficiently free space for arranging the threading unit and it does not cause any visibility problem to an operator.
According to an embodiment, the threading unit is integrated in the swing device. Means for executing threading may be combined with gripping means of the swing device or they may be arranged separately in connection to the swing device.
According to an embodiment, the rod handling apparatus is configured to co-operate with at least one rod manipulator for feeding drilling rods automatically from a rod storage to the pick-up position and correspondingly for removing the rods from the pick-up position automatically to the rod storage. The rod manipulator may comprise an articulated arm system or it may be an industrial robot. Alternatively, or in addition to, the rod manipulator may comprise one or more transport tracks for moving the drilling rods and components. The rod storage may be a separate mobile unit, which may be positioned at a drilling site, or alternatively, the storage may be a separate unit being integrated to be part of the rock drilling unit. The rod storage may be dimensioned to receive dozens of drilling components, and typically up to 100-200 components, sometimes even more than 350 components.
According to an embodiment, the rock drilling machine of the drilling unit is a rotation device or a rotation head. Thus, the rod handling apparatus is implemented in rotational drilling.
Let it be mentioned, that regarding the steps of handling the elongated drilling components, such as drilling rods, it is assumed in this patent application that one or several drilling rods have already been drilled into the rock and the last rod, which is partly drilled into the rock, is penetrating through the rock drilling machine so that a rearward end of the partly drilled rod is exposed. The solution disclosed in this patent application is for adding or removing drilling rods to a drill rod string comprising several drilling rods.
The above disclosed embodiments may be combined in order to form suitable solutions having those of the above features that are needed.
Some embodiments are described in more detail in the accompanying drawings, in which
For the sake of clarity, the figures show some embodiments of the disclosed solution in a simplified manner. In the figures, like reference numerals identify like elements.
In connection with the drilling unit 1 is a swing device 11, which may be supported directly to the feed beam 5, or alternatively to a fastening beam 12, which is parallel to the feed beam 5. On both sides of the drilling unit 1 may be such fastening beams, whereby the swing device 12 may be mounted on either left or right side of the drilling unit 1.
A rod feeder 13 may also be supported to the base structure 3. The rod feeder 13 is configured to move the rods between a pick-up position 14 and an intermediate position 15. In
The rods 2 may be stored to a rod storage 18. The rods 2 may be moved from the rod storage 18 to the pick-up position 14 manually by an operator 19 or there may be an industrial robot, a manipulator or any other device or mechanism for executing the transfer.
The rod feeder 13 is configured to move the rod 2 from the pick-up position 14 to the intermediate position 15 wherefrom the rod is picked by the swing device 11. The swing device 11 comprises turning joints 20a, 20b allowing the swing device 11 to be turned in transverse direction relative to the drilling axis 10. The swing device 11 may move the rod 2 from the intermediate position 15 to the drilling axis 10 where it may be aligned and become connected to the previous rod. As can be noted, the drilling unit 1 provided with the swing device 11 and the rod feeder 13 are physically separate devices. Moreover, the rod feeder 13 and the swing device 11 may be controlled separately. The control of the devices 1, 11 and 13 may be done under control of a control unit CU. When the swing device 11 has gripped the rod 2 and begins to move it away from the intermediate position 15, the rod feeder 13 may instantly initiate new handling process for a next rod.
In
The drawings and the related description are only intended to illustrate the idea of the invention. In its details, the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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18154331.5 | Jan 2018 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2019/051734 | 1/24/2019 | WO | 00 |