Patent Application
20150159436
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a ground-hole forming device and, more particularly, to a ground-hole forming device that muffles sound.
In gas detecting operations, it is often necessary to dig holes at various places in the ground near where a leak is suspected to have occurred. Once the hole is formed and dug out, a gas detecting monitor is placed nearby and identifies whether a leak is present or not by determining levels of gases in the surrounding atmosphere. Generally, the hole is formed by an initial boring of a hole through asphalt and/or concrete and then forcing a long rod into the ground at the hole. The latter step is done by placing an end of the rod into the hole and hitting the other end with a hammering device.
The impacts between the hammering device and the end of the rod generate a substantial amount of noise. Indeed, in some cases, the sounds generated by the impacts can be above a desired threshold.
According to one aspect of the invention, a ground-hole forming apparatus is provided and includes a drivable element, a bulb coupled to an end of the drivable element, the bulb including first and second resilient portions and a driving element including first and second ends, the driving element being movable by an operator in first and second directions such that the first and second ends drive ably impact the first and second resilient portions of the bulb, respectively, to thereby drive the drivable element in the first and second directions, respectively. The first and second resilient portions are configured to absorb and deaden respective impacts thereof with the first and second ends.
According to another aspect of the invention, a ground-hole forming apparatus is provided and includes a first elongate member including a tube defining an interior having first and second ends, a first stopper at the first end and a second stopper at the second end, a second elongate member having third and fourth ends, the second elongate member being movable in first and second directions relative to the first elongate member and a bulb coupled to the third end and configured to constrain the third end in the interior. The bulb includes first and second resilient portions configured to impact the first and second stoppers, respectively, to terminate movement of the second elongate member relative to the first elongate member in the first and second directions, respectively.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a ground-hole forming apparatus is provided and includes a drivable element, a bulb coupled to an end of the drivable element and including first and second resilient portions, a driving element including first and second ends and being movable by an operator in first and second directions such that the first and second ends drive ably impact the first and second resilient portions of the bulb, respectively, to thereby drive the drivable element in the first and second directions, respectively. The first and second resilient portions are configured to absorb and deaden respective impacts thereof with the first and second ends.
These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The detailed description explains embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
As will be described below with reference to
With reference to
The first stopper 23 may be provided as a full or substantially full closure of the tubular element 21 at the first end 221. By contrast, the second stopper 24 is provided as a partial closure of the tubular element 21 that may be screw-coupled or otherwise fastened to the second end 222 of the tubular element. In the former case, the second stopper 24 may be provided with exterior threading 25 that is configured to register with interior threading 26 disposed on the tubular element 21 at the second end 222. With the second stopper 24 provided as a partial closure of the tubular element 21, the partial closure is formed to define an opening 240. The second stopper 24 may include a gasket 241 disposed at the interior facing walls of the second stopper 24 to define the opening 240.
The second elongate member 30 is provided as a rod 31 formed of rigid material that has a third end 310, a fourth end 311, which is opposite the third end 310, a central portion 312, which is interposed between the third end 310 and the fourth end 311 and which may be formed with a similar shape as the opening 240. More specifically, where the opening 240 is substantially circular, the central portion 312 may be substantially cylindrical.
The second elongate member 30 is movable in first and second directions relative to the first elongate member 20. The opening 240 defined by the second stopper 24 has a diameter, D1, which may be very slightly larger than a diameter, D2, of the central portion 312. The second elongate member 30 is disposed to move in the first and second directions relative to the first elongate member 20 such that the central portion 312 slides through the opening 240 and, more specifically, the opening 240 defined by the gasket 241. That is, the gasket 241 is configured to guide a sliding movement of the central portion 312 of the second elongate member 30 through the opening 240.
The bulb 40 is coupled to the third end 310 of the rod 31. The bulb 40 is disposable in the interior 22 and is thus configured to cooperate with the first stopper 23 and the second stopper 24 to constrain the third end 310 of the rod 31 in the interior 22 as well. The bulb 40 includes a rigid element 41, which may be formed of a metallic material and which may be affixed to the second elongate member 30 at the third end 310. The bulb 40 further includes a first resilient portion 42, which is formed of a resin-based material and is coupled to a leading side of the rigid element 41 defined in accordance with the movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the first direction M1, and a second resilient portion 43. The second resilient portion 43 may be formed of a resin-based material and may be coupled to a trailing side of the rigid element 41 defined in accordance with the movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the first direction.
It is to be understood that the leading and trailing sides of the rigid element 41 switch with respect to the direction of movement of the second elongate element 30 relative to the first elongate element 20. However, for purposes of clarity and brevity, they will be defined herein with respect to only the first direction of movement M1.
With the first stopper 23 provided as a full or substantially full closure of the tubular element 21, the second resilient portion 43 cannot pass through the first end 221 during movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the second direction M2. That is, the second resilient portion 43 is configured to impact the first stopper 23 and to terminate movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the second direction M2 as a result of the impact. Similarly, the first resilient portion 42 has a diameter D3, which is larger than the diameter D1 of the opening 240. Thus, with the second stopper 24 being provided as a partial closure that permits the movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the first direction M1, the first resilient portion 42 cannot pass through the second end 222 during movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the first direction M1. That is, the first resilient portion 42 is configured to impact the second stopper 24 and to terminate movement of the second elongate member 30 relative to the first elongate member 20 in the first direction M1 as a result of the impact.
In accordance with embodiments, the first resilient portion 42 may include a body 420 with a coupling side 421 and an impact side 422. The body 420 is formed to define a borehole 423, through which the third end 310 of the rod 31 of the second elongate member 30 may extend. In this way, during assembly of the bulb 40, the first resilient portion 42 may be slid along the longitudinal length of the second elongate member 30 such that the coupling side 421 eventually registers with the leading side of the rigid element 41 with the impact side 422 facing away from the leading side of the rigid element 41. At this point, the coupling side 422 can be screw-coupled or otherwise fastened to the leading side of the rigid element 41. The impact side 422 has a curved surface that may complement a similar curvature in the interior facing surface of the second stopper 24. As such, impacts between the impact side 422 and the second stopper 24 will be absorbed and deadened by a relatively large surface area of contact.
In accordance with further embodiments, the second resilient portion 43 may include a body 430 with a coupling side 431 and an impact side 432. The body 430 may be monolithic and the coupling side 432 can be screw-coupled or otherwise fastened to the trailing side of the rigid element 41. The impact side 432 may have a curved surface that may complement a similar curvature in the surface of the first stopper 23. As such, impacts between the impact side 432 and the first stopper 23 will be absorbed and deadened by a relatively large surface area of contact resulting in a reduced noise level without impacting the hole forming functionality of the ground-hole forming apparatus 10.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
Subsequently, the above-described process may be repeated with the fourth end 311 repeatedly being driven into the ground-hole 101 to increasing depths. The repetitions continue until a desired depth is reached or until a maximum depth based on the length of the rod 31 is achieved.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
