Patent Application
20180094400
The present invention relates to the field of hydro excavation, and, more particularly, to a rotatable hydro excavation suction wand.
Industrial vacuum equipment has dozens of wet and dry uses such as locating underground utilities (potholing), hydro excavation, air excavation and vacuum excavation. In addition, the equipment can be used for directional drilling slurry removal, industrial clean-up, waste clean-up, lateral and storm drain clean-out, oil spill clean-up and other natural disaster clean-up applications, signs and headstone setting, for example. The vacuum systems may be mounted to a truck or trailer and are typically powered by gas or diesel engines. A shortcoming of the prior art is the inefficiency and difficulty to excavate using a vacuum hose in hard subsurface conditions. Accordingly, what is needed is a hydro excavation device that is efficient in all subsurface conditions.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rotatable hydro excavation suction wand. The suction wand includes an upper section having an upper end configured to be connected to a suction hose, an angled lower section secured to a lower end of the upper portion and the angled lower section having an open end, and a rotary manifold connecting the upper section to the angled lower section and configured to rotate the angled lower section as the upper section remains fixed. The suction wand also includes a pressurized line coupled to the rotary manifold, where the angled lower section is adapted to rotate manually or automatically causing the open end to track in a circular motion covering an area larger than a diameter of the suction wand.
In another embodiment, a method of hydro excavation is disclosed. The method includes grasping a suction wand having an upper section and a lower angled section, placing downward force on the suction wand to excavate material from a hole using suction, and rotating the lower angled section using a rotary manifold connecting the upper section to the angled lower section, where the rotary manifold configured to rotate the angled lower section as the upper section remains fixed.
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention 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 invention to those skilled in the art.
Referring to
A rotary manifold 112 joins the upper section 106 to the angled lower section 110 and is configured to rotate the angled lower section 110 as the upper section 106 remains fixed. The rotary manifold 112 may include a motor 114 to rotate the angled lower section 110.
A pressurized line 120 may be in fluid communication with a valve 122 secured to the suction wand 102. The pressurized line 120 may provide pressurized air and/or water to a nozzle 128 located proximate the open end of the angled lower section 110 via upper and lower pressurized lines 124, 126. The upper pressurized line 124 is in fluid communication with the valve 122 and the rotary coupling 112. The pressurized fluid passes through the rotary coupling 112 to the lower pressurized line 126, which is in fluid communication with the nozzle 128.
The rotary coupling may rotate in a manner of different ways. A particular embodiment provides that a ring gear 118 is secured to a periphery of the rotary manifold 112. The ring gear 118 includes a series of teeth that are adapted to engage teeth of a driving gear 116. The driving gear 116 is configured to drive the ring gear 118, which in turn causes the angled lower section 110 to rotate. The driving gear 116 may be driven by motor 116 secured to the upper section 106 of the suction wand 102.
Referring now to
A second upper pressurized line 136 may be also be used to supply air, steam or other type of fluid. The second upper pressurized line 136 may similarly pass through the inner portion 134 to a port 137 for a second lower pressurized line 131. Any number of pressurized lines may be used.
Referring now to
In operation, a user may grasp the handle 104 of the suction wand 102, where the suction hose 108 is in communication with a pump that provides suction to remove soil, water, and other materials that are being excavated from a site. A valve 122 may be used to control the flow of pressurized fluid to the nozzle 128. The lower section 110 is preferably a rigid material, but could also be flexible. As described above, the rotary manifold may be used to secure the upper section 106 to the lower section 110. The motor 114 may be secured to the upper section 106 using a bearing or bracket. When the lower section 110 is rotated, it causes the open end of the lower section 110 to track in an extended circular motion covering an area larger than a diameter of the upper section 106 or the lower section 110. The motor 114 stops, starts and rotates the lower section 110 at a desired speed controlled by the operator. The angle or elbow of the lower section 110 may vary depending on the application. The open end may be tapered to accommodate the circular motion of the open end and to allow the open end to remain relatively flush to the surface being excavated.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
