Patent Application
20250178041
The present application claims the benefit of Brazilian Patent Application No. BR1020230251714, filed Nov. 30, 2023, the entire contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention pertains to the field of processes applicable to cleaning and/or removing paints or other resistant coatings placed on surfaces, processes related to hydro jetting, spraying, or cleaning through the use of jet force in general.
Currently, the processes of cleaning and/or removing paints or other surface coatings using ultra-high-pressure water jets are performed by purely pneumatically driven hydro jetting guns. Despite training, strict safety protocols for using the equipment and use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) appropriate for the activity, there is a possibility of serious accidents. These accidents can be caused by situations of imbalance, discomfort, the appearance of another operator in the hydro jetting area or even the operator's lack of attention, since there are no control and automation devices in the gun capable of detecting dangerous situations and acting on the equipment immediately and effectively.
The ultra-high-pressure water jet, when in contact with human tissues, can cause injuries, amputations of limbs or, in more serious cases, death to the operator. Currently, to ensure operator safety, it is recommended that the operator undergo training and follow safety protocols in order to standardize the operation. Additionally, the use of appropriate PPE prevents some types of injuries in the event of contact of the high-pressure water jet with parts of the operator's body.
A review of publications available in the state of the art is presented below.
Patent document BR202014012800U2 describes construction arrangements introduced in safety clothing for hydro jetting operations at very high pressures, aiming at protecting the operator and assistants against accidents through construction and functional improvements with a facial and hearing protection kit, and a hood with chest and shoulder protectors. Patent document BRPI0901337A2 describes a set of clothing made of waterproof fabric resistant to very high pressures, aiming at protecting the user against involuntary exposures of up to 40,000 psi or 2,800 bar (280 MPa). Said set consists of a hood with a visor for head protection including eyes, face and neck, a sleeveless vest-type jacket for frontal torso protection, a pair of upper sleeves for shoulder pads for arm protection, a pair of lower sleeves for forearm protection, pants for frontal leg protection, and a pair of leggings for use over safety boots.
The present invention relates to a safety system for hydro jetting guns capable of monitoring and interrupting a hydro jetting operation depending on movements detected out of predefined operating limits, said system comprising at least: a gun adaptation assembly interconnected to a pressure and power box, and comprising at least two inertial measurement sensors, a support with a microcontroller, and comprising a double trigger mechanism; wherein said pressure and power box is provided with a junction box and a solenoid valve; and a user monitoring wearable.
The gun adaptation assembly is interconnected to the pressure and power box by one or more wires, wherein both the gun adaptation assembly and the pressure and power box are made of metallic material. Furthermore, the microcontroller is interconnected to the user monitoring wearable, e.g., by wireless communication.
In short, the gun adaptation assembly is capable of being connected to one or more hydro jetting guns, via at least three gripping components capable of embracing the entire longitudinal extension of the gun.
In some embodiments of the invention, the pressure and power box additionally comprises an information display.
In some embodiments described herein, the at least two inertial measurement sensors are connected by one or more wires to the gun microcontroller, wherein said sensors can comprise gyroscopes and accelerometers. Control instructions for the system actions are stored in the microcontroller, where the system actions are selected from parameters, start and stop of operation and display of information.
In particular, the junction box distributes electrical energy to power the solenoid valve and the display, and the solenoid valve releases, or not, a flow of compressed air to trigger the hydro jetting operation. Said solenoid valve is powered by 24 V direct voltage, with a pressure prediction in the pneumatic line, for example, between approximately 2 and 8 bar (200 and 800 kPa), and a size compatible to allow its accommodation in the pressure and power box. In turn, said junction box can be manufactured so that its technical characteristics are compatible and allow its coupling to the pressure and power box and its volume is small enough to be accommodated in the same pressure and power box.
Through the use of the double trigger mechanism, the present invention limits operation only by actuating both triggers simultaneously, said double trigger mechanism comprising, in the invention, electronic and pneumatic driving. After the triggers are actuated, an electronic signal is sent to the microcontroller that releases the operation, turning on the solenoid valve. If one of the triggers is released, the equipment turns off.
In some embodiments, the user monitoring wearable comprises battery-powered heart rate detection sensors. The sensors of the user monitoring wearable, in addition to the inertial measurement sensors, are read and recognized by the gun microcontroller, which communicates the necessary actions to the pressure and power box. This entire system is capable of externalizing data related to the operational environment via wireless through the arrangement and configuration of a Wi-Fi connection module in the gun microcontroller.
Additionally, the present invention comprises a safety method for hydro jetting guns, of the method including the assembly phase in the hydro jetting gun and the operation phase of this hydro jetting gun, with the objective of monitoring and interrupting a hydro jetting operation depending on movements detected out of predefined operating limits. The aforementioned method and its phases comprise, at least, the following steps:
In particular, Step A) includes physically installing the solenoid valve, the junction box and the display in the pressure and power box, as well as interconnecting the aforementioned display and the aforementioned solenoid valve by wire via the junction box.
Step B) includes physically installing the double trigger mechanism in the gun adaptation assembly, as well as physically installing the microcontroller in the gun adaptation assembly and, finally, interconnecting the double trigger mechanism to the microcontroller by wire.
Step C) includes interconnecting the microcontroller to the display by wire through the junction box.
In turn, Step D) involves registering the wearable, defining a user in a determined operating environment, as well as a gun for this environment, wherein, once registered, the wearable is turned on and placed on the user.
In Step E), a dry testing of the system is performed.
Step F) includes making the connections with the hydraulic lines to be used.
Step G) includes testing the hydraulic connections.
In Step H), the system is finally energized, and a light indicating operation may be activated.
In Step I), the system is released for operation, so that the actuation of the two triggers of the double trigger system 8 releases the hydro jetting operation.
Step J) includes a series of safety monitoring procedures, selected from: monitoring the gun movement conditions using the inertial measurement sensors; monitoring the double trigger mechanism actuation conditions; monitoring the hydro jetting activity time; and/or monitoring the user in activity using the wearable.
Step K) includes a series of safety blocking options, immediately activated upon deviation from the predefined patterns and monitored in Step J), selected from: automatic interlocking of the water flow, using the solenoid valve, in the event of a movement out of the standard detected by the inertial measurement sensors; automatic interlocking of the water flow, using the solenoid valve, in the event of one of the triggers of the double trigger mechanism being turned off; automatic interlocking of the water flow, using the solenoid valve, if the activity time limit is exceeded; and/or automatic interlocking of the water flow, using the solenoid valve, in the event of loss of communication between the wearable and the gun adaptation assembly.
Traditional systems and methods for hydro jetting guns provide no safety equipment installed in the gun to signal and/or abort the hydro jetting operation in the event of risky situations. It is up to the operator to identify these situations, when possible, and turn off the equipment, in an attempt to avoid incidents and/or accidents. For example, in hydro jetting systems operated by two people, there is the figure of the “guardian angel” (operator responsible for turning the water pressure pump on and off). In this case, this operator also identifies possible abnormalities in the process and acts on the operation, signaling and/or aborting the activity in case of risk to the gun operator.
Although some efforts have been directed to improve safety measures in hydro jetting operations, there are currently no control and automation systems and methods in the gun itself that are capable of detecting dangerous situations and acting on the equipment immediately and effectively. Further, there are no mechanisms available that act directly to interrupt the operation of hydro jetting guns once any misalignment of the safety conditions is identified. Thus, to solve the deficiencies of traditional systems and methods, the present invention provides systems and methods that interrupt the hydro jetting process depending on movements out of the operational limits defined by a set of instructions embedded in a digital storage medium. To this end, the physical quantities monitored in the gun include the acceleration in the x, y and z directions, the vertical and horizontal angles of the gun in relation to the direction of actuation of the water flow, and the angle of the axis of the gun handle. Consequently, situations of imbalance or misdirection of the water flow can be avoided.
The systems and methods proposed in the present invention are also capable of interrupting the hydro jetting process if one of the triggers (of a double trigger system) of the gun stops being actuated. Furthermore, the systems and methods described herein require the operator to press both triggers simultaneously for the water flow to begin. This restriction ensures that the equipment will be handled with both hands throughout the activity. This type of mechanism allows the operator to have greater control over the direction of the pressurized water flow.
Furthermore, the systems and methods described herein control the performance of each operator by means of an operating time limit and by capturing their heart rate. The systems and methods are capable of interrupting the operation when the service time is reached. In this way, risky situations are avoided due to fatigue caused by working hours longer than the safe time defined for the activity, for example, usually 1 (one) hour.
The present invention initially relates to a safety system for hydro jetting guns used for cleaning surfaces and/or removing paints and other adherent coatings, in environments such as steel mills, oil and gas companies, mining companies, cement companies, civil construction, among others. Through the system described in the present invention, it is possible to monitor and interrupt a hydro jetting operation depending on movements detected out of predefined operating limits by using an intelligence mechanism, such as a memory storing instructions, a microcontroller, etc. In this sense, for example, if a shift in pre-established standards and/or parameters is detected that suggests malfunction, excessive working hours or discomfort on the part of an operator, the system acts immediately, interrupting the hydro jetting operation and ensuring the safety of those involved.
In particular, the system of the present invention is specially designed to be attachable to one or more hydro jetting guns. To this end, the coupling of the proposed system to a hydro jetting gun must only take into account the compatibility of installation of sensors, especially in the rear trigger region; the diameter of the fitting in the gun lance; and the capacity to couple batteries to the region of the gun and also to the pressure and power box. If size adjustments are necessary to use a larger or smaller gun, these size adjustments will still be performed while maintaining the principles disclosed in this document, therefore, within the scope of the present invention. To this end, adapters can be used to resize the diameter of the housings of the adaptation assembly (couplings) of the gun lance and the housings of the pressure and power box. It is necessary that the geometry of the trigger has the dimension and predisposition to adapt the support of an electronic key.
In order to fully describe the object of the invention, the systems and the methods disclosed herein will be presented below, with reference to
Also from
Furthermore, a handle ‘c’ compatible with the rear trigger of the hydro jetting gun to be used can be seen. Finally,
It is important to note that the entire structure of the system 100 proposed herein is metallic. In terms of dimensions, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the applicable measurements are the conventional measurements that apply to commercially available hydro jetting guns. If size adjustments are necessary to use a larger or smaller gun, these size adjustments will still be performed while maintaining the same principles disclosed in this document, therefore, within the scope of the present invention.
Additionally, the present invention also comprises a safety method for hydro jetting guns, comprising the assembly phase on the hydro jetting gun and the operation phase of this hydro jetting gun, applicable to the system 100 described above. In particular, said method and its phases can include at least the steps of:
As particularly shown in
Step B), in turn, can include physically installing the double trigger mechanism 8, with the adaptations provided for in this invention, in the gun adaptation assembly 1 (910), physically installing the microcontroller 9 in the gun adaptation assembly 1 (912), and interconnecting the double trigger mechanism 8 to the microcontroller 9 by wire (914).
Step C) can include interconnecting the microcontroller 9 to the display 5 by wire via the junction box 6 (916).
As particularly shown in
Turning back to
Step F) can include making connections to the hydraulic lines to be used (924).
Step G) can include testing the hydraulic connections (926). The hydraulic connections are tested to see if they pass one or more tests (928). If they do not pass, the hydraulic connections are reviewed (930). If they do pass the test(s), the equipment is ready to use in operation (932).
Turning back to
In Step I), the system is released for operation (1018), so that the actuation of the two triggers of the double trigger system 8 releases the hydro jetting operation (1020). The system is configured to continuously check to see if the user is performing the hydro jetting operation (1022) and remains in a ready state.
Step J) comprises a series of safety monitoring procedures (1024), as listed below:
Finally, Step K) comprises a series of safety blocking possibilities, immediately activated upon the system recognizing a dangerous situation or a deviation from the predefined standards and monitored in Step J) (1026). If no dangerous situation is recognized, the system will continue to monitor activity to determine when the activity has ended (1028) such that the system can either continue conducting the safety monitoring procerus (1024), or can end. The safety blocking possibilities described above can include:
The system continues to monitor activity to determine if and when the dangerous situation has ended (1032). If the dangerous situation has ended, the user can return to performing the hydro jetting activity (1020); however, if the dangerous situation has not ended, the system will maintain the safety blocking possibilities (1034), as discussed above.
The present invention is described herein in terms of one or more embodiments, and it should be understood that modifications can be made to the matter described herein, such modifications still being included in the set of component claims of this description.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1020230251714 | Nov 2023 | BR | national |
