Apparatus for remotely propelling a flexible lance into and out of a piping system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10272480-B2
Application number	US-201615374585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2016
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A compact flexible lance propelling apparatus is disclosed that is mountable on a pipe end. The apparatus includes a drive mechanism, an adaptable support that can be fastened directly to the pipe end which carries the drive mechanism, a remote control console, and a hose take-up drum spaced from the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a driven roller and a follower roller sandwiching the flexible lance hose therebetween and a rotary cam lift mechanism for linearly raising the follower roller to permit insertion of the flexible lance hose and lowering the follower roller against the driven roller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for reversibly driving a flexible lance into a piping system to be cleaned, the apparatus comprising:
a winch pipe clamp assembly for fastening a positioner arm adjacent to an open # end of a pipe to be cleaned;
a T or L shaped support member having one end selectively attachable to the positioner arm;
a back-out preventer collet block adjustably fastenable to a stem of the T or L shaped support member, the collet block having a tractor side portion and a pipe side portion;
a tractor drive fastened to and supported by the tractor side portion of the collet block, the tractor drive supporting a pneumatic drive motor and a drive gearbox adjacent a tractor drive housing; and
a tractor drive roller assembly and an idler roller assembly carried within the tractor drive housing, wherein the drive roller assembly is fastened to a drive axle extending into the tractor drive housing from the drive gearbox and the idler roller assembly is adjustably supported parallel to the drive axle supporting the drive roller assembly by an idler shaft within the tractor drive housing mounted on a slidable idler shaft slide plate, wherein the idler shaft extends parallel to the drive axle out of the tractor drive housing through a vertical slot in the tractor drive housing and through a horizontally slidable eccentric plate, and an eccentric bushing rotatably carried in the eccentric plate fastened to the idler shaft, wherein rotation of the eccentric bushing in a first direction causes the idler shaft to vertically raise the idler roller assembly above the drive roller assembly and rotation of the eccentric bushing in an opposite direction causes the idler shaft to vertically lower the idler roller assembly into contact with the drive roller assembly.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the slidable idler shaft slide plate is vertically guided by a pair of vertical guides alongside the vertical slot and the eccentric plate is guided along a horizontal guide on an exterior surface of the tractor drive housing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a radial handle attached to the eccentric bushing for manually rotating the eccentric bushing in the first direction and the opposite direction.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the positioner arm is an L shaped member having a short leg fastened to the clamp assembly and a long leg adapted to extend along an axis of the pipe to be cleaned.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the long leg of the positioner arm fits within an end of the T or L shaped support member and includes a cross bore for receiving a removable pin through the support member and the long leg of the positioner arm to position the stem of the T or L shaped support member spaced from the end of the pipe to be cleaned.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a splash guard fastened to the pipe side portion of the collet block.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the splash guard comprises a flat disk on a stem fastened to the pipe side portion of the collet block.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of the drive and idler roller assemblies includes a spline hub, a spline gear and a spline roller and wherein the spline gear and roller are removably fastened to the spline hub.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tractor drive housing has a fixed side wall fastened to opposite end walls each supporting a hose guide tube, and an openable side wall opposite the fixed side wall and wherein one of the hose guide tubes is fastenable to the tractor side portion of the collet block.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the vertical slot is in the fixed side wall and the fixed side wall has vertical guides parallel to and spaced from the vertical slot for guiding movement of the idler shaft slide plate.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein an exterior surface of the fixed side wall has a horizontal guide for guiding horizontal movement of the eccentric plate.

12. A tractor drive apparatus for feeding a flexible lance into a pipe to be cleaned, the tractor drive apparatus comprising:
a tractor drive housing having a fixed side to which is fastened a pneumatic drive motor and a drive gearbox; and
a tractor drive roller assembly and an idler roller assembly carried within the drive housing, wherein the drive roller assembly is fastened to a drive axle extending into the housing from the drive gearbox and the idler roller assembly is adjustably supported parallel to the drive axle supporting the drive roller assembly by an idler shaft within the tractor drive housing mounted on a slidable idler shaft slide plate, wherein the idler shaft extends parallel to the drive axle out of the tractor drive housing through a vertical slot in the tractor drive housing and through a horizontally slidable eccentric plate, and an eccentric bushing rotatably carried in the eccentric plate fastened to the idler shaft, wherein rotation of the eccentric bushing in a first direction causes the idler shaft to vertically raise the idler roller assembly above the drive roller assembly and rotation of the eccentric bushing in an opposite direction causes the idler shaft to vertically lower the idler roller assembly into contact with the drive roller assembly.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the drive roller assembly comprises a spline hub fastened to the drive axle, a spline gear and a spline roller mounted on the spline hub against a face plate fastened to the drive axle.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the idler roller assembly comprises another spline hub fastened to an idler shaft, another spline gear mounted on the another spline hub, another spline roller mounted on the another spline hub against another face plate fastened to the spline hub.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the slidable idler shaft slide plate is vertically guided by a pair of vertical guides alongside the vertical slot and the eccentric plate is guided along a horizontal guide on an exterior surface of the tractor drive housing.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12 further comprising a radial handle attached to the eccentric bushing for manually rotating the eccentric bushing in the first direction and the opposite direction.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein each of the drive and idler roller assemblies includes a spline hub, a spline gear and a spline roller and wherein the spline gear and roller are removably fastened to the spline hub.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein each spline hub has an odd number of splines equally spaced around the hub.

19. A tractor drive apparatus for feeding a flexible lance into a pipe to be cleaned, the tractor drive apparatus comprising:
a tractor drive housing having a-fixed side to which is fastened a pneumatic drive motor and a drive gearbox; and
a tractor drive roller assembly and an idler roller assembly carried within the tractor drive housing, each of the drive and idler roller assemblies including a spline hub, a spline gear and a spline roller and wherein the spline gear and roller are removably fastened to the spline hub, wherein the drive roller assembly is fastened to a drive axle extending into the tractor drive housing from the drive gearbox and the idler roller assembly is adjustably supported parallel to the drive axle supporting the drive roller assembly by an idler shaft within the tractor drive housing mounted on a sli

Assignees

• Stoneage Inc

Inventors

• Zink Gerald P
• Schneider Joseph

Classifications

• B65H2701/33

  Hollow or hose-like material · CPC title

• B65H51/10

  with opposed coacting surfaces, e.g. providing nips · CPC title

• B08B9/045

  the cleaning devices being rotated while moved {, e.g. flexible rotating shaft or "snake"}(B08B9/047 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B08B9/0433 Primary

  provided exclusively with fluid jets as cleaning tools · CPC title

• F28G15/04

  Feeding and driving arrangements, e.g. power operation · CPC title