Remotely operated pipe fitting swaging systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10955839-B1
Application number	US-202016886496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 28, 2020
Priority date	May 28, 2020
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

Techniques for implementing and/or operating a deployment system that includes a vehicle frame of a deployment vehicle, a drive sub-system, which includes wheels secured to the vehicle frame, a swage machine, and a fluid power sub-system. The swage machine includes a grab plate, which interlocks with a grab notch on a pipe fitting to be secured to a pipe segment, which includes tubing that defines a pipe bore and a fluid conduit implemented in an annulus of the tubing, a die plate including a die, and a fluid actuator that actuates the grab plate toward the die plate to facilitate conformally deforming a fitting jacket of the pipe fitting around the tubing of the pipe segment. The fluid power sub-system selectively powers the drive sub-system or the swage machine based on a target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A deployment system comprising:
a vehicle frame of a deployment vehicle;
a drive sub-system comprising one or more wheels secured to the vehicle frame of the deployment vehicle;
a swage machine, wherein the swage machine comprises:
a grab plate configured to interlock with a grab notch implemented on a pipe fitting to be secured to a pipe segment that comprises tubing that defines a pipe bore and a fluid conduit implemented in an annulus of the tubing;
a die plate comprising a die; and
a fluid actuator configured to actuate the grab plate toward the die plate to facilitate conformally deforming a fitting jacket of the pipe fitting around the tubing of the pipe segment;

a fluid power sub-system, wherein the fluid power sub-system is configured to selectively power the drive sub-system or the swage machine based at least in part on a target operation to be performed by the deployment system; and
a transmission configured to:
interlock a motor shaft tied to a motor in the fluid power sub-system with a drive gear that is tied to the one or more wheels in the drive sub-system when the target operation to be performed by the deployment system is a vehicle drive operation; and
interlock the motor shaft tied to the motor in the fluid power sub-system with a pump gear that is tied to a fluid pump in the fluid power sub-system when the target operation to be performed by the deployment system is a fitting swage operation.

2. The deployment system of claim 1 , comprising a control sub-system configured to instruct the deployment vehicle to:
power the drive sub-system using the fluid power sub-system when the target operation to be performed by the deployment system is a vehicle drive operation; and
power the swage machine using the fluid power sub-system when the target operation to be performed by the deployment system is a fitting swage operation.

3. The deployment system of claim 2 , wherein the control sub-system comprises:
a vehicle control sub-system disposed on the vehicle frame of the deployment vehicle; and
a remote control sub-system communicatively coupled to the vehicle control sub-system to enable a user to monitor operation of the deployment vehicle, control operation of the deployment vehicle, or both while being located remote from the deployment vehicle.

4. The deployment system of claim 1 , wherein:
the swage machine is secured to the vehicle frame of the deployment vehicle; and
the fluid power sub-system is disposed on the vehicle frame of the deployment vehicle.

5. The deployment system of claim 1 , comprising:
another vehicle frame of another deployment vehicle;
a tongue assembly secured to the other vehicle frame of the other deployment vehicle; and
a hitch assembly secured to the vehicle frame of the deployment vehicle, wherein the hitch assembly is configured to be secured to the tongue assembly to enable the deployment vehicle to tow the other deployment vehicle.

6. The deployment system of claim 1 , comprising:
a vehicle location sensor configured to determine sensor data indicative of a current location of the deployment vehicle; and
a control sub-system communicatively coupled to the vehicle location sensor, wherein, when the target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle is a vehicle drive operation, the control sub-system is configured to:
determine the current location of the deployment vehicle based at least in part on the sensor data received from the vehicle location sensor;
determine a location of the pipe fitting to be secured to the pipe segment using the swage machine;
instruct the deployment vehicle to continue powering the drive sub-system using the fluid power sub-system when the current location of the deployment vehicle does not match the location of the pipe fitting; and
instruct the deployment vehicle to cease powering the drive sub-system using the fluid power sub-system when the current location of the deployment vehicle matches the location of the pipe fitting.

7. The deployment system of claim 1 , comprising:
a die position sensor configured to determine sensor data indicative of a current position of the die in the swage machine relative to the pipe fitting; and
a control sub-system communicatively coupled to the die position sensor, wherein, when the target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle is a fitting swage operation, the control sub-system is configured to:
determine a currently swaged distance on the pipe fitting at least in part by monitoring the sensor data received from the die position sensor over time;
determine a target swaging distance on the pipe fitting based at least in part on length of the fitting jacket on the pipe fitting;
instruct the deployment vehicle to continue powering the swage machine using the fluid power sub-system when the currently swaged distance on the pipe fitting is less than the target swaging distance on the pipe fitting; and
instruct the deployment vehicle to cease powering the swage machine using the fluid power sub-system when the currently swaged distance on the pipe fitting is not less than the target swaging distance on the pipe fitting.

8. A method of operating a deployment system integrated on a deployment vehicle, comprising:
determining, using a control sub-system of the deployment system, a target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle, wherein a fluid power sub-system, a swage machine, and a drive sub-system of the deployment system are disposed on a vehicle frame of the deployment vehicle;
determining, using the control sub-system, whether the target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle is a vehicle drive operation;
instructing, using the control sub-system, the deployment vehicle to power operation of the drive sub-system using the fluid power sub-system disposed on the vehicle frame to facilitate moving the deployment vehicle in response to determining that the target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle is the vehicle drive operation;
determining, using the control sub-system, whether the target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle is a fitting swage operation; and
instructing, using the control sub-system, the deployment vehicle to power operation of the swage machine using the fluid power sub-system disposed on the vehicle frame to facilitate securing a pipe fitting to pipe segment tubing in response to determining that the target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle is the fitting swage operation at least in part by:
determining a currently swaged distance on the pipe fitting based at least in part on sensor data that is indicative of a current position of a die in the swage machine;
determining a target swaging distance on the pipe fitting based at least in part on length of a fitting jacket on the pipe fitting that is to be conformally deformed around the pipe segment tubing to facilitate securing the pipe fitting to the pipe segment tubing;
instructing the deployment vehicle to continue powering operation of the swage machine using the fluid power sub-system in response to determining that currently swaged distance on the pipe fitting is less than the target swaging distance on the pipe fitting; and
instructing the deployment vehicle to cease powering operation of the swage machine using the fluid power sub-system in response to determining that the currently swaged distance on the pipe fitting is not less than the target swaging distance on the pipe fitting.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein instructing the deployment vehicle to power operation of the drive sub-system using the fluid power sub-system comprises:
determining a current location of the deploymen

Assignees

• Trinity Bay Equipment Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Leger John Paul

Classifications

• B60Y2200/62

  Conveyors, floor conveyors · CPC title

• B60Y2200/60

  Industrial applications, e.g. pipe inspection vehicles · CPC title

• B60Y2200/25

  Track vehicles · CPC title

• B60K25/00

  Auxiliary drives (arrangement of tyre-inflating pumps mounted on vehicles B60C23/10) · CPC title

• B21D39/046 Primary

  Connecting tubes to tube-like fittings · CPC title