Latching rod box

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9435161-B2
Application number	US-201113991077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2011
Priority date	Dec 1, 2010
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

A drilling machine includes a chassis and a primary rod box mounted on the chassis, which includes a rod box interface mechanism positioned adjacent a top of the primary rod box for facilitating interfacing the primary rod box with a supplemental rod box. A rod box interface mechanism automatically secures the rod box to the drilling machine as the rod box is lowered in place on the drilling machine. The rod box interface mechanism can be used to secure a supplemental rod box to a top of a primary rod box that is attached to a chassis of the drilling machine and can be used to secure a rod box directly to the chassis of the drilling machine. Self-aligning features can be used to guide the rod box into place on the drilling machine as the rod box is lowered onto the drilling machine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An attachment arrangement for attaching a rod box to another structure, the attachment arrangement comprising:
first and second spaced-apart flanges, the first flange defining a first opening and the second flange defining a second flange opening;
a first guide pin that is received in the first opening of the first flange;
a second guide pin that is received in the second opening of the second flange, the second guide pin being configured such that interference between the second flange and a portion of the second guide pin prevents the second guide pin from being removed from the second opening when the rod box is attached to the structure;
a latching arm that latches the first flange when the rod box is attached to the structure to prevent the first guide pin from being removed from the first opening; and
a latch dog pivotally connected to the latching arm, the latch dog being movable between a first position and a second position and wherein the latch dog is biased toward the first position.

2. The attachment arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the first and second flanges are mounted to a bottom of the rod box adjacent opposite ends of the rod box, and wherein the first guide pin, the second guide pin, and the latching arm are mounted to the structure.

3. The attachment arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the rod box comprises a supplemental rod box, wherein the structure includes a primary rod box attached to a chassis of a horizontal drilling machine, and wherein the first guide pin, the second guide pin, and the latching arm are mounted adjacent a top of the primary rod box.

4. The attachment arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the latching arm is spring biased toward a latching position.

5. The attachment arrangement of claim 4 , further comprising a plunger that is actuated by the first flange when the rod box is attached to the structure, wherein the latch dog engages a side of the actuated plunger to retain the latching arm in a non-latching position, and wherein the latch dog engages an end of the plunger when the latching arm is in the latching position.

6. The attachment arrangement of claim 5 , further comprising a lever attached to the latch dog for manually pivoting the latch dog relative to the latching arm.

7. The attachment arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the latch dog is configured to retain the latching arm in a non-latching position.

8. The attachment arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising a lever attached to the latch dog, the lever being configured to allow an operator to manually pivot the latch dog from the first position to the second position.

9. A method of securing a rod box to a horizontal directional drilling system comprising:
a. a chassis with an elongated rack frame for supporting a gearbox that travels along a longitudinal axis defining a drill string axis;
b. a first rod box mount positioned adjacent the drill string axis and adjacent a first end of the rack frame, having a first pin that is generally perpendicular to the drill string axis, the mount further comprising a first mount surface generally parallel to the drill sting axis with a latch mechanism;
c. a second rod box mount positioned adjacent the drill string axis and adjacent a second end of the rack frame, having a second pin that is generally perpendicular to the drill string axis, the mount further comprising a second mount surface generally parallel to the drill sting axis; and
d. an elongated rod box with a first flange having an aperture on one end, and a second flange having an aperture on the opposite end; the method comprising:
e. positioning the rod box with the second aperture aligned with a first end of the second pin while the first aperture is misaligned with the first pin;
f. then moving the rod box in a first direction generally perpendicular to the drill string axis so that the aperture of the second flange partially engages the pin of the second rod box mount;
g. then moving the rod box in a second direction generally parallel to the drill string axis, as allowed by either a beveled portion of the second pin or by a slight misalignment of the second pin, to a position where the first aperture is aligned with a first end of the first pin; and
h. then moving the rod box in a direction generally perpendicular to the drill string axis until the first flange is seated on the first mount surface wherein the first flange engages with a latch that secures the rod box from moving in a direction aligned with the axis of the first pin.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first flange engages a spring loaded plunger when seated on the first mount surface.

11. A method for securing a rod box to a directional drilling machine using an attachment interface including a first interface location spaced from a second interface location, the first interface location including a first guide pin, a first opening defining structure defining a first opening and a latching arm, the second interface location including a second guide pin and a second opening defining structure defining a second opening, the method comprising:
inserting the second guide pin through the second opening while the first guide pin is not yet received in the first opening;
then pivoting the rod box relative to the second guide pin to cause the first guide pin to be received in the first opening while concurrently sliding the rod box toward the first interface location thereby causing the second opening defining structure and the second guide pin to be moved to an interlocked orientation; and
then latching the first opening defining structure with the latching arm after the second opening defining structure and the second guide pin have been moved to the interlocked orientation.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the latching arm automatically moves to a latched position when the first guide pin is fully received within the first opening.

Assignees

• Novelo Russel
• Belloma Michael D
• Roberts Ryan P
• Laverman Lucas
• Langenfeld David
• Ryon Ward
• Vermeer Mfg Co

Inventors

• Novelo Russel
• Belloma Michael D
• Roberts Ryan P
• Laverman Lucas
• Langenfeld David
• Ryon Ward

Classifications

• B23B31/1072

  Retention by axially or circumferentially oriented cylindrical elements (cylindrical elements acting as jaws B23B31/223) · CPC title

• E21B19/20

  Combined feeding from rack and connecting, e.g. automatically · CPC title

• Y10T403/60

  Biased catch or latch · CPC title

• B23B31/1074

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• E21B7/046

  horizontal drilling (drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003) · CPC title