Hydraulic cable-skate drive system for catwalk

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9476266-B2
Application number	US-201414207138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A drive system for a catwalk skate that uses a hydraulic skate-cable drive system. The system includes two counteracting hydraulic cylinders, each with a sheave connected to the cylinder rods, and a cable that winds around each of the sheaves and connects to both ends of the skate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A skate drive system for a catwalk, comprising:
a skate member configured to move a pipe along a trough of the catwalk;
a first hydraulic cylinder having a first rod member coupled to the skate member by a first cable;
a second hydraulic cylinder having a second rod member coupled to the skate by a second cable, wherein the first and second hydraulic cylinders are configured to extend and retract the first and second rod members to move the skate member via the first and second cables along the trough of the catwalk;
a first sheave coupled to the first rod member, wherein the first cable wraps around the first sheave; and
a bracket coupled to the first sheave and having rollers that are in contact with opposite sides of the second hydraulic cylinder, wherein the rollers move along a length of the second hydraulic cylinder when the first rod member is extended from or retracted into the first hydraulic cylinder.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first cable is coupled to one end of the skate member, and wherein the second cable is coupled to an opposite end of the skate member.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first sheave and the bracket move along the length of the second hydraulic cylinder when the first rod member extends from or retracts into the first hydraulic cylinder.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the second cable wraps around a second sheave that is coupled to the second rod member.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the second sheave is coupled to a second bracket having rollers that are disposed on opposite sides of the first hydraulic cylinder.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second sheave, the second bracket, and the rollers move along a length of the first hydraulic cylinder when the second rod member extends from or retracts into the second hydraulic cylinder.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first rod member is extended from the first hydraulic cylinder as the second rod member is retracted into the second hydraulic cylinder to move the skate member.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second cables are in tension while the skate member moves along the trough.

9. A method of operating a skate drive system for a catwalk, comprising:
retracting a first rod member into a first hydraulic cylinder to move a skate member along a trough of the catwalk, wherein the first rod member is coupled to one end of the skate member by a first cable that wraps around a first sheave that is coupled to the first rod member, and wherein the first sheave is coupled to a bracket having rollers that are in contact with opposite sides of a second hydraulic cylinder;
extending a second rod member from the second hydraulic cylinder to move the skate member along the trough of the catwalk, wherein the second rod member is coupled to an opposite end of the skate member by a second cable;
moving the rollers of the bracket along a length of the second hydraulic cylinder when retracting the first rod member into the first hydraulic cylinder; and
maintaining the first and second cables in tension as the skate member moves along the trough of the catwalk.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising moving the first sheave and the bracket along the length of the second hydraulic cylinder when the first rod member extends from or retracts into the first hydraulic cylinder.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second cable wraps around a second sheave that is coupled to the second rod member.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second sheave is coupled to a second bracket having rollers that are disposed on opposite sides of the first hydraulic cylinder.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising moving the second sheave, the second bracket, and the rollers along a length of the first hydraulic cylinder when the second rod member extends from or retracts into the second hydraulic cylinder.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first rod member is retracted into the first hydraulic cylinder while the second rod member is extended from the second hydraulic cylinder to move the skate member along the trough.

15. A skate drive system for a catwalk, comprising:
a first hydraulic cylinder and a second hydraulic cylinder coupled to opposite ends of a skate configured to move a pipe along a trough of the catwalk, wherein the first hydraulic cylinder has a first rod member coupled to the skate member, wherein the second hydraulic cylinder has a second rod member coupled to the skate, and wherein the first hydraulic cylinder and the second hydraulic cylinder are configured to extend and retract the first rod member and the second rod member, respectively, to move the skate member along the trough of the catwalk; and
a bracket coupled to the second rod member and having rollers that are in contact with opposite sides of the first hydraulic cylinder, wherein the rollers move along a length of the first hydraulic cylinder when the second rod member is extended from or retracted into the second hydraulic cylinder.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first rod member is coupled to the skate by a first cable, and wherein the second rod member is coupled to the skate by a second cable.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a first sheave coupled to the bracket, wherein the first cable wraps around the first sheave.

Assignees

• Forum Us Inc

Inventors

• Swanson Gregory David
• Berry Joe Rodney

Classifications

• B29C45/42

  using means movable from outside the mould between mould parts {, e.g. robots} · CPC title

• B29C37/0007

  using means operable from outside the mould for moving between mould parts, e.g. robots · CPC title

• B66D3/006

  Power actuated devices operating on ropes, cables, or chains for hauling in a mainly horizontal direction (B66D3/003 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F15B15/02

  Mechanical layout characterised by the means for converting the movement of the fluid-actuated element into movement of the finally-operated member · CPC title

• E21B19/15 Primary

  Racking of rods in horizontal position; Handling between horizontal and vertical position · CPC title