US 11,078,733 B2Granted

Apparatus and methods for determining operational mode of tong assembly

AssigneeWeatherford Technology Holdings, LLC

InventorsJan Rothe, Heidi N. Cline, Frank Wern

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system for tong assembly operation includes a mode switch for shifting the tong assembly between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, the mode switch having a first portion associated with the first mode and a second portion associated with the second mode; a first target coupled to the first portion, the first target movable to a first position corresponding to the first mode of operation; a second target coupled to the second portion, the second target movable to a second position corresponding to the second mode of operation; a first sensor configured to identify the first position of the first target; and a second sensor configured to identify the second position of the second target.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A system for tong assembly operation, comprising:

a tong having a stationary portion and a rotational portion;
an activator switch attached to the stationary portion;
a mode switch attached to the rotational portion, the mode switch configured to shift the tong between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, the mode switch having a first portion associated with the first mode and a second portion associated with the second mode, wherein the activator switch is configured to engage the first portion or the second portion to operate the mode switch;
a first sensor target attached to the first portion of the mode switch;
a second sensor target attached to the second portion of the mode switch;
a first sensor configured to detect the first sensor target when the tong is in the first mode of operation;
and
a second sensor configured to detect the second sensor target when the tong is in the second mode of operation.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/109,071Filed 22 Aug 2018
Published: US 2020/0063509 A127 Feb 2020
Granted: 3 Aug 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

E21B 19/16
Handling rods, casings, tubes or the like outside the borehole, e.g. in the derrick; Apparatus for feeding the rods or cables: connecting or…
E21B 19/165
Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints: control or monitoring arrangements therefor
E21B 19/161
Connecting or disconnecting pipe couplings or joints: using a wrench or a spinner adapted to engage a circular section of pipe
E21B 47/002
Survey of boreholes or wells: by visual inspection

Family

US 2020/0063509 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Feb 2020
US 11,078,733 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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