Remotely operated pipe fitting swaging systems and methods

A method of operating a pipeline deployment system, comprising:

• determining, using a control sub-system, a target operation to be performed by the pipeline deployment system, wherein the pipeline deployment system comprises a transmission, a drive sub-system having one or more wheels that are to be used to move a deployment vehicle in the pipeline deployment system along a ground surface, a swage machine that is to be used to swage a pipe fitting around a pipe segment, and a fluid power sub-system;
• instructing, using the control sub-system, the pipeline deployment system to drive rotation of the one or more wheels in the drive sub-system using the fluid power sub-system to facilitate moving the deployment vehicle along the ground surface in response to determining that the target operation to be performed by the pipeline deployment system is a vehicle drive operation at least in part by instructing the transmission to connect a motor shaft in the fluid power sub-system to a drive gear that is tied to the one or more wheels in the drive sub-system;
• and
• instructing, using the control sub-system, the pipeline deployment system to switch from using the fluid power sub-system to drive rotation of the one or more wheels in the drive sub-system to using the fluid power sub-system to power operation of the swage machine to facilitate swaging the pipe fitting around the pipe segment in response to determining that the target operation to be performed by the pipeline deployment system switches from the vehicle drive operation to a fitting swage operation at least in part by:
• instructing the transmission to disconnect the motor shaft in the fluid power sub-system from the drive gear that is tied to the one or more wheels in the drive sub-system;
• and
• instructing the transmission to connect the motor shaft to a pump gear that is tied to a fluid pump in the fluid power sub-system, wherein the fluid pump in the fluid power sub-system is fluidly connected to a fluid actuator in the swage machine.

A pipeline deployment system comprising:

• a drive sub-system, wherein the drive sub-system comprises one or more wheels configured to be secured to a vehicle frame of a deployment vehicle in the pipeline deployment system to facilitate moving the deployment vehicle along a ground surface and a drive gear tied to the one or more wheels;
• a swage machine, wherein the swage machine comprises a die plate and a fluid actuator configured to move the die plate over a fitting jacket of a pipe fitting to facilitate securing the pipe fitting to a pipe segment;
• a fluid power sub-system, wherein the fluid power sub-system comprises a fluid pump, a motor shaft, and a pump gear that is tied to the fluid pump, wherein the fluid pump is fluidly connected to the fluid actuator in the swage machine via one or more fluid conduits;
• and
• a transmission coupled between the drive sub-system and the fluid power sub-system, wherein the transmission is configured to:
• enable the fluid power sub-system to drive rotation of the one or more wheels in the drive sub-system to facilitate moving the deployment vehicle along the ground surface at least in part by connecting the motor shaft in the fluid power sub-system to the drive gear in the drive sub-system when a target operation to be performed by the pipeline deployment system is a vehicle drive operation;
• and
• enable the fluid power sub-system to power operation of the swage machine to facilitate securing the pipe fitting to the pipe segment at least in part by connecting the motor shaft to the pump gear in the fluid power sub-system when the target operation to be performed by the pipeline deployment system is a fitting swage operation.