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US 11,920,411 B2Granted
Tool coupler with sliding coupling members for top drive
AssigneeWeatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
InventorsMichael Henke, Michael Kratzert, Thomas Veit, Kevin Wood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drive unit of a top drive system includes a drive stem having a plurality of ports from an exterior thereof to an interior thereof. A plurality of sliding coupling members is disposed in the ports. A coupling collar encircles the drive stem and has actuation surfaces and recessed surfaces on an interior thereof, wherein the recessed surfaces align with the ports when the coupling collar is in a first position, and the actuation surfaces align with the ports when the coupling collar is in a second position.
Claims16
A drive unit of a top drive system comprising:
- a drive stem having a plurality of ports from an exterior thereof to an interior thereof;
- a plurality of sliding coupling members disposed in the ports;
- a coupling collar encircling the drive stem along a shared central axis and having linear actuation surfaces and annular recessed surfaces on an interior thereof, wherein the annular recessed surfaces align with the ports when the coupling collar is in a first position, and the linear actuation surfaces align with the ports when the coupling collar is in a second position;
- and
- a tool stem having coupling recesses sized and distributed to align with the plurality of ports and engageable with the sliding coupling members, wherein engagement of the sliding coupling members with the coupling recesses provides a torque coupling between the drive stem and the tool stem;
- spring elements disposed between sliding coupling members and the collar to force the sliding members towards the central axis;
- and
- actuators symmetrically distributed about the drive stem to move the coupling collar relative to the drive stem along the axis.
5 more elements
A drive unit of a top drive system comprising:
- a drive stem having an internal recess;
- a plurality of ports in the drive stem connected to the internal recess;
- a plurality of sliding coupling members movable between a retracted position and an extended position in the ports;
- a vector transmission unit operationally coupled to the sliding coupling members to move the sliding coupling members between the retracted position and the extended position;
- a tool stem, wherein the tool stem has a polygonal head which is configured to engage a mating polygonal recess within the internal recess of the drive stem, and
- wherein engagement between the polygonal head and the polygonal recess provides a torque coupling between the drive stem and the tool stem;
- and
- wherein the vector transmission unit includes one or more actuators coupled to one or more transmission members, wherein each transmission member includes an angled rod engaged with a respective sliding coupling member such that linear force produced by each actuator in a first vertical direction is converted to linear force in a second horizontal direction.
5 more elements
A top drive system comprising:
- a drive unit comprising:
- a drive stem;
- and
- first portions of a hydraulic coupling unit;
- and
- a tool adapter comprising:
- a tool stem;
- and
- second portions of the hydraulic coupling unit,
- wherein a plurality of sliding coupling members are disposed on one of the drive stem and the tool stem,
- wherein a plurality of coupling recesses are disposed on the other of the drive stem and the tool stem,
- wherein the hydraulic coupling unit generates a hydraulic impulse in response to coupling of the drive unit to the tool adapter,
- wherein the hydraulic impulse causes the sliding coupling members to move from a retracted position to an extended position, thereby engaging the coupling recesses and providing an axial load coupling between the drive stem and the tool stem;
- and
- wherein the first portions of the hydraulic coupling unit comprise a plunger;
- and
- the second portions of the hydraulic coupling unit comprise a cylinder, an upper reservoir, a middle reservoir, a lower reservoir, a valve between the upper reservoir and the middle reservoir, and a lower cylinder in the lower reservoir.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.