Mobile plant for lowering a tool into a hole
AssigneeKinetic Logging Services Pty Ltd
InventorsPeter John Bloomfield, Pierre Pouchol, Brenton Armitage
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile plant for orienting a tool with respect to a hole is provided. The plant includes an arm assembly for supporting a tool wherein the tool is adapted to be lowered into the hole. The plant also includes a primary sensor for sensing the geographical location of the tool, and a secondary sensor for sensing the location and/or orientation of the hole. In use, the plant adjusts the position of the tool supported by the arm assembly based on the geographical location sensed by the primary sensor and the location and/or orientation sensed by the secondary sensor, in order to align the tool supported by the arm assembly with the hole.
Claims18
A mobile plant for orienting a tool with respect to a hole, the plant comprising:
- an arm assembly for supporting a tool, the tool being adapted to be lowered into the hole;
- at least one primary sensor for sensing the geographical location of the tool;
- and
- at least one secondary sensor for sensing the location and/or orientation of the hole;
- wherein the plant is adapted to adjust the position of the tool supported by the arm assembly based on the geographical location sensed by the at least one primary sensor and the location and/or orientation sensed by the at least one secondary sensor, to thereby align the tool supported by the arm assembly with the hole, wherein the arm assembly positions the tool with at least three degrees of freedom.
A mobile plant for orientating a tool with respect to a hole, such as a blast hole, the plant comprising:
- an arm assembly for supporting and guiding a cable therealong wherein a tool can be releasably fixed to an end of the cable, the tool being adapted to be lowered into the hole, the arm assembly comprises a first boom arm portion, a second boom arm portion, and a slew assembly connecting the first boom arm portion and the second boom arm portion such that the cable passes through the slew assembly, the slew assembly enables movement of the first boom arm portion relative to the second boom arm portion about a plurality of axes, the slew assembly compensates for changes in the orientation of the boom arm to ensure the cable is supported along the length of the arm assembly, wherein the slew assembly rotates relative to the cable such that the cable is able to travel therethrough irrelevant of the orientation of the boom arm assembly, wherein the arm assembly positions the tool with six degrees of freedom;
- a primary alignment means for positioning the plant relative to the hole;
- a secondary alignment means for positioning the tool with respect to the hole, the secondary alignment means adjusts the arm assembly such that the tool supported by the arm assembly is caused to align with the hole opening, the secondary alignment means causes the tool to be placed vertical or at a desired angle to the vertical;
- at least one primary sensor for sensing the geographical location of the tool;
- and
- at least one secondary sensor for sensing the location and/or orientation of the hole;
- whereupon alignment with the hole the arm assembly lowers the tool into the hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.