Nozzle mount for soft excavation
AssigneeVermeer Manufacturing Company
InventorsDennis J. Sullivan, Scott Alan Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An excavation wand including a vacuum tube is disclosed herein. The vacuum tube includes a side wall defining at least one air relief opening adjacent a distal end of the vacuum tube. The excavation wand also includes at least one nozzle for directing excavation fluid through the air relief opening.
Claims19
An excavation wand comprising:
- a vacuum tube having distal and proximal ends, the vacuum tube defining a central evacuation passage, the distal end of the vacuum tube being open and in fluid communication with the central evacuation passage, and the side wall of the vacuum tube defining at least one air relief opening positioned adjacent the distal end of the vacuum tube;
- at least one nozzle mounted near the distal end of the vacuum tube;
- at least one conduit for providing pressurized fluid to the at least one nozzle;
- and
- wherein the nozzle is positioned to direct fluid through the air relief opening.
An soft excavation system comprising:
- a vacuum system;
- a fluid pressure system;
- a vacuum tube to which the vacuum system applies negative pressure, the vacuum tube including a tube wall defining a central evacuation passage, the vacuum tube having a lowermost end that is enlarged and at least partially open for allowing excavated material to be drawn into the central evacuation passage, and the tube wall defining at least one air relief opening located at least partially above the lowermost end for allowing excavated material to be drawn into the central evacuation passage;
- at least one nozzle mounted near the lowermost end of the vacuum tube;
- at least one conduit for conveying pressurized fluid from the fluid pressure system to the at least one nozzle;
- a flow control valve for controlling the fluid flow provided from the fluid pressure system to the at least one nozzle;
- and
- wherein the nozzle is positioned to direct fluid through the air relief opening.
A nozzle mount assembly for use in soft excavation, the assembly comprising:
- a vacuum tube having proximal and distal ends, the vacuum tube defining an air relief slot near its distal end;
- a nozzle port defined by the vacuum tube adjacent the air relief slot;
- and
- wherein the nozzle port is positioned to orient a cooperating nozzle such that at least some portion of the fluid ejected from said nozzle will be directed through said air relief slot.
A method of excavating with an excavation device including a vacuum tube, the vacuum tube including a side opening and a bottom opening, the method comprising:
- directing pressurized fluid outwardly from the vacuum tube through the bottom opening to excavate material from beneath the vacuum tube;
- and
- directing pressurized fluid outwardly from the vacuum tube through the side opening to excavate material from along side the vacuum tube.
An excavation wand comprising:
- a vacuum tube having distal and proximal ends, the vacuum tube defining a central evacuation passage, the distal end of the vacuum tube being open and in fluid communication with the central evacuation passage;
- at least one nozzle mounted near the distal end of the vacuum tube;
- at least one conduit for providing pressurized fluid to the at least one nozzle;
- and
- a mechanical device inside the vacuum tube for breaking larger material that is drawn into the vacuum tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.