System and method for automated pipe measurement and alignment
AssigneeTri Tool Inc.
InventorsJustin Peter TRIPP, Anthony Ray LEMASTER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of aligning a portable machining system to a pipe end portion includes automatically moving a measurement sensor mounted to the portable machining system about the pipe end portion in a first measurement plane to generate a first set of measurement data. The method includes translating the measurement sensor from the first measurement plane to a second measurement plane. The method includes automatically moving the measurement sensor about the pipe end portion in the second measurement plane to generate a second set of measurement data and processing the first and second sets of measurement data with a processing module to determine a center and an axis of the pipe end portion.
Claims20
A method of aligning a portable machining system to a pipe end portion comprising:
- automatically moving a measurement sensor mounted to the portable machining system about a pipe end portion in a first measurement plane to generate a first set of measurement data associated with the pipe end portion;
- translating the measurement sensor relative to a length of the pipe end portion from the first measurement plane to a second measurement plane;
- automatically moving the measurement sensor about the pipe end portion in the second measurement plane to generate a second set of measurement data associated with the pipe end portion;
- and
- processing the first set of measurement data and the second set of measurement data with a processing module to determine a center and an axis of the pipe end portion.
A portable machining system comprising:
- a base portion;
- a spindle movable relative to the base portion, the spindle including a spindle face and being rotatable about an axis of the spindle;
- at least one measurement sensor attached to the spindle face, the at least one measurement sensor arranged to measure the profile of a pipe end portion in two or more different measurement planes;
- a control system operably connected to the spindle and the at least one measurement sensor, the control system operable to control the operation and movement of the spindle and the at least one measurement sensor, the control system being arranged to receive and process measurement data generated by the at least one measurement sensor to determine a center and an axis of the pipe end portion.
A method of aligning a portable machining system to a pipe end portion comprising:
- automatically moving a measurement sensor mounted to a spindle of the portable machining system about a pipe end portion in a first measurement plane to generate a first set of measurement data associated with the pipe end portion;
- translating the measurement sensor relative to a length of the pipe end portion from the first measurement plane to a second measurement plane;
- automatically moving the measurement sensor about the pipe end portion in the second measurement plane to generate a second set of measurement data associated with the pipe end portion;
- processing the first set of measurement data and the second set of measurement data with a processing module associated with the machining system to determine a center and an axis of the pipe end portion;
- and
- automatically aligning the spindle to the pipe end portion based on the determined center and axis of the pipe end portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.