Virtual brake system
AssigneeThe Charles Machine Works, Inc.
InventorsJoseph G. Greenlee, Aleksander S. Wolfe, Jarred R. Callaway, Max A. Metcalf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A brake system for maintaining an angular position of a spindle assembly. A pump-powered motor drives rotation of a spindle on the machine. When no rotation is desired, the spindle will slow, then stop at a desired angular orientation. A rotational sensor will determine the clock position, and a controller compares that to a desired angular orientation. If an error tolerance is exceeded, the motor will rotate the spindle back to the desired orientation.
Claims20
A method for drilling with a horizontal directional drilling machine, the horizontal directional drilling machine comprising a drill frame, a carriage movable along the drill frame, a spindle carried by the carriage and coupled to a drill string, a rotation motor configured to rotate the spindle, a thrust motor configured to move the carriage along the drill frame, a spindle position sensor, a carriage position sensor, and a controller, the method comprising:
- rotating, with the rotation motor, the spindle to rotate the drill string;
- advancing, with the thrust motor, the carriage along the drill frame while rotating the spindle;
- selecting a desired rotational orientation of the spindle;
- placing the controller in a rotational virtual brake condition;
- while the controller is in the rotational virtual brake condition:
- advancing, with the thrust motor, the carriage along the drill frame while the spindle is not commanded to rotate continuously;
- monitoring, with the spindle position sensor, an actual rotational orientation of the spindle;
- and
- in response to the actual rotational orientation of the spindle deviating from the desired rotational orientation by more than a rotational tolerance, actuating the rotation motor to return the spindle toward the desired rotational orientation;
- thereafter, stopping advancement of the carriage;
- placing the controller in a carriage virtual brake condition;
- while the controller is in the carriage virtual brake condition:
- capturing, with the carriage position sensor, a desired carriage position of the carriage along the drill frame;
- monitoring, with the carriage position sensor, an actual carriage position of the carriage along the drill frame;
- and
- in response to the actual carriage position deviating from the desired carriage position by more than a carriage tolerance, actuating the thrust motor to return the carriage toward the desired carriage position.
A horizontal directional drilling machine, comprising:
- a drill frame;
- a carriage movable along the drill frame;
- a spindle carried by the carriage and configured to be coupled to a drill string;
- a rotation motor configured to rotate the spindle;
- a thrust motor configured to move the carriage along the drill frame;
- a spindle position sensor configured to detect an actual rotational orientation of the spindle;
- a carriage position sensor configured to detect an actual carriage position of the carriage along the drill frame;
- and
- a controller in communication with the rotation motor, the thrust motor, the spindle position sensor, and the carriage position sensor, wherein the controller is configured to:
- operate the horizontal directional drilling machine in a drilling condition in which the rotation motor rotates the spindle while the thrust motor advances the carriage along the drill frame;
- operate the horizontal directional drilling machine in a rotational virtual brake condition in which the thrust motor advances the carriage along the drill frame while the spindle is not commanded to rotate continuously;
- while in the rotational virtual brake condition, receive signals from the spindle position sensor indicative of the actual rotational orientation of the spindle;
- and
- in response to the actual rotational orientation of the spindle deviating from a desired rotational orientation by more than a rotational tolerance, actuate the rotation motor to return the spindle toward the desired rotational orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.