Remote docking apparatus
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsThomas H. Dent, Wayne C. Sumpman, John J. Wilhelm
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The remote docking apparatus comprises a support plate with locking devices mounted thereon. The locking devices are capable of being inserted into tubular members for suspending the support plate therefrom. A vertical member is attached to the support plate with an attachment mechanism attached to the vertical member. A remote access manipulator is capable of being attached to the attachment mechanism so that the vertical member can position the remote access manipulator so that the remote access manipulator can be initially attached to the tubular members in a well defined manner.
Claims5
Remote docking apparatus that remotely attaches a remote access manipulator to a tube sheet in a nuclear steam generator comprising:
- a support plate;
- a plurality of camlocks attached to said support plate, said camlocks being disposed in tubes of said tube sheet for substantially fixedly suspending said support plate from said tube sheet;
- an upper housing attached to said support plate;
- a lower housing vertically slidably disposed over said upper housing and being capable of limited horizontal rotational movement with respect to said upper housing;
- an attachment mechanism disposed on said lower housing, said attachment mechanism holding said remote access manipulator when said lower housing is moved vertically thereby attaching said remote access manipulator to said tube sheet and allowing said remote access manipulator to detach from said attachment mechanism and to traverse said tube sheet;
- drive means disposed in said upper housing and connected to said lower housing for vertically moving said lower housing with respect to said upper housing;
- and
- switch means mounted on said upper housing and on said lower housing for automatically controlling the vertical movement of said lower housing with respect to said upper housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.