Underground boring machine employing navigation sensor and adjustable steering

• US 20030111268A1
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Alft, Kevin L., Kelpe, Hans, Draper, Gregory W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,719,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/73
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/005 Below-ground automatic control systems
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/022 of the borehole, e.g. using geomagnetism
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/046 horizontal drilling drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/28 Enlarging drilled holes, e.g. by counterboring

Abstract

An excavation system includes a cutting tool coupled to a drill pipe, an adjustable steering mechanism provided on or in the cutting tool, and a driving apparatus coupled to the drill pipe for moving the cutting tool along an underground path. The system further includes a navigation sensor system and a controller. The controller produces a control signal to adjust one or both of the steering mechanism and the driving apparatus for directing the cutting tool along the underground path in accordance with one or both of position information and orientation information produced by the navigation sensor system.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an underground boring tool, comprising:

a boring tool coupled to a drill pipe;

a driving apparatus coupled to the drill pipe for driving the boring tool along an underground path;

a navigation sensor unit provided in or proximate the boring tool, the navigation sensor unit comprising one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a magnetometer, the navigation sensor unit producing telemetry data; and

a closed-loop control system comprising a controller communicatively coupled to the driving apparatus and the navigation sensor unit, the controller receiving the telemetry data from the navigation sensor unit substantially in real-time and transmitting control signals to the driving apparatus substantially in real-time to control one or both of a rate and a direction of boring tool movement along the underground path in response to the received telemetry data.

2. An excavation system, comprising:

a cutting tool coupled to a drill pipe;

an adjustable steering mechanism provided on or in the cutting tool;

a driving apparatus coupled to the drill pipe for moving the cutting tool along an underground path;

a navigation sensor system; and

a controller, the controller producing a control signal to adjust the steering mechanism for directing the cutting tool along the underground path in accordance with one or both of position information and orientation information produced by the navigation sensor system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises at least one gyroscope.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises at least one accelerometer.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises at least one magnetometer.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the cutting tool comprises a boring tool.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the cutting tool comprises a reamer.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a processor disposed in the cutting tool, the processor producing the control signal.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a processor provided at the driving apparatus, the processor producing the control signal.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the cutting tool and a second processor provided at the driving apparatus, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

11. The system of claim 2, further comprising an above-ground tracker.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the above-ground tracker and a second processor provided at the driving apparatus or in the cutting tool, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises a transmitter provided at the cutting tool.

14. An excavation system, comprising:

a cutting tool coupled to a drill pipe;

an adjustable steering mechanism provided on or in the cutting tool;

a driving apparatus coupled to the drill pipe for moving the cutting tool along an underground path;

a navigation sensor system comprising an above-ground receiver, and a transmitter and gyroscope respectively provided in the cutting tool, the navigation sensor system generating a position signal and an orientation signal; and

a controller, the controller producing a control signal to control the driving apparatus in response to one or both of position information and orientation information produced by the navigation sensor system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a processor disposed in the cutting tool, the processor producing the control signal.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a processor provided at the driving apparatus, the processor producing the control signal.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the cutting tool and a second processor provided at the driving apparatus, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the cutting tool and a second processor provided at the driving apparatus, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the cutting tool and a second processor provided at the above-ground receiver, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the cutting tool, a second processor provided at the above-ground receiver, and a third processor provided at the driving apparatus, the first, second or third processor producing the control signal.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the cutting tool comprises a boring tool.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein the cutting tool comprises a reamer.

23. An excavation system, comprising:

a cutting tool coupled to a drill pipe;

an adjustable steering mechanism provided on or in the cutting tool;

a driving apparatus coupled to the drill pipe for moving the cutting tool along an underground path;

a navigation sensor system; and

a controller, the controller producing a control signal to adjust the driving apparatus for directing the cutting tool along the underground path in accordance with one or both of position information and orientation information produced by the navigation sensor system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises at least one gyroscope.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises at least one accelerometer.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises at least one magnetometer.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the cutting tool comprises a boring tool.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the cutting tool comprises a reamer.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller comprises a processor disposed in the cutting tool, the processor producing the control signal.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller comprises a processor provided at the driving apparatus, the processor producing the control signal.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the cutting tool and a second processor provided at the driving apparatus, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

32. The system of claim 23, further comprising an above-ground tracker.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the controller comprises a first processor disposed in the above-ground tracker and a second processor provided at the driving apparatus or in the cutting tool, the first or second processor producing the control signal.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the navigation sensor system comprises a transmitter provided at the cutting tool.