STEERING HEAD

• US 20100276203A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vermeer Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: McLaughlin Group, Inc. (Vermeer Corporation)
• Inventors: MALCOLM, WILLIAM
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/76
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/046 horizontal drilling drilling with mechanical conveying means E21B7/003
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/062 the tool shaft rotating inside a non-rotating guide travelling with the shaft E21B7/067 and E21B7/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/201 with helical conveying means

Abstract

A steering head for use with an auger and a casing engaged to the auger, the steering head comprising: a generally cylindrical body having a first body end and a second body end mountable to the casing, a bore channel concentrically received in the body, a front lip, a rear lip, a body surface, and a lead edge; an outer tube having an internal side covering the body surface and an opposing external side; a steering flap disposed on the external side of the outer tube having a first flap face and a second flap face, a distal end, and a hinge end, the steering flap disposable in a retracted position and an extended position; a biased hinge operative to retract the steering flap into the retracted position; and a powered actuator operative to extend the first flap face into the extended position.

Claims

1. A steering head for use with an auger machine and a casing engageable to the auger machine for boring through soil, the steering head comprising:

a generally cylindrical body defining a longitudinal body axis, the body having a first body end and an opposing second body end, the second body end being mountable to the casing, the body further having a bore channel with a channel surface concentrically received in the body, a front lip radially extending from the bore channel proximate to the first body end, a rear lip radially extending from the bore channel proximate to the second body end, a body surface enveloping the body from the front lip to the rear lip, the body further having a lead edge radially extending from the front lip at the first body end, the lead edge having a first soil face and an opposing lead face;

an outer tube having an internal side and an opposing external side, the internal side generally facing and operative to cover the body surface and the lead face from the first body end to the second body end;

a steering flap disposed on the external side of the outer tube defining a longitudinal flap axis and a generally lateral flap axis disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal flap axis, the steering flap having a first flap face and an opposing second flap face, the first flap face disposable facing toward and generally parallel to the body surface in a retracted position, the first flap face disposable radially away from the body surface in an extended position, the steering flap further having a distal end and a hinge end, the hinge end generally disposed between the distal end and the lead edge, the hinge end being mountable to the outer tube by a biased hinge operative to retract the steering flap into the retracted position; and

a powered actuator mountable to the first flap face and the body surface, the powered actuator when activated operative to extend the first flap face into the extended position.

2. The steering head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is made of metal.

3. The steering head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lead edge is made of metal.

4. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes a stiffening ring concentrically extending from the front lip proximate to the lead edge, the stiffening ring having a second soil face facing toward the longitudinal body axis and an opposing ring face covered by the outer tube facing away from the longitudinal body axis between the body surface and the lead face.

5. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes a rear edge concentrically extending from the rear lip and mountable to the casing, the rear edge having a casing face facing toward the longitudinal body axis and an opposing rear face facing away from the longitudinal body axis, the rear face covered by the outer tube.

6. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes a plurality of steering flaps disposed on the external side of the outer tube, each steering flap defining a longitudinal flap axis and a generally lateral flap axis disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal flap axis, each steering flap having a first flap face and an opposing second flap face, each first flap face disposable facing toward and generally parallel to the body surface in a retracted position, each first flap face disposable radially away from the body surface in an extended position, each steering flap further having a distal end and an opposing hinge end, each hinge end generally disposed between the distal end and the lead edge, each hinge end being mountable to the outer tube by a biased hinge operative to retract the steering flap into the retracted position.

7. The steering head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biased hinge is spring-loaded.

8. The steering head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biased hinge is made of a spring steel.

9. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes a plurality of biased hinges on the hinge end of the steering flap.

10. The steering head as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of powered actuators are mounted to the first flap face of the steering flap.

11. The steering head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the powered actuator is a hydraulic air actuator or hydraulic electric actuator mountable to the first flap face.

12. The steering head as claimed in claim 6 further includes a plurality of powered actuators, each steering flap having a powered actuator mountable to each first flap face.

13. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes an altitude sensor disposed on the outer tube proximate to the second body end, the altitude sensor operative to measure the position of the steering head along a vertical soil axis in the soil.

14. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes a first positional sensor on the rear lip proximate to the second body end, the first positional sensor operative to measure the position of the steering head along a horizontal soil axis in the soil.

15. The steering head as claimed in claim 14 further includes a second positional sensor adjacent to the first positional sensor.

16. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes a rear hatch on the outer tube proximate to the second body end, the rear hatch operative to cover at least one power and/or communication line from an external control system to the steering head.

17. The steering head as claimed in claim 16 further includes a top box on the outer tube extending from the rear hatch toward the first body end.

18. The steering head as claimed in claim 17 further includes a multifunctional sensor covered by the top box operative to measure the depth, position, pitch, and roll of the steering head in the soil.

19. The steering head as claimed in claim 1 further includes one or more shields laterally positioned on the first flap face of the steering flap adjacent to the outer tube, the shields operative to prevent soil from entering beneath the steering flap in the extended position and to provide support to the steering flap.

20. The steering head as claimed in claim 19 further includes a center rib disposed proximate to the shields operative to provide additional support to the steering flap.