ODOMETER

• US 3,769,711 A
• Filed: 09/24/1971
• Issued: 11/06/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John P. Kersey, Norman E. Flournoy
• Original Assignee: John P. Kersey, Norman E. Flournoy
• Inventors: Flournoy, Norman E., Kersey, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prince, Louis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Application Number:
  US05/183,499
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 33/141G,141R,141B,141E 73/4.5R,49.1,49.5 48/193
• US Class Current: 33/777
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/36 Other devices for indicating or controlling movements of carriers, e.g. for supervising individual tube sections, for counting carriers, for reporting jams or other operating difficulties
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/02 by conversion into electric waveforms and subsequent integration, e.g. using tachometer generator G01C22/002, G01C22/004, G01C22/006 take precedence

Abstract

An odometer for pipeline pig tracking. It has a wheel with sharp pointed teeth of hard material, and an arrangement for applying enough force on the wheel to press the teeth into the pipeline walls.

Claims

1. In internal pipeline surveying, a combination comprising a vehicle having an axis and being adapted for being transported through a pipeline coaxially therewith by pressure of fluid flow through the line, said vehicle having a trailing end, an odometer wheel for highly accurate linear distance tracking of said vehicle through said pipeline, said wheel comprising a pair of thin steel disks each having a plurality of hardened-steel teeth around the periphery thereof with said teeth on each disk staggered circumferentially relative to the other disk to double the number of teeth effective in maintaining no-slip contact with the walls of said pipeline, means located axially of and on said trailing end of the vehicle for mounting said wheel;

and spring means for biasing said wheel radially outward relative to said axis to press said wheel teeth into contact with a first wall of said pipeline with sufficient force to cause at least some plastic deformation of the material of said walls.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein said axially located mounting means comprises a universal swivel joint having a bifurcated arm attached thereto for supporting said odometer wheel, and wherein said spring means comprises an idler wheel, means for mounting said idler wheel pivotally about the axis of said odometer wheel, and a spring for biasing said idler-wheel mounting means so as to bias said idler wheel relative to said bifurcated arm into engagement with a wall of said pipeline opposite said first wall in order to hold said odometer wheel in contact with said first wall of the pipeline.

3. The invention according to claim 2, wherein said biasing spring is adjustable to set the biasing force at different levels.