An engagement mechanism for a mono-coupling

Abstract

The present invention provides an engagement mechanism 1 which is arranged to receive and house two halves 11, 23 of a coupling, to form an ROV mono-coupling. A flying part 3 of the mechanism is arran

Claims

1. An engagement mechanism for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) monocoupling, which engagement mechanism is arranged to be operated by an ROV and to receive and house two halves of a coupling, to form an ROV mono-coupling, the engagement mechanism comprising:a fixed part arranged to be connected to a fixed structure and to house a first half of the coupling; anda flying part, arranged to be connected to a hose, tube or pipe and to house a second half of the coupling, wherein:the fixed part of the engagement mechanism comprises a port in which the flying part may be docked;the flying part of the engagement mechanism comprises a rotatable handle to be rotated by an ROV;the flying part of the engagement mechanism comprises a threaded member rotated by the rotatable handle; andwherein, once the flying part of the engagement mechanism has been docked in the port of the fixed part, rotation of the rotatable handle by the ROV in a first direction causes the threaded member to first lock the flying part in the fixed part, with continued rotation of the threaded member in the first direction subsequently causing a second half of the coupling housed in the flying part of the engagement mechanism to establish a connection with the first half of a coupling housed in the fixed part of the engagement mechanism.

2. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the flying part is arranged to be inserted axially into the port to a predetermined position, prior to the rotatable handle being rotated by the ROV to lock the flying part in the fixed part.

3. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 2 comprising a visual indicator to indicate when the flying part has been inserted into the fixed part to the predetermined position.4 An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 2 or 3 wherein the flying part comprises a main body having an engagement surface arranged to contact an engagement surface of a main body of the fixed part, to form a stop and limit insertion of the main body of the flying part into the main body of the fixed part.

5. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the main body of the of the flying part is prevented from rotating in the main body of the fixed part.

6. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the flying part further comprises a carrier for the second half of the coupling, the carrier being threaded onto the threaded shaft, which carrier can move axially forward on the shaft as the shaft is rotated in a first axial direction and backwards on the shaft as the shaft is rotated in a second axial direction opposite to the first direction, wherein rotation of the handle in the first direction causes the carrier to move forward urging a locking device in the main body of the flying part to be displaced radially outward from the main body of the flying part to engage with the main body of the fixed part, to lock the two parts together in the axial direction, prior to continued rotation of the handle and continued forward movement of the carrier pushing the second half of the coupling into engagement with the first half of the coupling.

7. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the flying part comprises a mounting for the second half of the coupler, which mounting is secured to the carrier and is interchangeable depending on the type of coupling housed in the engagement mechanism.

8. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the fixed part comprises a mounting for the first half of the coupler, which is interchangeable depending on the type of coupling housed in the engagement mechanism.

9. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 wherein the mounting for the second half of the coupler comprises an engagement surfacearranged to contact an engagement surface of the main body of the fixed part, to form a second stop that limits further forward travel of the mounting for the second half of the coupler.

10. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 9 comprising a visual indicator to indicate when the mounting for the second half of the coupler has reached the second stop.

11. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 7, 8, 9 or 10 further comprising a resilient nose cone on the front of the mounting for the second half of the coupler, which nose cone surrounds a second half of the coupler.

12. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any proceeding claim for use in connecting a subsea hose, tube or pipe to a fixed structure on the seabed.

13. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein: the locking device comprises one or more dogs which may extend through apertures in a main body of the flying part to engage with the fixed part; as the carrier first moves axially forward, the one or more cammed surfaces act to push the one or more dogs radially outward so that they extend through the apertures in the main body and engage with the fixed part; and the one or more dogs are retained in the extended radially outward position by a surface or surfaces of the carrier during the continued forward movement of the carrier.

14. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim wherein, once a connection has been established between two halves of a coupling, subsequent rotation of the rotatable handle by an ROV in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, causes the second half the coupling, housed in the flying part, to withdraw from the first part of the coupling, housed in the fixed part of the engagement mechanism, and to subsequently cause the threaded member to unlock the flying part from the fixed part to permit the flying part to be axially withdrawn from the fixed part.

15. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising biasing means which acts to retain the flying part of the engagement mechanism docked in the port of the fixed part, prior to the flying part being locked in the fixed part.

16. An ROV mono-coupling comprising an engagement mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 15 and a coupling, wherein the second half of the coupling, housed in the flying part of the engagement mechanism, has a connector for a hose, tube or pipe, which connector extends in a direction having a radial component out of a hole or slot in a main body of the flying part and wherein a main body of the fixed part has an open ended slot extending axially to a distal end of the main body, which slot is arranged to receive the connector as the flying part is received into the fixed part.

17. An ROV mono-coupling comprising an engagement mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 15 and a coupling for a high pressure pneumatic or hydraulic line, the coupling comprising a female half and a male half arranged to be pushed into sealing engagement with each other by the engagement mechanism and wherein each half of the coupling has a passage which when mounted in the engagement mechanism extends in an axial direction, each passage comprising an axially aligned poppet valve for sealing with a respective seat in each passage, each poppet valve being urged against its seat by a respective spring and having a nose portion extending towards or out of the open end of each half of the coupling, which nose portions are arranged to engage with each other and open the poppet valves as the two halves of the coupling are pushed together.Amendments to the claims have been made as follows..Claims1. An engagement mechanism for a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) monocoupling, which engagement mechanism is arranged to be operated by an ROV and to receive and house two halves of a coupling, to form an ROV mono-coupling, the engagement mechanism comprising:a fixed part arranged to be connected to a fixed structure and to house a first half of the coupling; anda flying part, arranged to be connected to a hose, tube or pipe and to house a second half of the coupling, wherein:the fixed part of the engagement mechanism comprises a port in which the flying part may be docked in an axial direction;the flying part of the engagement mechanism comprises a rotatable handle to be rotated by an ROV;the flying part of the engagement mechanism comprises a threaded member rotated by the rotatable handle; andwherein, once the flying part of the engagement mechanism has been docked in the port of the fixed part, rotation of the rotatable handle by the ROV in a first direction causes the threaded member to first lock the flying part axially in the fixed part, with continued rotation of the threaded member in the first direction subsequently causing a second half of the coupling housed in the flying part of the engagement mechanism to establish a connection with the first half of a coupling housed in the fixed part of the engagement mechanism.

2. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the flying part is arranged to be inserted axially into the port to a predetermined position, prior to the rotatable handle being rotated by the ROV to lock the flying part in the fixed part.

3. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 2 comprising a visual indicator to indicate when the flying part has been inserted into the fixed part to the predetermined position.4 An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 2 or 3 wherein the flying part comprises a main body having an engagement surface arranged to contact an engagement surface of a main body of the fixed part, to form a stop and limit5 insertion of the main body of the flying part into the main body of the fixed part.

5. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the main body of the of the flying part is prevented from rotating in the main body of the fixed part.10 6. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the flying partfurther comprises a carrier for the second half of the coupling, the carrier being threaded onto the threaded shaft, which carrier can move axially forward on the shaft as the shaft is rotated in a first axial direction and backwards on the shaft as the shaft is rotated in a second axial direction opposite to the first direction, wherein C\| 15 rotation of the handle in the first direction causes the carrier to move forward urginga locking device in the main body of the flying part to be displaced radially outward from the main body of the flying part to engage with the main body of the fixed part, to lock the two parts together in the axial direction, prior to continued rotation of the handle and continued forward movement of the carrier pushing the second half of20 the coupling into engagement with the first half of the coupling.

7. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the flying part comprises a mounting for the second half of the coupler, which mounting is secured to the carrier and is interchangeable depending on the type of coupling25 housed in the engagement mechanism.

8. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the fixed part comprises a mounting for the first half of the coupler, which is interchangeable depending on the type of coupling housed in the engagement mechanism.

309. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 wherein the mounting for the second half of the coupler comprises an engagement surfacearranged to contact an engagement surface of the main body of the fixed part, to form a second stop that limits further forward travel of the mounting for the second half of the coupler.5 10. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 9 comprising a visualindicator to indicate when the mounting for the second half of the coupler has reached the second stop.

11. An engagement mechanism as claimed in Claim 7, 8, 9 or 10 further10 comprising a resilient nose cone on the front of the mounting for the second half of the coupler, which nose cone surrounds a second half of the coupler.

12. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any proceeding claim for use in connecting a subsea hose, tube or pipe to a fixed structure on the seabed.C\J 1513. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein: the locking device comprises one or more dogs which may extend through apertures in a main body of the flying part to engage with the fixed part; as the carrier first moves axially forward, the one or more cammed surfaces act to20 push the one or more dogs radially outward so that they extend through the apertures in the main body and engage with the fixed part; and the one or more dogs are retained in the extended radially outward position by a surface or surfaces of the carrier during the continued forward movement of the carrier.25 14. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim wherein,once a connection has been established between two halves of a coupling, subsequent rotation of the rotatable handle by an ROV in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, causes the second half the coupling, housed in the flying part, to withdraw from the first part of the coupling, housed in the fixed part of30 the engagement mechanism, and to subsequently cause the threaded member to unlock the flying part from the fixed part to permit the flying part to be axially withdrawn from the fixed part.

15. An engagement mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising biasing means which acts to retain the flying part of the engagement mechanism docked in the port of the fixed part, prior to the flying part being locked in the fixed part.

16. An ROV mono-coupling comprising an engagement mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 15 and a coupling, wherein the second half of the coupling, housed in the flying part of the engagement mechanism, has a connector for a hose, tube or pipe, which connector extends in a direction having a radial component out of a hole or slot in a main body of the flying part and wherein a main body of the fixed part has an open ended slot extending axially to a distal end of the main body, which slot is arranged to receive the connector as the flying part is received into the fixed part.

17. An ROV mono-coupling comprising an engagement mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 15 and a coupling for a high pressure pneumatic or hydraulic line, the coupling comprising a female half and a male half arranged to be pushed into sealing engagement with each other by the engagement mechanism and wherein each half of the coupling has a passage which when mounted in the engagement mechanism extends in an axial direction, each passage comprising an axially aligned poppet valve for sealing with a respective seat in each passage, each poppet valve being urged against its seat by a respective spring and having a nose portion extending towards or out of the open end of each half of the coupling, which nose portions are arranged to engage with each other and open the poppet valves as the two halves of the coupling are pushed together.

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