Pipe Deployment Trailer With Rotating Lifting Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for loading and unloading coils of flexible pipe require significant manual labor and additional equipment, especially for large and heavy coils, which complicates transportation and deployment in harsh environments like the oil and gas industry.
Innovation Solution
A trailer system with a pivotally mounted bed and a lifting head that can adjust along a longitudinal axis, allowing the trailer bed to transition from a horizontal to a vertical orientation, enabling the coil to be loaded and unloaded with minimal manual effort and supporting heavy coils through adjustable arms that fit within the coil's interior channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional methods are used to load and unload coils of pipe, then manual labor and additional equipment are required, but this increases device complexity and operational difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the loading head, turntable, and coil support structure into an integrated assembly that rotates with the coil during deployment. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate loading equipment and manual handling operations, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The loading head is designed to self-position and self-align with the coil's interior channel through the rotation mechanism. The system performs its own loading function without requiring external equipment or significant manual intervention, improving ease of operation while avoiding additional device complexity
2Weight of moving object
If heavy coils of pipe are transported, then transportation capability is improved, but manual handling becomes more difficult and dangerous
Solution Approach 1:
The loading head acts as an intermediary mechanism between the trailer and the heavy coil. It provides a mechanical interface that distributes the weight and enables controlled manipulation of the coil during loading and deployment, making heavy coils easier and safer to handle
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces rotational movement as a new dimension of operation. By allowing the loading head and coil to rotate together during deployment, the system transforms the traditional linear lifting and lowering operation into a rotational process that naturally manages the weight and distribution of heavy coils
3Adaptability or versatility
If the trailer bed is fixed in horizontal orientation, then structural simplicity is maintained, but adaptability for different loading orientations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer bed is transformed from a static horizontal structure to a dynamic system that can rotate vertically. This dynamic capability allows the bed to adapt to different loading orientations (horizontal for loading, vertical for deployment) while the turntable mechanism provides the rotational freedom needed for versatility
4Manufacturing precision
If the lifting head position is fixed, then structural simplicity is maintained, but precision in aligning with the coil's interior channel is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting head is made adjustable along the longitudinal axis of the trailer bed, transforming it from a fixed component to a dynamic one. This adjustability enables precise alignment with the coil's interior channel by allowing the lifting head to be positioned at different locations, achieving high precision without requiring an overly complex mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a trailer base, a trailer bed mounted to the trailer base, a turntable disposed on the trailer bed, and a lifting head protruding in an outwardly direction from the trailer bed and the trailer base when the lifting head is in a first orientation. A position of the lifting head is adjustable along a longitudinal axis of the trailer bed. The system also includes an actuator coupled to the trailer base. The lifting head is raised to a second orientation by the actuator when the actuator is in an actuated state, and the lifting head is in the first orientation when the actuator is in a non-actuated state.