Safety Coupling Reset via Pressure Cavity Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety couplings for rock drills lack efficient mechanisms to reset and utilize the maximum arcuate distance for each operating cycle, leading to burdensome reactivation processes, especially when the drilling station is inaccessible, and they fail to provide a clear visual inspection of relative movement between coupling members.
Innovation Solution
A safety coupling with a cylindrical or conically oriented cavity that expands under medium pressure, allowing a limited relative movement between coaxially oriented coupling members, and a safety mechanism that actuates to an inactive position by evacuating pressure, enabling the coupling unit to reset to its active position for subsequent cycles, with a valve assembly that can be opened instantaneously or through a cutting operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the safety coupling uses a traditional safety mechanism without pressure cavity expansion, then the structure is simpler, but the resetting process is burdensome and cannot be easily performed in inaccessible locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pressure cavity (8) that can be expanded using pneumatic or hydraulic pressure to automatically reset the safety mechanism. When the cavity expands, it moves the safety arrangement (3b) back to its initial active position, enabling easy resetting without manual intervention even in inaccessible drilling locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety coupling is designed to reset itself automatically through the pressure cavity expansion mechanism. The system uses the existing pressure medium already present in the drilling equipment to drive the cavity expansion, eliminating the need for external resetting operations or additional power sources.
2Productivity
If the safety coupling allows maximum arcuate distance for each operating cycle, then the productivity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for precise movement control
Solution Approach 1:
The safety coupling incorporates a dynamic arcuate groove (40a1-40a4) that allows the coupling members to move through a controlled arcuate distance during each operating cycle. The groove's geometry is designed to permit maximum movement when needed while automatically limiting the distance to prevent excessive displacement, providing adaptive control without complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The arcuate groove is pre-configured in the safety arrangement to define the maximum allowable arcuate distance before the safety mechanism activates. This preliminary geometric constraint ensures that the coupling members can utilize the full permitted range of motion for productivity while automatically preventing over-travel, eliminating the need for active control systems.
3Measurement precision
If the safety mechanism provides clear visual inspection of relative movement, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional inspection components
Solution Approach 1:
The safety arrangement incorporates visual indicators that change position or appearance based on the relative movement between coupling members. The arcuate groove and associated components provide visible references that allow operators to directly observe and measure the extent of movement during operation, achieving precise measurement without complex electronic or optical inspection systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design allows for efficient resetting of the safety coupling to its active position after each cycle, maximizing arcuate distance utilization and simplifying reactivation, even in inaccessible locations, while providing a means to visually inspect relative movement.
Implementation Method 1
comprises a cylindrical or conically oriented cavity (8) that expands under medium pressure
Implementation Method 2
a safety mechanism that actuates to an inactive position by evacuating pressure
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~7
Figure 8~14
AI summary
The present invention comprises a safety mechanism (2, 3, 3a, 3b), which is related to and/or integrally formed with a safety coupling (1 ), wherein the safety coupling, with a related safety mechanism (3a) actuatable toward and into an initial active retaining position or toward and into a final inactive releasing position, is adapted, upon rotary motion, to allow for the transmission of torque between a first, driving coupling member (10) and a second, driven coupling member (20) and wherein said actuatable safety mechanism is adapted to be actuatable in a displacement from an initial active position, via a number of intermediate positions, to a final inactive position. The invention provides for the existence of a guided safety mechanism allocated to the safety coupling with means (40, 45), adapted, during a final operating cycle of the safety coupling, to allow the safety mechanism to be displaced in a direction toward and into the initial active position, and from there to again allow a limiting relative movement between the first and the second coupling members, during each subsequent operative cycle.