Drill rod loader
US6283702A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 17, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 4, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 17, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE21B19/20
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
An automated drill road loader particularly suited for thin walled drill rods. The loader, generally affixed to a drill, includes an open frame sufficiently wide to accommodate and store drill rods. A clamp rod gripper and a swing gripper consisting of two pendulums are affixed to a side of the frame. A lift first raises a stored rod from the open frame. The rod is then grasped by the clamp rod gripper and the swing gripper to index the rod in a drill mast. By sequentially manipulating and translating the clamp rod gripper and the swing gripper, the rod is carefully held for threading. The drill rod may be establishing a new drill string or it may be inserted into an existing drill string.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.