Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
1
TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
Articulated Boom For Hydro-excavation Vehicle
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an articulated boom for
a hydro-excavation vehicle
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
F-iydro-excavation vehicles are used to excavate around
easily damaged buried infrastructure, such as utility lines.
Every hydro-excavation vehicle has an articulated boom which
is used to support and position a hydro-excavation hose. An
example of such a hydro-excavation boom is illustrated in
United States Patent 4,922,571 (Driear). The Driear reference
discloses a hydro-excavation boom which moves in an arcuate
path from a substantially vertical pivot axis on the vehicle.
There are some disadvantages inherent in hydro-excavation
booms such.as is illustrated in the Driear reference. The
hydro-excavation vehicle must be positioned within 3 to 5 feet
of the excavation. Sometimes the weight of the hydro
excavation vehicle causes a collapse of sidewalls of the
excavation. When this occurs there is a danger that the
utility lines will shift as the sidewalls collapse and become
damaged.
Slot trenching is a common form of hydro-excavation. This
process involves excavating a trench four to six inches wide
along the utility line. The hydro-excavation vehicle is
positioned adjacent to the utility line and the hydro-
excavation boom is swung in an arcuate path about the pivot
axis on the vehicle. The pivotal movement of the hydro-
excavation boom enables it to follow the straight path of the
utility line to a limited extent. When the limit of the reach
of the hydro-excavation boom has been reached, the hydro-
excavation vehicle must be repositioned. Each time the hydro-
excavation vehicle must be repositioned, the operator must go
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
2
through a shut down procedure, must move the vehicle and then
go through a set up procedure . This is time consuming and,
consequently, increases the expense associated with the
excavation.
SUI~fARY OF THE INVENTION
What is required is an articulated boom for a hydro-
excavation vehicle which will overcome above disadvantages.
According to the present invention there is provided an
articulated boom for a hydro-excavation vehicle which includes
a boom support adapted to be mounted on an hydro-excavation
vehicle for rotation about a substantially vertical rotational
axis . A drive system is provided for rotating the boom support
about the rotational axis. A primary arm section is provided
having a first end and a second end. The first end is
pivotally secured to the boom support for pivotal movement
about a substantially horizontal first horizontal pivot axis.
A telescopic cylinder is provided for pivoting the primary arm
section about the first horizontal pivot axis thereby raising
and lowering the primary arm section. A secondary arm assembly
is provided having a f first end and a second end . The secondary
arm assembly has at least one, and preferably more than one,
supplemental arm section. The first end of the secondary arm
assembly is pivotally secured to the second end of the primary
arm section for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical
first vertical pivot axis. A telescopic cylinder is provided
for pivoting the secondary arm assembly about the first
vertical pivot axis thereby moving the secondary arm assembly
from side to side. A hand section is provided having a first
end and a second end. The first end of the hand section is
pivotally secured to the second end of the secondary arm
assembly for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal
second horizontal pivot axis. A telescopic cylinder is
provided for pivoting the hand section about the second
horizontal pivot axis thereby raising and lowering the hand
section.
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
3
As will be hereinafter further described with reference
to the drawings, the articulated boom described above has an
extended reach enabling the hyro-excavation vehicle to be
positioned farther from the excavation and enabling longer
sections of trench to be excavated without repositioning the
hydro-excavation vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other
features of the
invention will
become more
apparent from the following description in which reference
is
made to the appended
drawings, the drawings
are for the purpose
of illustration
only and are not
intended to in
any way limit
the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or
embodiments shown, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a side
elevation view
of a articulated
boom
for a hydro-excavation
vehicle constructed
in accordance with
the teachings of
the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the articulated boom
illustrated in FIGURE
1.
FIGURE 3 is a side
elevation view
of a hydro-excavation
vehicle equipped with the articulated boom illustrated in
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of a hydro-excavation vehicle
equipped with the articulated boom illustrated in FIGURE l,
with the articulat ed boom in a stored position.
FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of a hydro-excavation vehicle
equipped with the articulated boom illustrated in FIGURE 1,
demonstrating the use of the articulated boom in making a
trench beside the hydro-excavation vehicle.
FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of a hydro-excavation vehicle
equipped with the articulated boom illustrated in FIGURE 1,
demonstrating the use of the articulated boom in making a
trench behind the hydro-excavation vehicle.
FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of a hydro-excavation vehicle
equipped with the articulated boom illustrated in FIGURE 1,
demonstrating the use of the articulated boom in making a
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
4
trench at an angle to the hydro-excavation vehicle.
FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of a hydro-excavation vehicle
equipped with the articulated boom illustrated in FIGURE 1,
demonstrating the use of the articulated boom in reaching over
and around obstacles in order to make a trench.
FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of a hydro-excavation vehicle.
FIGURE 10 is a rear elevation view of a hydro-excavation
vehicle equipped with the articulating boom illustrated in
FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 11 is a top plan view of the hydro-excavation
vehicle illustrated in FIGURE 10.
FIGURE 12 labelled as PRIOR ART is a rear elevation view
of a hydro-excavation vehicle equipped with a telescopic boom.
FIGURE 13 labelled as PRIOR ART is a top plan view of the
hydro-excavation vehicle illustrated in FIGURE 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment, an articulated boom for a hydro
excavation vehicle generally identified by reference numeral
10, will now be described with reference to FIGURES 1 through
13.
Structure and Relationship of Parts:
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, articulated boom 10 includes
a boom support 12. Referring to FIGURE 3, boom support 12 is
adapted to be mounted on an hydro-excavation vehicle 100 for
rotation about a substantially vertical rotational axis,
generally indicated by reference numeral 16. A drive system
is provided for rotating boom support 12 about rotational axis
16. This drive system has not been fully illustrated as it
does not materially differ from similar drive systems known in
the prior art. It consists of a gear positioned around a base
of boom support 12 which is driven by a drive motor.
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a primary arm section 18 is
provided having a first end 20 and a second end 22. First end
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
20 is pivotally secured to boom support 12 for pivotal movement
about a substantially horizontal first horizontal pivot axis,
generally indicated by reference numeral 24. A first pair of
fluid driven telescopic cylinders 26 is provided for pivoting
5 primary arm section 18 about first horizontal pivot axis 24 in
order to raise and lower primary arm section 18, as is
illustrated in FIGURE 3.
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a secondary arm assembly is
provided which is generally indicated by reference numeral 28.
Secondary arm assembly 28 has a first end 30 and a second end
32. Secondary arm assembly has one or more supplementary
sections. In the illustrated embodiment two supplementary
sections have been illustrated, which are hereinafter described
and named by analogy after parts of the human body. Secondary
arm assembly includes a supplemental forearm section 34 and a
supplemental wrist section 36. Forearm section 34 has a first
end which serves as first end 30 of secondary arm assembly 28
and a second end 38. Wrist section 36 has a first end 40 and
a second end which serves as second end 32 of secondary arm
assembly 28. The first end of forearm section 34 at first end
of secondary arm assembly 28 is pivotally secured to second
end 22 of primary arm section 18 for pivotal movement about a
substantially vertical first vertical pivot axis, generally
25 indicated by reference numeral 42. Second end 38 of forearm
section 24 is pivotally secured to first end 40 of wrist
section 36 for pivotal movement about a substantially vertical
second vertical pivot axis, generally indicated by reference
numeral 44. A second fluid driven telescopic cylinder 46 is
30 provided for pivoting forearm section 34 about first vertical
pivot axis 42 thereby moving forearm section 34 from side to
side, as is illustrated in FIGURES 5 through 8. A third fluid
driven telescopic cylinder 48 is provided for pivoting wrist
section 36 about second vertical pivot axis 44 thereby moving
wrist section 36 from side to side, as is illustrated in
FIGURES 5 through 8.
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
6
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a hand section 50 is
provided having a first end 52 and a second end 54. First end
52 of hand section 50 is pivotally secured to the second end
of wrist section 36 at second end 32 of secondary arm assembly
28 for pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal second
horizontal pivot axis, generally indicated by reference numeral
56. A fourth fluid driven telescopic cylinder 58 is provided
for pivoting hand section 50 about second horizontal pivot axis
56 thereby raising and lowering hand section 50, as is
illustrated in FIGURE 3.
In the description of operation which follows reference
will be made to a hydro-excavation vehicle. Referring to
FIGURE 3, there is illustrated a hydro-excavation vehicle which
is generally indicated by reference numeral 100. Hydro-
excavation vehicle 100 has a front end 102 and a rear end 104.
The preferred positioning of articulated boom 10 in order to
provide the maximum extended reach, as will hereinafter be
further described is to have boom support 12 rotatably mounted
adjacent to rear end 104 of hydro-excavation vehicle 100. The
description of operation will be made with reference to a
trench, generally indicated by reference numeral 106.
Articulated boom 10 supports a hose 108. Hose 108 is draped
over and supported by second end 54 of hand section 50.
Attached to a remote end 110 of hose 108 are sections of pipe,
referred to as "stingers" 111.
Operation:
The operation of articulated boom 10 will now be described
with reference to FIGURES 1 through 8. Referring to FIGURE 4,
articulated boom 10 has a stored position on hydro-excavation
vehicle 100. Articulated boom 10 is maintained in this stored
position when travelling to and from an intended excavation
site. Once hydro-excavation vehicle 100 arrives at an
excavation site, terrain, existing buildings and other site
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
7
constraints will dictate the space available to approach the
site of the intended excavation site. For this reason several
illustrations have been provided. FIGURE 5 illustrates hydro-
excavation vehicle 100 driving along a right of way with trench
106 being excavated to the side of hydro-excavation vehicle
100. FIGURE 6 illustrates hydro-excavation vehicle 100 having
to back into an excavation site with rear end 104 facing trench
106. FIGURE 7 illustrates hydro-excavation vehicle 100 having
to approach trench 106 at an angle.
When cutting a trench, stingers 110 are maintained in a
vertical orientation above the line of excavation, as
illustrated in FIGURES 5 through 8. This is done by using a
combination of movements. As trench 106 moves farther away
from hydro-excavation vehicle 100, boom support 12 is rotated
about rotational axis 16 to point articulating boom 10 to the
point of excavation. Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, second
fluid driven telescopic cylinder 46 is used to position forearm
section 34 relative to first vertical pivot axis 42 to maintain
forearm section 34 in a straight orientation pointing toward
the point of excavation. Third fluid driven telescopic cylinder
48 is used to position wrist section 36 relative to second
vertical pivot axis 44 to maintain wrist section 36 in a
straight orientation pointing toward the point of excavation.
Fourth fluid driven telescopic cylinder 58 is used to position
hand section 50 relative to second horizontal pivot axis 56 to
maintain hand section in a straight orientation toward the
point of excavation. First fluid driven telescopic cylinders
26 to pivot primary arm section 18 about first horizontal pivot
axis 24 in order to maintain primary arm section 18 in a
substantially horizontal orientation.
Referring to FIGURES 5 through 8, as excavation on trench
106 moves closer to hydro-excavation vehicle 100, each change
in position must be accommodated by one or more pivotal
movements. A limited amount of accommodation can be
accomplished by rotation of boom support 12, as is illustrated
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
8
in FIGURE 3 and 5 through 8. An increased range of movement
is accommodated by pivoting forearm section 34 about to first
vertical pivot axis 42 and pivoting wrist section 36 about
second vertical pivot axis 44, as is illustrated in FIGURES 5
through 8. As the excavation gets increasingly closer to
hydro-excavation vehicle 100, movement must be accommodated by
combining the above movements with a pivotal movement of
primary arm section 18 about first horizontal pivot axis 24 to
raise primary arm section 18, as illustrated in FIGURE 3.
Finer movements are effected by pivotal movement of hand
section 50 about second horizontal pivot axis 56, as is
illustrated in FIGURE 3.
Although it can be seen from a review of FIGURES 5 through
7 the manner in which articulated boom 10 performs trenching,
the advantages of articulated boom 10 are particularly apparent
when there are obstacles that are impeding the excavation.
Referring to FIGURE 8, there is illustrated a fence 112 running
alongside of trench 106 and a building structure, such as a
garage 114 also impeding excavation. Using the combination of
movements previously described, articulating arm 10 is able to
reach over fence 112 and around garage 114 to perform the
excavation of trench 106 in a manner that is very similar to
previously described. Due to the number of pivot axes
provided, the movement can be adapted to excavate trench 106
while being careful not to bring articulated arm 10 into
contact with either fence 112 or garage 114.
It should be apparent to one skilled in the art that
advantages that articulated boom 10 provides when compared to
the limitations of existing booms used on hydro-excavation
vehicles.
Referring to FIGURE 9, there is illustrated a comparison
of the operational range of a sewer cleaning equipment, a
telescopic boom, and articulated boom 10. The earliest hydro-
excavation equipment were modified sewer cleaning equipment.
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
9
The operational range of sewer cleaning equipment is a zone
identified by reference numeral 200. Hydro-excavation
equipment in operation today are equipped with telescopic
booms. The operational range of a telescopic boom is a zone
identified by reference numeral 300. In comparison the
operational range of articulated boom 10 a zone which
encompasses zone 300, which is identified by reference numeral
400. The primary competitive technology to articulated boom
is considered to be a telescopic boom. There are three
10 primary advantages that articulated boom 10 has over a
telescopic boom.
1) Proximity - Referring to FIGURE 9, articulated boom can
operate in close proximity to hydro-excavation vehicle 100,
whereas a telescopic boom can not. This can be of enormous
importance when there are severe physical constraints as to
where hydro-excavation vehicle 100 can be positioned. For
example, if there was a need to excavate a hole 210 to
accommodate a piling adjacent hydro-excavation vehicle 100.
Referring to FIGURES 10 and 11 it can be seen how articulated
boom 10 can be bent into a "U" shaped configuration to be
positioned immediately adjacent to hydro-excavation vehicle
100. In contrast, referring to FIGURES 12 and 13, it can been
seen how a telescopic boom 220 must be raised and at the same
time collapsed in order to get close to hydro-excavation
vehicle 100. This creates a limit on how close telescopic boom
220 can excavate adjacent to the vehicle and also how deep hole
210 can be made. In order to go deeper in an excavation
stingers 110 must be added. If the telescopic boom 220 were
extended for the purpose of adding stingers 111, by the time
telescopic boom were collapsed to a position over hole 210,
stingers would be dragging on the ground and control over the
stingers 110 would be lost.
2) Height - In residential neighbourhoods and in some
industrial areas there is a massive infrastructure of aerial
wires. Referring to FIGURE 12, telescopic boom 220 must be
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
raised in order to reach close to hydro-excavation vehicle 100.
This means that there are severe restraints on the use of
telescopic boom 220 in the vicinity of aerial wires.
Furthermore, the use of telescopic boom 220 in the vicinity of
5 aerial wires raises a safety issue, as the aerial wires are
usually power transmission wires. In contrast, referring to
FIGURE 10, articulated boom 10 operates without having to be
raised.
10 3) Obstacles - Referring to FIGURES 12 and 13, telescopic boom
220 always has a linear relationship with hole 210. Referring
to FIGURE 8, articulated boom 10 is capable of reaching around
corners and, as such, can reach around obstacles, such as
garage 114.
In addition, there are a number of secondary advantages.
Both articulated boom 10 and telescopic boom 220 have a
limitation regarding how tight of a radius that the hose can
withstand. Telescopic boom 220 has a further problem not
experienced by articulated boom 10. The hose has to lengthen
and shorten as telescopic boom 220 lengthens and shortens. The
use of articulated boom 10, therefore, simplifies handling of
the associated hose. Referring to FIGURE 4, articulated boom
10 is easier to transport as it folds into a very compact
configuration in a stored position which provides relatively
little wind resistance and does not obstruct the driver's
vision, as compared to a telescopic boom.
In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in
its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word
are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not
excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article
"a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the
element is present, unless the context clearly requires that
there be one and only one of the elements.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that
CA 02357170 2001-09-11
11
modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
hereinafter defined in the Claims.
