Patent ID: 6688408
Filing Date: 2004-02-10
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
In an underground boring machine for driving a pipe through a subterranean location, the underground boring machine being of the type including a sled, a drillhead mounted on the pipe, a positional transmitter disposed in the drillhead, the positional transmitter transmitting a positional signal, and an adjustment apparatus operatively connected between the sled and the drillhead, said adjustment apparatus comprising:a pair of actuation drives and a pair of control motors, each of said actuation drives being operationally mounted between the pipe and the drillhead and operationally connected with said control motors; a pair of drive rods, each of which is operationally mounted between a respective one of the actuation drives and a respective one of said control motors; a pair of flexible couplings, each of said flexible couplings extending between and connected to a respective one of the drive rods and control motors; and a knuckle operationally mounted between the pipe and the drillhead and spaced substantially evenly about the circumference of the pipe between the actuation drives, with said knuckle disposed at substantially a lowermost point along the circumference of the pipe.