Abstract:
A laser control system and apparatus for guiding a drilling or boring operation during a trenchless technology implementation. In most if not all trenchless technology applications, direction of the pipe or utility structure through the earth is of utmost importance. Proper directional guidance throughout the trenchless technology implementation ensures not only that the resulting utility infrastructure is placed properly, but also ensures that the trenchless technology operation, does not hit or otherwise damage (such as through vibrations) existing utilities and other underground objects. The laser control system and apparatus of the present invention comprises a laser, a housing having a laser sight, a camera in optical communication with the laser sight a microwave transmitter having an antenna, with the transmitter being operatively coupled to the camera, and a microwave receiver.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/976,405 filed on Sep. 28, 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to control systems for drilling and boring operations, and more particularly to a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Trenchless technology is a growing field that includes a wide variety of methods and techniques for installing and rehabilitating underground infrastructure with minimal surface disruption and without the destruction and subsequent rebuilding of essential infrastructure that is common with trenching and excavation. Examples of trenchless technologies include, but are not limited to, microtunneling, pipejacking, pipe ramming, sliplining, guided boring, haul systems, tunnel boring, and earth pressure balance systems. 
         [0006]    In most if not all trenchless technology applications, direction of the pipe or utility structure through the earth is of utmost importance. Proper directional guidance throughout the trenchless technology implementation ensures not only that the resulting utility infrastructure is placed properly, but also ensures that the trenchless technology operation does not hit or otherwise damage (such as through vibrations) existing utilities and other underground objects. 
         [0007]    In some trenchless technology operations such as microtunneling and guided boring, the boring or tunneling tool can be guided during the operation itself by various techniques. In other trenchless technology operations, such as pipejacking and pipe ramming, the method is often non-steerable, and pipes installed by these methods are laid straight. Often times a pilot tube is placed prior to the pipejacking or pipe ramming operation using a technique such as microtunneling. The subsequent pipejacking or pipe ramming operation will then follow the pilot tube to ensure that the pipe is installed in its proper location. 
         [0008]    In guiding a trenchless technology operation, knowledge of when the cutting head is deviating from its intended course is extremely valuable so that the machine operator can make adjustments necessary to bring the direction of the cutting head back on course. The cutting head may deviate from its intended course for a variety of reasons, such as machine or operator inputs, encounter of different soil types, encounter of a rock or boulder, and the like. Knowing when such a deviation occurs and the extent of such a deviation is important to ensure that timely course corrections are made. 
         [0009]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations. It is another object of the present invention to provide a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations where the control head guidance system is linked to an operator location by way of microwave communications. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations where the laser control system can be remotely perceived. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations that can optionally be operated remotely. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a microwave communications link that operates below ground. It is another object of the present invention to provide a microwave communications link that operates within the confines of a drill or bore hole. It is another object of the present invention to provide a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus that operates below ground. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus that operates within the confines of a drill or bore hole. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations comprising a laser, a housing having a laser sight, a camera in optical communication with said laser sight, a microwave transmitter having an antenna, said transmitter being operatively coupled to the camera, and a microwave receiver. 
         [0011]    The foregoing paragraph has been provided by way of introduction, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention as defined by this specification and the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The invention will be described by reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a microwave linked laser controlled trenchless operation; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a microwave linked laser control head; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a lengthwise cutaway perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head with the main housing removed; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a second perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head with the main housing removed. 
       
    
    
       [0019]    The present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiment described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by this specification, drawings, and claims. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    For a general understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used throughout to designate identical elements. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a laser controlled trenchless operation. In a horizontal trenchless operation, it is common to have an insertion pit  101  and a receiving pit  103  that correspond with the origination and the termination of the trenchless operation or a segment thereof. The insertion pit  101  and the receiving pit  103  are typically excavated and often times reinforced for worker safety. If the trenchless operation is performed on a slope, one or both of the insertion pit  101  and the receiving pit  103  may not be necessary. An example of such an application is the trenchless installation of a culvert pipe under a raised railroad bed where trenchless technology is used to prevent settling or disruption of the railroad bed. The raised railroad bed has slopes on either side of the railroad bed that negate the need to excavate an insertion pit  101  or a receiving pit  103 .  FIG. 1  further shows the top of terrain  105 . The laser controlled trenchless operation of  FIG. 1  is exemplary only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to any particular type or method of trenchless technology. A pipe  107  is drilled from the insertion pit  101  to the receiving pit  103 . The pipe  107  may be steel or other material suitable to drilling or boring operations, as will be known to those skilled in the art. The pipe  107  may be rotated and driven by a drive unit  109 . Examples of such drive units are those units manufactured by Akkerman, Inc. of Brownsdale, Minn., and whose products can be seen at www.ackermann.com. The drive unit  109  provides rotation to the pipe  107  as well as horizontal displacement sufficient to progress the drilling or boring operation. At the far end of the pipe  107  is a pipe head  111  that serves to cut through soil as the pipe  107  is rotated and driven by the drive unit  109 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the pipe head  111  is beveled to help guide placement of the pipe  107 . An operator can control the yaw and pitch of the pipe  107  as it is being inserted through the ground. This control is performed by slowing or stopping the rotation of the pipe  107  at the drive unit  109  while maintaining or modifying the horizontal force applied to the pipe  107 . Due to the geometry of the pipe head  111 , the pipe  107  will tend to track on a linear course when rotation is applied from the drive unit  109 , and will tend to track in a non-linear fashion when rotation from the drive unit is slowed down or stopped. This attribute is useful in controlling the direction of the pipe  107 . Should the pipe  107  deviate from it&#39;s intended course during installation, the direction of the pipe  107  can be altered by slowing or stopping the rotation of the pipe  107 , orienting the pipe head  111  such that the beveled surface of the pipe head provides non-linear tracking in the intended direction, and then resuming rotation of the pipe  107  once it is determined that the pipe  107  has returned to it&#39;s intended course during installation. The laser control system and apparatus of the present invention allows one to determine if the direction of travel of the pipe  107  has deviated from it&#39;s intended course during installation, and further, allows one to determine the angular position of the pipe head  111  such that course corrections can be made. The laser control system and apparatus of the present invention uses a control head  200  within or otherwise coupled to the pipe  107  to provide information to an operator regarding the direction of travel of the pipe  107  being installed and the angular position of the pipe head  111 . The placement of the control head  200  may be centered within the pipe  107 , offset within the pipe  107 , or placed on the exterior of the pipe  107 . The control head  200  may also be used in various underground operations by placement on an underground structure such as a tunnel wall, tunnel ceiling, bore hole, and the like. The placement of the control head  200  is commonly dictated by the specific underground operational objective to be met. A laser  113  originates a laser beam  117  through or otherwise past the drive unit  109 , and down the length of pipe  107 . Upon reaching the control head  200 , the laser beam  117  strikes a laser sight  303  that is shown later in  FIG. 3 . As will be further explained in later description of the accompanying subsequent figures, the laser sight  303  contains crosshairs or other markings that are imaged by a camera, and sent by way of a microwave link to a microwave receiver  115  that is coupled to a display  119  attended by an operator. The image of the incident laser beam on the laser sight  303  in relation to the crosshairs or other markings on the laser sight  303  is thus used to determine the direction of the control head  200  during the boring or drilling operation, and also provides the operator with information on the deviation of travel of the pipe  107  during installation. This allows the operator to make minor course corrections throughout the installation process. It is important to know the angular position of the control head  200  so that the pipe head  111  can be rotated to the proper position to allow for travel in a specified direction. The laser sight  303  further contains a pivot mount and hole that will be later shown and explained by way of  FIG. 3  that allows for the determination of angular position of the control head  200  by ensuring that the laser sight is always oriented in the same dimension as defined by gravity. As will be further explained later in this specification, the microwave link is novel and unique due to, among other things, its ability to provide uninterrupted microwave communications below ground, using a specialized directional antenna that further uses the pipe  107  as a waveguide of sorts. 
         [0022]    In some embodiments of the present invention, a video camera  121  may be used to provide remote oversight of the drilling or boring operation. 
         [0023]    During operation of the microwave linked laser control system and apparatus of the present invention, the laser sight  303  (not shown in  FIG. 1 , refer to  FIGS. 3-6 ) is continuously monitored by way of the camera, microwave link, microwave receiver  115  and display  119 , during a drilling or boring operation, and minor course deviations are corrected through operator intervention by slowing or stopping the rotation of the pipe  107 , orienting the pipe  107  and attached pipe head  111  in an angular position that will allow the pipe head  111  to travel in a direction that will compensate for the detected course deviation, providing displacement of the pipe  107  and pipe head  111  until such time as the course is corrected, and then returning to rotational and horizontal displacement boring or drilling. 
         [0024]    As will become evident to one skilled in the art after reading this specification and the attached drawings and claims, the microwave linked laser control system and apparatus of the present invention is well suited to a variety of trenchless operations, and also to vertical boring and drilling operations. 
         [0025]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head is shown. The control head  200 , as previously described by way of  FIG. 1 , is used to control the direction of a boring or drilling operation through the use of a laser in combination with a microwave link. The control head  200  has a main housing  201  that contains the mechanical and electrical components that will be further described herein. The main housing  201  may be made from steel, copper, brass, stainless steel, carbon steel, plastic, reinforced plastic, fiberglass, or any material with adequate structural strength. A microwave housing  203  is also shown coupled to the main housing  201 . The microwave housing  203  may be made from the same material as the main housing  201  if that material provides for sufficient radio transparent properties, or it may be made from a material that differs from the material of the main housing  201  if the main housing material does not provide for adequate radio transparent properties. The microwave housing  203  may be made from, for example, plastic, fiberglass, kevlar, glass, or any material that does not interfere with the radiation pattern of the antenna  215  contained within the microwave housing  203 . The antenna  215  is a directional antenna sufficient to provide a microwave link down the length of the installed pipe  107  (see  FIG. 1 ) to the microwave receiver  115  also shown in  FIG. 1 . The microwave receiver  115  and the microwave transmitter  313  (reference  FIG. 3 ) operate at a frequency that is compatible with the diameter of the pipe  107  such that the pipe  107  operates as a waveguide. Such matching of operating frequency to pipe diameter is known to those skilled in the art, as the pipe is essentially acting as a waveguide. The microwave receiver  115  may also have, in some embodiments of the present invention, an axial mode helical antenna (not shown). This antenna may be operated in proximity to, or within, the confines of the pipe  107 . This transmitter receiver setup may also, in some embodiments of the present invention, be set up with a relay point or relay system operating at the same or different frequency. The antenna  215  may, in some embodiments of the present invention, be a helical antenna, a ring antenna, or a modified ring antenna. The antenna  215  is made of a metal that is suitable for construction of a radio or microwave transmitting element. Such metals include, for example, aluminum, copper, steel, and the like. The end of the microwave housing  203  has an end cap  213  to keep debris, soil, moisture, and other detrimental materials out of the control head  200 . The end cap  213  should be optically permeable to allow the laser beam  117  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) to traverse the microwave housing  203  and strike the laser sight  303  (as depicted in  FIGS. 3-6 ). On the opposite end of the control head  200  is a first expandable plug  205 , which seals the control head  200  from detrimental materials. Other techniques to seal the control head  200  may also be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined herein. A second expandable plug  207  is also shown along with a threaded shaft  209  and a tightener  211 . The threaded shaft  209  and the tightener  211  may be made from a metal such as steel, brass, copper, stainless steel, or the like. The threaded shaft  209  and the tightener  211  may also be made from a plastic. The second expandable plug  207  may be made from a material such as rubber, silicone, or the like. The purpose of the expandable plug  207 , tightener  211  and threaded shaft  209  is to attach the control head  200  to the inside of a pipe without allowing for rotation. While the second expandable plug  207 , tightener  211  and threaded shaft  209  portray a specific embodiment, other attachment means may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0026]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , a side view of a microwave linked laser control head is shown.  FIG. 3  shows the main housing  201  and the microwave housing  203 , as described by way of  FIG. 2 . The microwave antenna  215 , also described by way of  FIG. 2 , can be seen. The microwave antenna  215  is electrically coupled to a transmitter  313  (cabling not shown). The transmitter  313  operates, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the microwave region of between about 300 Mhz. and about 300 Ghz. Microwave transmitters are known to those skilled in the art. Examples of microwave transmitters that can receive a video signal from a camera, for example, are the microwave transmitters manufactured by Advanced Microwave Products of Verdi, Nev. (www.advmw.com). The transmitter  313  is attached to a mounting surface  309  and may include shock isolation  310 , such as a rubber grommet, o-ring, or the like. The transmitter  313  accepts an input from a camera  315 , such as a CCD camera commonly used for viewing, security and surveillance. The camera  315  may be attached to a mount  311  that may also contain a light  317  such as, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) or LED array. The transmitter  313 , camera  315 , and light  317  are powered by a power source  319  such as a battery, an ultracapacitor, or a generator. The camera  315  is directed toward the laser sight  303 . In use, the laser beam  117 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , traverses the length of the pipe  107  and strikes the laser sight  303 , providing a visible indicator such as a terminating dot or other such mark. The laser sight  303  is made from a material that allows the laser termination point to be viewed on the back side of the laser sight target  303  by the camera  315 . An example of such a material is tinted polycarbonate, glass, Plexiglas, or the like. In some embodiments of the present invention, a diffuser, diffraction grating or other laser modifying structure may be used with the laser sight target  303  to improve the optical properties of the laser beam  117  and its associated terminating dot or mark. The laser sight target  303  also may contain markings or crosshatch indicators to assist in the guidance of the control head. The laser sight target  303  may also contain a hole  307  into which is inserted a pivot mount  305 . The laser sight target can rotate about the pivot mount in such an arrangement, allowing for the laser sight target  303  to always be oriented in a given direction with respect to the gravity vector, thus accommodating the rotational aspects of the boring or drilling operation, and also, in some embodiments of the present invention, providing a further directional indicator for the operator. 
         [0027]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a lengthwise cutaway perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head is shown. The components described by way of  FIG. 3  can be clearly seen along with crosshair markings  401  on the laser sight  303 . In other embodiments of the present invention, various forms of graduated markings, calibration markings, dots, lines, and the like may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head with the main housing  201  removed. The various components within the control head can be seen along with the pivot mount and hole arrangement for the laser sight  303 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  shows a second perspective view of a microwave linked laser control head with the main housing removed. The view in  FIG. 6  is rotated one hundred and eighty degrees with respect to the view depicted in  FIG. 5 . In both of these views, the various components within the control head can be seen from differing angles. The first expandable plug  205  and the second expandable plug  207  can be clearly seen, along with the threaded shaft  209  and tightener  211 . 
         [0030]    It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the various objects of the present invention, a microwave linked laser control system and apparatus for drilling and boring operations. While the various objects of this invention have been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of this specification, claims and attached drawings.