Pipe jacking apparatus

A pipe jacking apparatus comprises a shield type tunneling machine equipped with direction adjusting jacks, a tubular body joined to the rear of the shield type tunneling machine, and a thrust jack provided within a thrust pit and thrusting forward a pipe member placed between the shield tunneling machine and the thrust jack, in cooperation with the shield type tunneling machine. The aforesaid tubular body includes a panel therein having output gages for the aforesaid jacks and a mark representing the center of the tubular body, and a TV camera for taking a picture of the panel. This TV camera is connected to a TV receiver provided in a remote control unit. In the aforesaid pit, there is provided an optical unit having a line of collimation directed to a predetermined direction to thrust a pipe, or a light source for light beams. A pipe is driven forward while a discrepancy between the line of collimation or the light beam and the center mark is being eliminated by remote-controlling the outputs of the aforesaid jacks. This apparatus is particularly fit for use in laying a diametrically small sewer pipe in the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a pipe jacking apparatus, and more particularly 
to a pipe jacking apparatus adapted for being operated under remote 
control. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Generally, in laying a pipe, such as a sewer pipe, in the ground according 
to a pipe-jacking method, it has been customary that a shield type 
tunneling machine constituting a pipe jacking apparatus takes in charge of 
tunneling and withdrawal of muck; and a hydraulic thrust jack drives 
forward along a predetermined linear path a pipe, such as a reinforced 
concrete pipe, placed between the shield type tunneling machine and the 
thrust jack, in cooperation with the shield tunneling machine. 
The shield type tunneling machine must be driven forward along a 
predetermined linear path by a thrust of the thrust jack. However, the 
shield type tunneling machines suffers from a variation in tunneling 
resistance due to a geological change, tending to divert from a 
predetermined linear path. A direction of moving shield type tunneling 
machine thus must be rectified. The tunneling machine in general is 
equipped with plural direction-adjusting jacks for rectifying a direction 
of moving shield type tunneling machine, and the outputs of respective 
direction-adjusting jacks are changed so as to rectify a direction of 
moving shield tunneling machine. 
These direction-adjusting jacks, whether the shield type tunneling machine 
used is a pneumatic type or a sludge pressing type, is operated by an 
operator stationed at an atmospheric pressure zone at the rear of a 
partition wall in the shield tunneling machine. With a diametrically large 
shield tunneling machine for use in thrusting a pipe having a 
comparatively large inner diameter, for example, a pipe having a diameter 
of more than 900 mm, no problem arises in stationing at the shield 
tunneling machine an operator who operates the direction-adjusting jacks 
individually or collectively. On the other hand, a diametrically small 
shield tunneling machine for use in thrusting a pipe having a 
comparatively small diameter, for example, a sewer pipe having a diameter 
of 800 to 600 mm on the design, can not afford to station the operator 
thereat. Accordingly, even in the case where a diametrically small pipe is 
needed, a pipe having a diameter larger than required, for example, a pipe 
having a diameter of larger than 900 mm, and a shield type tunneling 
machine designed for thrusting such a diametrically large pipe must be 
employed, resulting in poor economy. 
Furthermore, adjustment of a direction of moving shield type tunneling 
machine must be conducted by an operator according to instructions of a 
surveyor who makes a survey on a course of moving shield type tunneling 
machine by means of an optical unit, such as a transit, provided in a pit 
for thrusting the shield type tunneling machine into the ground. However, 
if a surveyor desires to know a degree of displacement of the shield 
tunneling machine from a predetermined course by means of light beams, 
such as laser beam, provided in the pit, the operator would intercept the 
optical path of the light beam to be irradiated to a target, namely, a 
center mark in the shield type tunneling machine, with the result that the 
light beam fails to reach the center mark. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a pipe 
jacking apparatus, wherein a direction of tunneling by a shield type 
tunneling machine is adjusted under remote control by an operator standing 
in a thrust pit or on the ground, without an operator being stationed at 
the shield type tunneling machine, whereby the drawbacks experienced with 
a prior art device, particularly in adjusting a direction of tunneling, 
are completely eliminated. 
To attain the object, there is provided according to the present invention 
a pipe jacking apparatus, which comprises; a shield type tunneling machine 
including a shield body, a partition wall in the shield body, a cutter 
head carried by the partition wall and operated by an electric motor, 
means for discharging muck from the front of the partition wall to the 
rear, and plural direction-adjusting jacks attached at one ends thereof to 
the shield body; a tubular body disposed at the rear of the shield type 
tunneling machine, with the leading end thereof maintained in engagement 
with the other ends of the direction-adjusting jacks, the tubular body 
including a panel having therein output gages for the direction-adjusting 
jacks and center marks provided in coincidence with the center of the 
tubular body, and a TV camera for photographing the panel; a thrust jack 
disposed in a thrust pit for the shield type tunneling machine and 
exerting a thrust on a pipe member which is to be placed between the 
thrust jack and the aforesaid tubular body; an optical unit with a line of 
collimation directed to a predetermined pipe-jacking direction or a light 
source for emitting light beams to the aforesaid predetermined 
pipe-jacking direction; and an operation panel for operating a TV receiver 
installed in the thrust pit or on the ground and the direction-adjusting 
jacks; whereby an operator operates the operation panel so as to change 
outputs of respective direction-adjusting jacks, according to a degree of 
discrepancy between the center mark and the line of collimation or a point 
of irradiation of light beam, while watching the output gages for the 
direction-adjusting jacks displayed on the screen of the TV receiver, 
whereby the aforesaid discrepancy is eliminated. 
The other object and features of the present invention will be apparent 
from the ensuring part of the specification in conjunction with the 
drawings which indicate a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, a pipe jacking apparatus 10 generally comprises a 
sludge pressurizing, shield type tunneling machine 14, a tubular body 16 
disposed at the rear of the tunneling machine 14, a thrust jack 20 for 
driving forward a reinforced concrete pipe 18, which is to be joined to a 
preceding pipe with the progress of the jacking operation, together with 
the tubular body 16 and the tunneling machine 14 both of which are 
positioned ahead of the pipe, and a sludge treatment equipment 22 
installed on the ground. 
The tunneling machine 14 includes a shield skin, namely, a tubular shield 
body 24, a partition wall 26 provided across the shield body, a cutter 
head 28 carried by the partition wall, and an electric motor 30 which is a 
drive source for running the cutter head. There is defined at the front of 
the partition wall 26 a pressure zone filled with pressurized sludge which 
is supplied through a sludge transportation pipe 32. The sludge introduced 
into the pressure zone is transported through a sludge withdrawal pipe 34 
to a sludge treatment tub 36 installed on the ground. 
Two pairs of left and right direction-adjusting jacks 40,41,42 and 43 are 
provided in the upper and lower stages within the shield body 24 (FIG. 2) 
in parallel to the axis of the shield body, respectively. Respective 
direction-adjusting jacks are attached at one end thereof to the shield 
body through the medium of a bracket 38. 
The tubular body 16 positioned at the rear of the shield type tunneling 
machine 14 has the leading end maintained in engagement with the trailing 
ends of the direction-adjusting jacks. The tubular body 16 lodges therein 
a panel 46 having thereon various meters or gages and a center mark 44. 
The panel 46 is held in place within the tubular body by means of a pair 
of attaching members 45 in a manner that the center mark 44 is in 
coincidence with the central axis of the tubular body 16. The panel 46 is 
provided with gages 40a,41a,42a and 43a for indicating the outputs, 
namely, loads of the direction-adjusting jacks 40,41,42 and 43, as best 
seen in FIG. 2. Such gages may be provided on the panel, according to 
necessity: for example, a stroke indicator for respective 
direction-adjusting jacks, a cutter head-earth pressure gage 48, a 
pit-opening and closing oil pressure gage 49, sludge pressure gages 
52,54,56, and oil pressure gage 58 for operating a valve for 
transportation of sludge, and a valve aperture gage 60 for a sludge 
transportation line. 
A TV camera device 64 is attached by a mounting means 62 to the inner wall 
of the tubular body at the rear of the panel 46 at a spacing therefrom, 
and includes a casing 66 and a TV camera 68 lodged therein. The TV camera 
68 usually takes a picture of various gages and that of the center mark 44 
on the panel 46. An illumination unit 67 for irradiating the panel 46 is 
provided in the tubular body 16. Where a large size panel 46 is desired, 
or in order for an operator to read with ease various gages displayed on 
the screen of the TV receiver, it is recommended to provide plural TV 
camera sets and illumination units. 
The thrust jack 20 is equipped with a thrust wheel 69, and the reinforced 
concrete pipe 18 is placed between the thrust wheel and a pipe receiving 
portion 70 formed in the rear end portion of the tubular body 16. The 
thrust jack 20 further comprises a pair of left and right upper hydraulic 
jacks 72,73 and a pair of left and right lower hydraulic jacks 74,75, all 
of which are attached at one ends thereof to the thrust wheel 69 and at 
the other ends thereof to a connecting member 78 pressed against a 
reaction force wall 76. 
Within the pit 12, an optical unit, such as a transit, is provided, with 
the line of collimation thereof being in coincidence with the center line 
of a predetermined pipe-jacking tunnel, or a light source 80 for emitting 
light beams, such as laser beam, is provided on the center line thereof. 
As an alternative, another TV camera set (not shown) may be provided and 
connected to the aforesaid optical unit, so that the optical unit can be 
seen on the screen of the TV receiver, instead of a surveyor directly 
seeing the line of collimation. 
There is provided at the bottom of the pit 12 a support or table 82 for 
bringing the reinforced concrete pipe 18 to be joined and the thrust jack 
20 in alignment with each other on a given level and in a predetermined 
direction. 
There is provided in the pit 12 an operation unit 92 in which are 
incorporated a TV receiver 86 and an operation panel 90, the TV receiver 
being connected to the TV camera 68 and having a screen 84 on which the 
images of various gages and that of the center mark 44 provided on the 
panel 46 are displayed by way of the TV camera, and the operation panel 
having thereon various operation buttons 88 for operating various 
appliances, the states of operation of which are known from the gages 
displayed on the screen 84 of the TV receiver, and for controlling the 
outputs of the direction-adjusting jacks 40 through 43. Where another TV 
camera is provided and connected to the optical unit, as described above, 
a TV receiver preferably be provided in the operation unit 92. More in 
detail, the TV receiver is connected to the TV camera 68; hydraulic lines 
40b,41b,42b and 43b of four direction-adjusting jacks 40 through 43 are 
connected to the operation panel 90 by way of an electromagnetic valve 94 
in the shield type tunneling machine 14 and a hydraulic unit 96; and 
hydraulic lines 72a,73a,74a and 75a of four thrusting jacks 72 through 75 
are connected by way of an electromagnetic valve 98 and a hydraulic unit 
100 to an operation panel 90. 
A TV receiver separate from the TV receiver 86 and another TV receiver for 
displaying the line of collimation of the optical unit 80 may be provided 
in the operation unit 92, and a TV camera for taking a picture of the 
sludge disposal equipment including the discharged sludge treating tub 36 
may be installed on the ground, so that the informations relating to 
sludge treatment which have been photographed by the TV camera on the 
ground are displayed on the screen of the TV receiver, and the sludge 
transportation equipments can be centrally operated on the operation panel 
90. 
The operation panel 92 should preferably be provided in the bottom portion 
of the pit 12 or on a support beam 102 provided in the middle stage of the 
pit 12 as seen in FIG. 1. As an alternative, the operation unit may be 
provided on the ground. 
The pipe jacking apparatus is operated under remote control by an operator 
who is constantly watching the screen of the TV receiver 86. Adjustment of 
a direction of moving shield type tunneling machine is carried out, based 
on the survey of a surveyor or recognition of an operator as to whether or 
not the center mark 44 and the line of collimation or the point of 
irradiation of light beam meet each other on the screen of the TV 
receiver. Stated otherwise, if there is found any discrepancy between the 
center mark 44 and the line of collimation or the point of irradiation of 
the light beam, the direction-adjusting jacks are operated to rectify the 
discrepancy. Thus, displacement of the shield type tunneling machine from 
a regular course is eliminated while the machine is being driven forward. 
The shield type tunneling machine thus resumes the regular course. 
In this embodiment, there is employed the sludge pressurizing, shield type 
tunneling machine, and an air pressurizing type shield tunneling machine 
may be employed. 
According to the present invention, the state of the direction-adjusting 
jacks operating in the shield type tunneling machine as well as a course 
of thrusting tubular body and that of a pipe member which follows the 
shield type tunneling machine are known correctly and precisely by an 
operator, stationed outside the shield tunneling machine. By virtue of the 
TV receiver installed outside the pipe-jacking apparatus, the operator can 
learn the informations necessary for operating the pipe jacking apparatus 
from various gages for indicating the states of operations of the 
direction-adjusting jacks and other appliances, as if the operator were 
stationed at the shield type tunneling machine. Thus, various appliances 
and machines centrally provided outside the pipe jacking apparatus are 
operated by an operator operating the buttons on the operation panel. 
Various disadvantages accuring from the fact that an operator must be 
stationed at the shield type tunneling machine are thus eliminated. The 
pipe jacking apparatus according to the present invention permits to 
directly drive exactly on a predetermined course in the ground even a 
diametrically small pipe which can not afford to let an operator in.