Patent ID: 8186926

Claim:
A drill rod handler comprising: a movable clamp configured to grasp a drill rod in a first, storage position with a first orientation; a first drive for rotating said moveable clamp about an first axis that is parallel and offset from the drill rod when grasped in said moveable clamp; a second drive for rotating said moveable clamp about a horizontal axis to move the drill rod when grasped in said moveable clamp from the first orientation toward a vertical orientation and into a second orientation; a third drive for rotating said moveable clamp about a second axis to move the drill rod into a second, drilling position while maintaining the drill rod in the second orientation, the second axis being parallel and offset from the drill rod when in the second orientation; one or more position sensors configured to detect when the grasped drill rod is in the first position with the first orientation and the second position with the second orientation, wherein the one or more position sensors comprise a housing, a pendulum rotatably connected to the housing that maintains a constant position with respect to gravity, a trigger extending from the pendulum, and a proximity switch that moves with respect to the trigger and is configured to detect the trigger at a specified position; a control center communicably connected to said one or more position sensors, wherein said control center permits or restricts said moveable clamp from grasping or releasing the drill rod based on the position of said moveable clamp; a faceplate coupled to the housing, the housing and the faceplate forming an enclosure, the pendulum being free to rotate within the enclosure; and a liquid disposed within the enclosure.