GB2583375A

GB2583375A - Piling gate for automating pile installation

Info

Publication number: GB2583375A
Application number: GB1905841.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Magee David
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-04-26
Filing date: 2019-04-26
Publication date: 2020-10-28
Also published as: GB201905841D0; IE87372B1; GB202006086D0; GB2585456B; IE20200077A1; IE20200077A3; GB2585456A

Abstract

A pile gate apparatus to facilitate automated pile installation has a frame, guiding inserts 160, electronic sensors 190 for detecting the position and/or orientation of the frame and a control means 180a, 180b for adjusting the frame in response to the detected position and/or orientation. The pile gate apparatus also has attachment means 170 for attachment to heavy equipment apparatus. The control means may be hydraulic, and may control the frame’s pitch and yaw. The frame may be hinged 140 to allow the frame to open and close.

Description

PILING GATE FOR AUTOMATING PILE INSTALLATION

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The present disclosure relates to an electronically controlled and hydraulically operated piling gate, and in particular to a piling gate which facilitates fully automated pile installation and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment processes.

BACKGROUND OF THE APPLICATION

A piling gate is a structure designed to enable the driving of rectangular, tubular, concrete, timber or steel sheet piles to pre-set design depths and inclinations. The gate holds the piles in the correct position as they are driven through the gate by a driving hammer mounted on top of the pile. Piles can be installed on land or in marine environments such as new quay walls or for flood protection schemes.

Traditionally, piling gates have been constructed of heavy duty structural steel sections welded and bolted together to form a rigid enclosing cage with internal guides to support the piles while being driven. The piling gate has traditionally been anchored to the ground using additional temporary piles, or kept in place with large Kelly blocks. After each gate full of piles has been driven in to place, the gate is disassembled, moved to a new or contiguous position and rebuilt as previously. This process is repeated until completion. This is a slow and costly method of pile installation.

It is therefore desirable to provide a piling gate which overcomes at least some of these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION

The present disclosure provides a piling gate as detailed in claim I, an apparatus according 30 to claim 22 which is configured for attachment to and operating of the piling gate of claim 1, and a method of operating the piling gate according to claim 25. Advantageous features are provided in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a piling gate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is an isometric view of a piling gate, according to an embodiment of the present 10 disclosure; Figure 3 is a plan view of a piling gate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a side view of a piling gate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 is a side view of a piling gate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 illustrates isometric and zoomed views of a piling gate and a portion of the piling gate respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 illustrates isometric and zoomed views of a portion of the piling gate respectively, 25 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 8 illustrates isometric and zoomed views of a portion of the piling gate respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 9 illustrates isometric and zoomed views of a piling gate and a portion of the piling gate respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 10 is an isometric view of a piling gate accommodating a cylindrical pile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 11 is an isometric view of a piling gate accommodating a plurality of cylindrical piles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 12 is an isometric view of a piling gate accommodating cylindrical and sheet piles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 13 is an isometric view of a piling gate and multiple piles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 14 is an isometric view of a piling gate and multiple piles, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 15 is an isometric view of a piling gate and multiple piles, according to an 15 embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to an exemplary piling gate for automated pile installation and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment. It will be understood that the exemplary piling gate is provided to assist in an understanding of the present disclosure and is not to be construed as limiting in any fashion. Furthermore, elements or components that are described with reference to any one figure may be interchanged with those of other figures or other equivalent elements without departing from

the spirit of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure provides a piling gate for automating pile installation and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment, comprising: a frame for accommodating one or more piles; a plurality of pile guiding inserts mounted to the frame for guiding the piles through the frame; one or more electronic sensors disposed on the frame to detect one or more of the position and orientation of the frame; a controller to adjust the frame to one or more of a desired position and orientation of the frame in response to the detected position and orientation of the frame; and an attachment mechanism configured for attachment of the frame to a heavy equipment apparatus.

The term 'heavy equipment apparatus' will be understood as being a heavy construction machine such as a lifting/grabbing apparatus or an excavator, for example a hydraulic excavator, although other suitably configured machines are considered as being suitable for 5 attachment to and operating with the exemplary piling gate.

Referring now to Figure 1 there is illustrated an exemplary embodiment of a piling gate 100 comprising a frame. The frame comprises a pair of frame sections 110; 120 connected to each other and disposed to face each other. The frame sections 110; 120 comprise a proximal frame section 120 and a distal frame section 110. Each of the frame sections 110; 120 may comprise two longitudinal beams connected to two transverse beams in a rectangular configuration. Each of the frame sections 110; 120 may also comprise at least one diagonal beam connecting opposite corners of the respective frame section. Pile guiding inserts 130 are mounted on the frame sections 110; 120. The pile guiding inserts 130 may comprise at least one upper pile guiding insert and at least one corresponding lower pile guiding insert, the at least one upper pile guiding insert being disposed on an upper longitudinal beam of the two longitudinal beams and the at least one lower pile guiding insert being disposed on a lower longitudinal beam of the two longitudinal beams. The frame sections 110; 120 are connected to each other at one end of the frame. The frame sections 110; 120 may be linked together at one end by a hinge mechanism 140, thus allowing the distal frame section 110 to hinge in relation to the proximal frame section 120 and the frame to open and close. In the exemplary embodiment, the hinge mechanism 140 may be operated automatically via a hydraulic actuator 150 situated at the same end of the frame as the hinge mechanism 140 and arranged parallel to the hinge mechanism 140. In the exemplary embodiment the hydraulic actuator 150 is a hydraulic ram; however the inventor envisages that a number of other types of actuators are feasible. In an alternative embodiment, no actuating mechanism is present with the hinge mechanism 140 and the gate 100 is only opened/closed manually. Piles may be accommodated in the frame by opening the piling gate 100 and subsequently closing it around the piles. The piles may also be inserted in to the frame from above or below the frame.

The pile guiding inserts 130 can vary in number and position to accommodate required piling layouts, pile geometries and combi-wall construction. A combi-wall construction will be understood as being a combination of tubes and sheet piles linked together by interlocking clutches; see Figs. 12-15. In the exemplary embodiment, the pile guiding inserts 130 comprise rollers which aid in accommodating piles and facilitating their passage through between the frame sections 110; 120. In the exemplary embodiment, a number of the pile guiding inserts 130 may each have at their rear face an insert rod 160 which allows the rollers to be positioned laterally inwards/outwards to aid in the accommodation of piles of various sizes and shapes. Further discussion of embodiments of the pile guiding inserts 130 is presented below in relation to Figure 10.

The proximal frame section 120 is attached by an attachment mechanism 170 to the heavy equipment apparatus (not pictured), for example to the dipper arm of a lifting/grabbing apparatus such as a hydraulic excavator. The attachment mechanism may be a standard quick release system. The piling gate 100 comprises a controller to adjust the frame to one or more of a desired position and orientation of the frame in response to the detected position and orientation of the frame. The controller comprises at least one control mechanism for adjusting the frame based at least in part on the data received from the one or more electronic sensors. The at least one control mechanism may include a yaw axis control mechanism for controlling rotation about a yaw axis. The yaw axis control mechanism may comprise a hydraulic cylinder and a lateral rotating joint. The at least one control mechanism may includes a pitch axis control mechanism for controlling rotation about a pitch axis. The pitch axis control mechanism may include a hydraulic cylinder and a vertical rotating joint. The controller may comprise a control circuit for directing power to the at least one control mechanism. The control circuit comprises one or more processors configured for receiving data from the one or more electronic sensors, processing said data from the one or more electronic sensors and determining an amount of power to be directed to the at least one control mechanism.

The controller may comprise a vertical control mechanism and a lateral control mechanism. In the exemplary embodiment, each of the control mechanisms comprises a rotating joint and a control hydraulic cylinder. In the same embodiment, the vertical control mechanism comprises a pitch controlling cylinder 180a and a vertical rotating joint 180b; the lateral control mechanism comprises a yaw controlling cylinder (not visible; see Fig. 2) and a lateral rotating joint. In some embodiments, roll orientation and elevation of the gate 100, as well as distance of the gate 100 from the suitably configured machine, may be controlled via one or more control mechanisms -such as hydraulic cylinders -on the arms of the suitably configured machine. In some embodiments, the piling gate 100 may only include one, or none, of the control mechanisms and this may be outsourced to the suitably configured machine. In some embodiments, the controller disposed on the gate 100 may comprise a single control mechanism configured to provide rotation about multiple axes, for example via a ball joint working in conjunction with a hydraulic cylinder. It will be understood that the definition of a controller as comprising one or more control mechanisms is arbitrary/semantical -a controller may be alternatively defined as strictly comprising one control mechanism and therefore the gate may comprise a plurality of controllers in the instance where the gate comprises a plurality of control mechanisms.

In the exemplary embodiment, a hydraulic circuit of the piling gate 100 is connected to a hydraulic circuit of the heavy equipment apparatus and both may be flow controlled via the one or more electronic sensors 190 mounted on the gate 100. In the exemplary embodiment, the one or more sensors 190 mounted on the piling gate 100 include an auto-level sensor for detecting one or both of the orientation of the gate 100 with respect to a normal plane and the position of the piling gate 100 with respect to the heavy equipment apparatus. The one or more electronic sensors 190 continuously monitor the position and/or orientation of the piling gate 100. A control circuit (of the controller) communicatively coupled with the one or more sensors 190 and the hydraulic circuits of the gate 100 and the heavy equipment apparatus, directs power to one or more of the control cylinders to correct any tendency of the piling gate 100 to deviate from pre-set values. In the exemplary embodiment, to 'direct power' will be understood to mean a electrical power directed by the control circuit to the electronic-hydraulic circuit interface where hydraulic flow may be actuated, and b the actuated hydraulic flow itself -which has a rate of work done associated with it and thus can be called power -directed to the control hydraulic cylinders of the controller. In one embodiment, at least one of the sensors 190 may be fed radar data inputs from one or more radar devices. The control system comprising the one or more sensors 190 and the controller is fully automatic and requires no input from the operative of the heavy equipment apparatus. However, the orientation and/or position of the piling gate 100 may be displayed on screen in the operative's cabin (not pictured) and incorporates a transfer to manual option in the event of malfunction of the automated system. In some embodiments, inputs from all systems may be monitored on a user interface (UT) in the heavy equipment apparatus (not pictured) and all systems may be able default to manual control if, for example, a user requests manual control or if a program error or procedure failure is detected by the system.

In such an embodiment, the control circuit may be communicatively coupled to the UI on the heavy equipment apparatus. In another embodiment, a UI may be situated on the piling gate 100 and communicatively coupled with a number of the features of the gate 100 via the control circuit. The system feeds power to the hydraulic controls in a "soft" fashion, small 5 gate deviations requiring only small flow adjustments and large deviations requiring enhanced flows. In some embodiments, incremental adjustments the order of 1 in 5000 are achievable. It will be understood that while the control system has been described in relation to hydraulic circuits, the hydraulic circuits may be interchanged with another appropriate control mechanism communicatively coupled with the controller(s) which actuate features 10 of the control mechanisms and may be configured to do so in response to the control circuits having processed data from the one or more sensors 190.

The present disclosure of an automated hydraulic piling gate leads to a considerable reduction in the time and costs associated with traditional methods. The piling gate is configured to guide externally driven piles of all configurations and materials and up to 50 m in length to a degree of accuracy not hitherto achievable in the piling industry and to do so in a remarkable speedy fashion with seriously reduced labour requirements and costs. The piling gate is configured for quick and convenient attachment to any standard heavy equipment apparatus. The automatic piling gate also eliminates problems of 'creep' or 'fanning' associated with combi or sheet pile walls when using conventional piling gates, and enables piles to be driven either vertically or to required pre-set inclinations through the same gate without any need for gate modification.

Figure 2 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a piling gate 200, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The piling gate 200 of Figure 2 is the same as that of Figure 1, from an alternative view point. The features of the piling gate 200 of Figure 2 are labelled with corresponding reference numerals as in Figure 1, but beginning with 2xx. Referring to Figure 2, the piling gate 200 comprises a yaw controlling cylinder 210a and a lateral rotating joint 210b which together facilitate lateral re-orientation of the piling gate 200 with respect to some initial orientation.

Figure 3 is an illustration of a plan view of a piling gate 300, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The piling gate 300 of Figure 3 is the same as that of Figures 1 and 2. Referring to Figure 3, the piling gate 300 includes an attachment mechanism 310 in addition to a yaw control cylinder 320a, a lateral rotating joint 320b, a pitch control cylinder 330a, a vertical rotating joint 330b, pile guiding inserts 340 mounted on the two frame sections 350; 360, insert rods 370, a hinge mechanism 380 comprising three lateral beams and the hydraulic ram 390 for opening/closing of the gate 300. It is envisaged by the inventor that a different number of lateral beams than that presented here may be used for the hinge mechanisms, for example only two lateral beams each one situated at a vertical extrema of the frame sections (i.e. excluding the middle beam presented in the exemplary embodiment), or just a single lateral beam.

Figure 4 is an illustration of a side view of a piling gate 400, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The piling gate 400 of Figure 4 is the same as those of the previous figures. Referring to Figure 4, the piling gate 400 comprises an attachment mechanism 410 in addition to a yaw control cylinder 420a, a lateral rotating joint 420b, a pitch control cylinder 430a, a vertical rotating joint 430b, pile guiding inserts 440 mounted on vertical faces of two structural frames 450; 460, insert rods 470, a hinge mechanism 480 and a hydraulic ram 490.

Figure 5 is an illustration of a side view of a piling gate 500, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The piling gate 500 of Figure 5 is the same as those of the previous figures, but viewed from the opposite side to the view presented in Figure 4. Referring to Figure 5, the piling gate 500 comprises an attachment mechanism 510 in addition to a yaw control cylinder 520a, a lateral rotating joint 520b,a pitch control cylinder 530a, a vertical rotating joint 530b, pile guiding inserts 540 mounted on vertical faces of two structural frames 550; 560, insert rods 570, and a hinge mechanism 580.

Referring to Figure 6, there is illustrated a piling gate 600, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The piling gate 600 of Figure 6 is the same as that of the previous figures. In particular, Figure 6 illustrates a 1:10 scaled focussed view (A) of the hinge mechanism 610 and the hydraulic ram 620 for opening/closing the piling gate 600. The hydraulic ram 620 may be communicatively coupled with the control circuit of the controller. The control circuit may be further communicatively coupled with the UI of the heavy equipment apparatus and the UI of the piling gate 600, facilitating selective opening/closing of the gate 600 for example in response to manual input to the Ul in the heavy equipment apparatus or on the gate 600 by a user, or when at least one of the sensors detects a predefined system protocol being satisfied. In one embodiment, the control circuit associated with the gate 600, the UI on board the heavy equipment apparatus and the UI on the piling gate 600 may include wireless transceivers, to facilitate wireless communication between these components.

Figure 7 is an illustration of a portion of the piling gate of the previous figures, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 7, the piling gate comprises an attachment mechanism 710 and a pitch controlling cylinder 720. In particular, Figure 7 illustrates a 1:5 scaled focussed view (C) of a portion of this section of the piling gate including a hidden bearing 730 which allows rotational movement of the piling gate. Also illustrated in Figure 7 is the vertical rotating joint 740.

Figure 8 illustrates an alternative view point of the same portion of the piling gate presented in Figure 7, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, Figure 8 illustrates a 1:6 scaled focussed view (D) of a portion of this portion of the piling gate including the yaw controlling cylinder 810a and the lateral rotating joint 810b which together give rotational movement to the piling gate about a vertical axis.

Figure 9 illustrates a 1:16 scaled focussed view (B of a portion of the piling gate 900 of the 20 previous figures including the one or more electronic sensors 910 mounted on the piling gate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 10 is an illustration of the piling gate 1000 of the previous figures, in use, facilitating the passage of a cylindrical pile 1010 through between the pile guiding inserts 1020 mounted on the frame sections 1030; 1040, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment, a number of the pile guiding inserts 1020 may each have at their rear face an insert rod 1050 which allows the rollers of the pile guiding inserts 1020 to be moved laterally inwards/outwards to aid in the accommodation of piles of various shapes and sizes. For example, if one wanted to accommodate a pile with a diameter half that of the pile 1010 in Figure 10, the insert rod 1050 of each of both pairs of diagonally opposite pile guiding inserts 1020 may pressed inwards by a distance equal to the radius of the new, smaller guiding insert. In one embodiment, each insert rod 1050 comprises a screw mechanism which may be turned clockwise/anti-clockwise to move the insert rod 1050 inwards/outwards with respect to the piling gate 1000. In another embodiment, the hollow portion of each of the pile guiding inserts 1020 which accommodates one of the insert rods 1050 comprises a friction mechanism which generates a friction force opposite to the motion of the insert rod 1050. Said friction force may be sufficient to retard the motion of the insert rod 1050, thus facilitating selective movement of the insert rod 1050 inwards/outwards in the hollow portion, with respect to the piling gate 1000. The friction mechanism may include a rough surface or any other surface formed by a material which operationally together with the insert rod 1050 surface material has a high coefficient of friction. In one embodiment, the rollers may comprise a material which, together with the surface material of the piles, generates a desired coefficient of friction; in such an embodiment the axles of the rollers may not need to be configured to facilitate rotational motion of the rollers. In some embodiments, the rollers of the pile guiding inserts 1020 may be electronically actuated to rotate in the same direction and thus control the motion of the pile 1010 through the piling gate 1000.

As a pile 1010 is inserted through the piling gate 1000, the one or more sensors 1060 take measurements of data including but not limited to the orientation and position of the gate 1000. Based on data received from the one or more sensor(s) 1060, a control circuit (not pictured) of the controller may direct power to one or both of the control cylinders 320a; 330a to correct any tendency of the gate 1000 to deviate from pre-set values. The control system is fully automatic and requires no input from an operative of the heavy equipment apparatus. In the exemplary embodiment the control circuit of the controller may comprise one or more processors, as will be readily understood by the skilled person. As described in relation to Figure 1, the piling gate 1000 orientation may be displayed on screen in the operative's cabin (not pictured) and may incorporate a transfer to manual option in the event of malfunction of the automated system. In some embodiments, incremental adjustments the order of 1 in 5000 are achievable. In some embodiments, inputs from all systems may be monitored on a user interface (UI) in a cab of the heavy equipment apparatus (not pictured) and all systems may be able default to manual control if, for example, a user requests manual control or if a program error or procedure failure is detected by the system.

Alternatively, transfer to manual mode may be achieved by providing a passcode via the UI. The passcode may include one or more letters, numerals, symbols, voice recognition or biometric authorisation passes, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, a UI may be situated on the piling gate 1000 and communicatively coupled with a number of the features the gate 1000 via the control circuit. In the exemplary embodiment, heavy equipment apparatus may further comprise one or more processors communicatively coupled to one or more of: the one or more sensors 1060, the one or more control mechanisms of the heavy equipment apparatus, the one or more control mechanisms of the piling gate 1000, the UI of the heavy equipment apparatus and the UI of the piling gate 1000. In the exemplary embodiment, the UI on one or both of the heavy equipment apparatus and the piling gate 1000 may comprise a display module for displaying parameters relating to one or more of the position of the frame, orientation of the frame, desired positional and orientation adjustments of the frame, a current process being performed by their one or more processors and a process failure notification.

Figure 11 is an illustration of the piling gate 1100 of the previous figures in use, facilitating the passage of a pair of cylindrical piles 1110; 1120 through between the pile guiding inserts 1130, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 12 is an illustration of the piling gate 1200 of the previous figures in use, facilitating the passage of a pair of cylindrical piles 1210; 1220 and a sheet pile 1230 through between the pile guiding inserts 1240, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the guiding inserts 1240 may be spaced apart such that one edge of each cylindrical pile 1210; 1220 is spaced apart from the other by a distance approximately equal to the width of the sheet pile 1230.

Figures 13-15 provide an illustration of the steps in a sequence of pile driving using an exemplary piling gate 1300 similar to that of any of the embodiments described herein. In the exemplary embodiment, the heavy equipment apparatus may position the piling gate 1300 in relation to the one or more piles to be driven. The frame may then be opened, either manually or automatically via the cooperation of the hinge mechanism 1310 and the hydraulic ram 1320, so as to accommodate the one or more piles. The piles may additionally or alternatively be inserted from above and/or below. Once the piles are correctly in place between the frame sections 1330; 1340, the pile driving process may begin. During (and before) the pile driving process, the one or more electronic sensors 1350 may detect one or both of the position and orientation of the frame, and the data the one or more electronic sensor(s) 1350 collects may then be transmitted to one or more processors of the control circuit of the piling gate 1300. The processor(s) process the data received from the sensor(s) 1350, and determine an amount of power to be directed to the one or more control mechanisms of the controller(s), which control the position and/or orientation of the frame. In the exemplary embodiment, the processor(s) may be further communicatively coupled with the one or more control mechanisms of the heavy equipment apparatus. In such an embodiment, the processor(s) may determine an amount of power to be provided to the one 5 or more control mechanisms of the heavy equipment apparatus based at least in part on the data received from the sensor(s) 1350. The frame may then be adjusted to one or both of a desired position and orientation in response to the detected position and orientation of the frame, using the controller(s). This ensures that the one or more piles being driven are always correctly aligned during the pile driving process, avoiding the propagation of errors 10 and speeding up the traditional process significantly.

Once the pile or piles have been driven in to a desired placement, the heavy equipment apparatus may then be used to re-position the frame in the direction of an additional pile to be driven in to a desired placement. In some embodiments, the heavy equipment apparatus re-positions the frame such that the pile guiding inserts furthest from the pile to be accommodated are aligned with the last pile driven. The embodiments of the method described herein may be repeated until a desired number of piles have been driven in to their placements, always ensuring the accurate orientation and/or position of the pile(s). It will be understood that the method outlined herein, or any of its individual steps, may also be conducted entirely automatically by the heavy equipment apparatus or manually from the UI situated in a cab of the heavy equipment apparatus or the UI on the piling gate 1300 itself The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

It will be understood that, while exemplary features of an apparatus for facilitating fully automated pile installation and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment processes have been described, such an arrangement is not to be construed as limiting the application to such features. The method for automating the pile installation process and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In one mode, the method is implemented in software, as an executable program, and is executed by one or more special or general purpose digital computer(s), such as a personal computer (PC; 1BM-compatible, Apple-compatible, or otherwise), personal digital assistant, workstation, minicomputer, or mainframe computer.

The steps of the method may be implemented by a server or computer in which the software modules reside or partially reside.

Generally, in terms of hardware architecture, such a computer will include, as will be well 5 understood by the person skilled in the art, a processor, memory, and one or more input and/or output (I/O) devices (or peripherals) that are communicatively coupled via a local interface. The local interface can be, for example, but not limited to, one or more buses or other wired or wireless connections, as is known in the art. The local interface may have additional elements, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers, to 10 enable communications. Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the other computer components.

The processor(s) may be programmed to perform the functions of the method for controlling the piling gate of any of the embodiments herein, including automated pile installation and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment processes. The processor(s) is a hardware device for executing software, particularly software stored in memory. Processor(s) can be any custom made or commercially available processor, a primary processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with a computer, a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set), a macro-processor, or generally any device for executing software instructions.

Memory is associated with processor(s) and can include any one or a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.)) and non-volatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.). Moreover, memory may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. Memory can have a distributed architecture where various components are situated remote from one another, but are still accessed by processor(s).

The software in memory may include one or more separate programs. The separate programs comprise ordered listings of executable instructions for implementing logical functions in order to implement the functions of the modules. In the example of heretofore described, the software in memory includes the one or more components of the method and is executable on a suitable operating system (0/S).

The present disclosure may include components provided as a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When a source program, the program needs to be translated via a compiler, 5 assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory, so as to operate properly in connection with the 0/S. Furthermore, a methodology implemented according to the disclosure may be expressed as (a an object oriented programming language, which has classes of data and methods, or (b a procedural programming language, which has routines, subroutines, and/or functions, for example but not limited to, C, C++, 10 Pascal, Basic, Fortran, Cobol, Perl, Java, and Ada.

When the method is implemented in software, it should be noted that such software can be stored on any computer readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer related system or method. In the context of the present disclosure, a computer readable medium is an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical device or means that can contain or store a computer program for use by or in connection with a computer related system or method. Such an arrangement can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this disclosure, a "computer-readable medium" can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium can be for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. Any process descriptions or blocks in the figures, should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, as would be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the disclosure to the exact form disclosed. While specific examples for the disclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize various modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure. For example, while processes and blocks have been demonstrated in a particular order, different implementations may perform routines or employ systems having blocks, in an alternate order, and some processes or blocks may be deleted, supplemented, added, moved, separated, combined, and/or modified to provide different combinations or sub-5 combinations. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of alternate ways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in sequence, these processes or blocks may instead be performed or implemented in parallel or may be performed at different times. The results of processes or blocks may be also held in a non-persistent store as a method of increasing throughput and reducing processing 10 requirements.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A piling gate for automating pile installation and piling gate orientation and positioning adjustment, comprising: a frame for accommodating one or more piles; a plurality of pile guiding inserts mounted to the frame for guiding the piles through the frame; one or more electronic sensors disposed on the frame to detect one or more of the position and orientation of the frame; a controller to adjust the frame to one or more of a desired position and orientation of the frame in response to the detected position and orientation of the frame; and an attachment mechanism configured for attachment of the frame to a heavy equipment apparatus.
2. The piling gate of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a pair of frame sections connected to each other and disposed to face each other.
3. The piling gate of claim 2, wherein the frame sections comprise a proximal frame section and a distal frame section.
4. The piling gate of claim 3, wherein the attachment mechanism is connected to the proximal frame section.
5. The piling gate of any one of claims 2-4, wherein each of the frame sections comprises two longitudinal beams connected to two transverse beams in a rectangular configuration.
6. The piling gate of any one of claims 2-5, wherein the pair of frame sections are connected to each other at one end of the frame.
7. The piling gate of claim 6, comprising a hinge mechanism for connecting the frame sections to each other at one end of the frame thus allowing the distal frame section to hinge in relation to the proximal frame section and the frame to open and close.
8. The piling gate of claim 7, wherein the hinge mechanism comprises one or more lateral beams.
9. The piling gate of claim 7 or 8, further comprising a hydraulic actuator to actuate the hinge mechanism.
10. The piling gate of any preceding claim when dependent on claim 2, where the plurality of pile guiding inserts comprise at least one upper pile guiding insert and at least one corresponding lower pile guiding insert, the at least one upper pile guiding insert being disposed on an upper longitudinal beam of the two longitudinal beams and the at least one lower pile guiding insert being disposed on a lower longitudinal beam of the two longitudinal beams.
11 The piling gate of any previous claim, wherein the one or more electronic sensors are configured to receive and transmit radar data inputs from one or more radar devices.
12 The piling gate of any previous claim, wherein the controller comprises at least one control mechanism for adjusting the frame based at least in part on the data received from the one or more electronic sensors.
13. The piling gate of claim 12, wherein at least one control mechanism includes a yaw axis control mechanism for controlling rotation about a yaw axis.
14. The piling gate of claim 13, wherein the yaw axis control mechanism comprises a hydraulic cylinder and a lateral rotating joint. 30 15.
The piling gate of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the at least one control mechanism includes a pitch axis control mechanism for controlling rotation about a pitch axis.
The piling gate of claim 15, wherein the pitch axis control mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder and a vertical rotating joint.
The piling gate of any of claims 12 to 16, wherein the controller comprises a control circuit for directing power to the at least one control mechanism.
The piling gate of claim 17, wherein the control circuit comprises one or more processors configured for receiving data from the one or more electronic sensors, processing said data from the one or more electronic sensors and determining an amount of power to be directed to the at least one control mechanism.
The piling gate of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate with at least one control mechanism of the heavy equipment apparatus.
The piling gate of claim 18 or 19, the one or more processors being configured to communicate with a user interface on the piling gate, the user interface comprising a display module for displaying parameters relating to one or more of the position of the frame, orientation of the frame, desired positional and orientation adjustments of the frame, a current process being performed by the one or more processors and a process failure notification.
21. The piling gate of claim 20, wherein the user interface is configured for user input to provide manual control of one or more of the operational functions or components of the piling gate described in any previous claim.
22. A heavy equipment apparatus configured for attachment to and operating of the piling gate of any preceding claim.
23. The apparatus of claim 22, comprising one or more processors for receiving data from the one or more electronic sensors, processing said data from the one or more electronic sensors and determining an amount of power to be directed to the at least one control mechanism of the piling gate or the at least one control mechanism 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.of the apparatus based at least in part on the data received from the one or more electronic sensors.
24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a user interface, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate with the user interface in the apparatus, the user interface comprising a display module for displaying parameters relating to one or more of the position of the frame, orientation of the frame, desired positional and orientation adjustments of the frame, a current process being performed by the one or more processors and a process failure notification.
25. A method of operating the piling gate of any of claims 1 to 21, comprising: accommodating one or more piles in the frame such that the one or more piles are in contact with one or more of the plurality of pile guiding inserts; detecting one or both of the position and orientation of the frame using the one or more electronic sensors; adjusting the frame to one or both of a desired position and orientation in response to the detected position and orientation of the frame using the controller.
26. The method of claim 25, being performed by the apparatus of any of claims 22-24.
27. The method of claim 26, comprising the additional steps of opening the frame once the one or more piles have been driven in to a desired placement, the heavy equipment apparatus subsequently re-positioning the frame in the direction of an additional pile to be driven in to a desired placement, and the steps of the method of any of claims 25 or 26 being subsequently repeated until a desired number of piles have been driven in to their placements.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the heavy equipment apparatus re-positions the frame such that pile guiding inserts furthest from the pile to be accommodated are aligned with the last pile driven.
29. The method of any one of claims 25-28, comprising positioning the frame in an approximate position in which the one or more piles are to be inserted before inserting one or more piles in to the frame.
30. The method of claim 29, comprising inserting one or more piles in to the frame from above the frame.
31. The method of any one of claims 25-28, comprising positioning the one or more piles in the approximate position before moving the frame into correspondence with the one or more piles.
32. The method of claim 31, comprising opening the frame to allow the one or more piles to be accommodated and closing the frame to surround the one or more piles.
33. The method of any one of claims 25-32, comprising the additional step of the one or more processors determining an amount of power to be provided to at least one control mechanism of the heavy equipment apparatus based at least in part on the data received from the one or more electronic sensors.