Device for controlling a drilling accessory equipped with an angle measurement device

Abstract

The control device is configured to remotely control a drilling accessory mounted on a support arm of a carrier machine, the control device including a control casing and an angle measurement device comprising a rotary member movably mounted in rotation on the control casing about an axis of rotation, the rotary member being equipped with a sighting device and the angle measurement device being configured to measure a predetermined angle (α) between a reference angular position of the rotary member and a selected angular position of the rotary member wherein the sighting device points towards a sighting point selected by an operator.

1 . A control device which is portable and which is configured to remotely control a drilling accessory mounted on a support arm of a carrier machine, the control device including a control casing and an angle measurement device comprising a rotary member movably mounted in rotation on the control casing about an axis of rotation, the rotary member being equipped with a sighting device and the angle measurement device being configured to measure a predetermined angle between a reference angular position of the rotary member and a selected angular position of the rotary member in which the sighting device points towards a sighting point selected by an operator. 
     
     
         2 . The control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the angle measurement device is disposed on an upper face of the control casing. 
     
     
         3 . The control device according to  claim 2 , wherein the angle measurement device is configured so that the sighting device points in a reference direction substantially perpendicular to a front edge of the upper face of the control casing when the rotary member is in the reference angular position. 
     
     
         4 . The control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the angle measurement device is configured so that the axis of rotation of the rotary member is substantially vertical when the control casing is positioned on a horizontal support. 
     
     
         5 . The control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the sighting device includes a sighting mark provided on the rotary member. 
     
     
         6 . The control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the sighting point is selected so that when the rotary member is in the selected angular position, a sighting direction indicated by the sighting device is substantially perpendicular to a coal face. 
     
     
         7 . The control device according to  claim 1 , which includes a display device disposed on the control casing. 
     
     
         8 . The control device according to  claim 1 , which is configured to control by radio frequency the drilling accessory. 
     
     
         9 . A drilling apparatus comprising a carrier machine, a drilling accessory mounted on a support arm of the carrier machine, and a control device according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . The drilling apparatus according to  claim 9 , which includes a measurement system configured to measure a first inclination angle of the drilling accessory relative to a vertical direction and a second inclination angle of the drilling accessory relative to the vertical direction, the first inclination angle being measured in a first vertical plane parallel to an extension plane of the support arm and between the vertical direction and a direction of extension of the drilling accessory, and the second inclination angle being measured in a second vertical plane perpendicular to the extension plane of the support arm and between the vertical direction and the direction of extension of the drilling accessory. 
     
     
         11 . The drilling apparatus of  claim 10 , which includes a processing unit configured to determine first and second corrected inclination angles of the drilling accessory from the first and second inclination angles measured by the measurement system and the predetermined angle measured by the angle measurement device. 
     
     
         12 . A method for positioning a drilling accessory mounted on a support arm of a carrier machine, the positioning method including the following steps:
 supplying a control device according to  claim 1 ,   positioning the control device in the operator cab of the carrier machine,   angular displacing the rotary member so that the sighting device points towards a sighting point selected so that a sighting direction indicated by the sighting device is substantially perpendicular to a coal face, and   measuring the predetermined angle between the reference angular position of the rotary member and the selected angular position of the rotary member.   
     
     
         13 . The control device according to  claim 3 , wherein the angle measurement device is configured so that the axis of rotation of the rotary member is substantially vertical when the control casing is positioned on a horizontal support. 
     
     
         14 . The control device according to  claim 13 , wherein the sighting device includes a sighting mark provided on the rotary member. 
     
     
         15 . The control device according to  claim 14 , wherein the sighting point is selected so that when the rotary member is in the selected angular position, a sighting direction indicated by the sighting device is substantially perpendicular to a coal face. 
     
     
         16 . The control device according to  claim 15 , which includes a display device disposed on the control casing. 
     
     
         17 . The control device according to  claim 16 , which is configured to control by radio frequency the drilling accessory. 
     
     
         18 . The control device according to  claim 2 , wherein the angle measurement device is configured so that the axis of rotation of the rotary member is substantially vertical when the control casing is positioned on a horizontal support. 
     
     
         19 . The control device according to  claim 2 , wherein the sighting device includes a sighting mark provided on the rotary member. 
     
     
         20 . The control device according to  claim 2 , wherein the sighting point is selected so that when the rotary member is in the selected angular position, a sighting direction indicated by the sighting device is substantially perpendicular to a coal face.