Patent Application
20220056662
The present invention relates generally to a coupling device and corresponding method of use in at least the construction and heavy equipment industries.
An excavator is a construction vehicle used to facilitate work tool operations on various natural and man-made elements in our environment, to include such tasks as earth moving, demolition of structures, material handling, general grading/landscaping, forestry work, lifting and placing of pipes, mining, and river dredging. Excavators come in a wide range of sizes and capacities depending upon the type and general magnitude of the scheduled excavator task. The excavator incorporates three basic parts: a prime mover, a powerful boom arm, and a stick. The prime mover comprises a diesel engine that burns fuel to provide power for excavator operations. The boom arm is used to position the stick to which the work tool is attached. These components connect by means of a series of steel pins through which work forces transfer. A hydraulic system comprising pumps, fluid lines, valves, cylinders, and hydraulic fluid mass provides the system forces necessary to maneuver and operate the attached work tool per operator instructions.
The second member work tools of early excavator application systems employed by construction companies included predominantly buckets of varying sizes for excavating operations. As the diversity and complexity of new construction operations expanded over time, demands on the utility of the excavator grew quickly as well. Numerous new work tool innovations appeared in the work place and were quickly adapted to excavator implementation, thus making the excavator a broadly used implement in the construction field. The expansion of excavator utility did not occur without associated problems. In particular, the truly pluralistic nature of a solitary excavator in terms of ability to bring a multitude of work tools to bear on a job site did not emerge due to complications associated with work tool switching. Swapping work tools for an excavator involves removal and replacing of steel pins and the coupling/uncoupling of hydraulic lines, both of which are time consuming and potentially dangerous. Hence, excavators quickly became work tool dedicated, leading to incorporation of multiple excavators, each serving a particular work tool for most construction jobs. The requirement for increased excavator system numbers creates a downside impact on individual excavator efficiency and associated increase in job costs. Such procedures have necessarily become an integral part of construction equipment distribution and scheduling paradigms for most current construction jobs.
The advent of the excavator bucket coupler with the ability to quickly interchange various sized buckets provided greater productivity for the excavator. The coupler, also known as a third member coupler resides at the working end of the excavator stick and allows rapid bucket interchange without having to physically remove and reinsert massive pins, thus quickly matching bucket with the excavator job at hand. The concept eventually morphed into to a quick coupler system that extends coupling processes to many other work tools, some of which require hydraulic line interconnections. Although the concept significantly broadens versatility of the excavator, the third member location of the coupler mass does limit the size of viable work tools for construction jobs. Increasing coupler size to accommodate larger work tools leads to excessive loads on the excavator system, thus limiting applications of the bucket coupler concept to the smaller excavator classes.
Re-positioning the coupler implementation region from the excavator stick end to the boom end simultaneously moves the coupler mass closer to the machine mass center. This type boom/coupler/stick arrangement, known as a second-member system, generally provides a less strenuous work environment for the excavator by virtue of an improved coupler mass location. The second member coupler system comprises two primary structures, the boom frame coupling member and the stick frame coupling member. The boom-side frame is attached to the excavator boom and stick cylinder via steel pins that transfer excavator loads between boom and stick. The stick-side frame is pinned to the excavator stick in a similar fashion. The two frames join at a common plane region, termed the mating plane, by means of appropriate hydraulic/mechanical components controlled by the excavator operator, thus providing attachment of the excavator stick to the boom upon command.
The second member coupler configuration provides an opening in the excavator marketplace for the enhanced productivity of second member work tool operations. A larger size excavator is employed with multiple interchangeable second member work tools, thus eliminating the need for dedicated excavator-work tool combinations that otherwise decrease productivity of the overall construction process. The case for morphing to these more productive configurations is made by Jack Roberts, Equipment Manager, Komatsu, in his article entitled, Productivity Guide: Excavators 45 to 50 Metric Tons. Roberts contends that the traditional construction operations paradigm will be shifting to a more productive paradigm in which the concept of dedicated excavator systems will be replaced with second member coupler systems that incorporate multiple second member work tool sets utilized by a single, larger excavator. This is precisely the market the inventors of the technology disclosed herein intend to service.
Couplers commonly known in the art have yet to solve these issues. For example, the coupler systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,938,651, 5,108,252, 5,360,313, 5,484,250, 6,301,811, and 6,428,265 represent permissible system with respect to expected second member coupler performance standards however are in no way optimal configuration designs. Much of the non-optimal character stems from the fact that several subcomponents are inherently inferior in the context of their contribution to overall system performance. These subcomponents were badly synthesized and/or improperly sized to perform optimal function for coupler operation.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a coupler system which facilitates carrying or operating a working tool of a heavy-duty machine.
Therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the invention to improve on or overcome the deficiencies in the art.
It is another object, feature, or advantage of the invention to efficiently couple a boom frame to a stick frame by optimizing subcomponent performance.
It is another object, feature, or advantage of the invention to enable the quick coupling and decoupling of coupling members on a boom and a stick having a tool.
It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the invention to provide an adaptive coupler that couples a heavy-duty machine with a variety of working tools.
It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the invention to provide a power coupling having coupling elements carried by the coupling members for connecting a source of power from the machine to the stick or tool that facilitates the proper mating of the coupling elements when the coupling members of the stick and boom are brought into engaging relation.
It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the invention to provide an adaptive coupler that is safe to operate, durable, and cost effective.
It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide methods which facilitate use, manufacture, assembly, transport, maintenance, and repair of an adaptive coupler accomplishing some or all of the previously stated objectives.
It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to incorporate the adaptive coupler into an excavator coupler system accomplishing some or all of the previously stated objectives.
It is still yet a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide methods of using, manufacturing, installing, and repairing an apparatus accomplishing some or all of the previously stated objectives.
The previous objects, features, and/or advantages of the present invention, as well as the following aspects and/or embodiments, are not exhaustive and do not limit the overall disclosure. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage. Any of the objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments disclosed herein can be integrated with one another, either in full or in part.
According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a coupler system to facilitate carrying or operating a working tool comprises a first heavy equipment frame comprising simulated pins located at corners of the first heavy equipment frame, a second heavy equipment frame comprising rotational devices at corners of the second heavy equipment frame to mate with the simulated pins, and a latching or locking mechanism to secure the first heavy equipment frame to the second heavy equipment frame.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the rotational devices rotate between a grabber state and a picker state and have approximately 1800 of freedom in rotation.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the latching or locking mechanism comprises translatable pins in a carrier hollow shaft or pin sleeve associated with the second heavy equipment frame, the pins having one degree of freedom to slide between a disconnect position and a connect position.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, translation of the pins is caused by a hydraulic ram.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the latching or locking mechanism is located at a top, or picker end of the second heavy equipment frame and an additional latching or locking mechanism is located at a bottom, or grabber end opposite the picker end of the second heavy equipment frame.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the coupler system further comprises a rotary cam receiver and a cam lifter mechanism, the cam lifter mechanism capable of rotating (e.g. 90°) to engage the rotary cam receiver and thereby pull the first heavy equipment frame and the second heavy equipment frame together.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the rotary cam receiver and the cam lifter mechanism located at the approximate longitudinal middle of the frames.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the rotary cam receiver and the cam lifter mechanism comprise steel.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the heavy equipment frame consists of one or more components that singularly or collectively provide adequate load paths for the equipment working loads.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the heavy equipment frame consists of one or more components that singularly or collectively provide the framework upon which other subsystems are mounted.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the coupler system further comprises a mechanical mating feature such as teeth on the first heavy equipment frame to interlock with a corresponding reciprocal mechanical mating feature such as teeth on the second heavy equipment frame.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the coupler system further comprises a power pass-through system comprising hydraulic fluid passing between the first heavy equipment frame and the second heavy equipment frame, an actuatable valve set on the boom frame and a fixed valve set on the stick frame capable of engaging and coupling with the valves actuated on the boom frame such that hydraulic power circuits are completed.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the coupler system further comprises a valve actuation mechanism on the boom frame that advances a valve set to a fixed set on the stick frame for the purpose of coupling, holds the coupled valves together for the purpose of tool operation in accordance with the nominal heavy machinery design, and retracts the valve set for the purpose of disconnecting the valves.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the power-pass through system further comprises a hydraulic valve containment system comprising a first hydraulic valve isolation box containing the female hydraulic valve, a first hydraulic valve mounting plate attached to the heavy equipment frame associated with the female hydraulic valve and the first hydraulic valve isolation box, the first hydraulic valve mounting plate including a first box sliding plate within, a second hydraulic valve isolation box containing the male hydraulic valve, and a second hydraulic valve mounting plate attached to heavy equipment frame opposite the heavy equipment frame associated with the female hydraulic valve and the second hydraulic valve isolation box, the second hydraulic valve mounting plate including a second box sliding plate within. The first and second box sliding plates are actuatable between an open and a closed position and include apertures allowing the actuatable male hydraulic valve to pass through when the first and second box sliding plates are in the open position.
According to some other aspects of the present disclosure, a heavy-duty machine comprises the coupler system according to any of the aspects described above, a boom including the first heavy equipment frame, a stick or tool including the second heavy equipment frame, a cab for operating the boom and the stick, and wheels or a track drive for supporting the cab.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the heavy-duty machine further comprises a boom cylinder for moving the boom vertically.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the heavy-duty machine further comprises a working tool cylinder for moving the working tool in relation to the stick.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the heavy-duty machine further comprises a stick cylinder for moving the stick or tool in relation to the boom.
According to some other aspects of the present disclosure, a method of placing two components of a heavy-duty machine under pre-stress loads while negating cyclical workloads. The method comprises pre-loading static stress onto a pulling mechanism which secures a first heavy equipment frame to a second heavy equipment frame to prevent failure, and dispersing dynamic stresses onto a compression mechanism to mitigate fatigue.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the method further comprises first rotating the first heavy equipment frame about a master pin location to mate with the second heavy equipment frame at a picker end and coupling the first heavy equipment frame to the second heavy equipment frame with a latching or locking mechanism at the picker end.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the method further comprises further rotating the first heavy equipment frame about the master pin location to mate with the second heavy equipment frame at a grabber end opposite the picker end and coupling the first heavy equipment frame to the second heavy equipment frame with an additional latching or locking mechanism at the grabber end.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the method further comprises passing hydraulic fluid between the first heavy equipment frame and the second heavy equipment frame and maintaining cleanliness in a hydraulic valve environment while coupling the second heavy equipment frame to the first heavy equipment frame.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the pulling mechanism comprises a rotary cam receiver and a cam lifter mechanism, the cam lifter mechanism capable of rotating (e.g. 90°) to engage the rotary cam receiver and thereby pull the first heavy equipment frame and the second heavy equipment frame together.
According to some additional aspects of the present disclosure, the compression mechanism comprises a mechanical mating system such as teeth.
These and/or other objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the following brief and detailed descriptions of the drawings.
Several embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced are illustrated and described in detail, wherein like reference characters represent like components throughout the several views. The drawings are presented for exemplary purposes and may not be to scale, unless otherwise indicated, and thus proportions of features in the drawings shall not be construed as evidence of actual proportions.
The following definitions and introductory matters are provided to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the present invention pertain.
The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include both singular and plural referents.
The term “or” is synonymous with “and/or” and means any one member or combination of members of a particular list.
The terms “invention” or “present invention” as used herein are not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompass all possible embodiments as described in the specification and the claims.
The term “about” as used herein refers to slight variations in numerical quantities with respect to any quantifiable variable. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize inadvertent error can occur, for example, through use of typical measuring techniques or equipment or from differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of components. The claims include equivalents to the quantities whether or not modified by the term “about.”
The term “configured” describes an apparatus, system, or other structure that is constructed to perform or capable of performing a particular task or to adopt a particular configuration. The term “configured” can be used interchangeably with other similar phrases such as constructed, arranged, adapted, manufactured, and the like.
Terms characterizing a sequential order (e.g., first, second, etc.), a position (e.g., top, bottom, lateral, medial, forward, aft, etc.), and/or an orientation (e.g., width, length, depth, thickness, vertical, horizontal, etc.) are referenced according to the views presented. Unless context indicates otherwise, these terms are not limiting. The physical configuration of an object or combination of objects may change without departing from the scope of the present invention.
As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, mechanical, procedural, or other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
An excavator second member coupler is a complex system designed to enable expeditious interchange of machine sticks without having to resort to the traditional manual manipulation of interconnection pins and connection/disconnection of hydraulic lines. The anticipated stick interchange would be accomplished quickly, safely, and solely by the operator while in the machine cab and without additional work force requirements. The coupler system comprises two primary structures, the boom-side frame and the stick-side frame as depicted in the figure below for the coupler. The boom-side frame is attached to the excavator boom and stick cylinder via steel pins that transfer excavator loads between boom and stick. The stick-side frame is pinned to the excavator stick or work tool adapter in a similar fashion. The two frames join at a common plane region, termed the mating plane, by means of appropriate hydraulic/mechanical components controlled by the excavator operator, thus providing attachment of the excavator stick to the boom upon command.
A good coupler system is necessarily complex due to the several operational modes required in work tool exchange and operational processes. It is sufficiently strong to guarantee safety of operation for all work tools encountered during construction processes. The stick side and boom side frames lock together at the mating plane with locking forces sufficient to guarantee a non-separation condition for all static and dynamic loading conditions that the excavator will experience. Coupler subsystem designs should exhibit properly sized features that preclude excessive weight and complexity that would otherwise compromise excavator efficiency. The coupler control system should be robust to include reliable feedback sensors, generous operator instruction sets with corresponding visualizations, adequate operational redundancies, and overall high-quality system components.
A good coupler system handles system loads efficiently with respect to coupler weight, cost and ease of operation, and has a predictable safe life expectancy. Rational analysis and design processes used to synthesize systems with these characteristics inevitably originate from erudite application of fundamental laws of physics that govern the force in both the coupling/operational processes and the cyclic workloads encountered in normal coupled operation. Hence, design personnel must fully understand details of force systems subjected to the coupler to synthesize an optimal coupler system, its various modes of operation, and associated system subcomponents.
During typical excavator operations, forces passed through the coupler are bi-directional in that reaction forces from the work tool travel back through the coupler to the boom side. These pass-through forces are unsteady, have a periodic character by the elastic excavator/work tool structural system, and can be very large and potentially damaging for many excavator jobs. Hence, the design considerations for the interior regions of the coupler system, where mechanisms that provide secure coupling/locking of the boom side and stick side frames reside (blue region), become paramount. By their connectivity, functionality, and strength, coupler components in this region of internal mutual interaction provide absolute coupling of the boom side and stick side frames. A heavy equipment frame in this context can consist of one or more components that singularly or collectively provide the features and functionality presented below. It is essential that the coupler designers have a thorough knowledge of the physics of coupler operation to ensure that the final product provides a safe and economic environment for excavator operations.
A primary function of coupler frames is to always enable transmission of forces between the excavator boom and stick while simultaneously maintaining boom/stick connectivity. Therefore, a coupling mechanism that guarantees structural unification of frames under all potential loading conditions while avoiding material deformation or failure becomes a primary focal point in coupler design. The fact that the coupling forces are temporal in nature generates a dual consideration with respect to failure modes: maximum static load failures and fatigue-based failures. Design solutions for each of these structural behaviors tend to be contradictory with respect to subcomponent design constraints. This duality of structural behavior complicates the design process for the coupler system, but clearly identifies two critical mechanism design endeavors: a coupler frame latching or locking mechanism to sustain frame connectivity under maximum static loading and mechanisms for providing a fatigue-resistant periodic force transfer path between excavator boom and stick.
During coupler locking processes, the boom frame and stick frame must physically join at the mating plane with mutual coupling forces that equal or exceed the maximum static load that the excavator/work tool will experience when in use. Rational design of locking system components is governed by the fundamental laws of physics from which guidelines for system component synthesis and associated strategic design constrains emanate. Less exacting design processes based on conjectured system physical behavior would lead to errant or, at best, suboptimal locking system solutions. A primary focus in coupler physics is on the internal forces as depicted in the previous figure that are generated during the locking process. Such forces stem from elevated internal strain fields generated through forced mechanical processes that deform specified regions of the coupler mass. The deformations cause resistive internal forces much like a common spring due to material intermolecular forces that propagate with material deformation state per Hooke's law. The magnitude and distribution characteristics of the internal forces become strong functions of the deformation generator's functionality, output power, and location/distribution throughout the coupler mass. Hence, the deformation generators (i.e. the lock and reaction components) and their interaction with the coupler frames represent a major focus of optimal coupler design efforts.
The deformation generators as defined in the above discussions fall into two categories: locking force generators and reaction force generators. Specifically, the locking force generator provides the clamping forces pulling the coupler frames together and the reaction force generator provides the balancing internal forces for overall coupler equilibrium. The criteria used to construct constraint systems necessary for formulating design processes that ultimately define these mechanical devices are largely dependent upon the nature of the forces that they must generate. The locking force required for maintaining coupler-frame connectivity is generally singular in value and more than the greatest frame-separating load expected during coupler operations. The designer specifies this load based on expected operating environment for the coupler and consummates a deformation generator design to accomplish the task. The maximum locking force systematically occurs every time the coupler executes a coupling action.
The reaction forces that the coupler frames generate will have a much different character than the locking forces in that they are generally temporal. External working forces applied to the locked coupler frames are normally periodic in nature and can range as high as the maximum locking force that connects the frames. They can originate on either side of the coupler and must pass through the coupler mass to the opposing side in the form of strain-field-generated stress waves that facilitate the external force transfer. The cyclic nature of the internal stress fields gives rise to a fatigue failure mode potential wherein any internal structural cracks will tend to grow unbounded in intensity, eventually terminating in structural failure.
The contradictory nature of the internal coupling forces experienced by the coupler during normal excavator operations yield equally contradictory constraints in the design of system locking force and reacting force mechanisms.
The locking force must react without failure the largest coupler-separation load provided by the excavator system. It remains at a constant level to preclude high-stress reversal situations that quickly lead to fatigue failures. These requirements in conjunction with a minimum coupler weight imply that the locking force generator must deform a relatively small region of the adjoining coupler frames with large strain fields that give rise to stresses commensurate with locking force requirements.
The reacting force generators must spawn dynamic strain fields that permit cyclically applied forces at one frame of the coupler to pass through to the opposing frame in the form of stress waves that cycle through interior coupler regions. The magnitude of these stress waves must be commensurate with the requirement that the ensuing stress reversals reside within the fatigue endurance limit of the material used in coupler construction. These criteria serve to size the coupler mass magnitude fraction, opposing frame surface areas, and location of the reacting force generators required for successful coupler force transfer.
The following figures provide a graphic representation of the locking and reacting forces associated with excavator coupler dynamics. Note that the locking force generators comprising the tension elements serve to lock the two frames together. The tension elements generate a high stress state that persists throughout the cyclic loading subjected to the coupler thus mitigating fatigue failure tendencies caused by high stress reversals. The reaction force generators can provide regions of stress wave passage that are distant from the locking force generators and permit stress wave characteristics that lie within the endurance range for the coupler material.
The following figures also provide a brief overview of an improved design for a rapid attachment system.
According to a non-limiting example of the present disclosure, the improved adaptive coupler 10 is a second element quick-disconnect coupling 15 specifically designed for large excavators, making it possible to change any stick-mounted or second element tool in three to five minutes without leaving the cab or manually connecting lines.
The versatility of the excavator means the heavy-duty machine 16 may attach to any powered tool, up to the full weight limit of the excavator. The excavator then becomes a mobile power source for a wide variety of tasks and stays online during tool maintenance. Changing tools ensures an operator can continue work on the same area of a construction worksite and allows the operator to adapt to specific site conditions with different tools. A common stick interface ensures every tool will work on any excavator with a coupler of the present disclosure.
Increased productivity and return on investment of the heavy-duty machine 16 is achieved through the use of one larger, more powerful machine which replaces two or more smaller machines having one tool each, thereby reducing the number of machines sitting idle on worksites or being transported. The heavy-duty machine 16 may employ the most efficient tool for the task and rapidly change when necessary, thereby always providing the optimum tool option available. The life of the excavator may be extended and maintenance may be reduced with optimized excavator and tool combinations. More specifically, there is no extra wear on the working tool cylinder due to the weight of the working tool coupler, and no decrease in breakout force on the working tool curl. Finally, 10-15% of fuel costs may be conserved compared to implementation of the existing art with the same work being performed.
The present disclosure also presents more agile embodiments than are known in the art. Such embodiments are also able to reduce total shipping weight for an equivalent job site functionality, allowing for the use of smaller trailers, and enabling a smaller footprint onsite.
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to
The boom 17 is pivotally connected to the heavy-duty machine 16 at a first end of the boom 23 and is articulated in a vertical direction by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 24 pivotally connected at an end 25 of the base or carriage and a central connection 26 of the boom in a known manner. Thus, operation of the hydraulic cylinder 24 swings the boom 17 vertically up or down.
The boom 17 also includes on its upper side a stick cylinder 30 pivotally connected to an upper connection 31 of the boom and pivotally connected to an upper end 32 of the quick-disconnect coupling. The quick-disconnect coupling 15 is pivotally connected to the upper end 32 of the quick-disconnect coupling and a second end 33 of the boom.
A pin-connection helps secure the quick-disconnect coupling 15 to the stick 18 at a lower end 34 of the quick-disconnect coupling. An eccentric bushing (not shown) having a pin hole may be received in a pin boss and adjustably rotated within a circular bore to compensate for minor spacing and/or misalignment differences that may occur in different sticks 18 between the pin hole boss and a pin at an outer end 35 of the stick.
The stick 18 includes a working tool 36 (exemplified as a bucket) and a double-acting working tool cylinder 37. The working tool 36 is pivotally connected to a second end 38 of the stick and includes linkage 39 which is pivotally connected to a lower end 40 of the cylinder. An upper end 41 of the cylinder is pivotally connected to the stick 18. It will be understood that the coupling may be coupled while the stick is on the ground and underneath the boom, or while the stick is in the extended position on the ground.
A stand 42 may be mounted on the coupling end of the stick and on the working tool operating cylinder side to provide support for the coupling end when the stick is placed on the ground as shown in
For purposes of simplicity, not all of the various hydraulic lines are illustrated in the drawings for the hydraulic cylinders and for connecting the hydraulic power source generated by the machine. A protector hood may be provided on the boom frame coupling member to protect the hydraulic lines against damage during handling. Further, it should be appreciated that while a stick and boom is shown with a hydraulic coupling, other types of couplings, such as suction, pneumatic or electric, can be used with the present disclosure. It should also be appreciated that while the stick is shown as including a bucket as the working tool, other sticks having other working tools may be provided with stick frame coupling members to be interchangeable so that the heavy-duty machine may serve to easily accomplish different working functions. It should also be appreciated that a work tool, independent of a stick but equipped with an appropriate mounting adapter common to the tool configuration can be used with the present disclosure.
The quick-disconnect coupling 15 preferably includes a boom frame coupling member 45 pivotally connected to stick cylinder 30 via the second end 33 of the boom and the upper end 32 of the quick-disconnect coupling. Additionally, the quick-disconnect coupling 15 can include a stick frame coupling member 46 mountable on the stick 18.
According to other aspects of the disclosure, the parallel spaced-apart side frame plates 49 and 50 of the boom frame coupling member 45 are connected together near their opposite ends by end walls 51 and 52, as seen in
The boom frame coupling member includes at the upper or head end (herein referred to as the picker end 60) a picker and at the lower or toe end (herein referred to as the grabber end 61) a grabber, each of which may guidably assist in bringing together the coupling members 45, 46 during the coupling operation depending on which end is desired to be used during the coupling and which end of the stick frame coupling member includes a pin.
The grabber is mounted at the grabber end 61 of the boom frame coupling member to assist in guidably interconnecting the boom and stick frame coupling members 45, 46 when the pin on the stick frame coupling member 46 is located at the grabber end 61 of the stick frame coupling member. The grabber end 61 may be in the form of a hook that receives the pin of the stick frame coupling member and positions the respective ends of the coupling members so as the members come together in an angular relation, the intermeshing elements of each member may matingly engage.
The overall operation of the improved coupler 10 in connecting the excavator boom 17 and stick 18 occurs in the form of three modes, as follows: 1. stick pickup and carry mode; 2. boom-stick lockup mode; and 3. system hydraulic and signal hookups. The coupler subsystem identifications and descriptions occur within the context of the system operational modes they serve.
Note that the rotational devices 74 can rotate between a latched and unlatched states (between grabber and picker states) and have approximately 180° of freedom in rotation. While the rotational devices 74 are in a picker state they allow a connection to be made between the boom frame 45 and the stick frame 46 at the picker end 60. While the rotational devices 74 are in a grabber state they allow a connection to be made between the boom frame 45 and the stick frame 46 at the grabber end 61.
In one embodiment, to lock the boom frame 45 to the stick frame 46 at the picker end 60 or the grabber end 61, a pair of translatable pins 76 reside within a carrier hollow shaft 78 (also known as a pin sleeve) associated with or attached to the boom frame 45. Each translatable pin 76 has one degree of freedom that allows the pin to slide between a disconnect (unlocked) position within the carrier hollow shaft 78 of the boom frame 45 to a connect (locked) position within the simulated pins 74 in the stick frame 46. Movement of the locking pins 76 is typically caused by a hydraulic ram system, including a ram or a piston (not shown), however the present disclosure contemplates that movement of the locking pins 76 may be caused by any known actuation means. For illustrative purposes,
Once the two frames 45, 46 are securely locked together at each end 60, 61 the coupler system 10 is said to be in the stick pickup and carry mode, sometimes referred to as the “tool carry mode.” This allows the working tool to be carried by the excavator without any danger of the working tool falling off.
The next fundamental mode of operation is the boom-stick lockup mode, which is sometimes referred to as the tool operational mode. This is the mode of operation where the working tool can be used without any danger of the working tool being separated from the excavator.
In one embodiment, a rotary cam receiver 80 (as shown in
While there are many potential ways to solve this problem, the apparatus of
In more general terms, one inventive aspect of the present disclosure is the ability to apply a pre-loading static stress onto a pulling mechanism which secures a first heavy equipment frame to a second heavy equipment frame to prevent failure and to effectively disperse dynamic stresses onto a compression mechanism to mitigate fatigue.
Now that the boom-stick lockup mode of operation has been sufficiently explained, the power pass through mode of operation must be sufficiently addressed, in particular the hydraulic and other signal passageways from boom 17 to stick 18.
When the stick frame 46 and boom frame 45 rotate together, the coupler plates 142 force the male and female valves 146 to simultaneously connect, thus allowing hydraulic fluid to pass between the boom and stick frames 45, 46. This coupling procedure combines the frame locking and power pass through activation into a single and complex coupler operational mode which is untenable if the cleanliness of the valve environment is not maintained during the coupling process. Contaminated valves threaten the veracity of the overall excavator hydraulic system operation.
The hydraulic valve containment systems 150 which contain male and female hydraulic coupling pairs 146 are secured on flat plates attached to boom frame 45 and the stick frame 46. The coupling valves 144 are placed in hydraulic valve isolation boxes 152 that shields them from a corrupted operating environment that could otherwise cause valve malfunctions. The hydraulic valve containment system 150 also comprises a valve mounting plate 158 attached to boom frame 45 or the stick frame 46. The mounting plate 158 including a box sliding plate 154 with apertures 156 that can switch the isolation box 152 between a “box closed” position and a “box open” position, depending on operational needs. The apertures 156 allow the actuatable male hydraulic valve 144 to pass through when the box sliding plates 154 are in the open position.
Referring now to
When the moveable plate 158 is extended towards a mating plate 142 mounted on the stick frame 46 to accomplish connection of the quick-couplers 144. By similar means, the moveable plate 158 is retracted to disconnect the quick-couplers 144.
In the larger scheme, the extension/connection and retraction/disconnection operations are design to occur only when the boom frame 45 and stick frame 46 are securely locked together, so that in the operation described above, the position and orientation of the fixed boom plate 142 and the fixed stick plate 142 are not allowed to change. This fixed relationship allows the apparatus to achieve precise connection of the quick-connect fittings 144. As the moveable plate 158 begins to extend from the fully retracted position, the guide pins 148 engage with bushings 145 in the cylinder mounting frame 164 to ensure movement on the correct path for the operation. As the extension operation proceeds, the guide pins 148 disengage from the bushings 145 in the cylinder mount and engage the bushings 145 in the fixed stick plate 142 at approximately the same point, providing uninterrupted alignment, as depicted in
A benefit of the quick-connect coupling apparatus is the ability to accommodate all types of connections—hydraulic, electrical, etc. The primary motivation of the design, however, is related to hydraulic circuit applications, since those connections occur and must support the most demanding physical requirements. Due to those requirements, hydraulic quick-connectors 144 require precise alignment and precise depth-of-engagement. This design can achieve these connection requirements in a reasonable method, and at an acceptable cost in material and installation.
Due to the alignment feature, connections can be made with almost no risk of damage to the fittings 144. In current quick-connect implementations, the operation requires direct human involvement to reliably connect without damage to equipment.
In a preferred embodiment, the quick-connect fittings 144 are fixed on the stick frame 46, so that hydraulic hard lines (pipe/tube) can be used to a much greater extent downstream of the connector, instead of less reliable hoses.
Implementation of this apparatus decouples the connection of the fittings 144 from the physical mating and lock of the supporting frames of the attachment system. The frames 142 come together and lock before any quick-connect couplings 144 are commanded. When detaching, the couplings 144 are disconnected before the frames 142 are unlocked which allows (i) the quick-connect fittings 144 to join in a proper linear fashion, eliminating the requirement for a gimballing installation, (ii) the operation of frame mating and lock to be accomplished without concern for damage to the quick-connect fittings, thereby also allowing for much greater leeway in operator technique, and (iii) the operator the ability to position components after a physical frame lock but before the quick-connect extension. By proper positioning, the operator can reduce gravity loads on the equipment components (e.g. stick, tool, etc.) that might put undesirable hydraulic back-pressure on the lines to which the quick-connect fittings are attached.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of the stated objectives.
The following reference characters and descriptors are not exhaustive, nor limiting, and include reasonable equivalents. If possible, elements identified by a reference character may replace or supplement any element identified by another reference character.
The present disclosure is not to be limited to the particular embodiments described herein. The following claims set forth a number of the embodiments of the present disclosure with greater particularity.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US19/68263 | 12/23/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62783855 | Dec 2018 | US |
