Patent Application
20240026632
The invention relates to a quick coupler. The invention also relates to a quick coupler system comprising such a quick coupler and an associated adapter.
Such quick couplers are used for easy and convenient changing of different attachments on construction machines. With such a quick coupler, e.g. swing buckets, grabs, shears, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammers or other attachments can be coupled or uncoupled in a few seconds and with a high safety standard from an operator's cab, e.g. on a boom of an excavator.
A generic quick coupler is known from DE 10 2018 128 479 A1. This includes a carrier which can be attached to a boom of an excavator and has, on one side, first receptacles with a locking device which can be moved between a release position and a locking position for holding a first coupling element provided on an attachment and, on the other side, second receptacles for holding a second coupling element spaced apart from the first coupling element. In order to prevent the attachments from falling and thereby possibly endangering persons in the event of an unintentional movement of the locking device into a release position, a catch device with two spaced-apart catch hooks is provided on the carrier. The catch hooks, which are completely independent of the locking device, enable an attachment to be safely caught and prevented from falling, even in the event of any operating errors of the locking device. Via a control element on the catch hooks, these can be pivoted by one of the two coupling elements between a folded-down change- and catch position and a folded-up safety position. Through the control element, a movement of the catch hook initiated by the attachment can thus take place. No separate drives are required. With the known quick coupler, the movement of the catch hooks into the folded-down change- and catch position is effected by gravity alone due to their own weight. In certain positions of the quick coupler, however, this can lead to problems during the changing process under certain circumstances.
One aspect of the invention relates to a compactly constructed quick coupler of the type mentioned above and a quick coupler system with such a quick coupler, which enable a safe changing process with high precision and improved handling, regardless of the position of the quick coupler.
Expedient embodiments and advantageous further developments of the invention are disclosed herein.
In the quick coupler according to the invention, the catch device has at least one catch hook pivotably arranged on the carrier, on which a control element is arranged for pivoting the catch hook, independently of the locking device, between a folded-down change- and catch position and a folded-up safety position. The catch hook is pushed into its folded-down change- and catch position by a reset device arranged on the carrier. This ensures that the catch hook is securely in its folded-down change- and catch position when the attachment is not yet coupled, regardless of the position of the quick coupler. In the folded-down change- and catch position of the catch hook, an attachment can be changed by setting down appropriately on the ground and, if necessary, caught in a catch position by engaging the coupling element on the catch hook, thereby holding it on the quick coupler, while in the folded-up safety position the catch hook encloses the receptacle for a coupling element. By folding in the catch hook, a particularly compact design can be achieved, which can significantly reduce the risk of possible collisions with an attachment. The pivoting movement of the catch hook is controlled independently of the actuation of the locking device by a coupling element on the attachment to be coupled to the quick coupler. No additional control or actuation devices are required. A catch hook damaged by improper use can also be easily replaced without having to replace the entire carrier. There is no need to disassemble or replace the entire carrier.
In a particularly expedient embodiment, the reset device is designed as a spring assembly. It can comprise a bolt-shaped pressure element associated with the catch hook and preloaded by a pressure spring. The bolt-shaped pressure element can be arranged in a bore in the carrier and press with its upper end against the underside of the control element on the catch hook.
The control element for moving the catch hook between the folded-down change- and catch position and the folded-up safety position can expediently be designed as a nose-shaped driver projecting from the catch hook and arranged in the area of the second receptacles.
The catch device may comprise one or more catch hooks separated from or connected to each other. In a particularly expedient embodiment, the catch device can have two catch hooks arranged at a distance from one another on the carrier. The catch hooks are preferably arranged on the second receptacles of the carrier. The catch hooks can be actuated together or independently of each other.
In a stable design, the catch hooks can be arranged in central slots in two connecting bars projecting rearward from the carrier so that they can pivot about transverse axes.
Particularly secure holding can be achieved by the catch hook enclosing the coupling element in a semicircular manner. The catch hook can have an abutment surface on its underside for contact with a front contact surface of the carrier.
The invention also relates to a quick coupler arrangement comprising a quick coupler described above and an adapter that can be coupled to the quick coupler.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment based on the drawing. It shows:
The adapter 2, which can be attached to an attachment, contains a base plate 3 and two side plates 4 parallel to one another, between which a first bolt-shaped coupling element 5 and a second bolt-shaped coupling element 6 spaced at a predetermined distance therefrom are arranged for detachable connection to the quick coupler 1. The two bolt-shaped coupling elements 5 and 6 can be inserted into corresponding bores in the side plates 4 and fixed there.
The quick coupler 1, which is also shown in a perspective in
In the embodiment shown, the quick coupler 1 includes two spaced receptacles 8 for the first coupling element 5 on one side of the carrier 7 and two receptacles 9 for the second coupling element 6 on the other side. The downwardly open first receptacles 8 have a curved lower contact surface 10 for contact with the first bolt-shaped coupling element 5. The second receptacles 9, which are open towards the front, are claw- or fork-shaped.
A locking device 11, which can be seen in
On its upper side, the carrier 7 includes two side parts 14 parallel to each other, in which continuous openings 15 are provided for fastening bolts, not shown, for fastening the quick coupler 1 to a boom of an excavator or a connecting part of another construction vehicle.
In order to couple an attachment with the aid of the quick coupler 1, the quick coupler 1, which is usually arranged on a boom of an excavator, is first moved in such a way that the second coupling element 6 arranged on the adapter 2 or directly on the attachment is retracted into the claw- or fork-shaped receptacles 9 on one of the sides of the quick coupler 1. Then, with the locking elements 12 still retracted, the quick coupler 1 is pivoted around the second bolt-shaped coupling element 6 in such a way that the first coupling element 5 on the adapter or attachment comes into contact with the contact surfaces 10 of the downwardly open receptacles 8 on the other side of the quick coupler 1. Subsequently, the locking elements 12, which are displaceably arranged in guide bores in the carrier 7 of the quick coupler 1, can be extended hydraulically so that the first bolt-shaped coupling element 5 is gripped underneath by the two bolt-shaped locking elements 12 on the quick coupler 1 and the attachment is thus held on the quick coupler 1.
In order to prevent an attachment coupled to the quick coupler 1 from disengaging from the quick coupler in the event of an unintentional disengaging movement of the locking element caused by incorrect operation or malfunctions and then possibly falling down in a raised position of the quick coupler 1, an additional catch device 16 is provided on the carrier 7. The catch device 16 is designed for gripping around the coupling element 6 arranged on the adapter 2 or attachment and engaging with the first receptacles 8. The catch device 16 is designed in such a way that, in the event of unintentional release from the coupling position, an attachment is caught in a catch position by engagement of the coupling element 6 on the catch device 16 and is thereby held on the quick coupler.
In the embodiment shown, the catch device 16 comprises two separate catch hooks 17, which are not rigidly arranged on the carrier 2 of the quick coupler 1 but are hinged to the carrier 1 via a type of hinge so as to pivot about a transverse axis 18. The two catch hooks 17 are arranged on the two receptacles 9 and are designed in such a way that they can grip around a coupling element 6 on the adapter 2 or an attachment and catch the attachment in a catch position in the event of an unintentional movement of the locking elements 12 into a release position by engagement of the coupling element 6 with the catch hooks 16. The pivoting arrangement allows the catch hooks 17 to move between a folded-down change- and catch position shown in
As can be seen in particular from
In
In the embodiment shown, the reset device is designed as a spring assembly. It has a bolt-shaped pressure element 24 associated with each catch hook 17 and pretensioned by a pressure spring 23, by means of which the catch hook 17 is pushed into its folded-down change- and catch position. The bolt-shaped pressure element 24 is arranged in a corresponding inclined bore 25 in the carrier 7 and presses with its upper end against the underside of the nose-shaped control element 21. However, the reset device can also be designed differently.
The catch hooks 17 are designed in such a way that they enclose the coupling element 6 in a semicircular manner at approximately 180°. This makes it possible to achieve particularly secure holding in any position of the quick coupler 1. In the folded-up safety position of the catch hook 17, the receptacle 9 is completely enclosed to the rear by the catch hook 17. In this folded-up safety position, the catch hook 17 also does not protrude particularly far from the carrier 7, resulting in a compact design and considerably reducing the risk of possible collisions with an attachment. Even if the coupling element 6 disengages from the receptacle 9 and is caught by the catch hook 17, the shape of the catch hook 17 ensures a secure holding.
As shown in
The catch device 16 described above represents an additional safety device by means of which an attachment can be safely caught and held even if the locking device is unintentionally released. The catch device 16 is independent of the locking device 11 and is not coupled to it.
1 Quick coupler
2 Adapter
3 Base plate
4 Side plate
5 First coupling element
6 Second coupling element
7 Carrier
8 First receptacle
9 Second receptacle
10 Contact surface
11 Locking device
12 Locking element
13 Cylinder
14 Side part
15 Opening
16 Catch device
17 Catch hook
18 Transverse axis
19 Connecting bar
20 Slot
21 Control element
22 Recess
23 Pressure spring
24 Pressure element
24 Control element
25 Bore
26 Abutment surface
27 Contact surface
28 Upper contact surface
29 Counter surface
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2022 117 974.5 | Jul 2022 | DE | national |
