Patent Application
20240110359
The invention relates to a quick coupler.
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 2017 110 586 A1. This contains a carrier which can be attached to a boom of an excavator and which has, on one side, first receptacles with a locking device movable 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 from the first coupling element. In quick couplers of this type, the hydraulic fluid or other corresponding working medium required to supply the attachments is usually transported via supply hoses from a stationary distributor to the connections of the respective consumers. However, as the trend is towards increasing oil quantities and decreasing back pressures, correspondingly bigger cross-sections are required. However, especially with smaller quick couplers, there is only limited space available for the corresponding supply lines and the minimum bending radii must also be observed. Therefore, smaller nominal diameters must be used and the connecting hoses must also be designed to be correspondingly flexible. However, this involves considerable effort and the delivery rate is also limited.
One aspect of the invention is to create a compactly constructed quick coupler of the type discussed above, which enables an optimal supply of a working fluid even with smaller dimensioned carriers.
Practical embodiments and advantageous further developments of the invention are disclosed herein.
In the quick coupler according to the invention, the fluid connection between a connecting part fixedly arranged on the carrier and a driving element movable relative to the carrier is formed by at least one sliding element provided with a passage opening, the sliding element being arranged displaceably and radially sealed within a supply opening in the connecting part and/or the driving element. Due to the rigid sliding elements formed as hollow bodies in the manner of a sliding bush, a fluid connection between a connecting part fixedly arranged on the carrier and a driving element movable relative to the carrier can be achieved without hoses. A fluid connection formed via sliding elements is particularly low-maintenance and insensitive to damage. The fluid connection also requires only a small installation space and thus enables a particularly compact design.
In an expedient embodiment, the sliding element provided with a passage opening can be arranged with its one end fixed within a supply opening in the driving element and with its other end displaceable within a supply opening of the connecting part. However, the sliding element can also be arranged firmly on the connecting part and displaceably as well as radially and/or axially or sealed on the front side within a supply opening of the driving element. A displaceable arrangement of the sliding element both within the driving element and within the connecting part is also possible.
In a constructively simple and advantageous design in terms of production technology, the sliding element can be designed as a connecting tube and the supply opening as a bore with an inner diameter adapted to the outer diameter of the connecting tube. However, the sliding element and the associated conveying opening can also have a different structural design. The sliding element can, for example, also be designed as a telescopic rod or as a differently designed sliding part.
The sliding element can be expediently sealed off from the supply opening in the driving element and/or the connecting part by means of a radial seal.
The connecting part can be designed as a pressure fluid distributor for connection to a rotary union of a rotary drive. However, the connecting part can also have a different design, especially in the case of a non-rotatable arrangement of the quick coupler.
In a particularly practical embodiment, the fluid supply comprises two sliding elements for supplying the driving element for its displacement between a release and locking position. This allows the supply to the drive of the locking device without hose connections. The quick coupler may further comprise sliding elements for supplying quick couplings arranged on the driving element. This allows a working fluid to be supplied to the quick coupler, even without hose connections, not only to actuate the locking mechanism, but also to supply or actuate working attachments. The fluid connection between the parts that are fixed to the carrier and the parts that are movable relative to the carrier can thus be made completely without hoses.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred example of an embodiment based on the drawing. It shows in:
As can be seen from the sectional view of
In the embodiment shown, the first receptacle 2 arranged on one side of the carrier 1 comprises two spaced-apart, claw-shaped first receiving regions 6 open towards the front, while the second receptacle 4 arranged on the other side of the carrier 1 comprises two spaced-apart, downwardly open second receiving regions 7 with an upper contact surface 8.
A locking device 9, which can be seen in
In the embodiment shown, the driving element 10 is designed as a hydraulically displaceable, H-shaped cylinder, on each of whose two parallel outer parts 12 a bolt-shaped locking element 11 is arranged for the locking retention of the second coupling element 5 on the second receiving regions 7. As can be seen from
For the fluid connection between a stationary connecting part 17 arranged on the carrier 1 and designed as a pressure fluid distributor and the displaceable driving element 10, two rigid first and second sliding elements 20 and 21 are provided for the displacement of the driving element, each sliding element 20 and 21 provided with a passage opening 18 or 19 and designed here as connecting tubes, which in the embodiment example shown have one end arranged within a first and second feed opening 22 or 23 respectively, in the displaceable driving element 10, designed as an H-cylinder, the first and second feed openings being in connection with the supply channels 15 or 16 in the displaceable driving element 10—and have their other end arranged displaceably and radially sealed within a third and fourth supply opening 24 and 25 in the connecting part 17. For this, the driving element 10 designed as an H-cylinder has upwardly projecting projections 26 for the supply openings 22 and 23 designed as blind holes for receiving the tubular sliding elements 20 and 21. The supply openings 24 and 25 in the connecting part 17 are also designed as blind holes for receiving the tubular sliding elements and 21. The tubular sliding elements 20 and 21 are sealed from the fixed connecting part 17 by means of gaskets 27.
If the bore 24 shown in
The tubular sliding elements 20 and 21 do not necessarily have to be fixed to the driving element 10, but can also be fixed to the connecting part 17 in a corresponding manner and arranged axially displaceably as well as radially sealed within conveying openings or bores of the driving element 10. A displaceable arrangement of the tubular sliding elements 20 and 21 both within the driving element 10 and within the connecting part 17 is also possible. The connecting part 17, which is designed as a pressure fluid distributor, can be designed as a separate component and arranged fixedly on the carrier 1, for example by means of screws. However, the connecting part 17 can also be designed as an integral part of the carrier 1. Via the connecting part 17, the quick coupler can be attached, for example, to the rotary union of a rotary drive or to another attachment part.
As can be seen from
In order to establish a fluid connection between the connecting part 17 arranged on the carrier 1 and the quick couplings 29, tubular slide elements 34 provided with a passage opening 33 are also provided here, which in the embodiment example shown are arranged with their one end fixed within the supply opening 31 in the upper projection 26 of the driving element 10 and with their other end displaceable and radially and/or axially sealed within a supply opening 36 in the connecting part 17 via a gasket 35. In a corresponding manner, the tubular sliding elements 34 can also be fixedly attached to the connecting part 17 and arranged in an axially displaceable and radially and/or axially sealed manner within the bore 31 in the driving element 10. Here, too, a displaceable arrangement of the sliding elements 34 within the driving element and within the connecting part 17 is possible.
In order to couple an attachment with the aid of the quick coupler described above, the quick coupler, which is usually attached to an excavator boom and to the coupler, is first moved in such a way that a first bolt-shaped coupling element 3 arranged on the adapter or directly on the attachment is inserted into the claw- or fork-shaped first receiving regions 6 of the first receptacle 2. Then, with the locking elements 11 still retracted, the quick coupler 1 is pivoted around the first bolt-shaped coupling element 3 in such a way that the second coupling element on the adapter or attachment comes into contact with the contact surfaces 8 of the downwardly open second receiving regions 7 of the second receptacle 4. Subsequently, the locking elements 11, which are displaceably arranged in guide bores in the carrier 1 of the quickcoupler, can be hydraulically extended via the driving element 10, which is designed as an H-cylinder and extends in the longitudinal direction of the quickcoupler, so that the second bolt-shaped coupling element 5 is engaged underneath by the two bolt-shaped locking elements 11 on the quickcoupler 1 and the attachment is thus held on the quickcoupler.
When the driving element 10 is moved into the locking position, the quick couplings 29 arranged on the middle part 28 of the driving element 10 between the two locking elements 11 are also moved and can be coupled with the corresponding counterparts on an adapter or attachment so that the attachments can be supplied with a working fluid via the quick couplings.
It can be seen that the fluid connection between the parts fixed to the carrier and the parts movable relative to the carrier can be made completely without hoses. This allows a working fluid to be supplied to the quick coupler, even without hose connections, not only to operate the locking mechanism, but also to supply or operate attachments.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2022 125 112.8 | Sep 2022 | DE | national |
