Patent Application
20130322954
The present disclosure relates generally to a quick coupler and, more particularly to a cover plate for the quick coupler.
A quick coupler is used for connecting earthmoving machinery such as an excavator or a backhoe to an implement such as a bucket, a grapple, or a hammer etc. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,984,575 discloses a quick coupler for connecting and disconnecting an implement such as a bucket to and from a machine such as an excavator. In an example, the quick coupler includes a frame having recesses configured to receive pins located on the implement. The quick coupler includes first and second securing latches that are movable between latched and unlatched positions for removably latching the pins of the implement in the recesses.
The quick couplers are often subjected to foreign particles such as debris, mud, water and material that may build up inside the coupler and may cause failure to the mechanism or components associated with the latching members.
In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a quick coupler for connecting an implement to an arm of a machine. The quick coupler includes a frame having a first plate and a second plate. A first and a second pair of recesses provided on the first and the second plates at a first end and a second end of the frame, respectively. Further, a cover plate disposed between the first and the second plates.
In another aspect, the quick coupler further includes one or more lubrication lines having fittings attached to terminal ends of the lubrication lines. An external lubrication bank provided on at least one of the first or the second plate to support the fittings.
Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The top portion 124 of the frame 110 is configured to connect to the arm of the machine. In an exemplary embodiment, the first and the second plates 110, 112 may include a first pair of aligned pin openings 128 and a second pair of aligned pin openings 130 provided on the top portion 124 of the frame 108. Further, collars 132, 134 having securing slots 136 are provided adjacent to each of the first and the second pair of aligned pin openings 128, 130, respectively. The quick coupler 100 is configured to be pivotally connected to the arm of the machine by a pin which is slidably received within the first pair of aligned pin openings 128. Likewise, the quick coupler 100 is configured to be pivotally connected to a power link of the machine by another pin which is slidably received within the second pair of aligned pin openings 130. The power link may be functionally connected to a hydraulic actuator associated with the machine and acts as a lifting mechanism for the implement 102. Moreover, securing pins (not shown) can be inserted through the securing slots 136 provided on the collars 132, 134 to secure the arm and the power link of the machine, in the first and the second aligned pin openings 128, 130.
The bottom portion 126 of the quick coupler 100 is configured to detachably connect to the implement 102. In the exemplary embodiment, each of the first and the second plates 110, 112 may include a first and a second pair of recesses 138, 140 at the bottom portion 126 of the frame 108. The first pair of recesses 138 may be provided in the form of open jaws and disposed proximate to the first end 120 of the frame 108. Additionally, the frame 108 may include a cross-brace 141 that is located proximate to the first pair of recesses 138 and projects or extends from the first plate 110 to the second plate 112, among other things, interconnecting and supporting the first and the second plates 110, 112. The second pair of recesses 140 may be also provided in the form of open jaws disposed proximate to the second end 122 of the frame 108. The first and the second pair of recesses 138, 140 are configured to receive a pair of implement securing pins 106 associated with the implement 102.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a cover plate 142 is detachably attached to the frame 108 and disposed between the first and the second plates 110, 112. The cover plate 142 may be configured to be detachably attached to the lower plates 118 of the first and the second plates 110, 112 by a plurality of connectors 144. The plurality of connectors 144 may include a fastening unit for example, but not limited to, a nut and bolt assembly or any other type of fastening systems. Further, the cover plate 142 may include a protruded area 146 having a pair of bulkhead fittings 152 disposed on a top surface of the protruded area 146. It will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art that the bulkhead fittings 152 may include a nut and rubber washer for sealingly securing a tube about a hole provided on the cover plate 142. The quick coupler 100, the cover plate 142, and the bulkhead fittings 152 may be made of a rigid material such as steel, composite materials, alloys, or any similar materials of sufficient rigidity.
In accordance to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, interconnections and mechanical relationships among the various components of the exemplary locking system 154 will now be described in detail. The first securing latch 156 may be operatively connected to the cylinder 162 via a rocker assembly 168. The cylinder 162 is pivotally connected to the rocker assembly 168 to move the first securing latch 156 between the latched and the unlatched positions. The second securing latch 158 and the piston rod 164 of the actuator 160 are interconnected by a pin 166. More particularly, the pin 166 passes through corresponding bores provided on the second securing latch 158 and the piston rod 164. Further, the actuator 160 may further include a pressure switch 170 for monitoring a cylinder pressure. However, a person having ordinary skill in the art that the operation and the interconnection associated with the locking system 154 are exemplary and are not directed to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
As illustrated in
Moreover, the quick coupler 100 may include one or more lubrication lines 176 associated with various components, such as, but not limited to, the rocker assembly 168, the first and the second securing latches 156, 158. The lubrication lines 176 may further include fittings 178, such as, but not limited to, a grease fitting, or a grease nipple, attached to terminal ends 180 of the lubrication lines 176. The fittings 178 allows a lubricant, usually grease, to feed under a pressure, into the various components associated within the quick coupler 100. The fittings 178 may include a threaded connection to couple with the internal lubrication lines 176. It may be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art that, the fittings 178 may further include a valve that opens under pressure to allow lubricant to pass through the fittings to the various components within the quick coupler 100.
Referring back to
The industrial applicability of the quick coupler 100, described herein will be readily appreciated from the foregoing discussion. The quick coupler 100 of the present disclosure may be widely used on industrial, earthmoving, mining, construction, farming, transportation and material handling machines and vehicles, or the like. It may be contemplated that the quick coupler 100 may be used to detachably/interchangeably connect the implement 102 to an arm of a machine. In various embodiments, the implement 102 may include a bucket, a grapple, a hammer, a multi-processor, a rake, a ripper, a saw, a dozer blade, a pallet fork, a barrel handler, a tire manipulator, a jib boom, a pipe fork, or any other types of work tool attachments. As illustrated in
The present disclosure provides an advantageous cover plate 142 as illustrated in
In line with the foregoing discussion, the cover plate 142 may assure effective working of the locking system 154 and also provided an added support to the first and the second plates 110, 112. Thus, contributing to an overall life of the quick coupler 100. The protruded area 146 provided on the cover plate 142 may allow an added space for the bulkhead fittings 152 and for the connection with the hydraulic lines 174. However, it may be contemplated that the bulkhead fittings 152 may be directly provided on a top surface of the cover plate 142.
Moreover, the external lubrication bank 182 provided on the second plate 112 offers a single easily accessible point for supplying the lubricant to all the internal components which require lubrication. Furthermore, the external lubrication bank 182 may allow feeding of the lubricant to any wear points via the internal lubrication lines 176 without having removed the cover plate 142.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed quick coupler without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments of the quick coupler will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the system disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
