Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The invention relates to a device for coupling a boom of an excavating
machine or the like to a tool, for instance an excavating bucket, the boom
being rotatably connected to the tool by means of a boom shaft and a
steer:ing shaft.
Such a device is generally known.
A bucket or the like is rotatably and permanently connected to a boom by
means of suspension plates welded thereto. For that reason the suspension
plates are provided with extending bores, the axes of said bores being
parallel to the lower side of the bucket located at the front side. The
position of the bores with respect to the upper side of the upper plate
of the bucket as well as the mutual space in a suspension plate and the
diameter of the bores are dependent on the manufacture and the type of
excavating machine or the like, for which the bucket is adapted. The
mutual location of the axes of the steering shaft (joint of steering arms
with the bucket) and boom shaft (joint with boom) the point of rotation
of the boom, the rotation arms, the connection boom, operation cylinder
and steering arms are also different from one another in all types and
manufactures. The width of the boom also varies with the result that a
bucket of a determined type, fitting in a machine of a determined
manufacture, cannot be coupled (connected) to a machine of an other
manufacture. In vlew of the high number of manufactures the possibilities
for a normalisation of operation cylinder and boom structure cannot be
realised at the moment.
The connection of a bucket to a machine or changing the bucket type is a
laborious and time absorbing job. The locking of the steering shaft and
those of the boom shaft should be dismounted, after which these shafts
should be removed. In praxis this means that the shafts are driven out by
means of a hammer and a pipe. During these activities the bucket is
positioned on the ground. After uncoupling of the tool the engineer can
swing the boom with steering arm above an other bucket in order to
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connect this by operation of the boom cylinder as well as the swinging
mechanism of the machine. The boom and steering arm should be located such
with respect to the bucket with suspension plates that the axes of the
bores in the machine for the steering snaft and for the boom shaft are
exactly aligned with the axes of the respective bores in the suspension
plates of the bucket. Thereafter the steering shaft and boom shaft can be
driven in and the lockings for the steering shaft and the boom shaft can
be mounted. These activities last for about 45-70 minutes. A third portion
of this time is required for disconnecting (uncoupling) of the bucket
and two third of the time for the connection of the bucket. It is clear,
that this means much loss of time especially when, as often occurs in
praxis, more times a day an other bucket should be arranged. Moreover, in
praxis, the disadvantage occurs, when often changing the tool, that the
original fitting tolerances are completely lost.
The above described problem with respect to the long times for changing
the tool could be solved by arranging a plate-shaped intermediate piece
which is mounted once by means of suspension plates on the steering shaft
and boom shaft and on the one side is adapted to machines of different
manufactures and types and on the other side fits in a plate-shaped
adaptor which is arranged on all buckets and tools, c.q. mounted, c.q.
welded, and which forms the upper plate of the bucket or the tool. ~he
coupling of the adaptor and the intermèdiate piece could take place by
means of bolts. The intermediate piece could be provided with four bolt
holes and the adaptor with four threaded holes, the pattern of which
corresponding to the bolt holes in the intermediate piece. For coupling
the bolt holes and the threaded holes should be aligned by steering the
machine. Although with this structure the dismantling of the locking,
the driving out of the shafts and subsequently driving in of the shafts
and the mounting of the locking are deleted, the problem of an accurate
positioning of the machine boom with its steering arm with respect to the
adaptor on the bucket is not solved therewith, as the axes of the four
bolt holes in the intermediate piece should be aligned with the axes of
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the threaded holes in the adaptor before the bolts can be driven in and
tightened. When the machine is positioned in an other plane than the bucket
the coupling of the boom and bucket will laboriously be effected. For the
connection of the bucket which should be provided with such an adaptor to
a machine having an intermediate piece as described above, two persons
are needed namely one for the machine and one for the bucket.
The object of the invention is to simplify a device of the above type and
to remove the above objections completely and for that reason the
invention is characterized in that by means of the boom shaft and the
steering shaft an intermediate piece is mounted, at its lower side being
provided with a leading shaft and a trailing shaft secured thereto which
are mutually parallel and of which the journals can be included in bearings
which are mounted in an adaptor secured to the tool, the mutual space
between the leading and trailing journals to be received in the bearings
can be changed by means of adjustment means such that before coupling the
trailing journals can penetrate the relative bearings and after coupling
of the intermediate piece to the adaptor they unmovably abut the relative
bearing openings in the adaptor under pretension.
The device according to the invention provides the following advantages.
Already durin~ the connection of the tool, for instance an excavating
bucket which is provided with an adaptor according to the invention, a
receiving of the leading journals of the intermediate piece by the leading
bearings of the adaptor takes place. The intermediate piece as well as the
adaptor do not contain spare portions. The uncoupling of a bucket or other
tool requires about ~ ninutes whereas the connection requires about 5
minutes. In th~se periods the time for the operation of the machine is
included.
Constructively the adaptor is substantially charged with pressure and the
intermediate piece with bending. According to the invention all tools are
secured to the machine via the coupling device without any tolerance, by
which all components of the coupling device are only subjected to a
minimum wear which could be neglected. In dependence on the contents, the
height at the inlet side and the width of the bucket the adaptors are 25,
30, 35 or 40 mm thick. The intermediate piece should be constructively tuned
to the power of the machine and bucket cylinder. It is however, the case,
that a light bucket fits in a heavy machine and reversed that a heavy
bucket can be connected to a light machine. The present structure is
sturdy and compact, is statically completely determined and is umnovably
fixed in the coupling points under pretension. The economic and material
aspects are important points when coupling a tool to a machine. The
average age of the machine is 3 to 5 years. The duration of life of a
bucket is 2 to 3 years, i.e. that during the life time of the machine
more than one bucket (of the same or of an other type and/or manufacture)
is used. A bucket with an adaptor according to the invention saves a lot
of material at initial purchase and replacement. moreover a bucket with
adaptor according to the invention can be manufactured in a cheaper way.
A single purchase of an intexmediate piece according to the invention
(for the life time of the machine) economises therefore in the initial
costs of the bucket and in the times for changing.
The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of the drawing.
Fig. 1 schematically shows a plan view of a known bucket structure with
welded suspension plates.
Fig. 1A schematically shows a plan view of the bucket of fig. 1, which is
provided with a plate-shaped adaptor having an intermediate piece
secured thereto.
Fig. 2 shows a side view of the bucket of fig. 1.
Fig. 2A shows a side view of the upper portion of the bucket of fig. 1A.
Fig. 2B shows a cross section of the connections between adaptor and
intermediate piece of fig. 1A~
Fig. 3 schematically shows a boom structure with a tool secured thereto
(bucket).
Fig. 3A schematically shows the outermost positions of a bucket on a boom
structure in side view.
Fig. 3B shows a boom structure according to fig. 3 or of fig. 3A, said
boom structure being provided with a plate-shaped intermediate piece.
The fig. 3 througX 8 schematically show examples of embodiments according
to the present invention of connections between intermediate piece and
adaptor.
Fig. 9 shows a cross section seen according to the arrows IX-IX of fig.4.
Fig. 10 shows a cross section seen according to the arrows X-X of fig.4.
Fig. 11 shows a cross section seen according to the arrows XI-XI of
fig. 5.
Fig. 12 shows a cross section seen according to the arrows XII-XII
of fig. 6.
Fig. 13 shows a cross section seen according to the arrows XIII-XIII of
fig. 7.
Fig. 14 shows a cross section seen according to the arrows XIV-XIV
of fig. 8.
Fig. 15 shows a plan view of an adaptor according to the invention.
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Fig. 16 shows a side view and a partial vertical cross section of the
adaptor of fig. 15.
Fig. 17 shows a plan view of a portion of an intermediate piece according
to the invention.
Fig. 18 shows a side view of the intermediate piece of fig. 17.
Fig. 19 shows a plan view of an amended embodiment of a trailing journal
structure according to the invention.
Fig. 20 shows a front view of the structure of fig. 19.
The fig. 21 through 24 subsequently show the various mutual positions and
displacements of the leading shaft of an intermediate piece provided with
a coercive cam when coupling the intermediate piece and the adaptor
according to the invention.
The fig. 25 and 26 show the mutual position of the intermediate piece and
the adaptor during entering of the trailing shaft of the intermediate
piece into the trailing shaft bearing of the adaptor for completely
coupling intermediate piece and adaptor.
The fig. 27 and 28 show the positions of the bucket belonging to the
positions of the leading shaft indicated in fig. 21 and 22 which are
different from one another.
In the fig. 1, 2, 3 and 3A a generally applied coupling device is shown,
in which a bucket, provided with an inlet side 5, a rear plate 3, a bucket
pipe 17, side plates 29 and front side 30, is rotatably and permanently
connected to the boom by means of receiving plates 1 welded thereto. For
that reason the suspension plates are provided with extending bores 7, 8,
in which the axes 31, 32 of the bores are parallel to the lower side of
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the bucket knife 6 positioned at the front side (vide the fig. 3 and 1).
The position of the bores 7, 8 with respect to the upper side of the bucket
plate 4 and the bucket diagonal 20 as well as the mutual distance in a
suspension plate and the diameter of the bores 7, 8 are dependent on the
manufacture and the type of excavating machine for which the bucket
(c.~. tool) is adapted. In dependence upon the type of bucket the bucXet
angle indicated with 21 can be 96-125 . The width of the bucket is
indicated with 23 and the height of the bucket with 22. To the boom a
double-acting hydraulic cylinder 13 (bucket cylinder) with plunger rod 14
is permanently secured. The rear side of this cylinder is pivotally
suspended in the point of rotation of the boom 12 which is provided in
bearing plates 24 which are welded to the boom. At the front side the
bucket is pivotally connected to the rotating arm 15 by means of the head
of the plunger rod 14 in the point of rotation of the steering arm 55.
The second point of rotation of the rotating arm 15 is supported in the
boom by means of the rotating arm shaft 19. In the point of rotation of
the steering arm 55 the steering arm 16, for opening and closing the
bucket, is also pivotally mounted. The steering arm 16 is pivotally
connected to the suspension plates 1 of the bucket at the other side via
the steering shaft 9, said plates being symmetrically arranged with
respect to the axis 53 of the bucket. The ~uspension plates 1 are
secured to the boom 11 by means of a boom shaft 10. The mutual location
of the axes of the steering shaft, the boom shaft, the rotating arm shaft
and the steering arm shaft as well as the width of the boom are different
in all types and manufactures. During dismount~ng and mounting of a
bucket the bucket is positioned on the ground. The steering arm and the
boom 11 are not connected to the bucket anymore. By operation of the boom
and its bucket cylinder and swinging of the machine an engineer can swing
the boom 11 with steering arm 16 above an other bucket in order to connect
this. The boom 11 and the steering arm 16 should be positioned such with
respect to the bucket with suspension plates, that the axes of the bores
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in the machine for the steering shaft and the boom shaft are exactly
aligned with the axes 31 of respectively the bores 8 and 7 in the
suspension plates 1 of the bucket. Thereafter the steering shaft and the
boom shaft can be introduced (and the lockings for the steering shaft and
the boom shaft can be mounted).
In fig. 3A the outermost positions of the bucket on the boom structure
are shown. Therewith 25 represents the limit of bucket "completely open"
or bucket "completely closed". In dependence upon the angle of the bucket
the closure angle indicated with 26 is 15-30. The limit bucket
"completely closed" is indicated with 27, whereas 28 represents the
angle deflection being 165-190 dependent on the manufacture of the
machine. The opening point of the bucket is indicated with 33 and the
closure point with 32.
The times for changing could be shortened by arranging an intermediate
piece 48 (the fig. lA~ 2A, 2B and 3B) which on the one side is adapted
to various manufactures and types of excavating machines and on the
other hand fits in a provision (adaptor) arranged c.q. mounted, c.q.
welded to all buckets and tools.
Such an intermediate piece with suspension plates 47 adapted to the
excavating machlne remains permanently secured to the boom shaft and the
steering shaft (vide fig. 2A). The distance of the suspension plates
is adapted to the width of the boom. All buckets are provided with an
adaptor having the configuration of a plate 41. The adaptor embodied
as upper plate of the bucket is provided with four welded threaded
holes 46 having internal screw thread for receiving front securing bolts
49 and rear securing bolts 50. The axes 36, 37 of the bores provided with
screw thread in the threaded holes 46 coincide with the pattern of also
four extending holes of the intermediate piece 48 embodied as plate in
order to interconnect the intermediate piece to the adaptor by means of
bolts at mutual space of 25 mm indicated with numeral 2(fig. 2B). The
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bolt holes 56 mounted in the intermediate piece are positioned in the points
of intersection of the lines 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46 (fig. lA). In the
fig. 2s and 3s the axes of the bolt holes for the rear securing bolts are
indicated with 34, the axes of the front threaded holes with 36 and those
of the rear threaded holes with 37. The intermediate piece (vide fig. lA)
is laterally limited by the lines 38 and 39 and at the rear side by the
line 51. The adaptor is furthermore provided with rear threaded holes 40
(fig. 2A and 2B).
As is already described above such a structure only provides a partial
solution of the problems which are also mentioned above with respect
to the quick-action coupling of the known booms and tools.
In the fig. 4 through 14 a number of embodiments according to the
invention are shown schematically relating to an intermediate piece 57
having relative cooperating ada~or 58. The intermediate piece is provided
with a leading shaft 59 and a parallel trailing shaft 60 it is
permanently connected to the boom by means of for instance two suspension
plates 71, 72, vide fig. 17, which are provided with extending bores for
respectively receiving the boom shaft and the steering shaft. The adaptor
58 also consists of two mutually parallel plates 73, 74 adapted to the
tool and fixed thereto. The trailing journals are each enclosed in a
fixable cap 61 which is pivotal around a pivot shaft 64 and which are
mounted on the plates 73, 74 of the adaptor. The intermediate piece can
be removed from the adaptor by a rotation of the eccentric sleeve 62 to
the left or to the right in dependence upon the way of enclosing of
the leading journals in the adaptor.
In the embodiment shown in fig. 4 no pretension occurs in the intermediate
piece and the adaptor as an eccentric sleeve is missing on the trailing
shaft. For that reason the diameters of the bearings should exactly fit
in those of the relative shafts. A difference of some millimeters
between the axes of the bearings, which difference could be present when
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coupling a bucket of another type, which is also provided with an adaptor,
could result in that the intermediate piece and adaptor could not be
coupled. In order to solve this problem, according to the invention, an
eccentric sleeve 62 is positioned on the trailing shaft 60, said sleeve
being able to increase or reduce the mutual space of said shafts such by
its rotation that the shafts can be inserted in their relative bearing,
and also being able to increase or reduce said distance by its rotation
such that after receiving of the shafts in their bearing the intermediate
piece 57 is sturdy clamped in the adaptor 58 (vide the fig. 5 and 6).
In the embodiments of the fig. 4 through 6 the dividing plane 67 of each
leading shaft bearing is directed in inclined upward manner fxom the
right to the left. In fig. 5 the dividing plane 70 of the trailing shaft
bearing 60 is horizontal whereas the dividing plane of the trailing
shaft bearing in fig. 6 extends in inclined upward manner from the right
to the left.
In the embodiments of the fig. 4, 5 and 6 the leading shaft can be
provided with coercive cams 63 mounted on the journals of the leading
shaft 59 (in the fig. 4, 5 and 6 not indicated). The coercive cams 63
serve therefor, that such a positioning of the leading shaft with respect
to the semi-circular opening of the leading shaft bearing can be reached
that the centre of the leading shaft i9 only positioned outside (before)
the dividlng plane of the leading shaft bearing such that at least the
distance between leading and trailingchaft can be bridged by a
maximally adjustable temporary extension of the distance between leading
and trailing shaft. This extension can be effected by rotation of the
already mentioned eccentric sleeve 62 on the trailing journals.
The leading shaft journals with coercive cams 63 will initially
experience an upward displacement of the intermediate piece toward the
opening of the leading shaft bearing by the operation of the boom 11,
until the leading shaft journals contact the inner side of the leading
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shaft bearing, the bucket resting on the ground is lifted and is suspended
at the leading shaft, in which its centre of gravity is as low as possible
(vide the fig. 22, 28). The leading shaft journals will each contact a
first partially circular portion 65 (coercive plane) of the inner wall of
the leading shaft bearing 66, of which circular portion the centre is
positioned in the dividing plane 67 of the leading shaft bearing namely in
the point of intersection of this dividing plane with said semi-circular
portion 68 of the inner wall of the leading shaft bearing, of which portion
68 the centre is also positioned in said dividing plane 67, and with a
straight transition part 69. This transition part is mounted between the
circular portion 65 and the semi-circular portion 68 and is perpendicular
to the dividing plane 67 and contacts the semi-circular portion 68. When,
by means of the steering arm, the intermediate piece is rotated, the
coercive cams will contact the partially circular portion 65 (vide
fig. 23) and the leading shaft journals will be displaced by the coercive
cams in the direction of the semi-circular portion (vide fig. 21).
In a further rotation of the intermediate piece the trailing shaft, on
which the eccentric sleeve is rotated such that the distance of the centre
of leading and trailing shaft is maximal, will roll off over the point
P1 (vide fig. 25 and 26) and will fall into the trailing shaft bearing.
The engineer subsequently operates the steering arm 16 such that the centre
of gravity of the bucket is provided at the boom side with respect to the
leading shaft bearing, by which the trailing journals remain in their bearings.
Subsequently the trailing shaft bearing cap 61 is closed and slightly fixed
by means of a socketed head screw 76 which is mounted in a chamber, said
chamber can be sealed by a plug square head 77. With a socket wrench
or pin the eccentric sleeve 62 is rotated such that the leading and
trailing journals are unmovably locked in their bearings. In this
position the leading journal abuts the circular portion 68 and the
coercive cam 63 is free. The trailing shaft bearing cap 61 can be tightly
fixed.
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It may occur that the dividing plane 70 of the trailing shaft bearing 75
in the adaptor consists of two portions being at an angle with respect to
one another such that the eccentric sleeve is surrounded by the material
of the adaptor over an arc greater than 180 , i.e. that the trailing
shaft journal cannot be brought completely in or out the trailing shaft
bearing 75 with its eccentric sleeve. In order to avoid this the material
surrounded the adaptor and provided in a region removed from the point P1
for more than 180 over the bearing periphery, is taken away as indicated
in the region P2 in fig. 16.
When in view of clamping the leading and trailing shaft journals in the
adaptor the eccentric sleeve should be rotated to the left, vide the
fig. 5 through 6, the adaptor should be charged on pressure and the
intermediary piece on bending. Usually pressure zones arise therewith
in the leading shaft bearing and the trailing shaft bearing said zones
being symmetrical with respect to the connection line of thecentres of
the shafts and spanning an angle of about 22 . In dependence upon the
positioning of the dividing planes of the bearings of the adaptor, which
can be aligned or not, the positioning of the pressure angle region can
be amended with respect to said connection line.
In the fig~ 7 and 8 the eccentric sleeve can be rotated to the right
and the adaptor will be charged on drawing and the intermediate piece on
bending. The leading shaft bearing is open in the direction of the trailing
shaft bearing and is provided on its side facing away from the-trailing
shaft bearing opening with a semi-cylindrical inner wall extending over
maximally 180 . In this embodiment a leading journal does not comprise
coercive cams.
The intermediate piece as well as the adaptor, do not comprise spare parts.
Even the joints embodied as socketed bolts for fixing the eccentric
sleeves on the trailing journals are built in such that they cannot be
removed without any additional tool.The inner hexagon of the socketed
-12-
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bolts remains clean so that a socket wrench can always be inserted to the
full depth of a socketed bolt.
In the fig. 19 and 20 an amended embodiment of a trailing journal is
shown which is inserted into an axial opening in the end of the trailing
shaft.
The amendment of the mutual distance of said shafts is not restricted to
the application therefore of adjustment means embodied as eccentric
sleeves. So, sliding pieces for the trailing shaft could also be used
therefore for instance.
