Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This application relates to resonance driving
equipment, and in particular to the application of resonance
technology to loader buckets and similar earth-working
equipment.
Nany attempts have been made to apply resonant
technology, i.e., the use of a member vibrating at or near
resonance, to earth-working equipment. Typically, such
: resonant devices use a straight beam which vibrates about
two nodes, one end of the beam having a vibratory input and
the other end of the beam providing a vibratory output. An
example of such a device is found in a patent to Shatto,
U.S. Patent No. 3,633,683. In certain situa*ions, the ends
of the vibrating beams are bent to apply forces at a desired
angle, as illustrated in a second Shatto patent, U.S. Patent
No. 3,563,316. However, most attempts to date to apply
resonant technology to earth-working equipment have generally
met with failure, perhaps the principal reason being that
the equipment necessary to generate the desired output force
was too cumbersome to serve as a practical adjunct to
existing equipment.
The present invention provides apparatus for
resonantly driving a moveable cutter blade located at the
base of a concave tool comprising: an angulate beam having
first and second legs meeting at a juncture at an included
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angle of less than 180 and a mounting flange extending from
the juncture inwardly between the legs, said beam having a
resonant frequency, when restrained at the mounting flange,
with a node at the juncture and first and second anti-nodes
at the respective ends; a weighted hammer integrally formed
at the free end of the second leg of the beam; means for
vibrating the free end of the first leg of the beam at or
near the resonant frequency so that the free end of the
second leg vibrates about a neutral position; and means for
attaching the mounting flange to the tool so that the
angulate beam conforms to the ~oncave shape of the tool with
the neutral position of the free end of the second leg
spaced from the back of the cutter blade within striking
distance thereof so that vibration of said second leg
imparts forward impulses to the cutter blade to drive the
blade intermittently forward.
In the present invention, the beam is capable of
being mounted to the tool on which the beam operates because
of the mounting flange which extends inwardly between the
legs of the beam. Accordingly, the angulate beam can be
attached directly to the tool, and an outside source of
support is not required. Moreover, the beam adapts to the
concave shape of the tool, forming a compact unit. As a
result, the resonance device of the present invention
provides a reasonable alternative to simple actuators now in
o
common use in such devices.
The invention will be better understood from the
following description considered in connection with the
accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the
invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be
expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the
purpose of illustrating and descr-iption only and are not
intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In
the drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mining trans-
porter incorporating the resonant system of the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a-side elevation view of the mining
transporter of Figure 1 with portions cut away;
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Fig. 3 is an enlarged, side elevation view
of the loading bucket of the mining transporter of
Figs. 1 and 2 with portions cut away.
A mining transporter 10 incorporating the
features of the present invention is illustrated by
way of reference to Figs. 1-3. However, it is to be
understood that the apparatus of the present invention
could equally as well be incorporated in other types
of earth-moving equipment employing an earth-working
tool such as a loading bucket or mold board.
Mining transporter 10 includes a rear
power section 12 and a forward control section 14
connected by articulating joints 16. Hydraulic
15 actuators such as 18 connect sections 12 and 14 of
the vehicle for steering.
A loading bucket 20 is located at the
front of transporter 10. Loading bucket has a
generally concave portion 22 and side walls 23, 24,
forming a forwardly and upwardly opening enclosure.
A pair of lift arms 25, 26 are pivotably attached to
the forward section 14 of transporter 10 by pins 27,
28. The forward ends of lift arms 25, 26, attach to
bucket 20 with a pin connection such as 30. Hydraulic
cylinders such as 32 run from the forward section 14
of transporter 10 to the midpoint of each lift arm
25, 26 to control vertical movement of loader bucket
20.
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A dump cylinder 34 extends from a post 36
on the forward section 14 of transporter 10 to a pin
connection 38 on loader bucket 20. Dump cylinder 24
extends or retracts to rotate loader bucket 20 about
the pin connections such as 30 on lift arms 25, 26
to move the loader bucket from a forwardly opening
loading and unloading position to an upwardly
opening carrying position.
A cutter blade 40 is located at the lower
front edge of loader bucket 20, and spans the entire
width of the loading bucket. Cutter blade 40 is
suspended by a pair of hanger arms 41, 42 having pin
connections 43, 44 respectively at the upper portion
of the bucket. Accordingly, cutter blade 40 is free
to reciprocate forwardly and backwardly with respect
to the lower front edge of loading bucket 20.
A pair of compartments 45, 46 are located
at the opposite ends of loading bucket 20. Each
compartment 45, 46 has a respective forward member
47, 48 having a generally concave configuration.
An angulate resonant beam such as 50 is
located in each compartment 45, 46. Beams 50 are
mirror images of one another and act in unison.
Each angulate beam 50 includes a pair of legs 51, 52
meeting at a central juncture 54. Leg 51 has an
integral housing 56 at one end, and an eccentric
weight oscillator 58 is located within the housing.
Leg 52 has an enlarged portion 60 at its free end
forming a hammer, described in more detail hereinafter.
210
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Legs 51, 52 of angulate beam 50 meet at an
included angle of preferably about 9O, and in any
event substantially less than 180. A flange 62
extends inwardly between legs 51, 52 and bisects the
included angle between them. A pair of ears 63, 64
extend laterally from flange 62. Bolts 65, 66
fasten ears 63, 64 of each beam 50 to the forward
surfaces 47, 48 of the respective compartments 45,
46.
Each compartment such as 45 includes a
cavity such as 70 projecting forwardly to the forward
edge of loading bucket 20. Cutter blade 40 includes
a pair of extensions such as 72 extending rearwardly
through cavity 70 to a position proximate the front
surface of hammer 60 at the end of leg 52.
A motor is located within a housing 76 at
the upper back surface of loading bucket 20. The
motor has output shafts such as 74 extending trans-
~ versely in each direction, and the eccentric weight
oscillators such as 58 are mounted on the output
shafts of the motor. Eccentric weight oscillator 58
is rotated at a frequency at or near the resonant
frequency of beam 50, exciting the beam to at least
near resonance.
At its neutral or rest position, hammer 60
is spaced slightly behind the extension 72 projecting
rearwardly from cutter blade 40. When input vibrations
are applied to beam 50 by oscillator 58, hammer 60
at the end of leg 52 vibrates about its neutral
position, and strikes the rear of extension 72during its forward stroke. As a result, forward
impulses are applied to cutter blade 40 to drive the
cutter blade forward.
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In the use of mining transporter 10, a
situation often occurs in which the vehicle is
unable to provide sufficient forward tractive force
to drive loading bucket 20 into the material to
S be loaded. When this situation occurs, eccentric
mass oscillators 58 are actuated, resulting in
forward impulses being applied by resonant beams
50 to cutter blade 40. These forward impulses drive
the cutter blade into the material and dislodge
earth which cannot be penetrated by the transporter
acting alone. As a result, the necessity for loosening
the earth prior to loading is substantially reduced,
rendering the loading operation far more efficient
than conventional loading techniques. The compact
nature of the resonant system allows its incorporation
in the device without the necessity for large,
complex supports rendering prior resonant systems
impractical.
While a preferred embodiment of the present
invention has been illustrated in detail, it is
apparent that modifications and adaptations of that
embodiment will occur to those skilled in the art.
However, it is to be expressly understood that such
modifications and adaptations are within the spirit
and scope of the present invention, as set forth in
the following claims.
