Rocking arm device for construction machinery

Abstract

An earthmoving machine having a boom for attaching an attachment to the earthmoving machine, the earthmoving machine including a frame extending in a longitudinal direction and a pair of lift arms pivotally coupled to the frame. The boom includes: a support member positioned between the pair of lift arms in an inserted manner; and elongated, laterally spaced first and second tilt levers coupled to the support member. Each tilt member may have a first pivot link, a second pivot link, and an aperture positioned between the first pivot link and the second pivot link. The aperture may include a first wall, a second wall, and a through-hole for coupling the tilt lever to the support member using a pin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rocker arm device for a work machine. Background Art

[0002] Work machines can be used with attachments to engage and move loads. An example of such an attachment is a bucket. The linkage that connects the attachment to the actuator of the machine includes the use of rocker arms. When the machine moves forward or when the movement of the attachment is actuated, the rocker arms transfer force between the frame of the work machine and the attachment. Although currently available linkages work well, there is still room for improving the functionality and efficiency of work machines. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The concepts selected for further description in the detailed description and the drawings are introduced below. The summary of the invention is not intended to identify key or essential features of the appended claims, nor is it intended to be used to help determine the scope of the appended claims.

[0004] In a first embodiment, a rocker arm for attaching an attachment to a work machine may include a support member and elongated, laterally spaced first and second inclined levers. The work machine may include a frame extending in a front-to-rear direction and a pair of lift arms pivotally connected to the frame at a first end of the pair of lift arms.

[0005] The support member of the rocker arm may be positioned insertably between the pair of lift arms. The elongated, laterally spaced first and second inclined levers may be coupled to the support member. Each inclined lever may include a first pivot link at a first portion of the inclined lever, a second pivot link at a second end, an orifice, an integral dump stop, and an integral retraction stop. The first pivot link is pivotally coupled to a second end of an inclined hydraulic cylinder, and the second pivot link is pivotally coupled to an attachment link that couples the inclined lever to the attachment. The orifice may be positioned between the first pivot link and the second pivot link. The orifice may include a first wall, a second wall, and a through-hole extending through the first wall and the second wall for coupling the inclined lever to the support member using a pin. The pin may be a pivot axis during extension and retraction of a pair of inclined hydraulic cylinders. The rocker arm may include an integral dump stop positioned above the orifice, wherein when the integral dump stop abuts the support member during retraction of the pair of inclined hydraulic cylinders, the integral dump stop restricts movement of the inclined lever. The rocker arm may include an integral retraction stop positioned below the orifice. When the integral retraction stop abuts the support member during extension of the pair of inclined hydraulic cylinders, the integral retraction stop may restrict movement of the inclined lever.

[0006] The rocker arm may further include a replaceable wear plate that is coupled to one or more of an integral dump stop and an integral retraction stop. The wear plate may also be reversible. The wear plate may include impact absorbing material.

[0007] The integral dump stop may include a first recess around an upper edge of the aperture, where the first recess extends to a portion of an outer surface of a rear portion of the tilt lever. The first recess may expose a dump stop flat surface for engaging a support member.

[0008] The integral dump stop and the integral retraction stop may be positioned on an inner surface of the tilt lever.

[0009] The retraction stop may include a second recess around a lower edge of the aperture. The second recess may extend to a portion of an outer surface of a rear portion of the tilt lever. The second recess may expose a retraction stop flat surface for engaging a support member.

[0010] A first portion of the tilt lever from the aperture to the first pivot link and a second portion of the tilt lever from the aperture to the second pivot link are less in cross section than a distance between outer surfaces of a first wall and a second wall of the aperture.

[0011] From the following detailed description and the drawings, these and other features will become apparent, in which various features are shown and described by way of illustration. The present invention is capable of having other configurations and different configurations, and several details thereof can be modified in various other aspects, all of which do not depart from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the detailed description and the drawings should be considered illustrative in nature rather than restrictive or limiting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] A detailed description of the drawings refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a work machine having a rocker arm of a current embodiment;

[0014] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a side view of a front portion of the work machine of the illustrated embodiment;

[0015] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a side cross-sectional view of a front portion of the work machine of the illustrated embodiment;

[0016] Figure 4 is a front perspective view of a tilt lever of the current embodiment; and

[0017] Figure 5 is a rear perspective view of a tilt lever of the current embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The embodiments disclosed in the above drawings and the following detailed description are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0019] Figures 1 to 3 A view of a portion of a work machine 100 with a rocker arm 140 showing a current embodiment. The work machine includes: a frame 110; a pair of lift arms 120 pivotally connected to the frame at a first end 125 of the pair of lift arms; a pair of hydraulic cylinders 130 pivotally connected to the frame 110 at a first end (not shown) of the hydraulic cylinders 130; and a rocker arm 140. The rocker arm 140 includes a support member 145 coupled to the pair of lift arms 120 by a pair of first and second inclined levers 150 that are elongated and laterally spaced apart. The support member 145 is insertably positioned between the pair of lift arms 120. The support member 145 may be further fixedly coupled to the lift arms 120 to provide structural support for the lift arms 120. Additionally, the support member 145 may further include a pair of support member pivot links 157 that are laterally spaced apart with respect to a central plane 160 extending in a front-to-back direction 166 for coupling the support member 145 to the pair of inclined levers 150. The central plane 160 may substantially coincide with a central axis of the work machine 100.

[0020] Now referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 and continuing to refer to Figures 1 to 3 , each inclined lever 150 includes a first pivot link 163 at a first end 165 of the inclined lever 150 that is pivotally coupled to a second end 167 of an inclined hydraulic cylinder 135. Each inclined lever 150 may further include a second pivot link 170 at a second end 173 that is pivotally coupled to an attachment link 175, where the attachment link couples the inclined lever 150 to an attachment 178. An aperture 180 may be positioned between the first pivot link 163 and the second pivot link 170 for coupling to the support member pivot link 157. The aperture 180 may include a first wall 183 and a second wall 185, and a through hole 187 extending through the first wall 183 and the second wall 185, where the inclined lever 150 is rotatably coupled to the support member 145 by a pin 190 inserted through the through hole 187. The pin 190 may serve as a pivot axis during extension and retraction of the pair of inclined hydraulic cylinders 135.

[0021] The tilt lever 150 may further include an integral dump stop 195 located above the orifice 180. The integral dump stop 195 is designed integrally with the tilt lever 150 to form a single-piece component. When the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders 135 retract, the integral dump stop 195 (also referred to herein as the dump stop 195) can limit the movement of the tilt lever 150 during dumping of the payload from the attachment 178 when the dump stop 195 abuts the support member 145. In one embodiment, the dump stop 195 may include a surface cast in a first recess 200 near the upper edge 203 of the orifice 180, where the first recess 200 may extend to a portion of the rear outer surface 205 of the tilt lever 150. The first recess 200 exposes a dump stop flat surface 210 for engaging a first stop portion 213 on the support member 145. In the illustrated embodiment, the first stop portion 213 includes the support member pivot link 157 of the support member 145. The dump stop 195 may be positioned on the inner surface of the tilt lever 150, thereby advantageously protecting the dump stop 195 from external forces. Positioning the dump stop 195 internally and integrating the dump stop into the tilt lever 150 advantageously forms a single-piece component that eliminates wear caused by repeated impacts on welded components, streamlines the design, reduces exposure to the external environment, and reduces the number of components, and may reduce costs due to the reduction in the number of components. Current stops include welded components located on the outer surface of the link or engaging with the welded component.

[0022] The tilt lever 150 may further include an integral retraction stop 215 located below the orifice 180. Similar to the integral dump stop 195, the integral retraction stop 215 is designed integrally with the tilt lever 150 to form a single-piece component. When the tilt hydraulic cylinder 135 extends, the integral retraction stop 215 (also referred to herein as the retraction stop 215) can limit the movement of the tilt lever 150 during retraction of the attachment 178 when the retraction stop 215 abuts the support member 145. In the present embodiment, the retraction stop 215 may include a second recess 217 peripheral to the lower edge 219 of the orifice 180. The second recess 217 may extend to a portion of the rear outer surface 205 of the tilt lever 150. The second recess 217 may expose a retraction stop flat surface 220 for engaging a second stop portion 223 of the support member 145. More specifically, the retraction stop flat surface 220 engages the second stop portion 223 located on the support member pivot link 157 of the support member 145. In an alternative embodiment, the stop portion 223 may engage an alternative portion of the support member 145.

[0023] The tilt lever 150 may also include a replaceable wear plate 225 that is coupled to one or more of an integral dump stop 195 and an integral retract stop 215. The wear plate 225 may include impact absorbing material 227. That is, the impact absorbing performance of the wear plate may be greater than the impact absorbing performance of the tilt lever 150, thereby advantageously improving the maintainability of the tilt lever 150. Maintenance of the dump stop 195 and the retract stop 215 further ensures that the linkage movement remains accurate and precise. For applications such as slope control, accuracy and precision become important in communicating with the feedback loop of the control system of the work machine. The wear plate 225 may also be reversible, thereby doubling the expected use of the wear plate 225.

[0024] Additionally, the upper portion 230 of the tilt lever 150 from the orifice 180 to the first pivot link 163 and the lower portion 233 of the tilt lever 150 from the orifice 180 to the second pivot link 170 may be less in cross-section along the lateral direction 235 than the distance between the outer surfaces 240 of the first wall 183 and the second wall 185 of the orifice 180. This reduction in the cross-section of the upper portion 230 and the lower portion 233 is achieved in part by integrally forming the dump stop 195 and the retract stop 215 into the tilt lever 150 and advantageously provides improved visibility of the attachment 178 to the driver in the cab.

[0025] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments or implementations and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in this specification, any term "having", "containing", "including", "comprising", etc. identifies the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, and does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] While the foregoing describes exemplary embodiments of the invention, such descriptions should not be considered restrictive or limiting in sense. Rather, several variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An arm for attaching an attachment to a work machine, the work machine including a frame and a pair of lift arms, the frame extending in a front-rear direction, the pair of lift arms being pivotally connected to the frame at their first ends, the arm including: a support member positioned in an inserted manner between the pair of lift arms; and elongated, laterally spaced first and second tilt levers coupled to the support member, each tilt lever including: a first pivot link at a first end of the tilt lever, the first pivot link being pivotally coupled to a tilt hydraulic cylinder; a second pivot link at a second end of the tilt lever, the second pivot link being pivotally coupled to an attachment link that couples the tilt lever to the attachment; an orifice positioned between the first pivot link and the second pivot link, the orifice including a first wall, a second wall, and a through hole that extends through the first wall and the second wall for coupling the tilt lever to the support member using a pin that is a pivot axis during extension and retraction of a pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders; an integral dump stop positioned above the orifice, the integral dump stop restricting movement of the tilt lever when the integral dump stop abuts the support member when the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders are retracted; and an integral retract stop positioned below the orifice, the integral retract stop restricting movement of the tilt lever when the integral retract stop abuts the support member when the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders are extended.

2. The rocker arm according to claim 1, wherein, The arm further includes a replaceable wear plate coupled to one or more of the integral dump stop and the integral retract stop.

3. The rocker arm according to claim 1, wherein, The integral dump stop includes a first recess around an upper edge of the orifice, the first recess extending to a portion of an outer rear surface of the tilt lever, the first recess exposing a dump stop flat surface for engaging the support member.

4. The rocker arm according to claim 3, wherein, One or more replaceable and reversible wear plates are coupled to the dump stop flat surface.

5. The rocker arm according to claim 4, wherein, The wear plate includes impact-absorbing material.

6. The rocker arm according to claim 1, wherein, The integral dump stop and the integral retract stop are positioned on an inner surface of the tilt lever.

7. The rocker arm according to claim 1, wherein, The retract stop includes a second recess around a lower edge of the orifice, the second recess extending to a portion of an outer rear surface of the tilt lever, the second recess exposing a retract stop flat surface for engaging the support member.

8. The rocker arm according to claim 7, wherein, The replaceable and reversible wear plate includes impact-absorbing material.

9. The rocker arm according to claim 7, wherein, One or more replaceable and reversible wear plates are coupled to the retract stop flat surface.

10. The rocker arm according to claim 1, wherein, The first part of the tilt lever from the orifice to the first pivot link and the second part of the tilt lever from the orifice to the second pivot link are smaller in cross section than the distance between the outer surfaces of the first wall and the second wall of the orifice.

11. An earthmoving machine, comprising: a frame extending in a front-rear direction, a pair of lift arms pivotally coupled to the frame at their first ends; a swing arm for attaching an attachment to the earthmoving machine, the swing arm including a support member and elongate, laterally spaced first and second tilt levers, the support member positioned in an inserted manner between the pair of lift arms, the first and second tilt levers coupled to the support member, each tilt lever including: a first pivot link at a first end of the tilt lever, the first pivot link pivotally coupled to a second end of a tilt hydraulic cylinder, a first end of the tilt hydraulic cylinder coupled to the frame; a second pivot link at a second end of the tilt lever, the second pivot link pivotally coupled to an attachment link that couples the tilt lever to the attachment; an orifice positioned between the first pivot link and the second pivot link, the orifice including a first wall and a second wall, a through hole extending through the first wall and the second wall for coupling the tilt lever to the support member using a pin that is a pivot axis during extension and retraction of a pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders; an integral dump stop positioned above the orifice, the integral dump stop restricting movement of the tilt lever when the integral dump stop abuts the support member when the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders are retracted; and an integral retract stop positioned below the orifice, the integral retract stop restricting movement of the tilt lever when the integral retract stop abuts the support member when the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders are extended.

12. The work machine according to claim 11, wherein, The swing arm further includes a replaceable wear plate coupled to one or more of the integral dump stop and the integral retract stop.

13. The work machine according to claim 11, wherein, The integral dump stop includes a first recess around an upper edge of the orifice, the first recess extending to a portion of an outer rear surface of the tilt lever, the first recess exposing a dump stop flat surface for engaging the support member.

14. The earthmoving machine according to claim 13, one or more of the replaceable and reversible wear plates being coupled to the dump stop flat surface.

15. The work machine according to claim 14, wherein, The wear plate includes impact absorbing material.

16. The work machine according to claim 11, wherein, The integral dump stop and the integral retract stop are positioned on an inner surface of the tilt lever.

17. The work machine according to claim 11, wherein, The retract stop includes a second recess around a lower edge of the orifice, the second recess extending to a portion of an outer rear surface of the tilt lever, the second recess exposing a retract stop flat surface for engaging the support member.

18. The work machine according to claim 17, wherein, The replaceable and reversible wear plate includes impact-absorbing material.

19. The work machine according to claim 17, wherein, One or more of the replaceable and reversible wear plates are coupled to the retraction stop flat surface.

20. An earthmoving machine, comprising: a frame that extends in a front-to-rear direction, a pair of lift arms pivotally coupled to the frame at their first ends; a swing arm for coupling an attachment to the earthmoving machine, the swing arm including a support member and elongated, laterally spaced first and second tilt levers, the support member being positioned in an inserted manner between the pair of lift arms, the first and second tilt levers being coupled to the support member, each tilt lever including: a first pivot link at a first end of the tilt lever, the first pivot link being pivotally coupled to a second end of a tilt hydraulic cylinder, a first end of the tilt hydraulic cylinder being coupled to the frame; a second pivot link at a second end, the second pivot link being pivotally coupled to an attachment link that couples the tilt lever to the attachment; an orifice positioned between the first pivot link and the second pivot link, the orifice including a first wall and a second wall, a through hole extending through the first wall and the second wall for coupling the tilt lever to the support member using a pin that is a pivot axis during extension and retraction of a pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders; an integral dump stop positioned above the orifice, the integral dump stop restricting movement of the tilt lever when the integral dump stop abuts the support member when the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders are retracted, a replaceable wear plate being coupled to the integral dump stop; and an integral retraction stop positioned below the orifice, the integral retraction stop restricting movement of the tilt lever when the integral retraction stop abuts the support member when the pair of tilt hydraulic cylinders are extended, a replaceable wear plate being coupled to the integral retraction stop.

Images