Extended swing frame roll clamp

Abstract

A swing frame roll clamp may include a mounting plate mountable to a lift truck and a pair of opposing clamp arms. The gripping arms may be configured for selectively and alternately gripping and releasing a cylindrical load, and each opposing gripping arm may be able to become a short arm or a long arm relative to the other opposing gripping arm.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 376,731, filed on September 22, 2022. Background Art

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a roll clamp, and more particularly to a swing frame roll clamping apparatus mountable on a vehicle for engaging, transporting and stacking rolls of paper and other materials.

[0004] Pivoting arm roll clamps manufactured for mounting on lift trucks and other vehicles are widely used to handle rolls of paper products (such as newsprint and kraft paper) and other materials. Pivoting arm roll clamps allow paper rolls or other cylindrical loads to be grabbed or released from a long arm / short arm configuration or an equal arm configuration. Typically, the roll clamp is rotatable to engage, transport and store rolls, wherein the longitudinal axis of the roll is vertical or horizontal. If the roll is located on a surface where the axis of the roll is horizontal (known as the "bottom position"), it is preferred to use a long arm / short arm configuration in which the arm at the top of the horizontally oriented clamping attachment extends further in front of the lift truck than the lower arm, so that the upper arm will extend beyond (overreach) the roll, thereby enabling the clamping pads at the ends of the upper and lower arms to engage the roll at a diametrically opposed position without having to push the lower arm under the roll, which may cause it to roll away from the clamp. On the other hand, when transporting or stacking rolls with the longitudinal axis vertical, it is generally preferred to use an equal arm configuration in which the arms on either side of the roll extend equally far in front of the lift vehicle to facilitate insertion of the two arms between closely adjacent rolls without damaging them. However, even when grabbing or releasing rolls in a vertical orientation, it is sometimes useful to use a long arm / short arm configuration if the roll is being grabbed from or released to a location adjacent to a wall or other surface.

[0005] Existing swing frame paper roll clamps (such as the paper roll clamp disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,435,119 to House) enable clamping arms located on opposite sides of the clamping attachment to be moved toward or away from the vehicle. A rotator is attached to a lift truck or other vehicle, and a panel of the swing frame clamp is attached to the bearing of the rotator on the side farthest from the lift truck. The panel is a large integral plate that includes a plurality of holes for fasteners that are used to secure the panel to the bearing of the rotator and defines a large central hole to which a rotating hydraulic connector is mounted. An upper subframe and a lower subframe having a generally I-beam-shaped cross section are each pivotally attached to the panel by pins that engage corresponding pairs of support blocks welded to and protruding from the panel above and below each subframe. The clamping arm is pivotally attached to the subframe and is pivoted to clamp or release the load by a hydraulic clamping piston (ram) connected to the clamping arm and one of the subframes, respectively. Extension or retraction of a swing frame hydraulic piston attached to the panel and subframe pivots the subframe about its central connection to the panel to swing the opposite ends of the subframe and attached clamp arms closer to or further away from the lift truck.

[0006] The hydraulic fluid from the lift truck flows through the rotary hydraulic connector at the center of the panel and then enters the conduits arranged across the surface of the panel to the various hydraulic pistons of the clamps. The eight conduits that supply hydraulic fluid to the clamping pistons are complex, each of which includes a U-shaped pipe section connected to a flexible hose section. Each conduit section includes a first length of conduit that extends away from the central rotary hydraulic connector toward the side of the panel opposite to the clamping piston to which the conduit will eventually be connected. The second length of conduit extends perpendicular to the first length of conduit toward the top or bottom of the panel. A relief is provided in a portion of the innermost flange of each subframe and on both sides of the central pivot so that the second length of conduit can extend from the middle of the panel to a position behind the web of the I-shaped subframe. A third length of conduit that is bent perpendicular to the second length of conduit extends toward the lateral center of the panel behind the web of the corresponding subframe, where the conduit is attached to a hose that is connected to one of the clamping pistons. As the clamp arm is pivoted, the hoses allow the conduits to follow the movement of the clamp piston as they swing relative to the panel. Slots in the flange of the subframe to accommodate the conduits supplying the clamp piston concentrate stresses in the flange, and the conduits are difficult to access for assembly or repair (e.g., replacement of worn hose sections) because they are attached to the panel located behind the subframe.

[0007] As previously described, a swing frame roll clamp attachment mounted to a lift truck or other vehicle is used to grab and reposition roll products or other cylindrical loads, and such loads can be grabbed from different orientations (i.e., a vertical orientation with the roll standing on one of its two flat ends or a horizontal ("bilge") orientation with the roll resting on its curved surface) and stored in different orientations. The operator of the vehicle typically does not know until arriving at the load or destination whether to grab from an equal arm configuration or a long arm / short arm configuration or to release the load in an equal arm configuration or a long arm / short arm configuration. Likewise, even where a long arm / short arm configuration is used, the operator typically does not know which side of the vehicle the short arm should be positioned to until arriving at the load / destination. Typically, rolls or other such cylindrical loads are stored in enclosed areas where the vehicle has very little maneuvering space to change the configuration of the clamping arms, making it difficult for the operator to properly position the load. Therefore, there is a need for an improved swing frame roll clamp that provides improved maneuverability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 A side view showing a portion of a swing frame reel and forklift in a bilge position.

[0009] Figure 2 A partial front view is shown with parts removed to reveal Figure 1 The underlying structure of a swing frame roll clamp that is rotated to engage a roll whose central axis is oriented vertically.

[0010] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the swing frame reel clamp is taken along line AA.

[0011] Figure 4 shows a prior art swing frame type roll clamp having a rotator and a swing cylinder positioned so that the roll clamp is in an equal arm position.

[0012] FIG. 5A shows the winder clamp of FIG. 4 with the swing cylinder positioned so that the winder clamp is in the short / long arm position, the winder clamp being rotated so that the short arm is on the right.

[0013] 5B shows the winder clamp of FIG. 4 with the swing cylinder positioned so that the winder clamp is in the short / long arm position, the winder clamp being rotated so that the short arm is on the left.

[0014] Figure 6 Shown is a side view of an improved swing-out crimp as described herein.

[0015] Figure 7 Shown in isobar configuration Figure 6 A top view of the swing-out reel clamp.

[0016] Figure 8and Fig. 9 The effect of moving the pivot axis of the arms outward on the swing angle of a swing frame clamp is shown.

[0017] Fig.10 Shows Figure 6 The position of the swing axis of the swing type winder.

[0018] Fig.11 Shown in short / long arm configuration Figure 6 A top view of the swing-out reel clamp with the short arm on the left.

[0019] Fig.12 Shown in short / long arm configuration Figure 6 Top view of the swing-out reel with the short arm on the right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like parts are represented by like reference numerals, and more particularly to Figure 1 , while the exemplary swing frame roll clamp, generally indicated at 20, may be mounted on a forklift 22, the clamp may be attached to other types of vehicles (carriers). The face plate 24 of the roll clamp 20 is attached to a rotator 26, which in turn is attached to a carriage 28 of a lift truck. The carriage is arranged to move up and down in a mast 30 of the lift truck, which mast 30 may also be tilted fore and aft relative to the lift truck to change the angular relationship of the clamp and / or the engaged roll relative to the surface supporting the lift truck.

[0021] The rotator 26 generally includes a base plate 32 to which is attached a hook 34 that engages the bracket 28 of the forklift. The base plate 32 is attached to the outer race of a bearing 36. Gear teeth formed on the interior of the inner race of the bearing 36 mesh with gear teeth on a pinion that can be rotated by a hydraulic motor 38. The rotator provides powered rotation of the roll clamp 20 about an axis of rotation 40 that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lift truck. When the central axis of the roll is oriented horizontally (e.g., Figure 1 Rotation of the clamp allows engagement and handling of a cylindrical roll 42 of paper or other material when the clamp is oriented vertically (as shown), for example, for loading the roll into a machine such as a printing press, or when oriented vertically for transport or stacking.

[0022] Also refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3Attached pivotally to the panel 24 of the clamp by respective pivot pins 44 are a pair of sub-frames 46, 48, each of which includes a flange 86, 88 distal to the center of the panel and a flange 87, 89 proximate the center of the panel, respectively. Extension or retraction of a hydraulic swing frame piston 50 pivotally connected at one end to the panel 24 by a pin 52 and pivotally connected at a second end to a swing arm bracket 54 by a second pin 56 causes the sub-frame to pivot relative to the panel 24 about an axis extending transverse to the axis of rotation 40 of the clamp. The swing arm bracket 54 is rigidly secured to the sub-frame by pivotally securing a shorter clamp arm 62 to a pin 60 of the sub-frames 46, 48 and by securing a short arm clamp piston 66 to a pin 64 of the sub-frame. The longer clamp arm 68 is also pivotally connected to the sub-frame 46, 48 by a pivot pin 70 and is pivoted relative to the sub-frame by a plurality of hydraulic long arm clamp pistons 72 connected to the sub-frame by pins 74 and to the long clamp arm by pins 76. Clamp pads 79 pivotally attached to the distal ends of the long clamp arm 68 and the short clamp arm 62 are arranged to engage a roll 42 of paper or other material which is secured in the clamp attachment when the long arm clamp pistons 72 and the short arm clamp pistons 66 are extended, thereby pivoting the clamp arms toward each other.

[0023] To enable cylindrical loads to be grabbed while resting in a horizontal or "bilge position" or alternatively resting beside a wall or other obstruction, such as Figure 1-3 Swing frame roll clamp attachments such as the swing frame roll clamp attachment shown in are made with a pair of opposing arms so that one arm is longer than the other. Thus, for example, if a roll 42 is placed on a surface with the axis of the roll horizontal, it is preferred that the upper (long) arm 68 of the roll clamp extends further in front of the lift vehicle than the lower (short) arm 62 so that the upper arm can extend beyond the roll so that the clamping pads 79 on the ends of the long and short clamping arms can engage the roll at diametrically opposed locations without having to push the lower arm under the roll. Similarly, when the roll is resting vertically against a wall, the long arm can also extend beyond the side of the roll that is not near the wall so that the roll can be grabbed at diametrically opposed locations without having to push the short arm between the roll and the wall.

[0024] On the other hand, when the rolls are transported or stacked with their longitudinal axes vertical, it is sometimes preferred that the arms on both sides of the roll extend equally far in front of the lift truck to facilitate insertion of the two arms between adjacent rolls without damaging them. In addition, it is often useful to move the clamp or roll transversely to the longitudinal axis of the roll to align the clamp or roll without moving the lift truck during stacking or during loading or unloading of a transport vehicle, or to slightly change the height of the roll when placing a horizontally oriented roll in the machine. By extending or retracting the swing frame piston 50, the operator of the forklift can pivot the subframes 46, 48 about their central connection to the panel 24 and move the attached clamping arms 62, 68 between a position 80 of unequal arm lengths and a position 82 of equal arm lengths (shown in phantom).

[0025] FIG4, FIG5A and FIG5B illustrate this capability. Referring to FIG4, for example, a swing frame reel clamp attachment 200 for a lift truck can be used to grab and move a cylindrical load 202 using a clamp arm assembly 204 pivotally mounted to a bracket 206 on a mounting plate 215. The clamp arm assembly 204 can include a long arm 208 and a short arm 210, each terminating in a clamp pad 212 shaped to securely grip a cylindrical surface. A swing cylinder 214 is used to arrange the clamp arm assembly in a long arm / short arm configuration relative to the load 202 or an equal arm configuration relative to the load. In FIG4, for example, the swing cylinder 214 is extended so that the side of the clamp arm assembly 204 near the short arm 210 is tilted outwardly at a swing angle 218 relative to the mounting plate 215. In this position of the swing cylinder 214, the swing frame roll clamp attachment 200 is in an equal arm configuration suitable for grabbing cylindrical rolls resting vertically adjacent to other cylindrical rolls, wherein overreach is not required or cannot be achieved due to obstructions on either side of the load.

[0026] In contrast, FIG. 5A shows a swing frame roll clamp attachment 200 in a short / long arm configuration, wherein the swing cylinder 214 is retracted so that the side of the clamp arm assembly 204 adjacent to the short arm 210 abuts the mounting plate 215, while the side of the clamp arm assembly 204 adjacent to the long arm 208 is tilted outwardly at a swing angle 220 relative to the mounting plate 215. In this short / long arm configuration, the swing frame roll clamp attachment 200 can extend beyond the roll 202 to securely grasp it, even if the roll 202 is adjacent to a wall or other obstacle. FIG. 5B also shows a swing frame attachment in a short / long arm configuration, but the rotator 216 positions the short arm 210 to the left of the long arm 208.

[0027] Thus, the swing frame roll clamp attachment 200 shown in FIGS. 4 , 5A and 5B facilitates grabbing of cylindrical loads (e.g., rolls) regardless of anticipated obstructions (e.g., walls, floors, adjacent rolls, etc.) while providing for direct insertion or extraction of the clamp. Direct insertion / extraction occurs when the vehicle on which the clamp is mounted does not have to be turned at an angle to store the load or to return after storing the load. It achieves this flexibility by alternating between an equal arm configuration and a short / long arm configuration; the former being achieved by fully positioning (swinging) the clamp to the long arm side, and the latter being achieved by fully positioning (swinging) the clamp to the short arm side.

[0028] In many cases, the lift truck operator can envision which side of the clamp must be occupied by the short arm and pre-orient the clamp for optimal clamp placement and subsequent load storage / retrieval. In cases where the correct clamp orientation cannot be envisioned, the correct orientation will need to be determined upon arrival at the destination, and the clamp will need to be rotated 180 degrees in the event that the current orientation is opposite to the desired orientation. Cases where the clamp orientation cannot be envisioned would include traditional situations where a person directly operates the lift truck or where an automated lift truck is used in the process. However, typically, there is not enough spatial maneuverability near the load to allow the clamp arm to be rotated to the desired position, which means that the lift truck will need to be moved to an area with sufficient space to rotate the clamp arm 180 degrees about an axis perpendicular to the axis through which the clamp arm swings, and approach the load again in the desired position.

[0029] An improved swing frame roll clamp is disclosed that eliminates the need to rotate the clamp arm when approaching a load with the short arm in the wrong orientation. In some embodiments, this feature also allows the elimination of a rotator, which significantly reduces the weight of the accessory. In some embodiments, the pivot point of the swing arm assembly can be moved farther away from the mounting plate than the pivot point found in current swing frame roll clamps. In such embodiments, the improved swing frame roll clamp allows for handling of loads with larger diameters than can be accurately positioned using existing swing frame roll clamps.

[0030] Specifically, Figure 6 and Figure 7A modified swing frame roll clamp 300 is shown that can be selectively attached to a lift vehicle 302 having a gantry 304 that is used to raise, carry, and lower a load grasped by the roll clamp 300. The roll clamp 300 preferably includes a clamp arm assembly 306 pivotally mounted to a bracket 308 that is in turn securely secured to a mounting plate 310 by which the roll clamp 300 can be attached to the lift vehicle 302. The clamp arm assembly 306 preferably does not include a short arm and a long arm; instead, the clamp arm assembly 306 includes opposing arms 316 and 318 of equal length, each having a clamp pad 320 attached at a terminal end thereof, and each arm being operated between an opening motion and a closing motion via a clamp cylinder 322. The clamp arms 316, 318 are configured for swinging about a swing axis that passes through a pivot point of the bracket 308.

[0031] Unlike the swing frame reel clamp attachment 200 of FIG. 4 , the swing frame reel clamp attachment 300 is therefore in an equal arm configuration in the neutral position in which the angles of the clamping arms relative to the mounting plate 310 are the same. Instead, the short / long arm configuration is achieved by fully retracting the swing actuator 312 from the neutral position (in which case arm 316 becomes the short arm and arm 318 becomes the long arm) or extending the swing actuator 312 from the neutral position until arm 318 contacts member 319 (in which case arm 316 becomes the long arm and arm 318 becomes the short arm). In other words, instead of the arms being long and short when fully swung to one side and equal when fully swung to the other side, the arms are designed to be equal arms when facing forward. With this design, a long-short arm configuration is achieved when fully swung to either side, and the operation of the swing actuator 312 determines which arm is the short arm and which arm is the long arm. This design eliminates the need for a rotator in applications where the roll is not intended to be raised from, carried in, or lowered to a bilge location. However, in some embodiments, a rotator may be included if it is desired to grab, carry, or store a load in a bilge location. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the swing actuator 312 may typically include a hydraulic cylinder, but will also appreciate that other actuators, such as an electric actuator, may also be used.

[0032] Additionally, in some embodiments, the swing frame clamp may position the pivot point of the swing arm assembly further away from the mounting plate than is present in current swing frame clamps. As described above, with an equal-arm orientation in the neutral position of the swing cylinder 312, the effective 'swing angle' is cut in half; half of the angle is used when swinging to the right, and half of the angle is used when swinging to the left. In order to achieve the same long-short arm configuration as the prior art swing frame clamps, the swing angle must be increased. In order to achieve this increased swing angle, the pivot point of the swing frame clamp attachment is moved forward. This increases the range of available swing by moving the pivot further away from the mounting plate. This can be achieved by comparing Figure 8 and Fig. 9 See. Figure 8 In the case where the pivot axis is relatively close to the mounting plate, the distance 315 is small and does not allow the clamping arm to deflect by a large angle. Fig. 9 , the pivot axis is moved further away from the mounting plate and the distance 314 allows for greater deflection. Fig.10 and Fig.11 It is shown that the effect of moving the pivot axis defined by flange 308 outward is to greatly increase the swing angle of clamp arms 316 and 318.

[0033] However, in other embodiments, the swing angle of the clamp attachment 300 can be increased by including two swing cylinders 312, one of which is attached to each of the arms 316 and 318, wherein the arms 316, 318 are coordinated by hydraulically connecting the head side of one swing cylinder to the rod side of the other swing cylinder. With this design, when pressure is supplied to the swing cylinders, one is pushing and the other is pulling.

[0034] As described above, the improved swing frame clamp attachment 300 eliminates the need for rotation / reorientation of the clamp and load to accommodate obstructions adjacent to the load to be grabbed / stored. In turn, eliminating the need for rotation allows the weight of the attachment to be reduced by eliminating the rotator, which is one of the heavier components of the swing frame reel clamp. Eliminating the rotation also reduces the time per operation. Moving the swing pivot forward increases the available swing angle of the disclosed swing frame reel clamp attachment. This design also allows the clamp to place a wide range of diameter reels directly against a wall or boundary using a direct insertion / extraction method. For example, Figure 6-11 The disclosed swing frame roll clamp 300 can be used to place a roll directly against a wall or against another roll, such as Fig.12 However, when storing or grabbing rolls of the same diameter, the swing frame roll clamp 200 shown in Figures 4, 5A and 5B must have a gap of 41 mm between the roll and the boundary.

[0035] It will be understood that the invention claimed herein is not limited to the specific embodiments that have been described, and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, as interpreted in accordance with principles of governing law, including the doctrine of equivalents or any other doctrine that expands the practicable scope of a claim beyond its literal scope. Any incorporation by reference of the above-mentioned documents is limited so that no subject matter contrary to the express disclosure herein is incorporated. Any incorporation by reference of the above-mentioned documents is further limited so that no claims included in the documents are incorporated herein by reference. Any incorporation by reference of the above-mentioned documents is further limited so that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated herein by reference unless expressly included herein. In the event of an inconsistency in usage between this document and those documents incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated references shall be deemed to supplement that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document shall prevail. Unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference in a claim to a number of instances of an element, whether to one instance or to more than one instance, requires at least the stated number of instances of the element, but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more than the stated instance of the element. When used in a claim, the word "comprise" or its derivatives are used in a non-exclusive sense that is not intended to exclude the presence of other elements or steps in the claimed structure or method.

Claims

1. A swing frame type coil clamp, comprising: a mounting plate capable of being mounted to a lift truck; and A pair of opposed clamping arms are configured for selectively and alternately grasping and releasing a cylindrical load, each opposed clamping arm being capable of becoming either a short arm or a long arm relative to the other opposed clamping arm.

2. The swing frame type clamp attachment according to claim 1, wherein: Each opposing clamp arm is either a short arm or a long arm based on operation of the swing actuator between a fully retracted position and a fully extended position.

3. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the fully extended position and the fully retracted position is defined by contact between the corresponding clamp arm and a stop member.

4. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 2, wherein: The swing frame clamp can be configured in an iso-arm configuration associated with the swing actuator being in a position between the fully extended position and the fully retracted position.

5. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 1, wherein: The swing frame type clamp swings around a swing axis and does not include a rotator that rotates the clamping arm around an axis perpendicular to the swing axis.

6. A swing frame type coil clamp comprising: a mounting plate capable of being mounted to a lift truck; and a pair of opposed clamping arms configured for selectively and alternately grasping and releasing a cylindrical load, the opposed clamping arms configured for swinging relative to the mounting plate via operation of a swing actuator between a fully retracted position and a fully extended position, each of which configures the swing frame reel clamp in a short / long arm configuration.

7. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the fully extended position and the fully retracted position is defined by contact between the corresponding clamp arm and a stop member.

8. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 1, wherein: The swing frame clamp can be configured in an iso-arm configuration associated with the swing actuator being in a position between the fully extended position and the fully retracted position.

9. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 1, wherein: The swing frame type clamp swings around a swing axis and does not include a rotator that rotates the clamping arm around an axis perpendicular to the swing axis.

10. A swing frame type winding clamp attachment, comprising: a mounting plate capable of being mounted to a lift truck; and A pair of opposed clamping arms, the pair of opposed clamping arms can swing about a first axis and are configured for selectively and alternately grasping and releasing a cylindrical load, the reel clamp attachment can be configured to have short arms on either side of the first axis and in a manner that does not allow the short arms to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the first axis.

11. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 10, wherein: Each opposing clamping arm can be shortened or lengthened relative to the other opposing clamping arm.

12. The swing frame clamp attachment of claim 11, wherein: Each opposing clamp arm is either a short arm or a long arm based on operation of the swing actuator between a fully retracted position and a fully extended position.

13. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 12, wherein: At least one of the fully extended position and the fully retracted position is defined by contact between the corresponding clamp arm and a stop member.

14. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 12, wherein: The swing frame clamp can be configured in an iso-arm configuration associated with the swing actuator being in a position between the fully extended position and the fully retracted position.

15. The swing frame type winding clamp according to claim 10, wherein: The swing frame crimp does not include a rotator for rotating the clamp arm about the axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.

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