Modularized crane boom capable of being automatically assembled and disassembled and combination method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of engineering machinery, and provides a modular automatic assembly and disassembly cargo boom and a combination method thereof.A boom section of the cargo boom is provided with an automatic connector, the automatic connector is integrated at the end of the boom section, and the automatic connector comprises a guide column driving unit, a centering and locking unit and a locking and feedback unit. By means of the automatic and modularized arm section design, traditional manual high-altitude pin shaft connecting operation of a tower crane cargo boom is replaced, and full-automatic mounting and dismounting of the arm section are achieved; meanwhile, by introducing standard modular arm sections with two different lengths of 1 meter and 2 meters to be combined, fine adjustment of the total length of the cargo boom with 1 meter as the minimum unit is achieved so as to accurately adapt to diversified complex working condition requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of engineering machinery technology, and in particular to the boom structure of tower cranes, specifically a modular, automatically assembled and disassembled boom and its combination method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most mainstream flat-top tower cranes use standard boom sections of fixed length (such as 5-meter or 10-meter sections) connected by pins. This structure has two major drawbacks: 1. Inflexible boom length adjustment: Boom length adjustment can only be done in whole boom sections (e.g., 5 meters), resulting in conventional boom lengths being limited to discrete values ​​that are multiples of 5 meters, such as 30 meters or 35 meters. In actual construction, especially in confined spaces or when avoiding complex obstacles, the optimal and safe boom length required is often a "critical length" (e.g., 33 meters, 34 meters) between these discrete values. Existing technology cannot meet this requirement, forcing users to either reduce their needs by choosing a boom length that is insufficient to cover the work area, or choose a boom with a longer coverage area, which introduces additional collision risks, or customize non-standard boom sections, resulting in increased costs and compromised efficiency and safety.

[0003] 2. Installation and dismantling operations are dangerous and inefficient: The installation and dismantling of the boom sections rely entirely on manual high-altitude operations, requiring workers to align the pin holes and hammer the pin shafts from tens of meters in the air. This process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and difficult to ensure accuracy, and also carries a significant risk of falls from heights, making it a high-risk area for tower crane safety accidents.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a crane boom connection technology and combination scheme that can achieve precise and continuous adjustment of boom length and fundamentally reduce the risks of high-altitude installation and dismantling operations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a modular, automated assembly and disassembly method for a crane boom. Through automated and modular boom design, it replaces the traditional manual high-altitude pin connection operation of tower crane booms, realizing fully automated installation and disassembly of boom sections. At the same time, by introducing two different standard modular boom sections of 1 meter and 2 meters in length for combination, it achieves fine adjustment of the total boom length in 1-meter increments to accurately adapt to diverse and complex working conditions.

[0006] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical measures.

[0007] A modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom, wherein the boom section has an automatic connector integrated into the end of the boom section, including a guide column drive unit, a centering and locking unit, and a locking and feedback unit.

[0008] The guide column drive unit includes a synchronous nut drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a synchronous nut, and a ball-shaped guide column. The guide column drive unit is responsible for driving the guide column inside the upper chord of the assembled arm section to move axially along the arm section direction, thereby realizing the docking and separation of the assembled arm section and the arm section to be connected. The centering and locking unit includes a tapered joint, a contact switch, a normally closed telescopic support claw, and a hydraulic control circuit. The automatic centering of the guide column is achieved through the flexible docking of the guide column ball head and the inner conical surface of the tapered joint. The initial locking of the arm section to be connected and the assembled arm section is achieved through the mutual cooperation of the support claw inside the guide column ball head and the cavity of the tapered joint. The locking and feedback unit includes a docking chuck drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a docking chuck, a tapered guide post, a locking contact switch, and an anti-loosening contact switch. The final locking between the boom sections is achieved by the engagement of the buckle on the docking chuck with the groove on the tapered joint. The connection status of the two boom sections is fed back in real time through the locking contact switch and the anti-loosening contact switch to prevent the boom sections from loosening and falling off.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the guide column drive unit consists of a synchronous nut drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a synchronous nut, and a ball-shaped guide column. The tail of the guide column is a screw structure, which cooperates with the synchronous nut. The synchronous nut is fixed inside the upper chord of the lifting arm through a bearing seat. The synchronous nut drive motor is installed above the upper chord and drives the synchronous nut to rotate axially by driving the synchronous pulley. The axial rotation of the synchronous nut drives the guide column to move back and forth axially.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the centering and locking unit consists of a tapered joint, a contact switch, a normally closed telescopic support claw, and a hydraulic control circuit. The tapered joint is installed on the other end face of the boom segment. The tapered joint has a cylindrical cavity at its axial center. The contact switch is installed on the inner end face of the cavity. After the ball head of the guide column moves axially and touches the tapered surface of the tapered joint, the ball head slides along the inner tapered surface of the tapered joint into the cylindrical cavity inside the joint to achieve automatic centering of adjacent boom segments. The guide column continues to move until it touches the contact switch inside the cavity. At this time, the ball head has completely entered the cavity and then drives the hydraulic oil circuit to be connected. The hydraulic oil pushes the normally closed telescopic support claw at its front end to expand radially through the pipeline inside the guide column, thereby locking the guide column and the tapered joint. The normally closed telescopic support claw is equipped with a return spring, which is used to automatically retract the support claw after hydraulic pressure is released, thereby unlocking the guide column and the tapered joint.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the locking and feedback unit consists of a docking chuck drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a docking chuck, a tapered guide post, a locking contact switch, and an anti-loosening contact switch. The docking chuck is mounted on the end face of the upper chord via a bearing seat. The chuck has a buckle on its exterior that engages with the groove of the tapered joint to achieve final mechanical locking. The docking chuck drive motor, synchronous pulley, and synchronous belt are used to drive the docking chuck to rotate. The tapered guide post is mounted on the end face of the lower chord for auxiliary positioning of the boom section. The locking contact switch is installed inside the tapered guide hole and is triggered by the tapered guide post to detect whether the end faces of the two boom sections to be assembled are tightly fitted. The anti-loosening contact switch is installed inside the groove of the tapered joint and is triggered by the buckle of the docking chuck to detect whether the docking chuck is locked with the tapered joint to prevent the boom section from loosening and falling off.

[0012] The boom assembly method is based on two standard modular boom sections of different lengths: two 2-meter-long standard modules A and one 1-meter-long fine-tuning module B. By using these two modules individually or in combination, five basic segment lengths of 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, 4 meters, and 5 meters can be constructed. When adjusting the overall boom length, replacing the traditional 5-meter boom section with the aforementioned combined boom section allows for precise adjustment of the total boom length in 1-meter increments, building upon the traditional adjustment in multiples of 5 meters.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. Refined boom length adjustment: The total boom length can be adjusted in 1-meter increments, greatly improving the tower crane's adaptability to complex and narrow construction site conditions. This avoids the dilemma of choosing between "too long" or "too short" boom length and significantly enhances its adaptability to different working conditions.

[0014] 2. Fully automated and highly safe boom assembly and disassembly: The boom assembly and disassembly process is fully automated, completely freeing workers from the high-risk and heavy manual drilling and hammering work at height, fundamentally eliminating the safety risks in this process, and significantly improving assembly and disassembly efficiency.

[0015] 3. Connection Reliability and Intelligence: Employing a multi-stage locking mechanism of "preliminary centering of the guide column - rigid locking of the support claw - final locking of the chuck," the connection rigidity and reliability are superior to traditional pin-shaft connections. An integrated contact switch provides status feedback, ensuring precise and controllable docking. An anti-loosening contact switch integrated within the tapered joint slot guarantees connection reliability and provides real-time feedback on the connection status of both arm sections. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the lifting boom section of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the connection between two arm sections.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the centering and locking process.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the telescopic support claw unfolding.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the arm segment docking process.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation location of the locking contact switch.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a tapered joint structure.

[0023] The components include: 1. Synchronous nut drive motor, 2. Synchronous belt, 3. Synchronous nut, 4. Guide post, 5. Tapered joint, 6. Contact switch, 7. Normally closed telescopic support claw, 8. Tapered guide post, 9. Dating chuck drive motor, 10. Dating chuck, 11. Anti-loosening contact switch, 12. Return spring, 13. Locking contact switch, and 14. Hydraulic oil channel. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] like Figure 1As shown, a modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom is provided. The boom section has an automatic connector integrated into the end of the boom section, which includes a guide column drive unit, a centering and locking unit, and a locking and feedback unit. Figure 2 It shows the final state after the two arm segments are connected.

[0028] The following three processes are required when connecting the left and right arm segments.

[0029] 1. The process of focusing and locking: such as Figure 3 As shown, the synchronous nut drives the motor 1 to rotate in the forward direction, which in turn drives the synchronous nut 3 to rotate via the synchronous belt 2. The synchronous nut 3 drives the guide post 4 to extend to the right. The ball head at the front end of the guide post 4 first touches the conical surface of the conical joint 5. Under the action of the reaction force, the ball head slides along the inner conical surface of the conical joint 5 into the cylindrical cavity inside the joint to achieve centering. The guide post 4 continues to move under the drive of the synchronous nut 3 until the ball surface of the guide post triggers the contact switch 6, indicating that the ball head has completely entered the cavity. The control system then drives the hydraulic oil circuit to be connected. The hydraulic oil pushes the normally closed telescopic support claw 7 at its front end to expand radially through the pipeline inside the guide post (e.g., Figure 4 As shown), the claws firmly press against the cylindrical cavity inside the tapered connector 5, thereby locking the guide post 4 and the tapered connector 5.

[0030] 2. Docking process: such as Figure 5 As shown, the synchronous nut drives the motor 1 to rotate in the opposite direction, driving the ball-headed guide post 4 to move to the left. Under the locking action of the normally closed telescopic support claw 7, the right arm section to be connected moves to the left along with the guide post 4. With the auxiliary guidance of the tapered guide post 8, the left and right arm sections are connected. When the tapered guide post 8 touches the locking contact switch 13 inside the tapered guide hole (the locking contact switch is installed as shown in the figure), Figure 6 As shown in the image, this indicates that the left and right arm sections have been properly connected.

[0031] 3. Locking process: When the locking contact switch 13 is triggered, the docking chuck drive motor 9 drives the docking chuck 10 to rotate forward. The wedge-shaped buckle on the chuck engages in the annular groove on the outer edge of the tapered joint 5 (the structure of the tapered joint is as follows). Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the buckle is locked in place until the front end of the buckle triggers the anti-loosening contact switch 11 inside the buckle slot, indicating that the buckle has been locked in place and the automatic installation process of the right arm section is completed.

[0032] Disassembly process: First, the hydraulic system is depressurized, and the normally closed telescopic support claw 7 retracts under the action of the return spring 12. The synchronous nut drives the motor 1 in reverse, driving the guide column 4 to completely disengage from the tapered joint 5. Subsequently, the chuck drive motor 9 reverses, driving the docking chuck 10 in reverse. Under the action of the inclined surface at the end of the annular groove of the tapered joint 5, the docking chuck 10 unlocks and separates from the tapered joint 5. The locking between the two arm sections is released, realizing the automatic disassembly of the right arm section.

[0033] Regarding the implementation of arm length fine-tuning: This invention provides two basic automated arm segments: a 1-meter module A and a 2-meter module B. These can be combined to form a replacement segment for the traditional 5-meter standard segment: Using only module A, a 1-meter segment can be formed; Use one module B to form a 2-meter segment; Combine one module A and one module B to form a 3-meter segment; Combine two modules B to form a 4-meter segment; When the tower crane needs to adjust the boom length to a length other than a multiple of 5 meters, simply replace a standard 5-meter segment with the required combination segment to meet diverse hoisting needs.

[0034] The contents not described in detail in this specification are existing technologies known to those skilled in the art.

[0035] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom, characterized in that: The boom section of the crane arm is equipped with an automatic connector, which is integrated into the end of the boom section and includes a guide column drive unit, a centering and locking unit, and a locking and feedback unit. The guide column drive unit includes a synchronous nut drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a synchronous nut, and a ball-shaped guide column. The guide column drive unit is responsible for driving the guide column inside the upper chord of the assembled arm section to move axially along the arm section direction, thereby realizing the docking and separation of the assembled arm section and the arm section to be connected. The centering and locking unit includes a tapered joint, a contact switch, a normally closed telescopic support claw, and a hydraulic control circuit. The automatic centering of the guide column is achieved through the flexible docking of the guide column ball head and the inner conical surface of the tapered joint. The initial locking of the arm section to be connected and the assembled arm section is achieved through the mutual cooperation of the support claw inside the guide column ball head and the cavity of the tapered joint. The locking and feedback unit includes a docking chuck drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a docking chuck, a tapered guide post, a locking contact switch, and an anti-loosening contact switch. The final locking between the boom sections is achieved by the engagement of the buckle on the docking chuck with the groove on the tapered joint. The connection status of the two boom sections is fed back in real time through the locking contact switch and the anti-loosening contact switch to prevent the boom sections from loosening and falling off.

2. The modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide column drive unit consists of a synchronous nut drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a synchronous nut, and a ball-shaped guide column. The tail of the guide column is a screw structure, which cooperates with the synchronous nut. The synchronous nut is fixed inside the upper chord of the crane arm through a bearing seat. The synchronous nut drive motor is installed above the upper chord and drives the synchronous nut to rotate axially through the synchronous pulley. The axial rotation of the synchronous nut drives the guide column to move back and forth axially.

3. The modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The centering and locking unit consists of a tapered joint, a contact switch, a normally closed telescopic support claw, and a hydraulic control circuit. The tapered joint is installed on the other end face of the boom segment. The tapered joint has a cylindrical cavity at its axial center. The contact switch is installed on the inner end face of the cavity. After the ball head of the guide column moves axially and touches the tapered surface of the tapered joint, the ball head slides along the inner tapered surface of the tapered joint into the cylindrical cavity inside the joint to achieve automatic centering of adjacent boom segments. The guide column continues to move until it touches the contact switch inside the cavity. At this time, the ball head has completely entered the cavity, and then the hydraulic oil circuit is connected. The hydraulic oil pushes the normally closed telescopic support claw at its front end to expand radially through the pipeline inside the guide column, thereby locking the guide column and the tapered joint. The normally closed telescopic support claw is equipped with a return spring, which is used to automatically retract the support claw after hydraulic pressure is released, thereby unlocking the guide column and the tapered joint.

4. The modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking and feedback unit consists of a docking chuck drive motor, a synchronous pulley, a synchronous belt, a docking chuck, a tapered guide post, a locking contact switch, and an anti-loosening contact switch. The docking chuck is mounted on the end face of the upper chord via a bearing seat. The chuck has a buckle on its exterior that engages with the groove of the tapered joint to achieve final mechanical locking. The docking chuck drive motor, synchronous pulley, and synchronous belt drive the docking chuck to rotate. The tapered guide post is mounted on the end face of the lower chord for auxiliary positioning of the boom section. The locking contact switch is installed inside the tapered guide hole and triggered by the tapered guide post to detect whether the end faces of the two boom sections to be assembled are tightly fitted. The anti-loosening contact switch is installed inside the groove of the tapered joint and triggered by the buckle of the docking chuck to detect whether the docking chuck is locked with the tapered joint, preventing the boom section from loosening and falling off.

5. A method for assembling a modular, automatically assembled and disassembled crane boom as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The arm segment combination method is based on two standard modular arm segments of different lengths, including two 2-meter-long standard modules A and one 1-meter-long fine-tuning module B. By using these two modules individually or in combination, five basic segment lengths of 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, 4 meters, and 5 meters can be formed.

6. The assembly method for the modular automatic assembly and disassembly of the crane boom according to claim 5, characterized in that: The following combinations can be used to construct a replacement segment for the traditional 5-meter standard segment: using one module A alone, a 1-meter segment is constructed; using one module B, a 2-meter segment is constructed; combining one module A and one module B, a 3-meter segment is constructed; combining two modules B, a 4-meter segment is constructed. When the tower crane needs to adjust the boom length to a multiple of 5 meters, only one 5-meter standard segment needs to be replaced with the required combination segment, thus meeting diverse hoisting needs.

Images