Side dumping bucket and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a side dumping bucket and a control method thereof. The side dumping bucket comprises a bucket body; one end of the mounting bracket is hinged to the back of the bucket body; the overturning oil cylinder is connected between the mounting bracket and the bucket body, and the bucket body is overturned through the telescopic movement of the overturning oil cylinder; the material cleaning mechanism comprises a driving assembly and an abrasion-cutting plate, the abrasion-cutting plate is slidably connected to the side, close to the discharging opening, of the bottom of the bucket body, and the driving assembly is in transmission connection with the abrasion-cutting plate and used for driving the abrasion-cutting plate to reciprocate in the bucket length direction of the bucket body so as to shear the adhesive materials and achieve rapid discharging.

Description

A side-discharge bucket and its control method Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of loading machinery technology, specifically to a side-discharge bucket and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] In tunneling and mining operations, side-dump buckets are widely used on loaders and excavators for loading and unloading materials such as crushed stone and minerals. Existing side-dump buckets typically rely solely on a single hydraulic system to drive the side-dumping unloading, utilizing the material's own weight. This results in slow unloading speeds and a tendency for materials to stick and clump together. Furthermore, if the speed is too high when the bucket tilts to its limit position or falls back to its limit position, significant impact stress can occur at the connection between the bucket body and the mounting bracket. Over long-term use, this area is prone to fatigue cracking, affecting the equipment's lifespan and operational safety. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address at least one of the problems in the prior art, a first aspect of this application provides a side-discharge bucket, comprising:

[0004] Bucket body;

[0005] Mounting bracket, one end of which is hinged to the back of the bucket body;

[0006] A tilting cylinder is connected between the mounting bracket and the bucket body. The bucket body achieves a tilting action through the extension and retraction movement of the tilting cylinder.

[0007] The material cleaning mechanism includes a drive assembly and a grinding and cutting plate.

[0008] The grinding and cutting plate is slidably connected to the bottom of the bucket body near the discharge port. The drive assembly is connected to the grinding and cutting plate and is used to drive the grinding and cutting plate to reciprocate along the length of the bucket body to shear the sticky material and achieve rapid discharge.

[0009] Furthermore, the working surface of the grinding and cutting plate has a wavy cutting edge structure, including multiple spaced-apart raised cutting strips that extend along the bucket length direction perpendicular to the bucket body.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0011] Inductive switches and control modules

[0012] The inductive switch is installed on the mounting bracket to detect the flipping state of the bucket body and transmit the flipping state information to the control module to control the operation of the cleaning mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0014] A limiting buffer device includes a control valve connected in the control circuit of the tilting cylinder, used to adjust the hydraulic flow of the tilting cylinder when the bucket body is tilted to a preset state, so as to achieve flexible limiting of the bucket body.

[0015] Furthermore, the limiting buffer device also includes an upper mechanical buffer rubber block connected to the bucket body and a lower mechanical buffer rubber block connected to the mounting bracket, with the upper mechanical buffer rubber block and the lower mechanical buffer rubber block arranged opposite to each other.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0017] A side plate assembly is detachably connected to the side of the bucket body away from the discharge port, the side plate assembly including an upper side plate unit and a lower side plate unit;

[0018] The upper side plate unit covers the main wear-affected area on the upper part of the side wall of the bucket body, and the lower side plate unit covers the auxiliary wear-affected area on the lower part of the side wall.

[0019] Furthermore, the outer surface of the side plate unit is provided with multiple reinforcing ribs integrally formed therewith, which are used to disperse impact loads and improve the deformation resistance of the guard plate.

[0020] Furthermore, the side plate unit is connected to the bucket body by anti-loosening bolts. The side plate unit has countersunk holes, and the head of the anti-loosening bolt is accommodated in the countersunk holes. An elastic washer is provided between the contact surface of the head of the anti-loosening bolt and the countersunk hole.

[0021] A second aspect of this application provides a control method based on a side-dumping bucket as described in any of the above claims, comprising the following steps:

[0022] The flipping state of the bucket body is determined by the change in distance between the bucket body and the mounting bracket. When the bucket body moves away from the mounting bracket, the bucket is in the unloading state. When the bucket body moves closer to the mounting bracket, the bucket is in the falling state.

[0023] When the bucket is in the unloading state and the distance exceeds the first distance threshold, the drive component of the cleaning mechanism is activated; when the bucket is in the closed state, the drive component of the cleaning mechanism remains closed.

[0024] Furthermore, the control method for the side-discharge bucket also includes the following steps:

[0025] When the bucket is in the closed state and the distance is lower than the second distance threshold, the hydraulic flow to the tilting cylinder is linearly reduced by the control valve. When the distance is lower than the third distance threshold, the hydraulic flow to the tilting cylinder is cut off to achieve flexible limiting of the bucket body.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are:

[0027] 1. The bottom of the bucket body of this application is connected to a cutting plate. The cutting plate can reciprocate along the length of the bucket body, forming a multiple compound action of shearing, tearing and pushing on the material adhering to the bottom of the bucket, which effectively improves the unloading efficiency and prevents the material from accumulating and caking.

[0028] 2. The side-dumping bucket of this application includes a sensor switch on the mounting bracket for detecting the tilting state of the bucket body, and an electromagnetic proportional valve connected to the control circuit of the tilting cylinder. This valve can adjust the flow rate of hydraulic oil entering the tilting cylinder in real time, causing the bucket body to decelerate when approaching a preset limit position, thus avoiding structural damage caused by inertial impact. This extends the service life of the tilting cylinder and articulated components, and improves the stability of the bucket tilting process.

[0029] 3. The side plate assembly of this application is detachably connected to the side of the bucket body away from the discharge port. When the side plate assembly is partially worn or damaged after long-term use, the side plate assembly can be quickly replaced by simply removing the corresponding anti-loosening bolt 13 without replacing the entire bucket body, which facilitates quick replacement and maintenance after wear. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 is a static structural schematic diagram of the side-discharge bucket of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the side-discharge bucket in the unloading state of this application;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the side panel assembly of this application;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the material clearing mechanism of this application;

[0034] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the side-discharge bucket in the unloading state of this application;

[0035] In the picture:

[0036] 1. Bucket body; 2. Cleaning mechanism; 3. Mounting bracket; 4. Tilting cylinder; 5. Side plate assembly; 11. Upper side plate unit; 12. Lower side plate unit; 13. Anti-loosening bolt; 14. Nut; 21. Grinding plate; 22. Bolt; 23. Guide rail; 24. Guide slider; 25. Drive assembly; 26. Fixed transmission seat; 31. Transparent acrylic protective plate; 32. Induction switch protective plate; 33. Induction switch; 34. Induction switch mounting base; 35. Lower mechanical buffer rubber block; 36. Upper mechanical buffer rubber block. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To facilitate understanding of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0038] This application provides a side-discharge bucket, including: a bucket body 1; a mounting bracket 3, one end of which is hinged to the back of the bucket body 1; a tilting cylinder 4 connected between the mounting bracket 3 and the bucket body 1, wherein the bucket body 1 is tilted by the telescopic movement of the tilting cylinder 4; and a cleaning mechanism 2, including a drive assembly 25 and a cutting plate 21, wherein the cutting plate 21 is slidably connected to the bottom of the bucket body 1 near the discharge port, and the drive assembly 25 is driven to drive the cutting plate 21 to reciprocate along the length of the bucket body 1 to shear the adhering material and achieve rapid discharge.

[0039] In some embodiments, the mounting bracket 3 has a "door" shaped structure, with its two sides hinged to the back of the bucket body 1 via hinge shafts. The tilting cylinder 4 is a hydraulic cylinder, with its cylinder body hinged to the mounting bracket 3 and its piston rod hinged to the back of the bucket body 1. The tilting cylinder 4 drives the bucket body 1 to tilt through telescopic movement.

[0040] In some embodiments, the working surface of the grinding and cutting plate 21 has a wavy cutting edge structure, including multiple spaced-apart raised cutting strips that extend perpendicular to the length of the bucket body 1. During operation, the wavy cutting edge of the grinding and cutting plate 21, in its reciprocating motion, exerts a complex combination of shearing, tearing, and pushing effects on the material adhering to the bottom of the bucket, effectively improving material cleaning efficiency and preventing material from accumulating at the bottom of the bucket body 1.

[0041] In some embodiments, the cleaning mechanism 2 is disposed at the bottom of the bucket body 1. A rectangular groove extending along the length of the bucket is provided at the bottom end of the bucket body 1 near the discharge outlet. A guide rail 23 is connected to the bottom of the grinding plate 21, and a guide slider 24 is embedded in the guide rail 23, slidably connected to the rectangular groove. A drive assembly 25 is mounted on the back of the bucket body 1. In this embodiment, the drive assembly 25 is a servo motor or a stepper motor, and its speed and reciprocating frequency can be adjusted by a control module. The output shaft of the drive assembly 25 is connected to a fixed transmission seat 26. When the hydraulic motor starts, the fixed transmission seat 26 drives the grinding plate 21 to reciprocate along the length of the rectangular groove, thereby breaking material adhesion and forcibly pushing the material out.

[0042] In the above embodiments, the specific structural form of the fixed transmission seat 26 can be selected according to actual needs. For example, the fixed transmission seat 26 is a linear guide pair mechanism, including a coupling, a lead screw, and a lead screw nut. The output shaft of the drive assembly 25 is connected to the lead screw transmission assembly through the coupling, and the lead screw nut is connected to the guide slider 24. When the drive assembly 25 is started, the lead screw rotates, driving the guide slider 24 and the grinding plate 21 to make linear reciprocating motion along the rectangular slide groove, realizing the forced pushing and stripping of the material at the bottom of the bucket by the grinding plate 21.

[0043] For example, the fixed transmission seat 26 includes a crank, a connecting rod, and a guide seat. One end of the crank is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the drive assembly 25, and the other end is hinged to one end of the connecting rod via a rotating pin; the other end of the connecting rod is hinged to the connecting lug at the tail of the grinding plate 21 via a pin. The bottom of the grinding plate 21 is connected to the guide slider 24 via a guide rail 23. The guide slider 24 is embedded in a rectangular groove at the bottom of the bucket body 1, forming a linear guiding constraint. When the drive assembly 25 is started, the crank makes a circular motion, and the connecting rod swings accordingly, pulling the grinding plate 21 to make a reciprocating linear motion along the length of the rectangular groove, thereby breaking the material adhesion and forcibly pushing the material out.

[0044] In some embodiments, the side-discharge bucket also includes an inductive switch 33 and a control module. In this embodiment, the inductive switch 33 is an inductive proximity switch, which uses the principle of electromagnetic induction to detect the proximity of a metal target object. It is suitable for working environments where the bucket body 1 is made of metal. The inductive switch 33 is installed on the side of the mounting bracket 3 near the bucket body 1 to detect the tilting state of the bucket body 1 and transmit the tilting state information to the control module to control the operation of the cleaning mechanism 2. Specifically, an inductive switch mounting base 34 is welded onto the mounting bracket 3. The inductive switch mounting base 34 is connected to an inductive switch guard plate 32 and a transparent acrylic guard plate 31. The inductive switch mounting base 34, the inductive switch guard plate 32, and the transparent acrylic guard plate 31 together form a box-shaped structure. The top of the inductive switch guard plate 32 has a circular through hole. The inductive switch 33 is fixed to the inside of the inductive switch mounting base 34 by bolts and is located below the circular through hole. The box-shaped structure can effectively protect the inductive switch 33 from impacts from external materials, while the transparent acrylic protective plate 31 facilitates daily observation and maintenance, and the circular through hole provides an unobstructed channel for the detection signal of the inductive switch 33.

[0045] In some embodiments, the inductive switch 33 is positioned on the mounting bracket 3 near the rotating pin. During actual operation, the area near the rotating pin has the least amount of material falling, effectively reducing the risk of the inductive switch 33 being falsely triggered or damaged due to obstruction or impact by material. The position near the rotating pin is where the least material falls. Furthermore, the side-discharge bucket rotates around the rotating pin during operation, and the relative distance between the inductive switch 33 and the bucket body 1 changes linearly with the rotation angle. Detection at this position can obtain a more accurate and stable overturning status signal, which is beneficial for the control module to accurately determine the bucket position.

[0046] In some embodiments, the side-dumping bucket further includes a limiting buffer device, which includes a control valve connected in the control circuit of the tilting cylinder 4. In this embodiment, the control valve is an electromagnetic proportional valve, used to adjust the hydraulic flow of the tilting cylinder 4 when the bucket body 1 is tilted to a preset state, so as to achieve flexible limiting of the bucket body 1.

[0047] Specifically, the electromagnetic proportional valve adjusts the flow rate of hydraulic oil entering the tilting cylinder 4 in real time based on the current signal output by the control module. This causes the bucket body 1 to decelerate when approaching a preset limit position, preventing structural damage or a sudden increase in hydraulic system pressure due to inertial impact. This flexible limiting method effectively extends the service life of the tilting cylinder 4 and the articulated components, and improves the smoothness of the bucket tilting process.

[0048] In some embodiments, the limiting buffer device further includes an upper mechanical buffer rubber block 36 connected to the bucket body 1 and a lower mechanical buffer rubber block 35 connected to the mounting bracket 3. The upper mechanical buffer rubber block 36 and the lower mechanical buffer rubber block 35 are arranged opposite to each other and form a contact fit when the bucket body 1 is flipped to the limit position.

[0049] The mechanical buffer rubber block is composed of a metal base and a rubber buffer layer. The metal base is made of high-strength steel and is used for fixed connection with the bucket body 1 or the mounting bracket 3. The rubber buffer layer covers the contact surface of the metal base to absorb impact energy. This mechanical buffer rubber block works in conjunction with the inductive switch 33. When the electrical control system malfunctions or the flexible limit function fails, the upper and lower mechanical buffer rubber blocks directly contact each other when the bucket is tilted to its limit position, providing physical limit and secondary buffer protection to prevent excessive tilting of the bucket body 1 from causing equipment damage or safety accidents.

[0050] In some embodiments, the side-discharge bucket further includes a side plate assembly 5, which is made of wear-resistant alloy steel plate. The side plate assembly 5 is detachably connected to the side of the bucket body 1 away from the discharge port. The side plate assembly 5 includes an upper side plate unit 11 and a lower side plate unit 12. The upper side plate unit 11 covers the main wear-affected area on the upper part of the side wall of the bucket body 1, and the lower side plate unit 12 covers the auxiliary wear-affected area on the lower part of the side wall. The outer surface of each side plate unit is provided with multiple reinforcing ribs integrally formed therewith. The reinforcing ribs are distributed at intervals along the longitudinal or diagonal direction of the side plate unit to disperse the impact load during operation and improve the overall deformation resistance and structural rigidity of the side plate unit.

[0051] The side plate unit is connected to the bucket body 1 via anti-loosening bolts 13. Specifically, the side plate unit has countersunk holes, and the head of the anti-loosening bolt 13 is accommodated in the countersunk holes to prevent the bolt head from being damaged or loosened by impacts from foreign objects during operation. An elastic washer is provided between the contact surface between the head of the anti-loosening bolt 13 and the countersunk hole. The preload and anti-loosening characteristics of the elastic washer enhance the reliability of the connection under vibration conditions. After the shank of the anti-loosening bolt 13 passes through the countersunk bolt hole, it is securely connected to the threaded hole on the bucket body 1.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the side plate assembly 5 is detachably connected to the side of the bucket body 1 away from the discharge port. This reduces the overall weight of the bucket, increases the loading capacity on one side, and allows for flexible configuration to adapt to different operating scenarios. That is, when the left side of the bucket body 1 is hinged to the mounting bracket 3, and the tilting cylinder 4 lifts and drives the bucket body 1 to tilt to the left for unloading, the side plate assembly 5 only needs to be connected to the right side of the bucket body 1; when the right side of the bucket body 1 is hinged to the mounting bracket 3, and the tilting cylinder 4 lifts and drives the bucket body 1 to tilt to the right for unloading, the side plate assembly 5 only needs to be connected to the left side of the bucket body 1.

[0053] When the side plate unit shows local wear or damage after long-term use, the single side plate unit can be quickly replaced by simply removing the corresponding anti-loosening bolt 13, without having to replace the entire bucket body 1, effectively reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

[0054] This application also discloses a control method for a side-discharge bucket, including the following steps:

[0055] The tilting state of the bucket body 1 is determined by the change in distance between the bucket body 1 and the mounting bracket 3. When the bucket body 1 is far away from the mounting bracket 3, the bucket is in the unloading state. When the bucket body 1 is close to the mounting bracket 3, the bucket is in the falling state.

[0056] When the bucket is in the unloading state and the distance exceeds the first distance threshold, the drive component 25 of the cleaning mechanism 2 is activated. When the bucket is in the closed state, the drive component 25 of the cleaning mechanism 2 remains closed.

[0057] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first distance threshold is 150mm. When the bucket is in the unloading state and the relative distance between the bucket body 1 and the mounting bracket 3 is > 150mm, the bucket is in the fully open state, and the control module controls the drive component 25 of the cleaning mechanism 2 to open; the drive component 25 drives the grinding and cutting plate 21 to reciprocate at the highest frequency to clean the material.

[0058] In some embodiments, the following steps are also included:

[0059] When the bucket is in the closed state and the distance is lower than the second distance threshold, the hydraulic flow delivered to the tilting cylinder 4 is linearly reduced by the control valve. When the distance is lower than the third distance threshold, the hydraulic flow delivered to the tilting cylinder 4 is cut off to achieve flexible limiting of the bucket body 1.

[0060] Specifically, in this embodiment, the second distance threshold is 50mm, and the third distance threshold is 10mm. When the bucket is in the lowering state and the relative distance between the bucket body 1 and the mounting bracket 3 is < 50mm, it is determined that the bucket is about to close. The control module starts to output a decreasing signal to the electromagnetic proportional valve, causing the flow rate supplied to the tilting cylinder 4 to decrease linearly from 100% until it stops. When the relative distance between the bucket body 1 and the mounting bracket 3 is < 10mm, the control module completely cuts off the oil supply to the tilting cylinder 4, and at the same time limits the return oil flow rate of the tilting cylinder 4 to 10% to 15% of the rated value through the electromagnetic proportional valve, using residual back pressure to achieve a soft landing buffer for the bucket body 1.

[0061] In the signal feedback time setting, the sampling frequency of the inductive switch 33 is set to 50-100Hz to ensure real-time capture of bucket dynamics. The total response time, from the inductive switch 33 detecting a distance change to the control module outputting a proportional signal to the electromagnetic proportional valve to initiate operation, is controlled to be ≤ 50ms. The response time of the electromagnetic proportional valve from receiving the signal to completing the corresponding flow regulation is set to approximately 30ms to 80ms.

[0062] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made to this application without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of this application as claimed. The scope of protection of this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A side-discharge bucket, characterized in that, include: Bucket body (1); mounting bracket (3), one end of which is hinged to the back of the bucket body (1); tilting cylinder (4), which is connected between the mounting bracket (3) and the bucket body (1), and the bucket body (1) is tilted by the telescopic movement of the tilting cylinder (4); cleaning mechanism (2), including drive assembly (25) and grinding plate (21), wherein the grinding plate (21) is slidably connected to the bottom of the bucket body (1) near the discharge port, and the drive assembly (25) is connected to the grinding plate (21) for driving the grinding plate (21) to reciprocate along the bucket length direction of the bucket body (1) to shear the sticky material and achieve rapid discharge.

2. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The working surface of the grinding and cutting plate (21) has a wavy cutting edge structure, including multiple spaced protruding cutting strips that extend along the bucket length direction perpendicular to the bucket body (1).

3. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The sensor switch (33) and the control module are provided. The sensor switch (33) is installed on the mounting bracket (3) to detect the flipping state of the bucket body (1) and transmit the flipping state information to the control module to control the operation of the cleaning mechanism (2).

4. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The limiting buffer device includes a control valve connected in the control circuit of the tilting cylinder (4) for adjusting the hydraulic flow of the tilting cylinder (4) when the bucket body (1) is tilted to a preset state, so as to achieve flexible limiting of the bucket body (1).

5. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 4, characterized in that, The limiting buffer device also includes an upper mechanical buffer rubber block (36) connected to the bucket body (1) and a lower mechanical buffer rubber block (35) connected to the mounting bracket (3), with the upper mechanical buffer rubber block (36) and the lower mechanical buffer rubber block (35) arranged opposite to each other.

6. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The side plate assembly (5) is detachably connected to the side of the bucket body (1) away from the discharge port. The side plate assembly (5) includes an upper side plate unit (11) and a lower side plate unit (12). The upper side plate unit (11) covers the main wear area on the upper part of the side wall of the bucket body (1), and the lower side plate unit (12) covers the auxiliary wear area on the lower part of the side wall.

7. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 6, characterized in that, The outer surface of the side plate unit is provided with multiple reinforcing ribs integrally formed therewith. The reinforcing ribs are used to disperse impact loads and improve the deformation resistance of the guard plate.

8. The side-discharge bucket according to claim 6, characterized in that, The side plate unit is connected to the bucket body (1) by anti-loosening bolts (13). The side plate unit has countersunk holes, and the head of the anti-loosening bolts (13) is accommodated in the countersunk holes. An elastic washer is provided between the head of the anti-loosening bolts (13) and the contact surface of the countersunk holes.

9. A control method based on the side-discharge bucket as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The flipping state of the bucket body (1) is determined by the change in distance between the bucket body (1) and the mounting bracket (3). When the bucket body (1) is far away from the mounting bracket (3), the bucket is in the unloading state. When the bucket body (1) is close to the mounting bracket (3), the bucket is in the falling state. When the bucket is in the unloading state and the distance exceeds the first distance threshold, the drive component (25) of the cleaning mechanism (2) is activated. When the bucket is in the closed state, the drive component (25) of the cleaning mechanism (2) remains closed.

10. The control method for the side-discharge bucket according to claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes the following steps: When the bucket is in a closed state and the distance is lower than the second distance threshold, the hydraulic flow to the tilting cylinder (4) is linearly reduced by the control valve. When the distance is lower than the third distance threshold, the hydraulic flow to the tilting cylinder (4) is cut off to achieve flexible limiting of the bucket body (1).

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