Aerial work platform and arm support assembly thereof

Abstract

The utility model discloses an aerial work platform and an arm support assembly thereof. The arm support assembly comprises a tower arm, a main arm, a connecting rod mechanism and a first linear driving piece. The main arm comprises a main arm head, a main arm section and a main arm tail which are connected in sequence, the main arm tail is hinged with the end part of the tower arm, the main arm section is made of an insulating material, and the main arm head and the main arm tail are made of a metal material; the connecting rod mechanism comprises two connecting rods which are hinged end to end, and the opposite ends of the two connecting rods are hinged to the main arm tail and the tower arm respectively; the two ends of the first linear driving piece are hinged to the connecting rod mechanism and the tower arm correspondingly and used for driving the main arm to change amplitude relative to the tower arm. The two ends of the first linear driving piece are hinged to the connecting rod mechanism and the tower arm respectively, the first linear driving piece drives the main arm to change the amplitude relative to the tower arm, the overall length of the main arm can be greatly shortened on the premise that the effective insulation distance is met, and therefore the storage size of the arm support assembly is greatly reduced, and the cost is reduced. And therefore, the trafficability of the aerial work platform in narrow working environments such as a transformer substation can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of aerial work platforms, and specifically relates to an aerial work platform and its boom assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Aerial work platforms are currently widely used in the power testing and maintenance industries. These industries fall under the category of high-voltage live-line working, requiring aerial work platforms to meet specific effective insulation distance requirements based on the voltage level of the work scenario. For example, in 220kV high-voltage live-line working scenarios, aerial work platforms need to have an effective insulation distance of at least 3 meters to ensure a safe distance between workers and live conductors. Traditionally, aerial work platforms use insulated booms to meet this requirement. The luffing of the insulated boom in traditional aerial work platforms is typically achieved through hydraulic cylinders, with one hinge point of the cylinder located on the insulated boom. However, to ensure sufficient insulation distance, the cylinder hinge point cannot be directly located on the insulated boom. To solve this problem, existing technology usually involves attaching a section of metal boom to the end of the insulated boom and placing the cylinder hinge point on the metal boom. Simultaneously, to reduce cylinder force and increase the cylinder lever arm, the length of the metal boom usually needs to be increased, leading to an increase in the overall boom length and consequently, the overall vehicle length, making relocation difficult in confined working spaces such as substations. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide an aerial work platform and its boom assembly to solve the technical problem of the difficulty of relocating the aerial work platform in narrow work spaces.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a boom assembly for use in high-altitude operations, the boom assembly comprising:

[0005] Tower arm;

[0006] The main boom includes a main boom head, a main boom section, and a main boom tail connected in sequence. The main boom tail is hinged to the end of the tower boom. The main boom section is made of insulating material, while the main boom head and the main boom tail are both made of metal.

[0007] A linkage mechanism, comprising two links hinged at their ends, with one end of each link facing away from the other being hinged to the tail of the main boom and the tower boom, respectively.

[0008] The first linear drive element is hinged at both ends to the linkage mechanism and the tower arm, respectively, and is used to drive the main boom to luff relative to the tower arm.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first end of the first linear drive is hinged to the tower arm, and the second end is hinged to the location of the hinge point of the two connecting rods.

[0010] In some embodiments, a first end of the first linear drive is hinged to the tower arm, and a second end is hinged to one of the connecting rods.

[0011] In some embodiments, the tower arm is a telescopic boom structure, and the boom assembly further includes a first telescopic drive member for driving the tower arm to extend or retract.

[0012] In some embodiments, the tower arm includes a plurality of tower arm sections that are retractable and nested sequentially. The tower arm section at the tail end is provided with a first mounting part. One end of the first telescopic drive member is connected to the tower arm section at the head end, and the other end is hinged to the first mounting part.

[0013] In some embodiments, both the first linear drive and the linkage are connected to the tower arm section located at the tail end.

[0014] Furthermore, a second aspect of this application provides an aerial work platform, including the boom assembly described above, wherein the aerial work platform includes:

[0015] Chassis;

[0016] A turntable is mounted on the chassis and is used to drive the boom assembly to rotate;

[0017] The outrigger assembly is located below the chassis and can switch between an extended state and a retracted state. In the extended state, the outrigger assembly supports the chassis between the chassis and the ground. In the retracted state, the outrigger assembly is stored on the chassis.

[0018] The working platform is connected to the end of the boom assembly that is away from the turntable.

[0019] In some embodiments, the aerial work platform further includes a second linear drive member, the two ends of which are respectively hinged to the turntable and the tower arm and are used to drive the tower arm to change amplitude relative to the turntable.

[0020] In some embodiments, the chassis is provided with multiple mounting brackets around its perimeter, and the outrigger assembly includes multiple outrigger components distributed around the chassis. Each outrigger component includes two outrigger portions connected by a connecting block. One end of each outrigger portion is hinged to the mounting bracket, and the other end of each outrigger portion has a support surface. The aerial work platform also includes a second telescopic drive component, the two ends of which are respectively hinged to the connecting block and the mounting bracket.

[0021] In some embodiments, a leveling cylinder is also hinged between the main boom tail and the working platform.

[0022] Through the above technical solutions, the aerial work platform and its boom assembly provided in this application embodiment have the following beneficial effects:

[0023] Through the above technical solution, the main boom of the boom assembly includes a main boom head, a main boom section, and a main boom tail connected in sequence. The main boom tail is hinged to the end of the tower boom. The main boom section is made of insulating material and is an effective insulating section. The main boom head and the main boom tail are both made of metal. The two connecting rods in the linkage mechanism have their opposite ends hinged to the main boom tail and the tower boom, respectively. The two ends of the first linear drive member are hinged to the linkage mechanism and the tower boom, respectively, and are used to drive the main boom to luff relative to the tower boom. This application reduces the weight of the entire main boom by making the main boom section of the main boom a lightweight insulating material, thus preventing the entire machine from tipping over during the horizontal extension of the tower boom. Furthermore, by hinged to the linkage mechanism and the tower boom, respectively, the first linear drive member drives the main boom to luff relative to the tower boom, which can significantly shorten the overall length of the main boom while meeting the effective insulation distance, thereby greatly reducing the retractable size of the boom assembly and improving the mobility of the aerial work platform in narrow working environments such as substations.

[0024] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of this application and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the embodiments of this application, but do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the folded structure of the boom assembly of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the boom assembly of this application after it has been deployed;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main boom in the boom assembly of this application;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the aerial work platform of this application during site relocation.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the aerial work platform of this application when the outriggers are deployed during working conditions;

[0031] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the aerial work platform of this application when the main boom is extended during operation.

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the aerial work platform of this application when the tower arm is extended during the working condition;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the aerial work platform of this application when the tower arm is deployed during the working conditions.

[0034] Figure 9 This application presents a structural diagram of the aerial work platform when operating in a space-constrained environment.

[0035] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0036] 11 Basic arm 33 First telescopic drive component

[0037] 12 Second mounting part 34 Second telescopic drive component

[0038] 13 First Installation Section 40 Chassis

[0039] 14 Telescopic boom 41 Mounting bracket

[0040] 20 main boom, 50 turntable

[0041] 21 main arm tail 61 legs

[0042] 22 Main boom head 62 Connecting block

[0043] 23 Main boom section 71 Working platform

[0044] 31 Second linear drive component 72 Leveling cylinder

[0045] 32 First linear drive component 80 linkage mechanism Detailed Implementation

[0046] The specific embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0047] The aerial work platform and its boom assembly according to this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this application provides a boom assembly for high-altitude operations. The boom assembly includes a tower boom, a main boom 20, a linkage mechanism 80, and a first linear drive component 32; as shown... Figure 3As shown, the main boom 20 includes a main boom head 22, a main boom section 23, and a main boom tail 21 connected in sequence. The main boom tail 21 is hinged to the end of the tower boom. The main boom section 23 is made of insulating material and is an effective insulating section. The main boom head 22 and the main boom tail 21 are both made of metal. The linkage mechanism 80 includes two connecting rods that are hinged at their ends. The opposite ends of the two connecting rods are respectively hinged to the main boom tail 21 and the tower boom. The two ends of the first linear drive member 32 are respectively hinged to the linkage mechanism 80 and the tower boom and are used to drive the main boom 20 to luff relative to the tower boom.

[0049] Power maintenance and repair work typically requires equipment to meet specific effective insulation distance requirements based on the voltage level of the work scenario. For example, in a 220kV high-voltage live-line work scenario, aerial work platforms need to have an effective insulation distance of at least 3 meters to ensure a safe distance between workers and live conductors. In existing technology, for example, for a main boom 20 with a 3-meter effective insulation distance, the overall length of the main boom 20 can reach 6.45 meters. This is because the hinge point of the boom luffing cylinder cannot be located in the insulated section, but only at the boom tail at the end of the insulated section. If the boom tail is too short, the lever arm of the boom luffing will be too short, causing the cylinder to be unable to lift the boom. Therefore, the boom tail is usually lengthened to increase the lever arm. By setting the hinge point of the first linear drive component 32 on the tower boom and linkage mechanism 80, this application can significantly shorten the overall length of the main boom 20 while meeting the effective insulation distance. For example, if the effective insulation distance of the main boom 20 is 3 meters, the boom assembly of this application is only 4.8 meters long after folding and storing, thereby greatly reducing the storage size of the boom assembly and improving the passability of the aerial work platform in narrow working environments such as substations.

[0050] In order to ensure the strength and stability of the entire main boom 20, in addition to making the main boom section 23 a lightweight non-metallic insulating material, such as fiberglass, the main boom tail 21 and main boom head 22 need to be made of metal components. This will reduce the weight of the entire main boom 20 while ensuring the strength of both ends of the main boom 20 and the overall stability.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first linear drive 32 is a variable amplitude hydraulic cylinder, and its arrangement includes the following two examples:

[0052] In the first embodiment, the first end of the first linear drive member 32 is hinged to the tower arm, and the second end is hinged to the position where the hinge point of the two connecting rods is located.

[0053] In this embodiment, by setting the cylinder end hinge point of the first linear drive 32 on the tower arm section of the tower arm, and the piston rod end hinge point sharing the same hinge point with the two connecting rods, when the piston rod of the first linear drive 32 extends or retracts, the main arm 20 can be driven to perform luffing motion around the hinge point of the main arm 20 and the tower arm through the two connecting rods.

[0054] In the second embodiment, the first end of the first linear drive 32 is hinged to the tower arm, and the second end is hinged to one of the connecting rods.

[0055] In this embodiment, by setting the cylinder end hinge point of the first linear drive 32 on the tower arm, the piston rod and the two connecting rods may not share a hinge point, or the end of the piston rod may be hinged to one of the connecting rods, thus realizing the luffing motion of the main boom 20.

[0056] In the two embodiments above, by arranging the two hinge points of the first linear drive 32 on the linkage mechanism 80 and the tower arm respectively, the effective insulation section distance can be guaranteed while minimizing the overall size of the boom.

[0057] In some embodiments, the tower boom is a telescopic boom structure, and the boom assembly further includes a first telescopic drive component 33, which is used to drive the tower boom to extend or retract. The first telescopic drive component 33 is a telescopic hydraulic cylinder.

[0058] In some embodiments, the tower arm includes a plurality of tower arm sections that are retractable and nested in sequence. The tower arm section at the tail end is provided with a first mounting part 13. One end of the first telescopic drive member 33 is connected to the tower arm section at the head end, and the other end is hinged to the first mounting part 13.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, the tower arm of this application includes two tower arm sections. The tower arm section hinged to the turntable 50 is the basic arm 11, and the other is the telescopic arm 14. When the tower arm needs to be extended, the piston rod of the first telescopic drive member 33 extends to drive the first mounting part 13 together with the telescopic arm 14 to move, so that the telescopic arm 14 extends outward from the basic arm 11 to realize the extension action of the entire tower arm.

[0060] In some embodiments, both the first linear drive 32 and the linkage mechanism 80 are connected to the tower boom section located at the tail end. Specifically, the first linear drive 32 is a luffing cylinder, the piston rod of the first linear drive 32 is hinged to the linkage mechanism 80, and the bottom of the cylinder is connected to the first mounting part 13. The main boom 20 is driven to luff around the hinge point between the main boom 20 and the tower boom through the cooperation of the first linear drive 32 and the linkage mechanism 80.

[0061] Furthermore, a second aspect of this application provides an aerial work platform, including the boom assembly as described above. The aerial work platform includes a chassis 40, a turntable 50, outrigger assemblies, and a work platform 71. The turntable 50 is mounted on the chassis 40 and is used to drive the boom assembly to rotate. The outrigger assembly is located below the chassis 40 and can be switched between an extended state and a retracted state. In the extended state, the outrigger assembly is supported between the chassis 40 and the ground. In the retracted state, the outrigger assembly is stored on the chassis 40. The work platform 71 is connected to the end of the boom assembly away from the turntable 50.

[0062] In this embodiment, the chassis 40 can be a tracked chassis 40 structure or a wheeled chassis 40 structure, both of which are within the protection scope of this application. In the retracted state, as... Figure 1 As shown, the main boom 20 is located below the tower boom, and the outriggers are retracted on both sides of the boom assembly, resulting in a more compact overall structure and better maneuverability during relocation. In the deployed state, the outrigger assembly swings to a position where it contacts the ground to support the entire vehicle and level the frame, ensuring overall stability.

[0063] In some embodiments, the chassis 40 is provided with a plurality of mounting brackets 41 around its perimeter, and the outrigger assembly includes a plurality of outrigger parts distributed around the chassis 40. Each outrigger part includes two outrigger portions 61 connected by a connecting block 62. One end of the outrigger portion 61 is hinged to the mounting bracket 41, and the other end of the outrigger portion 61 has a support surface. The aerial work platform also includes a second telescopic drive member 34, the two ends of which are hinged to the connecting block 62 and the mounting bracket 41, respectively.

[0064] like Figure 4 As shown, there are four outrigger components distributed around the upper surface of the chassis 40. During the transfer process, the outrigger components need to be stored on the chassis 40. At this time, the mounting bracket 41 is driven to swing relative to the chassis 40, thereby driving the outrigger components to move to the side of the boom assembly along with the mounting bracket 41, so as to realize the storage of the outrigger components.

[0065] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, when the outrigger assembly is deployed, the drive mounting bracket 41 rotates relative to the chassis 40 and shifts to the working position. The second telescopic drive member 34 extends, causing the outrigger to rotate outward around the hinge until the second telescopic drive member 34 is fully deployed. This allows the outrigger assembly to swing to the position where it contacts the ground, thus providing support. Furthermore, during vehicle operation, the outrigger assembly needs to be in the deployed state, primarily to level the vehicle frame and ensure the vehicle's rollover stability. The outrigger assembly retraction process is the reverse of the deployment process and will not be described in detail here.

[0066] In some embodiments, the aerial work platform further includes a second linear drive 31, the two ends of which are hinged to the turntable 50 and the tower arm, respectively, and are used to drive the tower arm to change amplitude relative to the turntable 50.

[0067] When encountering a space-constrained working environment, the tower boom can be driven to swing relative to the turntable 50 to a suitable position (such as a horizontal state) by the second linear drive 31, and the main boom 20 can be driven to swing relative to the tower boom to a vertical state by the first linear drive 32. Therefore, the technical solution of this application can achieve the working posture of "main boom 20 vertical and tower boom horizontal" to meet certain special working scenarios (such as special restricted working environments with narrow width and large depth).

[0068] Furthermore, a second mounting portion 12 is provided on the side of the main boom 11 facing the chassis 40. Both the first mounting portion 13 and the second mounting portion 12 can be block structures. The cylinder of the second linear drive 31 is hinged to the turntable 50, and the free end of the piston rod is hinged to the second mounting portion 12. In special working environments with high heights, where the lifting of the main boom 20 alone is insufficient to reach the working height, it is necessary to adjust the angle of the tower boom relative to the turntable 50. Specifically, the piston rod of the second linear drive 31 extends, driving the tower boom to swing relative to the turntable 50. This changes the angle between the tower boom and the turntable 50, thereby increasing the working height of the entire boom assembly.

[0069] In some embodiments, a leveling cylinder 72 is hinged between the main boom tail 21 of the main boom 20 and the work platform 71. During operation, the extension or retraction of the piston rod of the leveling cylinder 72 drives the work platform 71 to move, ensuring that the work platform 71 remains horizontal during operation. The leveling cylinder 72 enables the work platform 71 to swing within a 180° range. The work platform 71 is mainly used to mount various intelligent operating attachments such as robotic arms.

[0070] When the aerial work platform needs to be relocated, the outrigger assembly is luffed to the side of the boom assembly by driving the outrigger assembly to retract. Simultaneously, the combined action of the second linear drive 31, the first linear drive 32, and the first telescopic drive 33 retracts both the tower boom and the main boom 20 to a horizontal position, allowing the entire boom assembly to retract onto the chassis 40, improving the structural compactness of the vehicle during relocation. When the aerial work platform is in operation, the outrigger assembly is deployed to support the ground, ensuring the stability of the entire vehicle during operation. Then, the rotation of the turntable 50 and the coordinated movement of the boom assembly safely transport the work platform 71 to a specially confined space for operation. Specifically, the combined action of the second linear drive 31, the first linear drive 32, and the first telescopic drive 33 enables the vertical lifting and lowering of the end effector of the main boom 20 or the work platform 71, completing various operations in confined spaces. The current working environment of the aerial work platform can be obtained by taking pictures with a camera or by measuring manually. After obtaining the working environment, the controller determines the size of the confined space to calculate the extension length of the tower boom and the lifting height of the main boom 20. The luffing angle of the main boom 20 can be calculated based on the lifting height of the main boom 20.

[0071] like Figures 6 to 8 As shown, this represents the different working states of the entire vehicle boom assembly under different operating environments. All three operating environments are special, space-constrained areas requiring the tower boom to be horizontal and the main boom 20 to be vertical. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the extension length of the tower boom can be adjusted according to the horizontal distance of the high-altitude working space, and then the luffing angle of the main boom 20 relative to the tower boom can be adjusted by the first linear drive 32 so that the working platform 71 at the end position of the main boom 20 can be fully entered into the confined space for operation.

[0072] like Figure 9 As shown, when the working environment is small, if the tower boom is vertical and the main boom 20 is horizontal, the top of the tower boom can easily collide with the work-bearing object above. To achieve both high-altitude operations and perfect obstacle avoidance within limited spaces, by adjusting the main boom 20 to a vertical position and the tower boom to a horizontal position, the tower boom will not touch the work-bearing object above, while the working platform at the end of the main boom 20 can accurately enter the limited space to perform operations. This meets the needs of certain special space operation scenarios and has a wider range of applications.

[0073] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0074] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between components; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0075] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0076] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A boom assembly for use in high-altitude operations, characterized in that, The boom assembly includes: Tower arm; The main boom (20) includes a main boom head (22), a main boom section (23) and a main boom tail (21) connected in sequence. The main boom tail (21) is hinged to the end of the tower boom. The main boom section (23) is made of insulating material. The main boom head (22) and the main boom tail (21) are both made of metal. Linkage mechanism (80), the linkage mechanism (80) includes two links that are hinged at the beginning and end, and the two links are respectively hinged at opposite ends to the main boom tail (21) and the tower boom; The first linear drive member (32) is hinged at both ends to the linkage mechanism (80) and the tower arm respectively, and is used to drive the main boom (20) to luff relative to the tower arm.

2. The boom assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end of the first linear drive member (32) is hinged to the tower arm, and the second end is hinged to the position where the hinge points of the two connecting rods are located.

3. The boom assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end of the first linear drive (32) is hinged to the tower arm, and the second end is hinged to one of the connecting rods.

4. The boom assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tower arm is a telescopic boom structure, and the boom assembly further includes a first telescopic drive (33), which is used to drive the tower arm to extend and retract.

5. The boom assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The tower arm includes multiple tower arm sections that are retractable and nested in sequence. The tower arm section located at the tail end is provided with a first mounting part (13). One end of the first telescopic drive member (33) is connected to the tower arm section located at the head end, and the other end is hinged to the first mounting part (13).

6. The boom assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first linear drive (32) and the linkage mechanism (80) are both connected to the tower arm section located at the tail end.

7. An aerial work platform, characterized in that, The aerial work platform further includes the boom assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and further includes: Chassis (40); A turntable (50) is mounted on the chassis (40) and is used to drive the boom assembly to rotate; The outrigger assembly is located below the chassis (40) and can be switched between an extended state and a retracted state. In the extended state, the outrigger assembly is supported between the chassis (40) and the ground. In the retracted state, the outrigger assembly is stored on the chassis (40). The working platform (71) is connected to the end of the boom assembly away from the turntable (50).

8. The aerial work platform according to claim 7, characterized in that, The aerial work platform also includes a second linear drive (31), the two ends of which are hinged to the turntable (50) and the tower arm respectively and are used to drive the tower arm to change amplitude relative to the turntable (50).

9. The aerial work platform according to claim 7, characterized in that, The chassis (40) is provided with multiple mounting brackets (41) around its perimeter. The outrigger assembly includes multiple outrigger parts distributed around the chassis (40). Each outrigger part includes two outrigger portions (61) connected by a connecting block (62). One end of the outrigger portion (61) is hinged to the mounting bracket (41), and the other end of the outrigger portion (61) has a support surface. The aerial work platform also includes a second telescopic drive member (34). The two ends of the second telescopic drive member (34) are respectively hinged to the connecting block (62) and the mounting bracket (41).

10. The aerial work platform according to claim 7, characterized in that, A leveling cylinder (72) is also hinged between the main boom tail (21) of the main boom (20) and the working platform (71).

Images