Rotating and / or swiveling unit

Abstract

Rotating and / or swiveling unit for attachment to a construction machine, which contains a connecting part (1) and a carrier (6) movably arranged on the connecting part (1) for a tool or a quick-change device (8) for coupling a tool or attachment, wherein the carrier (6) is arranged on the connecting part (1) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (8) by a rotary drive (8) and / or tiltable about a swivel axis (3) by a swivel drive (4, 5), characterized by a central lubricant supply (27) with an automatically actuated lubricant pump (29) provided with a lubricant reservoir (28) for conveying a lubricant to different lubrication points (32) of the rotating and / or swiveling unit.

Description

The invention relates to a rotary and / or pivot assembly for attachment to a construction machine according to the preamble of claim 1.Such rotating and / or pivoting units are used on excavators or other comparable construction machines between an attachment part of the construction machine and the tool as a rotating and / or pivoting unit for expanding the movement options. Such rotating and pivoting units usually comprise a connecting part which can be mounted on the construction machine and a carrier which is arranged on the connecting part such that it can move for coupling a tool or attachment, wherein the carrier is arranged on the connecting part such that it can be rotated by motor about an axis of rotation by means of a rotary drive and / or such that it can be tilted about a axis of rotation which is orthogonal to the axis of rotation by means of a pivot drive. DE 10 2020 127 313 B3 discloses a combined rotary and pivot assembly also referred to as a tilt rotator. There, the carrier of a quick-change device is arranged to be rotatable about an axis of rotation by means of a hydraulic rotary drive and to be pivotable about a pivot axis orthogonal to the axis of rotation by means of a hydraulic pivot drive on a connection part which can be mounted on an excavator. By means of such a tilt rotator, the attachments, such as, for example, swivel spoons, grippers, scissors, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammer or the like, which are coupled to the quick changer can be rotated not only about a swivel axis arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of an excavator handle, but also about an axis of rotation orthogonal to this swivel axis.Rotary and / or swivel assemblies of the aforementioned type usually have a plurality of different lubrication points, which must be regularly lubricated in order to ensure proper operation and to avoid wear phenomena. However, regular lubrication is often neglected or forgotten during daily operation, which can lead to undesirable wear and damage and malfunctions of the operating sequence caused thereby.The object of the invention is to provide a rotary and / or pivot assembly of the type mentioned at the beginning which ensures regular lubrication of the different lubrication points even without separate action.This object is achieved by a rotary and / or pivot assembly having the features of claim 1. Practical embodiments and advantageous refinements of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.The rotary and / or pivot assembly according to the invention contains a connection part which can be mounted on the construction machine and a carrier which is arranged on the connection part such that it can move for coupling a tool or attachment, wherein the carrier is arranged on the connection part such that it can be rotated by motor about an axis of rotation by means of a rotary drive and / or can be tilted about a axis of rotation by means of a pivot drive. The rotary and / or swivel assembly also contains a central lubricant supply with an automatically actuatable lubricant pump provided with a lubricant reservoir. By means of the automatically actuatable lubricant pump arranged on the rotary and / or swivel assembly, the different lubricating points of the rotary and / or swivel assembly can be supplied with a lubricant provided in the lubricant reservoir even without a lubricant connection to a central lubrication system on the construction machine and without a separate action by the operator. The lubricant pump can be activated automatically, for example, when the rotary and / or pivot drive is actuated or when the construction machine is started. As a result, the smearing of the different lubricating points, which is important for avoiding wear, cannot be forgotten. Due to the lubricant supply on the rotating and / or pivoting assembly integrated on the rotating and / or pivoting assembly and independent of the central lubrication system of the construction machine, no lubricant lines and, if appropriate, clutches specifically designed for this purpose are required between the rotating and / or pivoting assembly and a central lubrication system provided on the construction machine.In a particularly expedient embodiment, a housing part which is mounted pivotably about a pivot axis and tiltable by a pivot drive is arranged on the connection part, in which housing part the carrier is mounted rotatably by the rotary drive in a manner rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation orthogonal to the pivot axis. By means of such a rotating and pivoting unit, also referred to as a tilt rotator, the attachments, such as e.g. pivot spoons, grippers, scissors, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammer or the like, coupled to the rotating and pivoting unit can be rotated not only about a pivot axis arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of an excavator handle, but also about a rotation axis orthogonal to this pivot axis.In a particularly expedient embodiment, the lubricant pump is connected via a supply line to a distributor unit for distributing the lubricant conveyed by the lubricant pump to the different lubrication points. As a result, the lubricant can reach the respective lubrication points in a predefined manner. The amount of lubricant that the individual lubrication points require can be predetermined via the distributor unit. A plurality of lubricant supply lines leading to the different lubrication points can be connected to the distributor assembly.Expediently, a lubricant quantity regulating device is arranged on the lubricant pump for adjusting the lubricant quantity conveyed by the lubricant pump when it is activated. As a result, the amount of lubricant conveyed out of the lubricant reservoir by the lubricant pump when it is activated can be adjusted.The lubricant pump can be arranged on or on the housing part of the rotary and / or pivot assembly which can be tilted about the pivot axis. The distributor unit is also preferably arranged on or on the housing part which can be tilted about the pivot axis.In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the lubricant pump can be designed as a hydraulically actuated lubricant pump with a hydraulically actuated pump piston. The lubricant pump can, however, also be electrically actuated and can be activated, for example, by electrical control when the construction machine is started. This also ensures regular lubrication of the rotary and / or pivot unit.The lubricant pump can expediently be activated by controlling the pivot drive or by controlling the rotary drive. In the case of a hydraulic rotary and swivel drive and a hydraulically actuated lubricant pump, the lubricant pump can be connected via a bypass line to a hydraulic circuit H 2 for controlling the swivel drive or a hydraulic circuit H 1 for controlling the rotary drive.The rotary drive can comprise a hydraulic motor that can be controlled by the first hydraulic circuit H 1, and the pivot drive can be formed by two double-acting actuating cylinders that can be moved in opposite directions and can be controlled by the second hydraulic circuit H 2.A quick-change device designed for coupling a tool can be arranged on the carrier. However, a gripper or another tool can also be arranged directly on the carrier 6. In addition, the carrier can also be designed as a housing of a quick-change device.The connection part can contain two bolt-shaped coupling elements spaced apart from one another for coupling the connection part to a quick-change device. As a result, the connecting part and thus the rotating and pivoting unit can be coupled to an excavator arm via a quick changer and can be used in sandwich construction with a further lower quick changer for automatically changing attachment tools. The connecting part can, however, also be mounted fixedly on an excavator arm.Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a first perspective view of a rotating and pivoting assembly with a quick changer and an automatic lubricant supply; FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the rotary and swivel assembly of FIG. 1 ; and FIG. 3 shows a hydraulic circuit arrangement for controlling the automatic lubricant supply of the rotary and swivel assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.The turning and pivoting unit, which is illustrated in a perspective in FIG. 1 and is also referred to as a tilt rotator, contains a connection part 1, which can be mounted either directly or via a hydraulically actuatable quick-change device on an excavator handle or another attachment element of a construction machine and on which a housing part 2 is mounted pivotably about a pivot axis 3 and is arranged tiltable about the pivot axis 3 by means of a pivot drive formed here by two hydraulic actuating cylinders 4 and 5. In the housing part 2 tiltable relative to the connection part 1, a carrier 6 is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation 7 orthogonal to the pivot axis 3 and is motor-rotatable through 360° by a rotary drive 8 In the exemplary embodiment shown, a quick-change device 9 designed for coupling a tool is arranged on the carrier 6. However, a gripper or another tool can also be arranged directly on the carrier 6. In addition, the carrier 6 can also be designed as a housing of a quick-change device.The rotary drive 8, which is designed here as a hydraulic drive, contains a hydraulic motor 10, by means of which the carrier 6 can be rotated by motor about the axis of rotation 7 by 360° relative to the housing part 2 via a gear with a worm wheel arranged within the housing part 2 and a drive worm rotatable by the hydraulic motor 10.The housing part 2 is arranged on the connection part 1 such that it can be pivoted about the pivot axis 3 orthogonal to the axis of rotation 7 via laterally projecting bearing journals 11 within two bearing eyes 12 spaced apart from one another and can be pivoted about + / - 45° about the pivot axis 3 relative to the connection part 1 via the hydraulic pivot drive formed by the two actuating cylinders 4 and 5. By means of the tilt rotator, also referred to as a rotary-pivot drive, the attachments coupled to the quick-change device 9 can be rotated not only about the axis of rotation 7, but additionally also tilted relative to the connection part 1 about the axis of rotation 3 orthogonal to the axis of rotation 7, whereby the movement possibilities are widened and the field of use is thereby enlarged.In the exemplary embodiment shown, the connecting part 1 has two mutually parallel side cheeks 13 and front and rear cross pieces 14 with the bearing eyes 12 arranged thereon. The housing part 2 is mounted via the two bearing journals 11 in the bearing eyes 12 of the front and rear cross pieces 14 such that it can be pivoted about the pivot axis 3. In the connection part 1 shown, two bolt-shaped coupling elements 15 and 16 parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another are arranged in the two side walls 13 for connection to a hydraulically actuatable quick-change device which is arranged on the construction device and is not shown here.An exemplary embodiment of a hydraulically actuatable quick-change device, which is arranged on an excavator arm or another construction device, for automatically coupling the tilt rotator is disclosed in DE 10 2018 128 479 A1. With regard to the known construction and the mode of operation of such a hydraulically actuatable quick-change device, express reference is made to this publication. However, the connecting part 1 could also be mounted directly on a handle and a coupler of an excavator without the interposition of a hydraulically actuatable quick-change device.In the embodiment shown, the pivot drive is formed by the two double-acting adjusting cylinders 4 and 5, each with a cylinder housing 18 fastened via a holder 17 to the respective side cheek 13 of the connecting part 1 and a piston rod 19 which is arranged displaceably in the cylinder housing 18 and can be moved hydraulically. The free ends of the piston rods 19 are connected to the drive housing 9 via a joint eye 20 and a corresponding mounting 21. By a corresponding inward and outward movement of the two piston rods 19 of the adjusting cylinders 4 and 5, the housing part 2 with the support 6 rotatably mounted therein can thus be tilted relative to the connecting part 1. The pivot drive can, however, also be formed by a hydraulic motor or another suitable hydraulic drive.The quick-change device 9 designed for coupling an attachment or tool contains a housing 22 designed as a welded construction or as a casting, which has first receptacles 23, open on one side, for receiving and holding a first bolt-shaped coupling element on the tool side on the one side and on the other side, and second receptacles 24, open on the bottom, for receiving and holding a second bolt-shaped coupling element on the tool side on the other side. The first receptacles 23 open on one side are claw-shaped or fork-shaped. The second receptacles 24 open to the other side and downward have a curved lower contact surface for the contact of a bolt-shaped coupling element. On the second receptacles 24, a manually or hydraulically actuatable locking device is provided with two locking bolts 26 that can be moved within bores 25 between an extended locking position and a retracted unlocking or changing position. The locking bolts 26 can be moved manually, for example via a manually pivotable lever, or hydraulically between the retracted unlocking or changing position and the extended locking position. Thus, different tools or attachments, such as e.g. swivel spoons, grippers, scissors, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammer or the like, can be coupled to the quick changer 9.As can be seen in particular from the enlarged detail view of FIG. 2, the rotary and pivot drive contains a central lubricant supply 27 with an automatically actuatable lubricant pump 29 provided with a lubricant reservoir 28 and a distributor unit 31 connected to the lubricant pump 29 via a supply line 30 for distributing the lubricant to different lubrication points 32. As lubricant, for example, a grease is used, which is provided in the lubricant reservoir 28. For distributing the lubricant to the various lubrication points 32, a plurality of lubricant supply lines 33 leading to the individual lubrication points 32 are connected to the distributor assembly 31. The amount of lubricant that the individual lubrication points 32 require can be predefined via the distributor assembly 31.FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a hydraulic circuit arrangement for controlling the rotary drive 3, which is formed here by the hydraulic motor 10, the pivot drive, which is formed by the two actuating cylinders 5 and 6, and the lubricant pump 29 of the central lubricant supply 27 of the rotary and pivot drive. The circuit arrangement comprises a control device 34, which is arranged, for example, on an excavator and comprises a first control valve 35, which is designed as a 4 / 3-way valve and is used here to control a first hydraulic circuit H 1 used here for the control of the hydraulic motor 10 of the rotary drive 3, and a second control valve 36, which is designed as a 4 / 3-way valve and is used here to control a second hydraulic circuit H 2 used here for the control of the two actuating cylinders 5 and 6 of the pivot drive. The two actuating cylinders 4 and 5 of the swivel drive are controlled by the second hydraulic circuit H 2 via a branch 37 and four connections 38 to 41 in such a way that the actuating cylinders 4 and 5 extend or retract in opposite directions and the carrier 6 can thus be tilted about the swivel axis 3. The connections for the retraction and extension of the two actuating cylinders 4 and 5 are each preceded by a lowering brake shut-off valve 42.In the embodiment shown, the lubricant pump 29 is designed as a hydraulically actuated lubricant pump with a hydraulically actuated pump piston 43 and a lubricant quantity regulating device 44 for adjusting the delivered lubricant quantity. The lubricant pump 29 is actuated by the hydraulic circuit H 2 via a bypass line 45 branching off from the hydraulic circuit H 2, which ensures that when the two actuating cylinders 4 and 5 are actuated to actuate the pivot drive, the lubricant pump 29 is simultaneously also activated to supply the lubricating points 32 with lubricant. However, the bypass line 45 can also branch off from the first hydraulic circuit H 1, so that when the hydraulic motor 10 of the rotary drive 8 is actuated, the lubricant pump 29 is activated. This also ensures regular lubrication.The invention is not limited to the rotary and pivot assembly described in detail above. The central and automatically actuatable lubrication device can also be used for pure rotary or swivel units.List of reference characters1 Connecting part 2 Housing part 3 Pivot axis 4 First actuating cylinder 5 Second actuating cylinder 6 Carrier 7 Pivot axis 8 Rotary drive 9 Quick-change device 10 Hydraulic motor 11 Bearing journal 12 Bearing lugs 13 Side cheek 14 Crosspiece 15 First coupling element 16 Second coupling element 17 Holder 18 Cylinder housing 19 Piston rod 20 Joint lug 21 Holder 22 Housing 23 First receptacle 24 Second receptacle 25 Bore 26 Locking bolt 27 Central lubricant supply 28 Lubricant reservoir 29 Lubricant pump 30 Supply line 31 Distributor assembly 32 Lubrication point 33 Lubricant supply line 34 Control device 35 First control valve 36 Second control valve 37 Branch 38 First connection 39 Second connection 40 Third connection 41 Fourth connection 42 Anti-sink brake valve 43 Pump piston 44 Lubricant quantity regulating device 45 Bypass lineReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2020 127 313 B3

[0002] DE 10 2018 128 479 A1

[0021]

Claims

A rotary and / or pivot assembly for attachment to a construction machine, which includes a connection part (1) and a carrier (6) for a tool or a quick-change device (8) for coupling a tool or attachment, which carrier (6) is arranged on the connection part (1) such that it can be rotated by a motor by means of a rotary drive (8) about an axis of rotation (8) and / or can be tilted about a axis of rotation (3) by means of a pivot drive (4, 5), characterized bya central lubricant supply (27) with an automatically actuatable lubricant pump (29) provided with a lubricant reservoir (28) for conveying a lubricant to different lubricating points (32) of the rotary and / or pivot assembly.The rotating and / or pivoting assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that a housing part (2) is arranged on the connection part (1), which is mounted pivotably about the pivot axis (3) and tiltable by the pivot drive (4, 5), in which the carrier (6) is rotatable by the rotary drive (8), rotatably mounted about the axis of rotation (7) orthogonal to the pivot axis (3).Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lubricant pump (29) is connected via a supply line (30) to a distributor assembly (31) for distributing the lubricant conveyed by the lubricant pump (29) to the different lubricating points (32).Rotary and / or swivel unit according to Claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of lubricant supply lines (33) leading to the different lubricating points (32) are connected to the distributor unit (31).Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a lubricant quantity regulating device (44) for setting the lubricant quantity conveyed by the lubricant pump (29) when it is activated is arranged on the lubricant pump (29).Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lubricant pump (29) is arranged on the housing part (2).Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lubricant pump (29) is designed as a hydraulically actuated lubricant pump with a hydraulically actuated pump piston (43).Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the lubricant pump (29) is activated by actuating the swivel drive (4, 5) or by actuating the rotary drive (8).Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to Claim 8, characterized in that the lubricant pump (29) is connected via a bypass line (45) to a hydraulic circuit H2 for controlling the swivel drive (4, 5), a hydraulic circuit H1 for controlling the rotary drive (8) or another hydraulic circuit.Rotary and / or swivel assembly according to claim 8, characterised in that the rotary drive (8) comprises a hydraulic motor (10) which can be controlled by the first hydraulic circuit H1.A rotary and / or swivel assembly according to claim 9 or 10, characterised in that the swivel drive (4, 5) is formed by two double-acting actuating cylinders which can be moved in opposite directions and can be actuated by the second hydraulic circuit H2.The rotating and / or pivoting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a quick-change device (9) configured for coupling a tool or attachment is arranged on the carrier (6).The rotating and / or pivoting assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the connection part (1) contains two bolt-shaped coupling elements (15, 16) spaced apart from one another for coupling the connection part (1) to a quick-change device.

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