TILTROTATOR

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a tiltrotator for mounting on a construction machine according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a tiltrotator is known from WO 2007 / 097698 A1.

[0002] Tiltrotators of this type are used on excavators or other comparable construction machines between an attachment of the machine and the tool as a rotary-swivel unit to expand the range of motion. Such tiltrotators typically include a quick coupler mounted on a connecting piece, rotatable about a rotational axis by means of a hydraulic rotary drive, and pivotable about a swivel axis orthogonal to the rotational axis by means of a hydraulic swivel drive. The quick coupler has receptacles and at least one locking element for the detachable attachment of a tool coupled to it. With such a tiltrotator, attachments coupled to the quick coupler, such as tilting buckets, grapples, shears, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammers, or the like, can be rotated not only about a swivel axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of an excavator arm, but also about a rotary axis orthogonal to this swivel axis.

[0003] In a tiltrotator known from WO 2007 / 097698 A1, a hydraulically actuated gripper assembly can be mounted on a quick coupler which is rotatable about a rotary axis by means of a rotary drive and which is pivotable about a pivot axis orthogonal to the rotary axis by means of a swivel drive.

[0004] A hydraulic system for a tiltrotator and an auxiliary tool, disclosed in WO 2018 / 083083 A1, has a pressure supply for pressurizing a hydraulic fluid and a common supply line for supplying the hydraulic fluid to the tiltrotator and, via the tiltrotator, to the auxiliary tool. At the end of a main supply line near the tiltrotator, a diverter valve is provided for redirecting the hydraulic fluid into two separate lines, a first line leading to the tiltrotator and a second line leading through the tiltrotator to the auxiliary tool.

[0005] From US patent 2011 / 0264334 A1, a control system for controlling a tiltrotator is known, comprising control elements, a controller, feeding devices, and a plurality of external proportional valves. The control system further includes an inclinometer, which provides the controller with signals for aligning a tool attached to the tiltrotator.

[0006] Simpler construction machines and standard excavators typically only have five hydraulic connections. In addition to two double-acting hydraulic circuits for operating and controlling attachments, a leakage oil line leading directly to the excavator's fuel tank is usually provided. Such a hydraulic control system can also operate the rotary and tilt drives of a tiltrotator. However, other functions, such as locking the quick coupler, then have to be performed manually. Therefore, tiltrotators on standard excavators are often used in conjunction with manually operated quick couplers.

[0007] The object of the invention is to create a tiltrotator of the type mentioned above which enables a wider range of applications without requiring costly modifications to the control system of a construction machine.

[0008] This problem is solved by a tiltrotator having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0009] In the tiltrotator according to the invention, an additional, easily retrofittable gripper assembly for gripping pipes, rods, stones, or the like is arranged on the quick coupler, which is rotatable about a rotary axis by means of a hydraulic rotary drive and pivotable about a pivot axis orthogonal to the rotary axis by means of a hydraulic swivel drive. To enable the additional gripper assembly to be operated by the standard hydraulic system without complex modifications or changes to the hydraulic control, the tiltrotator also includes a mechanical switching device. This device allows either a hydraulic gripper drive for the gripper assembly or the swivel drive to be controlled by the hydraulic circuit connected to the mechanical switching device. This enables, for example, sandwich-construction tiltrotators with an additionally mounted gripper assembly to be operated on standard excavators with two double-acting hydraulic cylinders.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the mechanical switching device includes a manually operable switching element by which two input-side connections of the switching device can be connected either to two output-side first connections for controlling the hydraulic gripper drive or to four output-side further connections of the switching device for controlling the swivel drive.

[0011] The manually operated switching element is preferably arranged such that its position is visible from the operator's cab of the construction machine. This allows the operator to immediately see which mode the tiltrotator is in. Preferably, the manually operated switching element is located on the outside of a transverse section of the connecting part facing away from the gripper assembly. This allows the switching element to be operated from the operator's cab.

[0012] In one possible configuration, where the tiltrotator includes, for example, a manually operated quick coupler with an attached gripper assembly, the gripper drive of the gripper assembly can be connected to the first two output terminals of the mechanical switching device, and the swivel drive can be connected to the other output terminals of the mechanical switching device as an additional load. By manually switching the device, the operator can decide whether the manually operated quick coupler should be operated in rotary and swivel mode or in rotary mode with the additional gripper function.

[0013] In a suitable design, the mechanical switching device can be implemented as a manually switchable changeover valve. The changeover valve can, for example, be formed by two coupled 3-way ball valves.

[0014] The gripper arrangement preferably has two gripper arms that can pivot relative to each other, and the gripper drive has a first gripper cylinder assigned to the first gripper arm and a second gripper cylinder assigned to the second gripper arm.

[0015] The slewing drive can be formed by two double-acting actuators moving in opposite directions. Alternatively, the slewing drive can be designed as a hydraulic motor.

[0016] The hydraulic circuit connected to the input side of the mechanical switching device is expediently controllable by a control valve designed as a 4 / 3-way valve. The control valve can thus be used to actuate or control either the hydraulic gripper drive of the gripper assembly or the rotary drive.

[0017] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Figure 1 a tiltrotator with a quick coupler and a gripper arrangement in a first perspective view; Figure 2 the tiltrotator with the quick coupler and the gripper assembly from Figure 1 in a second perspective view and Figure 3 a hydraulic circuit arrangement for controlling the in the Figure 1 and 2 shown tiltrotators and Figure 4 a hydraulic circuit arrangement for controlling another tiltrotator.

[0018] The one in the Figure 1 and 2Tiltrotator 1, shown in different perspectives, includes a connection part 2 which can be mounted either directly or via a hydraulically actuated quick coupler on an excavator arm or other attachment element of a construction machine, on which a quick coupler 3 designed for coupling an attachment is rotatable about a rotation axis 5 by means of a hydraulic rotary drive 4 and pivotable about a pivot axis 7 orthogonal to the rotation axis 5 by means of a hydraulic swivel drive 6.

[0019] The one in the Figure 1 and 2The tiltrotator 1 shown contains a drive housing 8 in which the quick coupler 3 is rotatably mounted about the vertically oriented axis of rotation 5 through 360°. The drive housing 8 also contains a hydraulic rotary union (not visible here) with a stator fixed to the drive housing 8 relative to it and a rotor rotatably mounted within the stator for supplying hydraulic fluid to the quick coupler 3. The rotary drive 4 includes a hydraulic motor 9, which drives the quick coupler 3 through a gearbox with a worm gear located within the drive housing 8 and a drive worm rotated by the hydraulic motor 9, allowing it to rotate 360° about the axis of rotation 5 relative to the drive housing 8.

[0020] The drive housing 8 is pivotably arranged on the connection part 2 via laterally projecting bearing pins 10 within two spaced-apart bearing eyes 11 about the pivot axis 7 orthogonal to the axis of rotation 5 and can be pivoted relative to the connection part 2 about the pivot axis 7 via the hydraulic rotary drive 6. Figure 1 and 2 The position shown can be swivelled by approximately + / - 45°. The tiltrotator 1, also known as a rotary-swivel drive, allows the attachments coupled to the quick coupler 3 not only to be rotated around the axis of rotation 5, but also to be tilted relative to the connecting part 2 around the pivot axis 7, which is orthogonal to the axis of rotation 5. This expands the range of motion and thus increases the application range.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, the connecting part 2 has two parallel side plates 12 and front and rear cross pieces 13 with bearing eyes 11 arranged thereon. The drive housing 8 is pivotably mounted about the pivot axis 7 via the two bearing journals 10 in the bearing eyes 11 of the front and rear cross pieces 13. In the two side plates 12 of the illustrated connecting part 2, two parallel and spaced-apart bolt-shaped coupling elements 14 and 15 are arranged for connection to a hydraulically actuated quick coupler (not shown) mounted on the construction equipment. A coupling element carrier 16 for holding coupling elements for connecting power supply lines when coupling the tiltrotator 1 described above to a quick coupler is attached to the bolt-shaped first coupling element 14.

[0022] An embodiment of a hydraulically actuated quick coupler arranged on an excavator arm or other construction equipment for the automatic coupling of the tiltotator is disclosed in DE 10 2018 128 479 A1. For the known design and operation of such a hydraulically actuated quick coupler, explicit reference is made to this publication. However, the connecting part 2 could also be mounted directly on a stick and a coupling of an excavator without the intermediate use of a hydraulically actuated quick coupler.

[0023] In the illustrated embodiment, the rotary actuator 6 is formed by two double-acting actuators 17 and 18, each with a cylinder housing 19 attached to the respective side wall 12 of the connecting part 2 and a hydraulically movable piston rod 20 slidably arranged within the cylinder housing 19. The free ends of the piston rods 20 are connected to the actuator housing 8 via a ball joint 21 and a corresponding bracket 22. By extending and retracting the two piston rods 20 of the actuators 17 and 18, the actuator housing 8, with the quick coupler 3 rotatably mounted therein, can be tilted relative to the connecting part 2. The rotary actuator 6 can also be formed by a hydraulic motor or another suitable hydraulic drive.

[0024] As from Figure 2As can be seen, the quick coupler 3, designed for attaching a tool or implement and which can be manually locked and unlocked, includes a carrier 23 constructed as a welded or cast part. This carrier has first receptacles 24, open on one side, for receiving and holding a first bolt-shaped coupling element on the tool side, and second receptacles 25, open on the other side, for receiving and holding a second bolt-shaped coupling element on the tool side. The first receptacles 24, open on one side, are claw- or fork-shaped. The second receptacles 25, open on the other side and downwards, have a curved lower contact surface for the insertion of a bolt-shaped coupling element.The second mounting points 25 are equipped with a manually operated locking device with two locking bolts movable between an extended locking position and a retracted unlocking or changeover position. The locking bolts can be moved, for example, by means of a manually pivotable lever between the retracted unlocking or changeover position and the extended locking position. An embodiment of such a manually operated quick coupler is disclosed in DE 20 2017 001 992 U1. Various attachments, such as tilting buckets, grapples, shears, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammers, or the like, can be coupled to the quick coupler 3.

[0025] On the carrier 23 of the quick coupler 3, which is equipped with a manually operated locking mechanism, a hydraulically actuated gripper assembly 26 with two gripper arms 27 and 28 that can pivot relative to each other is also arranged. The two gripper arms 27 and 28 are each pivotable about an axis 29 or 30 and can be folded out or in by means of a hydraulic gripper drive formed here by two double-acting gripper cylinders 31 or 32. The second gripper arm 28 has a slot-shaped recess 33 for receiving the first gripper arm 27. This allows the two gripper arms 27 and 28, which can each be pivoted by a gripper cylinder 31 or 32, to be moved into each other and folded in completely.

[0026] In Figure 3is a circuit diagram of a hydraulic circuit arrangement 34 and a control unit 35 for controlling a hydraulically actuated quick coupler 36 arranged on an excavator arm or other construction equipment and a quick coupler 36 coupled to the quick coupler 36, in the Figure 1 and 2 The tiltrotator 1 shown with the manually operated quick coupler 3 and the hydraulically operated gripper assembly 26 is shown.

[0027] The control unit 35 includes a first control valve 37, designed as a 4 / 3-way valve, for controlling a first hydraulic circuit H1, which is used here for controlling the rotary drive 4. The control unit 35 also includes a second control valve 38, also designed as a 4 / 3-way valve, for controlling a second hydraulic circuit H2, via which either the slewing drive 6 or a drive of the grab assembly 26 can be controlled. The control unit 35 also includes a third control valve 39, designed as a 4 / 2-way valve, for controlling the hydraulic quick coupler 36, which is arranged for automatically coupling the tiltrotator 1 to the excavator or other construction machine and contains two synchronously movable double-acting hydraulic cylinders 40 and 41 for hydraulically actuating a locking mechanism. The two hydraulic cylinders 40 and 41 of the hydraulically operated quick coupler 36 arranged on an excavator or other construction machine are used, for example, toTwo locking bolts can be moved between a retracted quick-change position and an extended locking position. This allows the tiltrotator 1 to be conveniently coupled or uncoupled from the excavator without manual intervention on the hydraulically operated quick coupler 36.

[0028] As described above, the tiltrotator 1 contains a rotary drive 4, designed here as a hydraulic motor 9, by which the in the Figure 1 and 2 The manually operated quick coupler 3 shown can be rotated 360° around the axis of rotation 5 via a gearbox with a worm gear arranged inside the drive housing 8 and a drive worm that is rotatable by the hydraulic motor 9 relative to the drive housing 8. The tiltrotator 1 also includes the rotary drive 6 formed by the two actuating cylinders 17 and 18, by which the Figure 1 and 2The quick coupler 3 shown can be tilted about the pivot axis 7, which is orthogonal to the axis of rotation 5. The tiltrotator 1 also includes the gripper assembly 26 with the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32, by which the two gripper arms 27 and 28 arranged on the quick coupler 3 can be pivoted between a folded closed position and an unfolded open position.

[0029] The tiltrotator 1 also contains a Figure 1 shown mechanical switching device 42, through which the hydraulic circuit H2 is switched via a Figure 2The manually operated switching element 43, shown here as a switching lever, can be connected either to the rotary drive 6 or, via a rotary union 44, to the drive of the gripper assembly 26. For this purpose, the switching device 42 includes two input ports 45 and 46 for the hydraulic circuit H2, two output ports 47 and 48 for controlling a first consumer, and four output ports 49 to 52 for controlling a second consumer. The manually operated switching element 43 allows either the two output ports 47 and 48 for controlling a first consumer or the four output ports 49 to 52 for controlling a second consumer to be connected to the hydraulic circuit H2.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 of the gripper assembly 26 are connected to the two output ports 47 and 48 as the first consumer via the rotary union 44. The two actuator cylinders 17 and 18 of the rotary drive 6 are connected to the four further output ports 49 to 52 as a further consumer. The two actuator cylinders 17 and 18 of the rotary drive 6 are connected to the four ports 49 to 52 such that they extend and retract in opposite directions, while the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 are connected to the two ports 47 and 48 such that they extend and retract in the same directions.The second hydraulic circuit H2 can be connected via the mechanical switching device 42 arranged on the tiltrotator 1 either to the two ports 47 and 48 for connection to the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 via the rotary union 44, or to the further ports 49 to 52 for connection to the two actuating cylinders 17 and 18 of the rotary drive 6. Depending on the position of the switching device 42, the control valve 38 can thus control, via the second hydraulic circuit H2, either the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 of the gripper assembly 26 as the first consumer, or the two hydraulic cylinders 17 and 18 of the rotary drive 6, or the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 of the gripper assembly 26 as a further consumer.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the mechanical switching device 42 is designed as a changeover valve with two coupled 3-way ball valves. A lowering brake check valve 53 is provided upstream of each of the connections for extending and retracting the two actuating cylinders 17 and 18 of the rotary actuator 6. A lowering brake check valve 54 is also provided upstream of each of the connections for extending the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32.

[0032] In Figure 4 A circuit diagram of a further hydraulic circuit arrangement 55 with a control unit 56 for controlling, for example, a tiltrotator 1 permanently mounted on an excavator arm with a hydraulically actuated quick coupler 57 is shown. In contrast to the embodiment of the Figure 1 and 2The quick coupler 52, which is rotatable by 360° about a rotary axis by a hydraulic rotary drive 4 and pivotable about a swivel axis 7 orthogonal to the rotary axis by a hydraulic swivel drive 6, is hydraulically actuated and has two synchronously movable double-acting hydraulic cylinders 58 and 59 for hydraulic actuation of a locking mechanism. For example, two locking bolts can be moved between a retracted quick-coupler position and an extended locking position via the two hydraulic cylinders 58 and 59 of the hydraulically actuated quick coupler 57. This allows a tool or attachment to be conveniently coupled or uncoupled from the excavator without manual intervention on the quick coupler 57.

[0033] The control unit 56 contains a hydraulic pump 60 for supplying the tiltrotator 1 with hydraulic fluid. The control unit 56 also contains a first control valve 61, designed as a 4 / 3-way valve, for controlling a first hydraulic circuit H1, which, in the illustrated embodiment, is connected to the quick coupler 57 via the rotary union 44 and is used to control a tool or attachment coupled to the quick coupler 57. Furthermore, the control unit 56 contains a second control valve 62, designed as a 4 / 2-way valve, for controlling the two hydraulic cylinders 58 and 59 of the hydraulically actuated quick coupler 57 via the rotary union 44.

[0034] As with the execution of the Figure 1 and 2The tiltrotator 1 includes a rotary drive 6 formed by two actuating cylinders 17 and 18, by which the quick coupler 57 can be tilted about the pivot axis 7 orthogonal to the axis of rotation 5. The tiltrotator 1 also includes a [missing information - likely a specific feature or component] in the Figure 1 and 2 The illustrated gripper arrangement 26 includes the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32, by which two gripper arms 27 and 28 can be pivoted between a folded closed position and an unfolded open position. The two actuating cylinders 17 and 18 of the pivoting drive 6 are configured such that they extend and retract in opposite directions.

[0035] In this embodiment, the tiltrotator 1 is also equipped with a manually switchable mechanical switching device 42, which has two input ports 45 and 46 for a hydraulic circuit H2, two output ports 47 and 48 for controlling a first consumer, and four additional output ports 49 to 52 for controlling a second consumer. The manually operated switching element 43 allows either the two output ports 47 and 48 for controlling a first consumer or the four additional ports 49 to 52 for controlling a second consumer to be connected to a hydraulic circuit H2.

[0036] In this embodiment, the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 of the gripper assembly 26 are connected to the four output ports 49 to 52 of the mechanical switching device 42. Hydraulic lines 63 and 64 leading to the quick coupler 57 are connected to the two ports 47 and 48 of the mechanical switching device 42 for supplying and controlling a tool or attachment coupled to the quick coupler 57 as an additional consumer. The two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 are connected to the four ports 49 to 52 such that the gripper cylinders 31 and 32 extend and retract in the same directions.

[0037] A third control valve 65, designed as a 4 / 3-way valve, is arranged on the tiltrotator 1 for controlling the second hydraulic circuit H2. A fourth control valve 66, also designed as a 4 / 3-way valve, is arranged on the tiltrotator 1 for controlling the two actuator cylinders 17 and 18 of the rotary drive 6, and a fifth control valve 67, also designed as a 4 / 3-way valve, is arranged on the tiltrotator 1 for controlling the rotary drive 4.

[0038] Depending on the position of the switching device 42, the following can be achieved in the Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the control valve 38 can be used via the second hydraulic circuit H2 to control either the two gripper cylinders 31 and 32 of the gripper assembly 26 or the two hydraulic lines 63 and 64 for supplying and controlling a tool or attachment coupled to the quick coupler 57 as an additional consumer.

[0039] As from Figure 1As can be seen, the mechanical switching device 42 is arranged on the inside of the transverse piece 13 of the connecting part 2 facing away from the gripping jaw assembly 26, i.e., facing a driver's cab of an excavator or other construction machine. Figure 2 It can be seen that the switching element 43, designed as a switching lever, is arranged on the outside of the transverse section 13 of the connecting part 2, which faces away from the grab assembly 26, i.e., towards the operator's cab of an excavator or other construction machine, and is connected to the switching element 43 via an opening 68 in the transverse section 13. This allows the position of the switching element 43 to be seen from the operator's cab. Furthermore, the switching element 43 can be operated from the operator's cab. Reference symbol list

[0040] 1 Tiltrotator 2 Connection part 3 Mechanically operated quick coupler 4 Rotary drive 5 Rotary axis 6 Swivel drive 7 Swivel axis 8 Drive housing 9 Hydraulic motor 10 Bearing journal 11 Bearing eyes 12 Side plate 13 Cross piece 14 First coupling element 15 Second coupling element 16 Coupling element carrier 17 First actuating cylinder 18 Second actuating cylinder 19 Cylinder housing 20 Piston rod 21 Ball joint 22 Mount 23 Carrier 24 First mount 25 Second mount 26 Gripper assembly 27 First gripper arm 28 Second gripper arm 29 First axis 30 Second axis 31 First gripper cylinder 32 Second gripper cylinder 33 Recess 34 Circuit arrangement 35 Control unit 36 ​​Hydraulic 37. Actuable quick coupler 38. First control valve 39. Second control valve 30. Third control valve 41. First hydraulic cylinder 42. Second hydraulic cylinder 43. Switching device 44. Switching element 44. Rotary union 45. First inlet connection 46. Second inlet connection 47. First outlet connection 48. Second outlet connection49 Third output port 50 Fourth output port 51 Fifth output port 52 Sixth output port 53 Lowering brake locking valve 54 Lowering brake locking valve 55 Circuit arrangement 56 Control unit 57 Hydraulically operated quick coupler 58 First hydraulic cylinder 59 Second hydraulic cylinder 60 Hydraulic pump 61 First control valve 62 Second control valve 63 First hydraulic line 64 Second hydraulic line 65 Third control valve 66 Fourth control valve 67 Fifth control valve 68 Through hole

Claims

1. Tiltrotator (1) for attachment to a construction machine, comprising a quick-coupler (3; 57) for coupling a tool or attachment, wherein the quick-coupler (3; 57) is mounted on a connecting piece (2) such that it can rotate about an axis of rotation (5) by means of a hydraulic rotary drive (4) and can pivot about a swivel axis (7) orthogonal to the axis of rotation (5) by means of a hydraulic swivel drive (6), and a hydraulic circuit configuration (34; 55) for controlling the tiltrotator (1) via two hydraulic circuits (H1, H2), wherein a hydraulically actuated gripper arrangement (26) is arranged on the quick-coupler (3; 57), characterized in that the tiltrotator (1) comprises a mechanical switching device (42) via which either a hydraulic gripper drive (31, 32) of the gripper arrangement (26) or the swivel drive (6) can be controlled via the hydraulic circuit (H2) connected to the mechanical switching device (42).

2. Tiltrotator according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanical switching device (42) comprises a manually operable switching element (43), by means of which two input-side connections (45, 46) of the switching device (42) can be connected either to two output-side first connections (47, 48) for controlling the hydraulic gripper drive (31, 32) or to four output-side further connections (49, 50, 51, 52) of the switching device (42) for controlling the swivel drive (6).

3. Tiltrotator according to claim 2, characterized in that the manually operable switching element (43) is arranged such that its position is visible from a driver's cab of the construction machine.

4. Tiltrotator according to claim 3, characterized in that the manually operable switching element (43) is arranged on the outer side of a crosspiece (13) of the connecting piece (2) facing away from the gripper arrangement (26).

5. Tiltrotator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the gripper drive (31, 32) of the gripper arrangement (26) is connected to the two output-side first connections (47, 48) of the mechanical switching device (42), and the output-side further connections (49, 50, 51, 52) of the mechanical switching device (42) are connected to the swivel drive (6).

6. Tiltrotator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the mechanical switching device (42) is designed as a manually switchable shuttle valve.

7. Tiltrotator according to claim 6, characterized in that the manually switchable shuttle valve is formed by two 3-way ball valves coupled to one another.

8. Tiltrotator according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , characterized in that the gripper arrangement (26) comprises two gripper arms (27, 28) that can be pivoted relative to one another, and the gripper drive (31, 32) comprises a first gripper cylinder (31) associated with the first gripper arm (27) and a second gripper cylinder (32) associated with the second gripper arm (28).

9. Tiltrotator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the swivel drive (6) is formed by two double-acting actuating cylinders (17, 18) movable in opposite directions.

10. Tiltrotator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the hydraulic circuit (H2) connected to the input-side of the mechanical switching device (42) can be controlled by a control valve (38; 65) designed as a 4 / 3-way valve.