Adapter for attachment

Abstract

To provide an adapter for attachment which can mount an originally unturnable attachment, such as a commercially available holding device that is a type of being attached to an arm tip of a hydraulic shovel and performs opening / closing by utilizing a bucket cylinder, to the hydraulic shovel in a turnable manner.SOLUTION: An adapter 10 for attachment includes: a first claw connection part 1 for connecting an arm connection part 31 of a holding device 20 and a tip of an arm 5 of a hydraulic shovel; and a second claw connection part 2 for connecting a bucket cylinder connection part 41 of the holding device 20 and a tip of a bucket cylinder 6 of the hydraulic shovel. The first claw connection part 1 includes a first turning part 13, and the second claw connection part 2 includes a second turning part 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment adapter that can be rotatably attached to an existing attachment such as a clamping device that is attached to the arm tip of a hydraulic excavator. [Background technology]

[0002] A clamping device is known as an attachment attached to the end of a hydraulic excavator arm, which grips an object with a claw that opens and closes to handle cargo. A type of clamping device, such as that described in Patent Document 1, is known, which performs the opening and closing operation using a hydraulic cylinder attached to the clamping device. However, this type of clamping device has a complicated structure and is very expensive.

[0003] On the other hand, clamping devices of a type that are attached to the arm tip of a hydraulic excavator and open and close using a bucket cylinder, such as the clamping device of Patent Document 2 and commercially available clamping devices described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3, are also known.

[0004] Specifically, this type of clamping device is a clamping device in which the base ends of the first claw (lower claw) and the second claw (upper claw) are rotatably connected, and an arm connecting portion that protrudes from the inside of the first claw and is attached to the tip of the arm, and a bucket cylinder connecting portion that protrudes from the outside of the second claw and is attached to the tip of the bucket cylinder. This type of clamping device can be purchased for around several hundred thousand yen, and is therefore more widely used than the clamping device disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-021812 [Patent Document 2] Publication No. 3116350 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] Marujun Co., Ltd. Z-Fork, [Retrieved May 26, 2024], Internet: https: / / www.marujun.jp / products / z-fork / index.html [Non-patent document 2] Hachinohe Juko Shoji Matsumoto Seisakusho Super Fork Hayate, [Retrieved May 26, 2024], Internet〈https: / / juko.in / ?pid=132106474〉 [Non-patent document 3] Yutani Industries Co., Ltd., Tsukamutchi, [Retrieved May 26, 2024], Internet <https: / / www.yutani.jp / attachment / tsukamutchi.html> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The clamping device of the type disclosed in Patent Document 1 is also equipped with a rotation function when it is expensive.

[0008] However, the commercially available clamping devices of Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3 are provided inexpensively with simple structures and do not have a swivel function, and are also structurally incapable of being equipped with a swivel function.

[0009] For this reason, when using existing clamping devices such as those described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3, which are widely used, it is not possible to rotate them. However, if they could be rotated, the number of tasks that can be performed would increase, and work efficiency would also increase, making them very convenient.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an attachment adapter that can be attached to a hydraulic excavator in a rotatable manner, for attachments that are not originally rotatable, such as commercially available clamping devices that are attached to the end of the arm of a hydraulic excavator and open and close using a bucket cylinder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention provides an attachment adapter that allows a clamping device to be rotatably attached to the arm tip of a hydraulic excavator, the attachment adapter rotatably connecting the base ends of a first claw and a second claw, with an arm connecting part that protrudes from the inside of the first claw and is attached to the tip of an arm, and a bucket cylinder connecting part that protrudes from the outside of the second claw and is attached to the tip of a bucket cylinder, the attachment adapter comprising: a first claw connecting part that indirectly connects the arm connecting part of the clamping device to the arm tip of the hydraulic excavator; and a second claw connecting part that indirectly connects the bucket cylinder connecting part of the clamping device to the tip of the bucket cylinder of the hydraulic excavator, the first claw connecting part having a first swivel part about which the arm connecting part can swivel, and the second claw connecting part having a second swivel part about which the bucket cylinder connecting part can swivel.

[0012] According to the attachment adapter of the present invention, the arm connection part of the clamping device can be rotated by the first claw connection part, and the bucket cylinder connection part of the swivel device can be rotated by the second claw connection part, so that the attachment adapter can be attached to a hydraulic excavator with a swivel function, compared to commercially available clamping devices such as those described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3.

[0013] It should be noted that the first claw connecting portion in the present invention indirectly connects the arm connecting portion of the clamping device to the arm tip of the hydraulic excavator, and the second claw connecting portion indirectly connects the bucket cylinder connecting portion of the clamping device to the tip of the bucket cylinder of the hydraulic excavator, but this does not limit the attachments that can be connected to the first claw connecting portion and the second claw connecting portion to clamping devices such as those in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3.

[0014] In other words, the clamping device is merely one example of an attachment, and is shown as an example of an attachable attachment. The attachment adapter of the present invention can be attached to a hydraulic excavator in a rotatable manner, even for attachments that are not originally rotatable, and can be widely used for such attachments.

[0015] Specifically, a bucket is an attachment that can be attached to the end of a hydraulic excavator's arm. With the attachment adapter of the present invention, for example, the bucket pin side of the bucket can be connected to the first claw connecting portion, and the bucket link pin side of the bucket can be connected to the second claw connecting portion. In this way, a bucket that is not originally capable of rotating can be given the ability to rotate. In particular, with a bucket, work is sometimes performed using a bucket that is attached in an inverted position, but by rotating it, this installation work for inverting the bucket can be eliminated.

[0016] In a more specific aspect of the present invention, the first claw connecting portion preferably comprises an upper base fixed to the arm tip of the hydraulic excavator and a lower base rotatably fixed to the upper base via the first swivel portion and including a first claw detachable portion to which the arm connecting portion of the clamping device can be attached or detached, and the second claw connecting portion preferably comprises a cylinder detachable portion attached to one end of a rod and detachable from the tip of the bucket cylinder, and a second claw detachable portion attached to the other end of the rod and detachable from the bucket cylinder connecting portion of the clamping device via the second swivel portion. With this configuration, a small attachment adapter can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1A is a perspective view showing the main configuration of an adapter for an attachment according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of A as seen from the side. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a commercially available clamping device attached to a hydraulic excavator via an attachment adapter according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the clamping device of FIG. 2 in a closed state. [Figure 6] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the clamping device of FIG. 2 rotated 90 degrees to the left as viewed from the front. [Figure 7] 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing the clamping device of FIG. 2 rotated 180 degrees. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments and drawings, but the embodiments shown below are not intended to limit the present invention to those described herein, and the present invention is equally applicable to various modifications without departing from the technical idea set forth in the claims. Note that in each drawing used for explanation in this specification, each component is shown at a different scale so that each component can be recognized on the drawing, and is not necessarily shown in proportion to its actual size.

[0019] [Embodiment] The attachment adapter 10 of this embodiment is for attaching a commercially available clamping device 20, which is not originally rotatable as described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3, to a hydraulic excavator so that it can be rotated.

[0020] [Main components] Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an attachment adapter 10 of this embodiment, and Fig. 1B is a cross-sectional side view of the main part of Fig. 1A. Also, Figs. 2 to 4 show a state in which a clamping device 20 is attached to a hydraulic excavator via this attachment adapter 10, with Fig. 2 being a perspective view, Fig. 3 being a cross-sectional side view, and Fig. 4 being a front view.

[0021] Furthermore, the commercially available clamping device 20 described in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3 is a clamping device in which the base ends of the first claw 3 (lower claw) and the second claw 4 (upper claw) are rotatably connected, and an arm connector 31 that is attached to the tip of the arm protrudes from the inside of the first claw 3, and a bucket cylinder connector 41 that is attached to the tip of the bucket cylinder protrudes from the outside of the second claw 4. Furthermore, this clamping device 20 is originally attached directly to the tip of the arm of a hydraulic excavator and cannot be rotated in its original use.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20 are each made up of multiple parts, but in FIG. 3, the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 are shown partially simplified to make the opening and closing mechanism easier to understand.

[0023] Furthermore, the bucket cylinder 6 of the hydraulic excavator to which the attachment adapter 10 is attached has its rear end pivotally supported on the arm 5 of the hydraulic excavator, and the tip of the cylinder rod 61, which expands and contracts hydraulically, is pivotally supported on the idler link 7 of the hydraulic excavator.

[0024] The attachment adapter 10 of this embodiment comprises a first claw connecting portion 1 for indirectly connecting the first claw 3 of the clamping device 20 to the tip of the arm 5 of the hydraulic excavator, and a second claw connecting portion 2 for indirectly connecting the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20 to the tip of the bucket cylinder 6 (cylinder rod 61) of the hydraulic excavator.

[0025] More specifically, the first claw connecting portion 1 consists of an upper base 11 that is fixed to the tip of the hydraulic excavator's arm 5, and a lower base 12 that is rotatably fixed to the upper base 11 via a first swivel portion 13 and is equipped with a first claw detachment portion 121 that can detachably attach the arm connecting portion 31 of the clamping device 20.

[0026] This upper base 11 is mainly composed of a pair of plate-like members (as shown in FIG. 1A), and has a first mounting hole 111 (on the idler link pin side) and a second mounting hole 112 (on the bucket link pin side) that are fixed with a pin to the tip of the arm 5 located between the pair of plate-like members (as shown in FIG. 2).

[0027] In addition, the lower base 12 is mainly composed of a pair of plate-like members (as shown in Figure 1A), and each of them is formed with a first claw detachment portion 121 that can be attached and detached by a pin to the arm connection portion 31 of the first claw portion 3 of the clamping device 20 located between the pair of plate-like members (as shown in Figure 2).

[0028] The width of the lower base 12 (the distance between the two first claw detachable portions 121) made up of this pair of plate-like members is such that it can be inserted into the arm connecting portion 31 of the clamping device 20. In other words, this lower base 12 corresponds to the tip of the arm 5 to which the arm connecting portion 31 is attached when the clamping device 20 is used in accordance with its intended use.

[0029] The first swivel unit 13 rotatably connects the lower base 12 to the upper base 11 fixed to the tip of the arm 5, and has a structure similar to a swivel bearing, for example, as shown in Figure 1B, which consists of an inner ring that fixes the upper base 11 and an outer ring that fixes the lower base 12.

[0030] The second claw connecting portion 2 consists of a rod portion having a cylinder detachable portion at one end of a rod which is a rod-shaped member and can be detached from the tip of the bucket cylinder 6 (cylinder rod 61), and a second claw detachable portion at the other end of the rod which can be detached from the bucket cylinder connecting portion 41 of the clamping device 2 via the second swivel portion 23.

[0031] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, it comprises a rod 21 made of a rod-shaped member, a first link 22 on one end side of the rod 21 forming a cylinder detachable portion that can be attached and detached to the tip of the bucket cylinder 6 (cylinder rod 61), a second swivel portion 23 on the other end side of the rod 21 that also serves as a second claw detachable portion that can be attached and detached to the bucket cylinder connecting portion 41 of the clamping device 20 via the second swivel portion 23, and a second link 24.

[0032] 1B, the rod portion that is the second claw connecting portion 2 is configured so that the rod 21 passes through an insertion hole 131 that is located inside the inner ring that forms the first swivel portion 13. Unlike this embodiment, a configuration in which the rod 1 is located outside the outer ring that forms the first swivel portion 13 can also be adopted, but the configuration of this embodiment makes it possible to realize a small-sized attachment adapter 10.

[0033] 1A, the first link 22 is mainly composed of a pair of elliptical plate members. The upper end of the rod 21 and one end of the first link 22 are rotatably fixed by a pin with the upper end of the rod 21 positioned between the pair of elliptical plate members as shown in FIG. 1A (forming a second rotating portion R2, described later). At this time, the upper end of the rod 21 is journaled on the pin via a spherical bearing as shown in FIG. 6, so that the lower end of the rod 21 can move not only forward and backward but also left and right with the upper end as a fulcrum.

[0034] Further, the other end of each of the first links 22 is formed with a second shaft hole 221 that is rotatably connected to the bucket rod 61 of the bucket cylinder 6 (forming a first rotating portion R1, which will be described later).

[0035] The second swivel portion 23 allows the bucket cylinder connecting portion 41 to rotate at the second claw connecting portion 2, and also forms a second claw detachment portion that allows the bucket cylinder connecting portion 41 to be detached.

[0036] Specifically, the second swivel section 23 is made up of a swivel 231, a lower stopper 232, and an upper stopper 233. The swivel 231 is positioned at the lower end of the rod 21 by the lower stopper 232 and the upper stopper 233, and is held so as to be rotatable.

[0037] 4, the width of the swivel 231 constituting the second swivel section 23 is set to a width that allows it to be inserted into the bucket cylinder connecting part 41 of the clamping device 20. In other words, the swivel 231 corresponds to the tip of the bucket cylinder 6 (cylinder rod 61) to which the bucket cylinder connecting part 41 is attached when the clamping device 20 is used in accordance with its intended use.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, one end of the second link 24 is pivotally supported by a pin together with the swivel 231 and the packet cylinder connecting portion 31 (forming a third rotating portion R3, which will be described later). The other end of the second link 24 is pivotally supported on the inside of the plate-like member of the lower base 12 of the first claw connecting portion 1. Note that in Fig. 4, the second link 24 is present on only one of the pair of lower bases 12, but it is also possible to use two second links so that they are present on only one of the pair of lower bases 12, or, unlike this embodiment, two second links are present on both of the pair of lower bases 12.

[0039] As such, the attachment adapter 10 of this embodiment comprises a first claw connecting portion 1 for indirectly connecting the first claw 3 of the clamping device 20 to the tip of the arm 5 of the hydraulic excavator, and a second claw connecting portion 2 for indirectly connecting the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20 to the tip of the bucket cylinder 6 of the hydraulic excavator, and the first claw connecting portion 1 is provided with a first swivel portion 13 by which the first claw 3 can rotate, and the second claw connecting portion 2 is also provided with a second swivel portion 23 by which the second claw 4 can rotate.

[0040] Therefore, even a clamping device 20 that cannot be rotated, such as those disclosed in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3, which are commercially available, can be attached to a hydraulic excavator in a rotatable manner by using the attachment adapter 10.

[0041] [Installation method] Next, a brief description will be given of a method for attaching the clamping device 20 to a hydraulic excavator via the attachment adapter 10. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the attachment adapter 10 pivotally supports the arm connecting portion 31 of the first claw 3 of the clamping device 20 at the first claw detachable portion 121 of the lower base 12 with a pin (forming a fifth rotating portion R5, described later). This pin attachment is detachable.

[0042] Then, at the third rotation part R3 (shown in FIG. 3) of the attachment adapter 10, the bucket cylinder connecting part 41 of the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20, the second link 24, and the swivel 231 are coaxially attached by pins as shown in FIG. 4. This attachment is also detachable.

[0043] The attachment adapter 10 is then attached to the tip of the arm 5 of the hydraulic excavator through the first attachment hole 111 and the second attachment hole 112 of the upper base 11. This attachment is also detachable. At this time, the idler link 7 of the hydraulic excavator is left in place and not removed.

[0044] The cylinder rod 61 and idler link 7 of the hydraulic excavator are coaxially attached by a pin to the second shaft hole 221 of the first link 22 that forms the cylinder detachable portion of the attachment adapter 10. This attachment is also detachable.

[0045] In this way, the attachment adapter 10 of this embodiment allows commercially available clamping devices 20 such as those disclosed in Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3 to be attached to and detached from the hydraulic excavator as needed.

[0046] [Opening and closing of the claws] The opening and closing of the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20 will be described using Figures 3 and 5. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 in an open state, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 in a closed state.

[0047] When the cylinder rod 61 of the bucket cylinder 6 is hydraulically extended from the state in which the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 are open as shown in FIG. 3, the first rotating part R1 that pivotally supports the cylinder rod 61 and the first link 22 of the second claw connecting part 2 moves in an arc from the position in FIG. 3 to the position in FIG. 5 due to the idler link 7. As the first link 22 moves, the second rotation part R2 that pivotally supports the first link 22 and the rod 21 moves in an arc from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG.

[0048] The third rotation part R3, which supports the swivel 231 of the second rotation part 23, the second link 24, and the bucket cylinder connecting part 41 of the second claw 4, moves in an arc by the second link 24. At that time, since the distance between the second rotation part R2 and the third rotation part R3 is constant, the position of the third rotation part R3 moves in an arc from the position in Figure 3 to the position in Figure 5.

[0049] The fourth rotation part R4 of the clamping device 20, which pivotally supports the base ends of the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 so that they can rotate freely, moves in an arc around the fifth rotation part R5, which pivotally supports the arm connecting part 31 of the first claw 3 and the first claw detachment part 121 of the lower base 12 of the first claw connecting part 1. At this time, since the distance between the fourth rotation part R4 and the fifth rotation part R5 is constant, the position of the fourth rotation part R4 moves in an arc from the position in Figure 3 to the position in Figure 5. By performing such an operation, the first claw 3 and the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20 attached to the hydraulic excavator via the attachment adapter 10 can perform an opening and closing operation.

[0050] [90 degree turn] 3 and 6, the 90-degree rotation of the clamping device 20 will be described. Fig. 6 shows the clamping device 20 rotated 90 degrees to the left from the state of Fig. 3, as viewed from the front.

[0051] The lower base 12 of the first claw connecting portion 1 can be rotated 90 degrees relative to the upper base 11 by the first pivoting portion 13. As the lower base 12 pivots, the arm connecting portion 31 of the clamping device 20 pivots together with the pivotally supported first claw attaching / detaching portion 121 of the lower base 12 at the fifth rotating portion R5.

[0052] Furthermore, the swivel 231 constituting the second swivel unit 23 in the second claw connecting unit 2 can rotate 90 degrees relative to the rod 21. As the swivel 231 rotates, the bucket cylinder connecting unit 41 of the clamping device 20 rotates together with the pivotally supported swivel 231 in the third rotating unit R3. In this way, the clamping device 20 attached to the hydraulic excavator via the attachment adapter 10 can rotate by 90 degrees.

[0053] [180 degree turn] 3 and 7, the 180-degree rotation of the clamping device 20 will be described. Fig. 7 shows the clamping device 20 rotated 180 degrees from the state shown in Fig. 3 and viewed from the side.

[0054] The lower base 12 of the first claw connecting portion 1 can be rotated 180 degrees relative to the upper base 11 by the first pivoting portion 13. As the lower base 12 pivots, the arm connecting portion 31 of the clamping device 20 pivots together with the pivotally supported first claw attaching / detaching portion 121 of the lower base 12 at the fifth rotating portion R5.

[0055] Furthermore, the swivel 231 constituting the second swivel unit 23 in the second claw connecting unit 2 can rotate 180 degrees relative to the rod 21. As the swivel 231 rotates, the bucket cylinder connecting unit 41 of the clamping device 20 rotates together with the pivotally supported swivel 231 in the third rotating unit R3. In this way, the clamping device 20 attached to the hydraulic excavator via the attachment adapter 10 can rotate 180 degrees.

[0056] When a configuration such as a swivel bearing is employed in the first swivel unit 13 as in this embodiment, the clamping device 20 can be rotated by its own weight or by hitting the first claw 3 or the second claw 4 of the clamping device 20 against a wall, an iron pillar, or the like. Instead of rotating by its own weight, a configuration can be adopted in which, for example, a gear is provided on the inner periphery of the inner ring of the first swivel unit 13 or a gear is provided on the outer periphery of the outer ring, and a rotation motor is installed to freely rotate the clamping device to any angle.

[0057] Furthermore, in the attachment adapter of this embodiment, which can be given such a swivel function, it is preferable that the adapter be able to swivel freely while also being able to reliably stop the swivel when necessary. Therefore, it is more preferable that the adapter further includes a brake that can brake the swivel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10: Attachment adapter 1: 1st claw connection part 11: Upper base 12:Lower base 121: First claw attachment / detachment part 121 13: 1st turning section 2:Second claw connection part 21: Rod 22: First link 23:Second turning section 231: Swivel 20 clamping device 3: First nail (lower nail) 31: Arm connection part 4: Second claw (upper claw) 41: Bucket cylinder connection part 6: Bucket cylinder 7: Idler Link

Claims

1. The base ends of the first and second claws are rotatably connected to each other, An arm connecting portion to be attached to the tip end of the arm is provided protruding from the inner side of the first claw, a bucket cylinder connecting portion that is attached to the tip of a bucket cylinder and that protrudes from the outer side of the second claw; the attachment adapter is capable of rotatably attaching a clamping device that is used by attaching it to the tip of the arm of a hydraulic excavator, to the tip of the arm of the hydraulic excavator; a first claw connecting portion that indirectly connects the arm connecting portion of the clamping device and the arm tip portion of the hydraulic excavator; a second claw connecting portion that indirectly connects the bucket cylinder connecting portion of the clamping device to a tip end of the bucket cylinder of the hydraulic excavator, the first claw connecting portion includes a first pivot portion around which the arm connecting portion can pivot; An attachment adapter, wherein the second claw connecting portion is provided with a second swivel portion that allows the bucket cylinder connecting portion to swivel.

2. The first claw connecting portion is an upper base fixed to the arm tip of the hydraulic excavator; a lower base portion that is rotatably fixed to the upper base portion via the first pivot portion and that includes a first claw detachable portion that can detachably attach the arm connecting portion of the clamping device; The second claw connecting portion is a cylinder detachable portion that can be detachably attached to the tip end of the bucket cylinder at one end side of the rod; a second claw detachment unit that can detach the bucket cylinder connection unit of the clamping device via the second pivot unit on the other end side of the rod, 2. The attachment adapter according to claim 1, wherein the attachment adapter is a casing.

Images