Excavator attachment
A compact excavator attachment with a grapple assembly and adapter simplifies the connection to an excavator, improving stability and handling while expanding its application range.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- OILQUICK DEUT KG
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-01
AI Technical Summary
Existing excavator attachments, such as the tiltrotator, have a high dead weight and large height, which impairs operating speed, stability, and handling, and require strict and costly control mechanisms.
A compact excavator attachment comprising a tool-side quick changer, a grapple assembly with movable gripper arms, and an adapter, forming a stable unit with a mechanical gripper, allowing for expanded usability and simplified connection to an excavator-side quick changer.
The solution provides a stable and compact excavator attachment that enhances maneuverability and reduces the need for complex control systems, enabling efficient handling of various construction materials.
Smart Images
Figure 2026109600000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an excavator attachment as described in the preamble of claim 1.
Background Art
[0002] Such an excavator attachment is known from Patent Document 1. In the tiltrotator disclosed in Patent Document 1, a tool-side quick changer that functions to connect a tool or an attachment is attached to rotate around the rotation axis 5 within a drive housing, and can be rotated 360° with respect to the drive housing by a rotation drive device. The drive housing is arranged to pivot on a connection portion designed as an adapter around a pivot axis orthogonal to the rotation axis via a journal protruding laterally within two bearing eyes arranged at intervals, and is placed on the pivot axis with respect to the support via a hydraulic pivot drive device at approximately ±45°. The tiltrotator can be connected to an excavator-side quick changer via a connection portion designed as an adapter having two pin-shaped coupling elements. By using such a tiltrotator, not only can the tool connected to the tool changer be rotated around the rotation axis, but it can also be tilted with respect to the connection portion around a pivot axis orthogonal to the rotation axis, and as a result, the movement ability of the tool is expanded. An excavator bucket, a compactor, a hydraulic hammer, or other tools can be connected to the quick changer. A grapple assembly having two gripper arms pivotable with respect to each other can also be arranged on the quick changer to grip pipes, bars, stones, etc. Thereby, the usage area can be expanded. However, such a tiltrotator also always has a structure with a relatively high dead weight and a relatively large height, and as a result, the operating speed, stability, and handling may be impaired. To control such a tiltrotator by an additional grapple assembly, relatively strict and costly control is always required.
Prior Art Documents
[0003] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2023 114 523 Specification [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0004] The objective of the present invention is to create the above-described type of excavator attachment that is stable and compact in design and allows for an expanded range of applications. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] This objective is achieved by an excavator attachment having the features of claim 1. Practical embodiments and advantageous variations of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.
[0006] The excavator attachment according to the present invention comprises a tool-side quick changer for connecting a tool or attachment, a grapple assembly having two gripper arms movable relative to each other by a gripper drive, and an adapter for connecting the excavator attachment to the excavator-side quick changer. A mechanical gripper is mounted on a gripper support fixedly positioned on the bottom of the adapter, and the quick changer is mounted on the bottom of the gripper support. The adapter, the gripper support with the grapple assembly, and the quick changer create a compact excavator attachment consisting of three modules with expanded usability. The adapter, the gripper support, and the quick changer are securely connected to each other so as to produce a stable unit. Using the adapter, the gripper support with the grapple assembly and the quick changer positioned on the bottom of the gripper support can be connected to an excavator-side quick changer, for example, attached to the coupling between the excavator boom and the excavator. Manhole covers, curbs, pipes, or other components required at a construction site can be grasped and moved via the grapple assembly. Backhoe buckets, profiling buckets, or other tools can be connected to a quick changer on the tool side. Gripper supports with grapple assemblies can also be used without a tool connected to a quick changer.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the two gripper arms of the grapple assembly can be positioned to pivot around a pivot axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gripper support on a support structure that is securely connected to the gripper support.
[0008] The gripper drive mechanism conveniently includes a first gripper cylinder for operating a first gripper arm and a second gripper cylinder for operating a second gripper arm. However, the two gripper arms can also be driven in different ways. The first gripper arm conveniently includes a slit-like recess for accommodating the second gripper arm, so that the two gripper arms, each pivotable by a gripper cylinder, move inward from each other and fold completely when retracted.
[0009] The first and second gripper arms can be positioned outside the two side walls of the gripper support in a stable and compact structure.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the tool-side quick changer includes a support housing having a first receptacle on one side for housing and securing a first pin-shaped coupling element on the tool side, and a second receptacle on the other side for housing and securing a second pin-shaped coupling element on the tool side. The tool-side quick changer also includes a locking device having two locking pins that are guided to move within holes in the support housing, and are movable between an extended locked position and a retracted unlocked / changed position.
[0011] In a simplified embodiment, the locking pin can be manually moved between a retracted unlock / change position and an extended lock position via a mechanical adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism can be formed by a shaft and a joint assembly having a cylindrical adjustment element, a joint, and an articulated lever.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the adapter comprises two parallel side walls that hold two parallel pin-shaped coupling elements for connecting the excavator attachment to a quick changer on the excavator side.
[0013] Further details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred practical embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings are as follows. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0014] [Figure 1] A side view of the excavator attachment according to the present invention is shown. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a top view of the excavator attachment. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows a first perspective view from above of the excavator attachment. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows a second perspective view from above of the excavator attachment. [Figure 5] Figure 1 shows a first perspective view from the bottom of the excavator attachment. [Figure 6] Figure 1 shows a second perspective view from the bottom of the excavator attachment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0015] The excavator attachment 1, shown in various diagrams from Figures 1 to 6, comprises a tool-side quick changer 2 for connecting a tool or attachment, a grapple assembly 3 having two gripper arms 4 and 5 that are movable relative to each other, and an adapter 6 for connecting the excavator attachment 1 to the excavator-side quick changer.
[0016] As can be seen from the side view in Figure 1 and the perspective views in Figures 5 and 6, the quick changer 2, designed to connect attachments or tools and here being manually lockable or unlockable, comprises a support housing 7 designed as a welded structure or a cast part, the support housing having a first receptacle 8 that opens to one side to accommodate and secure a first pin-shaped coupling element on the tool side on one side, and a second receptacle 9 that opens downward on the other side to accommodate and secure a second pin-shaped coupling element on the tool side on the other side. The first receptacle 8 that opens to one side is designed to be claw-shaped or fork-shaped. The second receptacle 9 that opens to the other side and downward has a curved lower support surface for supporting the pin-shaped coupling element.
[0017] The quick changer 2 is provided with a locking device 10, as seen in Figures 5 and 6, which has two locking pins 12 that are movable between an extended locking position and a retracted unlock / change position, and are movable within a hole 11 in the support housing 7. The locking pins 12 located on the second receptacle 9 can here be manually moved between the retracted unlock / change position and the extended locking position via a mechanical adjustment mechanism. The mechanical adjustment mechanism has a shaft 13 and a joint assembly having a cylindrical adjustment element 14, a joint 15, and an articulated lever 16. By rotating the shaft 13, which is rotatably mounted between the two side walls of the support housing 7, the two locking pins 12 can be moved between the retracted unlock / change position and the extended locking position. In the extended locking position of the two locking pins 12, the downward-opening second receptacle 9 on the quick changer 2 is closed at the bottom so that the pin-shaped coupling element can be fixed onto the tool. A practical example of a manually operated quick changer is disclosed in German Utility Model Application Publication No. 20 2017 001 992 U1. This document refers to the structure and function of a manually operated quick changer. However, the lock pin 12 may also be moved between the retracted unlock / change position and the extended lock position by a hydraulic adjustment drive or another drive. Various attachments such as backhoe buckets and profiling buckets can then be connected to the quick changer 2.
[0018] The foldable catch hook 17 is positioned on a first receptacle 8 on the support housing 7 of the quick changer 2, which opens laterally between a downward fold change / catch position and an upward fold lock position. The catch hook 17 is pivotable about a lateral axis 18 and forms a drop protection device that ensures the tool or attachment does not fall even if the lock of the quick changer 5 [quick changer 2] is accidentally and incorrectly closed despite available visual indicators, warning signals, and cross-checks.
[0019] The quick changer 2 is fastened to the bottom of the gripper support 19 firmly connected to the adapter 6. A grapple assembly 3 having two gripper arms 4 and 5 movable relative to each other is arranged on the gripper support 19. The two gripper arms 4 and 5 are respectively arranged on a support structure 22 firmly connected to the gripper support 19 and are pivotable about a pivot axis 20 or 21 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gripper support 19. The two gripper arms 4 and 5 can be folded outward or inward via a hydraulic grapple drive formed via two double-acting gripper cylinders 23 and 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the first gripper arm 4 is movable via the first gripper cylinder 23, and the second gripper arm 5 is movable via the second gripper cylinder 24. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the first gripper arm 4 has a slit-shaped recess 25 for accommodating the other gripper arm 4. The two gripper arms 4 and 5 are respectively pivotable by the gripper cylinders 23 and 24 and thus can be moved from one to the other when contracted and fully folded. The two gripper cylinders 23 and 24 are fastened to the outside of the two side walls 26 of the gripper support 19 and are connected to the corresponding gripper arms 4 and 5 via their piston rods 27.
[0020] An adapter 6 for connecting the excavator attachment 1 to the quick changer on the excavator side is arranged on the upper part of the gripper support 19. The adapter 6 has a base plate 28 and two parallel side walls 29 and 30. Two pin-shaped coupling elements 31 and 32 arranged in parallel at an interval are held on the two side walls 29 and 30 of the adapter 6. A coupling support 33 that functions to accommodate a coupling for a power supply line is fastened to the coupling element 32 closer to the gripper arms 4 and 5 via a mount 34.
Description of Reference Numerals
[0021] 1 Excavator attachment 2. Quick changer on the tool side 3. Grapple Assembly 4. First gripper arm 5. Second gripper arm 6 adapters 7 Support Housing 8. The first receptacle 9. The second receptacle 10 Locking device 11 holes 12 lock pins 13 shafts 14 Adjustment Elements 15 joints 16. Articulated levers 17 Catch Hook 18 Horizontal axis 19 Gripper support 20 Swivel axis 21. Swivel axis 22 Support structure 23 First Gripper Cylinder 24 Second Gripper Cylinder 25 recesses 26 side wall 27 Piston rod 28 Base Plate 29 First side wall 30 Second side wall 31. The first coupling element 32. Second coupling element 33 Coupling element support 34 Mount
Claims
1. Excavator attachment (1), comprising: a tool-side quick changer (2) for connecting a tool or attachment; a grapple assembly (3) having two gripper arms (4, 5) movable relative to each other by gripper drive devices (23, 24); and an adapter (6) for connecting the excavator attachment (1) to the excavator-side quick changer, wherein the grapple assembly (3) is mounted on a gripper support (19) fixedly positioned on the bottom of the adapter (6), and the quick changer (2) is mounted on the bottom of the gripper support (19).
2. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the two gripper arms (4, 5) of the grapple assembly (3) are each rotatable around a pivot axis (20, 21) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the gripper support (19) and are positioned on a support structure (22) securely connected to the gripper support (19).
3. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripper drive device (23, 24) comprises a first gripper cylinder (23) for operating a first gripper arm (4) and a second gripper cylinder (24) for operating a second gripper arm (5).
4. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the first gripper arm (4) has a slit-shaped recess (25) for accommodating the second gripper arm (5).
5. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the first gripper cylinder (23) and the second gripper cylinder (24) are arranged outside the two side walls (26) of the gripper support (19).
6. The excavator attachment (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the first gripper cylinder (23) and the second gripper cylinder (24) are connected to the gripper arms (3, 4) via a piston rod (27).
7. The excavator attachment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the tool-side quick changer (2) includes a support housing (7) having a first receptacle (8) that opens to one side for housing and securing a first pin-shaped coupling element on the tool side on one side, and a second receptacle (9) that opens downward to the other side for housing and securing a second pin-shaped coupling element on the tool side on the other side.
8. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the quick changer (2) on the tool side includes a locking device (10) having two locking pins (12) that are guided to move into a hole (11) in the support housing (7) and movable between an extended locked position and a retracted unlocked / changed position.
9. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the locking pin (12) can be manually moved between the retracted unlock / change position and the extended lock position via a mechanical adjustment mechanism (13, 14, 15, 16).
10. The excavator attachment (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the adjustment mechanism (13, 14, 15, 16) is formed by a shaft (13) and a joint assembly having a cylindrical adjustment element (14), a joint (15), and an articulated lever (16).
11. The excavator attachment (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the adapter (6) comprises two parallel side walls (29, 30) that hold two parallel pin-shaped coupling elements (31, 32).