Track working equipment

Abstract

To provide a track working device capable of achieving both working efficiency of track maintenance and reliability of the track working device.SOLUTION: An attachment 20 swingably supported on the tip part of an arm 12 of a hydraulic shovel 1 through a rotary shaft 19 comprises a rotary drive shaft 22 supported on the arm 12, a tie-tamper mechanism 30 fixed to the rotary drive shaft 22 via a first support member 27 and having a pair of rod members 31 openable and closable for tamping a track bed, and a gripper mechanism 40 which is fixed to the rotary drive shaft 22 via a second support member 28 and includes a pair of claw members 41 and 42 which can be opened and closed to grip an object. When the tie-tamper mechanism 30 is in a working position, the gripper mechanism 40 is moved to a retreating position, and when the gripper mechanism 40 is in the working position, the tie-tamper mechanism 30 is moved to the retreating position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a track work device, and more particularly to a track work device that is swingably supported via a rotary shaft at the tip of the arm of a shovel-type excavator. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, railway tracks are made by forming a trackbed using ballast made of crushed stone or gravel on the roadbed, arranging sleepers at regular intervals on top of the ballast, and then laying a pair of rails on top of the sleepers. The load of a vehicle traveling on a pair of rails is transmitted to the track bed via the sleepers and dispersed across the roadbed. Vibrations generated by the vehicle are absorbed and mitigated by the displacement of the ballast (crushed stone, gravel). Therefore, as part of track maintenance, track repairs such as sleeper replacement work to replace deteriorated sleepers and ballast compaction work to compact ballast under the sleepers in conjunction with sleeper replacement are periodically carried out.

[0003] The track maintenance device of Patent Document 1 has a mounting bracket supported via a pivot shaft to be swingable at the tip of the arm of a shovel-type excavator, a tie tamper mechanism equipped with a pair of rod members that can be opened and closed to compact the trackbed, and a gripper mechanism equipped with a pair of claw members that can be opened and closed to grip an object, and the pair of claw members have a rotating part at their midpoint that rotatably supports their tips, and are configured to be switchable between a retracted position in which the midpoint is bent around the rotating part so that the tips face upwards, and a working position in which they are extended so that the tips face downwards. The pair of claw members are locked at a selected position between the retracted position and the working position by a locking mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-084439 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The track maintenance device of Patent Document 1 only needs to change the orientation of the claw members when moving from sleeper replacement work to ballast compaction work, and does not require replacement of the attachment itself. However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, when changing the orientation of the claw members, for example, the worker must manually change the tip side portion of the claw member from a working position facing downward to a retracted position facing upward, and since switching work corresponding to the number of claw members is required, it cannot be said that the improvement in workability is sufficient. In particular, since the attachment is a large and heavy object, even a partial position change related to the tip of the claw member takes time and effort, which places a large workload on the worker.

[0006] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the reliability of the track maintenance device itself cannot be sufficiently ensured. During sleeper replacement work, the pair of claw members are locked in position by a locking mechanism with their tips facing downward relative to a gripper mounting portion that supports the claw members so that they can swing. With the pair of claw members facing downward, the gripper attachment parts are moved closer to or farther apart by the drive part, whereby the pair of claw members grip the sleeper. Therefore, since a bending pivot portion is formed in the middle of each of the claw members, a large force is locally concentrated on this pivot portion, and ultimately, there is a risk that the pivot portion or the locking mechanism will be damaged. In other words, it is not easy to achieve both efficiency in track maintenance work and reliability of track work equipment.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a track work device etc. that can achieve both the work efficiency of track maintenance and the reliability of the track work device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The track work device of claim 1 is a track work device supported swingably via a rotary shaft at the tip of the arm of a shovel-type excavator, the track work device comprising: a rotary drive shaft supported by the arm and rotatable; a tie tamper mechanism fixed to the rotary drive shaft via a first support member and equipped with a pair of rod members which can be opened and closed to compact the track bed; and a gripper mechanism fixed to the rotary drive shaft via a second support member and equipped with a pair of claw members which can be opened and closed to grip an object, the gripper mechanism being moved to a retracted position when the tie tamper mechanism is in a working position, and the tie tamper mechanism being moved to the retracted position when the gripper mechanism is in a working position. The first and second support members each include a pair of plate members, and the pair of plate members of the first support member are fixed to the rotary drive shaft so as to sandwich the pair of plate members of the second support member. It is characterized by the following.

[0009] This track work device has a rotatable rotating drive shaft supported by the arm, a tie tamper mechanism fixed to the rotating drive shaft via a first support member and equipped with a pair of rod members that can be opened and closed to compact the track bed, and a gripper mechanism fixed to the rotating drive shaft via a second support member and equipped with a pair of claw members that can be opened and closed to grip an object, so that work can be performed without replacing the attachment attached to the end of the arm, even at sites where sleeper replacement work and ballast compaction work are mixed. When the tie tamper mechanism is in the working position, the gripper mechanism is moved to the retracted position, and when the gripper mechanism is in the working position, the tie tamper mechanism is moved to the retracted position.This ensures the structural reliability of the tie tamper mechanism and the gripper mechanism, while allowing the mechanism to be freely selected for rotating the rotary drive shaft without human intervention. Furthermore, the first and second support members each consist of a pair of plate members, and the pair of plate members of the first support member are fixed to the rotating drive shaft so as to sandwich the pair of plate members of the second support member.As a result, it is possible to ensure the axial width of the tamper mechanism and the gripper mechanism and maintain the functions of both, while avoiding an increase in the size of the rotating drive shaft.

[0010] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the tie tamper mechanism in the working position forms an arc degree difference of approximately 90° around the rotation drive shaft with respect to the gripper mechanism in the retracted position. With this configuration, when using a common rotation drive shaft to support the mechanisms, a circumferential distance can be secured between the tie tamper mechanism and the gripper mechanism, and interference between them can be avoided.

[0011]

[0012] Claim 3 The invention is as follows: 1 or 2 In the invention, the rotary drive shaft is rotationally driven by the hydraulic pressure of the shovel type excavator. According to this configuration, the tie tamper mechanism and the gripper mechanism can be operated without the need for a separate drive source other than the shovel-type excavating machine. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the track work device of the present invention, by supporting the tie tamper mechanism and the gripper mechanism so as to form an arcuate angle difference with respect to a common rotating drive shaft, it is possible to achieve both work efficiency in track maintenance and reliability of the track work device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an external side view of a hydraulic excavator according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of the track work device when the tie tamper mechanism is in the working position. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the track work device when the gripper mechanism is in a working position. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are explanatory views of a tie tamper mechanism, in which FIG. 5A is a side view during an opening operation, and FIG. 5B is a side view during a closing operation. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are explanatory views of the gripper mechanism, in which FIG. 5A is a side view during an opening operation, and FIG. 5B is a side view during a closing operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description is given as an example of the present invention applied to a hydraulic excavator, which is a shovel-type excavator, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses. In the following description, the front-to-back direction as seen by an operator (worker) of a shovel-type excavator is referred to as the front-to-back direction, the left-to-right direction as seen by the operator as the left-to-right direction, and the up-to-down direction in the drawings as the up-to-down direction. EXAMPLES

[0016] A track work device according to a first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. As shown in FIG. 1, a hydraulic excavator 1, which is a shovel-type excavator capable of traveling on rails R, has an attachment 20 (rail work device) attached to the tip of an arm 12. The track is constructed by laying ballast made of crushed stone and gravel on a roadbed (not shown) to form a roadbed, with sleepers S arranged on top of that at regular intervals in the front-to-back direction, and then fastening a pair of left and right rails R to the sleepers S at a set width (gauge).

[0017] A hydraulic excavator 1, which is a shovel-type excavator, has a lower traveling body 2 and an upper rotating body 3 which is rotatably mounted on the upper part of the lower traveling body 2 and which has a cab in which an operator sits. The lower traveling body 2 is equipped with a pair of left and right crawlers 4, front and rear wheels 5 supported on the lower traveling body 2 so as to be movable up and down, and a pair of front and rear outriggers 6. When moving on rails R that form a track, the wheels 5 are lowered to separate the crawlers 4 from the rails R, and when moving on general roads, the wheels 5 are raised and the crawlers 4 move. The outriggers 6 increase the work reaction force that can be supported by the hydraulic excavator 1.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, at the rear of the upper rotating body 3, a hydraulic pump (not shown) as a hydraulic supply source, a hydraulic pressure generating engine (not shown) for driving the hydraulic pump, and the like are arranged. The hydraulic excavator 1 comprises a boom 11 whose rear end is rotatably supported by the upper rotating body 3, a hydraulic boom cylinder 13 that tilts the boom 11 in the forward and backward directions, an arm 12 whose rear end is rotatably supported on the front end of the boom 11, and a hydraulic arm cylinder 14 that can tilt the arm 12.

[0019] The arm 12 is pivotally supported by an arm swing shaft 12a at the front end of the boom 11. A base end of a cylinder body of the arm cylinder 14 is rotatably connected to an intermediate portion of the boom 11, and a tip end of a piston rod of the arm cylinder 14 is rotatably connected to a rear end of the arm 12. When the piston rod of the arm cylinder 14 extends or retracts, the arm 12 swings in the front-rear direction around the arm swing shaft 12a as a swing center.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the arm 12 is provided with a hydraulic bucket cylinder 15, an attachment 20 attached to the tip of the arm 12 in place of a bucket (not shown), and a four-bar link mechanism 16 connecting the bucket cylinder 15 and the attachment 20.

[0021] The four-bar link mechanism 16 is a link mechanism that transmits the driving force of the bucket cylinder 15 to the attachment 20 and also converts the direction of action of this driving force to swing the attachment 20 in the front-rear direction. The four-bar link mechanism 16 is composed of a mounting bracket 21 for the attachment 20, first and second link members 17, 18, a rotating shaft 19, pins A1 to A3, etc.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the first link member 17 has a tip end rotatably connected to the drive hole 21a (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 4) of the mounting bracket 21 via a pin A1, and a base end rotatably connected to the tip end of the piston rod of the bucket cylinder 15 via a pin A2. The second link member 18 has one end rotatably connected to the tip of the piston rod of the bucket cylinder 15 via a pin A2, similar to the base end of the first link member 17, and the other end rotatably connected to the tip portion of the arm 12 via a pin A3.

[0023] The pin A3 is disposed closer to the base end than the rotating shaft 19. As a result, when the piston rod of the bucket cylinder 15 extends or contracts, the mounting bracket 21 (attachment 20) rotates about the rotating shaft 19 inserted through the hole 21b.

[0024] Next, the attachment 20 will be described. The attachment 20 is configured to be capable of performing track maintenance work, such as sleeper replacement work for replacing deteriorated sleepers S among a number of track maintenance works, and ballast compaction work for pushing ballast under newly laid sleepers S.

[0025] As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the attachment 20 mainly comprises a tamper mechanism 30 for tamping the track bed and a gripper mechanism 40 for gripping an object such as a sleeper S. This attachment 20 is configured so that when the tamper mechanism 30 is in a working position facing downward, the gripper mechanism 40 moves to a position other than facing downward, for example, a retracted position facing backward, whereas when the gripper mechanism 40 is in a working position facing downward, the tamper mechanism 30 moves to a position other than facing downward, for example, a retracted position facing forward. In this embodiment, the downward position is the working position, and any position other than the downward position, such as the forward, backward, or upward position, is the retracted position.

[0026] The tie tamper mechanism 30 and the gripper mechanism 40 are each connected to the rotary drive shaft 22 via first and second support members 27, 28. The rotary drive shaft 22 is disposed so as to span between a pair of steel support plates 23, and is rotatably supported by the pair of support plates 23. A hydraulic motor 24 capable of rotating the rotary drive shaft 22 in a forward or reverse direction is installed on one end of the rotary drive shaft 22. The pair of support plates 23 are disposed substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the left-right direction when in the reference position.

[0027] A rotation mechanism 25 is disposed between the pair of support plates 23, which are substantially triangular in side view, and the mounting bracket 21. This rotation mechanism 25 has a ring base connected to the mounting bracket 21, a circle gear (not shown) rotatably disposed on the inner periphery of the ring base via a ball bearing, a hydraulic motor 25a meshing with the circle gear, a mounting shaft (not shown) that supports the circle gear and has a fluid through hole, a swivel joint 26 connected to the fluid through hole, etc. The pair of support plates 23 are connected to the circle gear.

[0028] This allows the pair of support plates 23 (the rotary drive shaft 22 supported by the pair of support plates 23) to rotate around the axis of the mounting shaft. Note that the position where the rotary drive shaft 22 is parallel to the rotation axis 19 is the reference (initial) position, and unless otherwise specified, the present embodiment will be described assuming the reference position.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the first support member 27 is formed of a pair of triangular steel plate members, and includes a connecting plate portion 27a that connects the pair of plate members. 7, the second support member 28 is formed of a pair of rectangular steel plate materials. The pair of plate materials of the second support member 28 are welded to the rotary drive shaft 22 in a penetrating state, and the pair of plate materials of the first support member 27 are welded to the rotary drive shaft 22 in a penetrating state while sandwiching the pair of plate materials of the second support member 28 therebetween. The pair of plate materials of the first support member 27 and the pair of plate materials of the second support member 28 are disposed between the pair of support plates 23.

[0030] Next, the tie tamper mechanism 30 will be described. As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 6, when the tamper mechanism 30 is placed in the working position, the hydraulic motor 24 rotates so that the tamper mechanism 30 is positioned on an extension of the line connecting the pin A1 (hole 21a) and the hydraulic motor 24 (rotary drive shaft 22). As a result, in a side view, the gripper mechanism 40 forms an intersection angle of approximately 90° with respect to an extension line connecting the pin A1 and the hydraulic motor 24. In other words, the tie tamper mechanism 30 has an arc degree difference of approximately 90° around the rotation drive shaft 22 with respect to the gripper mechanism 40.

[0031] The tie tamper mechanism 30 comprises two pairs of front and rear rod members 31, a hydraulic cylinder 32 that can open and close these pairs of rod members 31, a vibration member 33, a hydraulic motor 34 that drives the rotating shaft of the vibration member 33, and a pair of front and rear vibration damping members 35. The vibration excitation member 33 is interposed between the pair of vibration damping members 35, and the upper wall portions of the vibration excitation member 33 and the pair of vibration damping members 35 are connected and fixed to the connecting plate portion 27a.

[0032] The pair of rod members 31 have their middle sections supported via pins 31a at the lower end of the casing of the vibration member 33 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The base end of the cylinder 32 is rotatably connected to the base end of one of the rod members 31, and the tip end of the cylinder rod of the cylinder 32 is rotatably connected to the base end of the other rod member 31. As shown in Fig. 6(a), when the cylinder rod of the cylinder 32 contracts, the tips of the pair of rod members 31 move apart. As shown in Fig. 6(b), when the cylinder rod of the cylinder 32 expands, the tips of the pair of rod members 31 move closer to each other.

[0033] The vibration applying member 33 has a rotating shaft equipped with an eccentric weight. A hydraulic motor 34 rotates the rotating shaft of the vibration applying member 33, thereby generating vibrations in the tie tamper mechanism 30. The pair of vibration damping members 35, for example, comprise rubber vibration absorbing members extending left and right, and suppress the transmission of vibrations generated by the vibrating member 33 to parts other than the tamper mechanism 30, such as the gripper mechanism 40 and the mounting bracket 21. The cylinder 32 and the hydraulic motor 34 are supplied with hydraulic pressure from the swivel joint 26 .

[0034] Next, the gripper mechanism 40 will be described. 4, 5 and 7, when the gripper mechanism 40 is placed at the working position, the hydraulic motor 24 rotates the gripper mechanism 40 so that it is positioned on an extension of a line connecting the pin A1 (hole 21a) and the hydraulic motor 24 (rotary drive shaft 22). As a result, in a side view, the tie tamper mechanism 30 forms an intersection angle of approximately 90° with the extension of the line connecting the pin A1 and the hydraulic motor 24. In other words, the gripper mechanism 40 has an arc degree difference of approximately 90° around the rotary drive shaft 22 with respect to the tie tamper mechanism 30.

[0035] The gripper mechanism 40 includes a fixed claw member 41, a movable claw member 42, a hydraulic cylinder 43 capable of opening and closing the movable claw member 42, first and second link members 44, 45, and the like. The fixed claw members 41 are connected and fixed to a pair of plate members of the second support member . The movable claw member 42 is connected to the pair of plate members of the second support member 28 via first and second link members 44, 45 so as to be able to swing.

[0036] The first link member 44 has a base end rotatably supported on the rear edge of the second support member 28 via a pin 44a, and a tip end rotatably supported on the rear upper part of the movable claw member 42 via a pin 44b. The first link member 44 has an adjuster function that allows the length to be adjusted in the axial direction. The second link member 45 has a base end intermediate part rotatably supported on the rear edge of the second support member 28 via a pin 45a, and a tip end rotatably supported on the front upper part of the movable claw member 42 via a pin 45b.

[0037] The base end of the cylinder 43 is rotatably supported on the front edge of the second support member 28 via pin 43a, and the tip end of the cylinder rod of the cylinder 43 is rotatably supported on the base end of the second link member 45 via pin 45c. As shown in Fig. 7(a), when the cylinder rod of the cylinder 43 contracts, the movable claw member 42 moves away from the fixed claw member 41 while maintaining a parallel state with the fixed claw member 41. As shown in Fig. 7(b), when the cylinder rod of the cylinder 43 expands, the movable claw member 42 moves closer to the fixed claw member 41 so as to grip an object in cooperation with the fixed claw member 41. Hydraulic pressure is supplied to the cylinder 43 from the swivel joint 26.

[0038] Next, a method of using the attachment 20 will be described. When removing a deteriorated sleeper S, the hydraulic motor 24 is operated to rotate the rotary drive shaft 22 to place the gripper mechanism 40 in a downward working position. The arm 12 is operated to move the gripper mechanism 40 to a position where it can grip the sleeper S, and the cylinder 43 is extended to grip and move the sleeper S with the fixed claw member 41 and the movable claw member 42. At this time, the tie tamper mechanism 30 is in a position at an arc angle of 90° relative to the gripper mechanism 40 so as to face forward, so that it does not impede the work. After removing the deteriorated sleeper S, a new sleeper S is placed in its place in the same manner, and the sleeper replacement work is carried out.

[0039] Next, the hydraulic motor 24 is operated to rotate the rotary drive shaft 22 to place the tie tamper mechanism 30 in a downward working position. With the pair of rod members 31 vibrated at a predetermined frequency by a vibration member 33 or the like, the pair of rod members 31 are inserted into the ballast so that a new sleeper S is positioned between the pair of rod members 31. The rod of the cylinder 32 is then extended to bring the pair of rod members 31 closer to each other, thereby pushing the ballast below the sleeper S. Move to the next sleeper S and repeat the process.

[0040] Next, the action and effect of the attachment 20 will be described. The attachment 20 includes a rotary drive shaft 22 supported by an arm 12 and rotatable, a tie tamper mechanism 30 fixed to the rotary drive shaft 22 via a first support member 27 and equipped with a pair of rod members 31 that can be opened and closed to compact the track bed, and a gripper mechanism 40 fixed to the rotary drive shaft 22 via a second support member 28 and equipped with a pair of claw members 41, 42 that can be opened and closed to grip an object, so that work can be performed without replacing the attachment mounted on the tip of the arm 12 even at a site where sleeper replacement work and ballast compaction work are mixed. When the tie tamper mechanism 30 is in the working position, the gripper mechanism 40 is moved to the retracted position, and when the gripper mechanism 40 is in the working position, the tie tamper mechanism 30 is moved to the retracted position, so that the structural reliability of the tie tamper mechanism 30 and the gripper mechanism 40 is ensured, and the mechanism to be used in the rotation operation of the rotary drive shaft 22 can be arbitrarily selected without manual intervention.

[0041] The tamper mechanism 30 in the working position forms an arc degree difference of approximately 90° around the rotating drive shaft 22 with respect to the gripper mechanism 40 in the retracted position. Therefore, by sharing the rotating drive shaft 22 supporting the mechanisms 30, 40, a circumferential distance can be secured between the tamper mechanism 30 and the gripper mechanism 40, thereby avoiding interference between the two.

[0042] The first and second support members 27, 28 each consist of a pair of plate members, and the pair of plate members of the first support member 27 are fixed to the rotating drive shaft 22 so as to sandwich the pair of plate members of the second support member 28. This ensures the axial width of the tamper mechanism 30 and the gripper mechanism 40 and maintains the functions of both, while avoiding an increase in size of the rotating drive shaft 22.

[0043] Since the rotary drive shaft 22 is rotationally driven by the hydraulic pressure of the shovel-type excavator, the tie tamper mechanism 30 and the gripper mechanism 40 can be operated without the need for a separate drive source other than the shovel-type excavator.

[0044] Next, a modified example in which the above embodiment is partially changed will be described. 1) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the gripper mechanism 40 has an arc degree difference of approximately 90° around the rotation drive shaft 22 relative to the tie tamper mechanism 30, but as long as it is possible to at least avoid interference between the gripper mechanism 40 and the tie tamper mechanism 30 and operational hindrances, an arc degree difference of 30° may also be acceptable. When the switching time is taken into consideration, a smaller arc degree difference is more efficient.

[0045] 2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the gripper mechanism 40 for sleeper replacement operation and the tie tamper mechanism 30 for ballast compaction operation are provided around the rotary drive shaft 22, but in addition to the gripper mechanism 40 and the tie tamper mechanism 30, a rammer mechanism for ballast compaction operation may also be provided around the same rotary drive shaft 22. In this case, the arc angle difference between adjacent mechanisms is set to less than 60°.

[0046] 3) In addition, those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various forms by adding various modifications to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. in, The present invention includes such modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1. Hydraulic excavator 12 Arm 19 Rotating shaft 20 Attachment 22 Rotating drive shaft 27 First support member 28 Second support member 30 Tie tamper mechanism 31 Rod member 40 Gripper mechanism 41 Fixed claw member 42 Movable claw member

Claims

1. A track work device that is swingably supported via a rotary shaft at the tip of an arm of a shovel-type excavator, a rotation drive shaft supported by the arm and rotatable thereon; a tie tamper mechanism that is fixed to the rotary drive shaft via a first support member and includes a pair of rod members that can be opened and closed to compact the track bed; a gripper mechanism that is fixed to the rotary drive shaft via a second support member and has a pair of claw members that can be opened and closed to grip an object; a gripper mechanism configured to move to a retracted position when the tamper mechanism is in the working position, and a gripper mechanism configured to move to the retracted position when the gripper mechanism is in the working position, The first and second support members each include a pair of plate members, A track work device, characterized in that the pair of plate members of the first support member are fixed to the rotary drive shaft so as to sandwich the pair of plate members of the second support member.

2. 2. The track work device according to claim 1, wherein the tamper mechanism in the working position forms an arc difference of approximately 90° around the rotation drive shaft with respect to the gripper mechanism in the retracted position.

3. A track work device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotating drive shaft is rotated and driven by the hydraulic pressure of the shovel-type excavator.

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