Quick coupling system
The quick coupling system with a rotatable and pivotable coupler and interchangeable gripper elements addresses the limitation of existing systems by expanding the scope of use, facilitating easy adaptation to diverse tasks and materials handling.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- OILQUICK DEUT KG
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-01
AI Technical Summary
Existing quick coupling systems for construction machinery lack the ability to expand their scope of use effectively.
A quick coupling system with a rotatable and pivotable quick coupler and a gripping tongs device featuring interchangeable gripper elements, allowing for versatile attachment changes without extensive reconstruction.
Enables expanded application range by allowing easy adaptation to different tasks through interchangeable gripper elements, enhancing versatility and efficiency in handling various materials.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a quick coupling system for changing the attachment of a construction machine as described in the preamble of claim 1.
Background Art
[0002] Such a quick coupling system is used in an excavator or other equivalent construction machine between the attachment part of the construction machine and the tool as a rotation - swivel unit for expanding the movement options. Such a quick coupling system usually includes a quick coupler arranged in the connection part so that it can rotate around a rotation axis by a hydraulic rotation drive part and can swivel around a swivel axis perpendicular to the rotation axis by a hydraulic swivel drive part. The quick coupler has a receptacle for releasably holding an attachment coupled to the quick coupler and at least one locking element. With such a quick coupling system, attachments coupled to the quick coupler such as a swivel bucket, gripper, pliers, compactor, magnet, hydraulic hammer, etc. can rotate not only around a swivel axis arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis of the excavator stick but also around a rotation axis perpendicular to this swivel axis. Such a quick coupling system is known from Patent Document 1.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] The problem of the present invention is to create a quick coupling system of the type first described that enables an expansion of the scope of use. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] This problem is solved by a quick coupling system having the features of claim 1. Useful and advantageous further embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims. The quick coupling system according to the present invention for changing attachments of construction machinery includes a quick coupler for coupling a tool or attachment part, the quick coupler being positioned on a support so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis by a rotary drive unit and / or pivotable about a swivel axis by a swivel drive unit. To expand the range of applications, a gripping tongs device having several gripper arms movable relative to each other is positioned on the quick coupler, the gripping tongs device being operated by a gripping tongs drive unit and easily retrofitted as needed. This makes it possible to grip and transport, for example, pipes, rings, bars, stones, etc. To adapt the gripping tongs device to different requirements relatively easily and cost-effectively, interchangeable gripper elements are positioned on the gripper arms. This facilitates the expansion of the range of applications. It is not necessary to reconstruct or modify the entire gripping tongs device to adapt to different requirements and application areas. Only the gripper elements positioned separately on the gripper arms need to be replaced.
[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the quick coupler on which the gripping tongs device is located is positioned on a support so that it can rotate about a rotation axis by a rotation drive unit and pivot about a pivot axis perpendicular to the rotation axis by a swivel drive unit. This allows the gripping tongs device to be tilted as well as rotated. However, the quick coupler may also be positioned on a support so that it can only rotate or tilt.
[0007] The gripping tongs device preferably has two gripper arms positioned on a support structure so as to be able to pivot relative to one another. However, the gripping tongs device may also include three or more gripper arms.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment, gripper elements individually adapted to a desired application area may be attached to the gripper arm via non-destructively removable connectors. This allows the gripper elements to be replaced or swapped, particularly quickly, without significant conversion effort. However, the gripper elements may also be welded or fixed to the gripper arm in another suitable manner. Even in this case, the gripper elements can be replaced with somewhat greater effort. It is not necessary to replace the entire gripper arm to adapt it to a specific application area.
[0009] In one practical embodiment, the gripper element has an outer clamping surface for gripping a component internally. The gripper element may also have a stopping surface and a projection that protrudes outward. In a further advantageous embodiment, an elastic pressing body may be placed on the gripper element. This makes it possible to grip sensitive components, such as those made of marble.
[0010] In an advantageous embodiment, the gripping tong drive unit may include a first gripper cylinder for driving a first gripper arm and a second gripper cylinder for driving a second gripper arm. However, the gripping tong drive unit may be designed differently.
[0011] The support preferably has two parallel side plates having openings for accommodating two parallel bolt-shaped connecting elements. This allows the support to be positioned directly on the excavator arm via the bolt-shaped connecting elements, or to be coupled to a quick coupler positioned on the excavator arm.
[0012] Further special features and advantages of the present invention are shown in the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a quick coupling system with a gripping tong device. [Figure 2] This is a gripping tong device in an oblique view. [Figure 3] This is an exploded view of the gripping tongs device. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a detailed view of the gripper arm of the gripping tongs device. [Figure 5] This is a detailed diagram of the gripper arm in further design. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0014] Figure 1 shows a quick coupling system 1, also known as a tilt rotator, for changing attachments to an excavator or equivalent construction machine. The quick coupling system 1 includes a quick coupler 3 designed for automatic or manual coupling of attachments, and is positioned on a support 2 so as to be rotatable and swivelable by a rotation and swivel drive unit. In the illustrated embodiment, the quick coupler 3 is positioned on the support 2 so as to be rotatable 360° around a rotation axis 5 by a hydraulic rotation drive unit 4 and swivelable around a swivel axis 7 perpendicular to the rotation axis 5 by a hydraulic swivel drive unit 6, and the support can be coupled directly or via a hydraulically operated quick coupler to an excavator stick or another attachment element of a construction machine.
[0015] The quick coupling system 1, designed here as a tilt rotator, includes a drive housing 8, in which a quick coupler 3 is mounted to allow rotation 360° around a rotation axis 5, which is positioned vertically here. Inside the drive housing 8 is also a hydraulic rotary feedthrough, not visible here, in which a stator is positioned inside the drive housing 8 so as not to rotate relative to the drive housing 8, and a rotor is rotatably mounted inside the stator to supply hydraulic fluid to the quick coupler 3. The rotary drive unit 4 includes a hydraulic motor 9 designed as a hydraulic drive unit, thereby allowing the quick coupler 3 to rotate 360° relative to the drive housing 8 around the rotation axis 5 via a gearbox having a worm wheel located inside the drive housing 8 and a drive worm rotatable by the hydraulic motor 9.
[0016] The drive housing 8 is positioned on the support 2 via laterally projecting bearing pins 10 within two spaced bearing eyes 11, thereby allowing the drive housing 8 to pivot about a pivot axis 7 perpendicular to the rotation axis 5, and from the positions shown in Figures 1 and 2, it can pivot approximately + / - 45° relative to the quick coupling system 1 about the pivot axis 7 via the hydraulic pivot drive unit 6. Designed here as a tilt rotator, the quick coupling system 1 allows the attachment coupled to the quick coupler 3 not only to rotate about the rotation axis 5 but also to tilt relative to the support 2 about the pivot axis 7 perpendicular to the rotation axis 5, thus expanding the range of motion and thereby increasing the application area. However, the quick coupling system 1 may also be designed to rotate or pivot only the quick coupler 3.
[0017] In the illustrated embodiment, the support 2 has two parallel side plates 12 and front and rear cross pieces 13 on which bearing eyes 11 are located. The drive housing 8 is pivotably mounted around the pivot axis 7 via two bearing pins 10 in the bearing eyes 11 of the front and rear cross pieces 13. The two side plates 12 of the illustrated quick coupling system 1 are provided with four openings 14 for accommodating two parallel bolt-shaped connecting elements.
[0018] A manually or hydraulically operated quick coupler 3, designed to couple an attachment or tool, includes a housing 15 having a second receptacle 16 open on one side for receiving and holding a first bolt-shaped coupling element on the tool side, and a second receptacle on the other side, not shown here, for receiving and holding a second bolt-shaped coupling element on the tool side. An exemplary embodiment of a hydraulically operated quick coupler 3 for automatically coupling a tool is disclosed in German Patent Application Publication No. 10 2018 128 479. This publication is clearly referenced with respect to known structures and modes of operation of such hydraulically operated quick couplers. However, the quick coupler 3 may also be designed as a manually operated quick coupler. An example of an embodiment of a manually operated quick coupler is disclosed, for example, in German Patent Application Publication No. 20 2017 001 992.
[0019] In the illustrated embodiment, the swivel drive unit 6 is formed by two double-acting actuating cylinders 17 and 18, each cylinder having a cylinder housing 19 attached to a respective side plate 12 of the support 2 and a hydraulically movable piston rod 20 slidably disposed within the cylinder housing 19. The free end of the piston rod 20 is connected to the drive housing 8 via a hinge eye 21 and a corresponding holder 22. By correspondingly extending and retracting the two piston rods 20 of the actuating cylinders 17 and 18, the drive housing 8 to which the quick coupler 3 is rotatably attached can be tilted relative to the support 2. However, the swivel drive unit 6 can also be formed by a hydraulic motor or another suitable hydraulic drive unit.
[0020] A gripping tong device 23 having two gripper arms 24 and 25 that are pivotable relative to each other is also disposed in the housing 15 of the quick coupler 3 and can be easily retrofitted or removed again as required. The two gripper arms 24 and 25 can each pivot about an axis 27 or 28 and are arranged in a support structure 26, also shown in FIG. 2, so as to be openable and closable via a hydraulic gripper tong drive unit formed by two double-acting gripper cylinders 29 or 30. One of the two gripper arms 24 and 25 has a slot-shaped recess 31 for receiving the other gripper arm 24 or 25. Thereby, the two gripper arms 24 and 25, each pivotable by a gripper cylinder 29 or 30, move into each other when closing and can be completely closed. In contrast to FIG. 1, where the gripper arm 24 provided with the slot-shaped recess 31 is arranged on the left side of the support structure 26, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the gripper arm 24 provided with the slot-shaped recess 31 is arranged on the right side of the support structure 26. Since the support structure 26 is symmetrical, it can be easily mounted on the quick coupler 3 at two different positions, i.e., rotated by 180°.
[0021] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, separate replaceable gripper elements 32 are arranged on the two gripper arms 24 and 25. In the example of the illustrated embodiment, the gripper element 32 is attached to the gripper arms 24 and 25 via screws 33 or another non-destructively removable connection. Two gripper elements 32 are attached above and below the recess 31 to the gripper arm 24 provided with the slot-shaped recess 31, while only one gripper element 32 is attached to the other gripper arm 25.
[0022] The gripper elements 32 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designed, for example, to grip the inside of a manhole ring, a pipe, etc. As can be particularly seen from the enlarged views of FIGS. 4 and 5, these gripper elements 32 have a straight outer clamping surface 34, a stop surface 36, and a nose-shaped projection 35 protruding outward. By separating the two gripper arms 24 and 25, the mutually parallel clamping surfaces 34 of the two gripper elements 32 can be used, for example, to clamp a manhole pipe or other components from the inside and hold them for transportation. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the gripper element 32 is removably attached to the gripper arm via a screw 33 and can thus be easily replaced or exchanged. However, the gripper element 32 may also be welded or fixed to the gripper arm in another suitable way, as shown in FIG. 5. Thereafter, the gripper element 32 may be exchanged or modified to fit different requirements. However, this modification involves more effort.
[0023] Instead of the gripper elements 32 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, other gripper elements adapted to special application areas can of course also be attached to the gripper arms 24 and 25. In FIG. 3, for example, a gripper element 38 provided with a rubber buffer or other elastic pressing body 37 is attached to the gripper arms 24 and 25. This makes it possible, for example, to grip sensitive components made of marble or the like. Other specially adapted gripper elements can also be easily and quickly attached.
Description of the reference numerals
[0024] 1. Excavator Attachment 2 Support 3 Quick Couplers 4. Rotary drive unit 5. Rotation axis 6. Swivel drive unit 7. Swivel axis 8 Drive Housing 9. Hydraulic motor 10 Bearing pins 11 Bearing eye 12 Side panels 13 Cross Pieces 14 Opening 15 Housing 16 Receptacles 17. First operating cylinder 18. Second operating cylinder 19 Cylinder Housing 20 Piston Rods 21 Hinged Eye 22 holder 23 Gripping tong device 24 First gripper arm 25. Second gripper arm 26 Support structure 27. The First Axis 28. The Second Axis 29 First Gripper Cylinder 30 Second Gripper Cylinder 31 Recess 32 Grippa elements 33 screws 34 Clamping surface 35 Protrusion 36 Stopping surface 37 Pressing body 38 Grippa elements
Claims
1. A quick coupling system (1) for changing attachments of construction machinery, comprising a quick coupler (3) for coupling a tool or attachment, which is arranged on a support (2) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (5) by a rotary drive unit (4) and / or pivotable about a slewing axis (7) by a slewing drive unit (6), a gripping tongs device (23) having a plurality of gripper arms (24, 25) that are movable relative to each other and which can be actuated by gripping tongs drive units (29, 30), and further comprising interchangeable gripper elements (32, 38) arranged on the gripper arms (24, 25), A quick coupling system (1) characterized in that each of the gripper elements (32) and (38) includes a projection (35) having parallel and linear outer clamp surfaces (34) for internal gripping of a component, and a stop surface (36) that is continuous with the outer clamp surface (34) and protrudes outward from the outer clamp surface (34).
2. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the quick coupler (3) on which the gripping tong device (23) is arranged is arranged on the support (2) such that it can rotate about the rotation axis (5) by the rotation drive unit (4) and can pivot about a pivot axis (7) perpendicular to the rotation axis (5) by the pivot drive unit (6).
3. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gripping tong device (23) includes two gripper arms (24, 25) arranged on a support structure (26) so as to be pivotable relative to each other.
4. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gripper elements (32, 38) are attached to the gripper arms (24, 25) via non-destructively removable connectors.
5. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gripper elements (32, 38) are welded to the gripper arms (24, 25).
6. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the elastic pressing body (37) is arranged on the gripper elements (32, 38).
7. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gripping tong drive unit (29, 30) includes a first gripper cylinder (29) for driving a first gripper arm (24) and a second gripper cylinder (30) for driving a second gripper arm (25).
8. The quick coupling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support (2) includes two parallel side plates (12) having openings (14) for accommodating two parallel bolt-shaped connecting elements.