Construction Machinery Quick-Release Fastener With Self-Centring Guides

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional couplers for construction machinery, such as mechanical shovels, are dangerous as they can disconnect during locking, leading to buckets falling onto construction sites and posing a risk to personnel.

Innovation Solution

A coupler system with guide means and self-centring mechanisms, including support pins and guide sections, ensures secure alignment and locking of the coupler and connection device, preventing accidental disconnection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional couplers are used without guide means, then the structure is simpler, but the coupling can become disconnected during locking causing safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoupling safetyVSAvoidcoupler structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Guide means are introduced as intermediary elements between the coupler and connection device. These guide means include guide surfaces and guide grooves that mediate the relative movement and positioning of the two components during coupling, ensuring proper alignment and preventing disconnection while maintaining structural integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide means perform preliminary alignment and positioning actions before the final locking occurs. By establishing correct relative positioning in advance through guide surfaces and grooves, the system ensures that when locking engages, the components are already properly aligned, preventing disconnection during the critical locking phase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If guide means are added to guide the pivoting movement, then the alignment precision is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidcoupler structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide means are segmented into distinct functional elements: guide surfaces on the coupler, guide grooves on the connection device, and support pins. This segmentation allows each element to perform a specific guiding function, achieving precise alignment through multiple coordinated components rather than a single complex structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide means enable self-alignment and self-centring of the coupler and connection device during assembly. The guide surfaces and grooves automatically guide the relative movement, and the support pins provide self-centring action, eliminating the need for external alignment procedures or complex adjustment mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20250327270A1Quick-release fastener for construction machinery

Publication Date: 2025.10.23 KLAC IND SA

AI summary

A device forming a coupler includes a coupler, or quick-release fastener (1) intended to be attached to a construction machine, such as a mechanical shovel, and a connection device (2) intended to be attached to a tool, such as a bucket (3), including at least one coupling trunnion (5), or hook respectively, which is intended to be coupled to at least one associated coupling hook, or trunnion respectively, of the quick-release fastener, and locking means intended to lock the quick-release fastener to the connection device, characterised in that it includes guide means (800, 810) intended to guide the pivoting movement of the quick-release fastener in relation to the connection device after coupling in order to lock the device, in particular self-centring means intended to allow relative self-centring of the quick-release fastener and the connection device.