Quick Coupler Safety Plate Locking Without Hydraulic Hoses

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional safety devices for quick couplers in heavy equipment are complex, difficult to maintain, and prone to safety accidents due to hydraulic cylinder failures and hydraulic hose damage, making attachment and detachment operations inconvenient and time-consuming.

Innovation Solution

A safety device that uses a safety plate laterally moved by an elastic force of a DIE spring and link members to prevent the fixing hook from being arbitrarily released, featuring a guide groove for smooth sliding movement and a support bolt to maintain the DIE-spring's elastic force, allowing for simple locking and unlocking operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a conventional safety device with hydraulic cylinder and hose is used, then automatic safety function is achieved, but device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic safety functionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the hydraulic cylinder and hose components from the safety device, replacing them with a purely mechanical linkage system. The safety plate is directly connected to the hitch through link members, removing the need for complex hydraulic systems while maintaining the automatic safety function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical linkage system automatically activates the safety plate through the motion of the hitch itself, without requiring external hydraulic power sources. The system uses the existing movement of the attachment mechanism to trigger the safety function, making the device self-sufficient and simpler.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Device complexity

If manual operation of safety pin is required, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and convenience deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidattachment and detachment speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The safety plate is pre-positioned and automatically activated through the hitch's motion during the attachment process. The mechanical linkage is pre-configured so that when the hitch moves to engage or disengage the attachment, the safety plate automatically moves into or out of the blocking position, eliminating the need for separate manual operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Extent of automation

If hydraulic hose is used for safety device operation, then automatic locking is achieved, but reliability decreases due to hose damage risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic lockingVSAvoidsafety against hose damage
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the hydraulic system with a direct mechanical linkage system. The link members mechanically connect the hitch to the safety plate, transmitting force and motion through solid mechanical components rather than through hydraulic fluid and hoses, thereby eliminating the vulnerability to hose damage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The safety device effectively prevents the locking engagement of the quick coupler from being arbitrarily released, reduces element failure causes, and enhances product safety by allowing easy operation and maintenance, ensuring secure attachment and detachment of heavy equipment attachments.

Implementation Method 1

a safety plate which is laterally moved in a sliding manner by an elastic force of a DIE spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic force: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3567163B1Safety device for quick coupler
Publication Date: 2023.08.16 DAEMO ENG
  • EP3567163B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3567163B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3567163B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a safety device for a quick coupler and, more particularly, to a safety device for a quick coupler, the safety device having an improved structure that is configured to improve the structure of a locking device, the locking device preventing the fixing hook from being arbitrarily released from a locking engagement, by using a safety plate that is laterally moved in a sliding manner by an elastic force of a DIE spring after a fixing hook and a first attachment pin are assembled together.