QUICK CHANGER

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a quick changer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Such quick changers are used for simple and convenient changing of various attachments on construction machines. With such a quick changer, tilting buckets, grapples, shears, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammers or other attachments can be connected to or disconnected from a boom of an excavator in automated fashion from a driver's cab in a few seconds and with high safety standard.

A generic quick changer is known from DE 102018115949 A1. It comprises a support fastenable to a boom of an excavator, which has first receptacles on one side with a locking device movable between the release position and a locking position to secure a first coupling element provided on an attachment, and second receptacles on the other side to secure a second coupling element spaced apart from the first coupling element. A drive device referred to as an H-cylinder is also arranged on the support, through which two pin-like locking elements assigned to the first receptacles are movable between an extended locking position and a retracted release or change position. In the extended locking position of the pin-like locking elements, an attachment can be held on the quick changer either directly or by means of an adapter. To release or change the attachment, the pin-like locking elements can be retracted via the drive device. Several electric and hydraulic quick couplings are also arranged on the drive device to supply power to the attachment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to create a compactly designed quick changer of the type just mentioned, which also enables simple and automated changing of various attachments with high degree of safety, even in smaller construction machines.

This object is achieved by a quick changer as disclosed herein. Practical embodiments and advantageous modifications of the invention are also disclosed herein.

The quick changer according to the invention for changing attachments on a construction machine comprises a support, which has first receptacles for a first coupling element on one side and second receptacles for a second coupling element on the other side. The quick changer also comprises a drive device arranged movable on the support for moving at least one of the locking elements assigned to the first receptacles between an extended locking position and a retracted release or change position. Several hydraulic quick couplings are also arranged on the drive device to supply hydraulic fluid to the attachment. In order to also offer quick changers with a particularly compact design for smaller construction machines and thus guarantee hydraulic supply and control of the attachments to be connected, only three hydraulic quick couplings arranged next to each other are provided on the drive device, the two outer hydraulic quick couplings of which lie on one plane and the inner hydraulic quick coupling lying therebetween is offset upward relative thereto. A hydraulic control can therefore occur even in smaller quick changers with a feed and return line as well as a leakage line in the smallest possible design space.

In a particularly practical embodiment, the drive device comprises a housing movable between two side walls of the support and two parallel outer parts and a center part arranged transversely between the outer parts, in which the three hydraulic quick couplings are arranged.

The two outer hydraulic quick couplings are preferably spaced 61 mm apart and the center hydraulic quick coupling is offset 7 mm upward relative to the two outer hydraulic quick couplings. This allows for an optimal arrangement of the hydraulic quick couplings in a small design space.

Pressure spaces to accommodate two parallel hydraulic pistons with outwardly protruding piston rods can be arranged in the two outer parts of the drive device housing. This enables the drive device housing to be moved hydraulically in order to move the two pin-like locking elements.

In a further advantageous embodiment, a pin-like locking element can be guided to move in two parallel holes within the two side walls of the support and can be moved by the drive device between a retracted release position to release or connect an attachment and an extended locking position.

A guide plate with a protective flap can be fastened to a rear side of the center part facing the second receptacles. The hydraulic quick couplings can therefore be protected from soiling when not in use.

The hydraulic quick couplings are conveniently designed as coupling sockets for connections to corresponding quick coupling plugs on an adapter or attachment.

An upper part with two parallel side parts and a cover plate with a circular connection part can be fastened to the support for attachment to a rotary drive or the like. The upper part can also have only two parallel side parts with through openings for fastening pins (not shown) to fasten the quick changer to an excavator boom and a coupling of an excavator or a coupling part of another construction vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, with reference to the drawing. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a quick changer in a perspective view from above;

FIG. 2 shows the quick changer of FIG. 1 in a perspective view from below;

FIG. 3 shows the quick changer of FIG. 1 in a bottom view and

FIG. 4 shows the quick changer of FIG. 1 in a front view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The quick changer 1 shown in different views in FIGS. 1 to 4 is designed for simple and convenient changing of various attachments on construction machines, in particular an excavator. With such a quick changer, for example, tilting buckets, grapples, shears, magnets, compactors, hydraulic hammers or other mechanical or hydraulic attachments can be connected or disconnected in automated fashion in a few seconds from the driver's cab with a high standard of safety, for example, on a boom of an excavator.

The quick changer 1 shown in the figures comprises a support 2 designed as a welded structure or cast part, which has two spaced-apart side walls 3. The support 2 has downwardly open first receptacles 4 on one side to accommodate and secure a first pin-like coupling element. and forwardly open second receptacles 5 on the other side to accommodate and secure pin-like coupling elements. An upper part with two parallel side parts 6, a cover sheet 7 on the end and a cover plate 8 with a circular connection part 9 for fastening to a rotary drive or the like is attached to the support 2 in the embodiment shown. The upper part can also have only two parallel side parts with through openings for fastening pins (not shown) for fastening the quick changer 1 to an excavator boom and a coupling of an excavator or a connection part of another construction vehicle. With such a quick changer 1, an attachment can be conveniently connected or disconnected in automated fashion from the driver's cab with two pin-like coupling elements arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined spacing. The pin-like coupling elements can be arranged on a separate adapter or directly on the attachment.

In the embodiment shown, the quick changer 1 has two spaced-apart first receptacles 4 for a first pin-like coupling element on one side of the support 2, and two spaced-apart second receptacles 5 for a second pin-like coupling element on the other side. The receptacles 4 and 5 are arranged on the ends of the two side walls 3 of the support 2. The downwardly open first receptacles 4 have a curved lower first contact surface 10 to support the first pin-like coupling element 5. The forwardly open second receptacles 5 have a claw-like or fork-like second contact surface 11.

In order to prevent an attachment connected to the quick changer 1 from becoming unintentionally detached from the quick changer 1 in the event of incorrect operation or a malfunction, and then possibly falling off in a raised position of the quick changer 1, catch hooks (not shown here) can be arranged on the front second receptacles 5 to enclose the coupling element engaging with the second receptacles 5. The catch hooks are designed so that, in the event of an unintentional detachment from the coupling position, an attachment is trapped in a catch position by engagement of the coupling element with the catch hooks and thereby held on the quick changer.

A locking device, which can be seen in the bottom view of FIG. 2, is provided on the quick changer 1 for lockable securing of the pin-like coupling element engaging with the first receptacles 4. In the variant shown, the locking device includes two pin-like locking elements 13 arranged on the first receptacles 4, which are guided to move in two parallel holes 14 within the two side walls 3 of support 2, and can be moved by a drive device 12 referred to as an H cylinder between a retracted release position shown in FIG. 1, for releasing or connecting an attachment, and an extended locking position. In the extended locking position, the downwardly open first receptacles 4 are closed at the bottom by the locking elements 13, which are guided to move in holes 14 so that the coupling element 5 engaging with the first receptacles 4 is undercut by the pin-like locking elements 12.

The drive device 12 referred to as an H-cylinder is designed for moving the two pin-like locking elements 13 as a hydraulic drive, in the variant shown, and comprises a housing movable between the two side walls 3 of the support 2 with two parallel outer parts 15 and a center part 16 arranged transversely between the outer parts 15. Pressure spaces to accommodate two parallel hydraulic pistons with outwardly protruding piston rods 17 are arranged in the two outer parts 15 of the housing of the drive device. The two pin-like locking elements 13 are fastened to the two upper ends of the outer parts 15 shown in FIG. 3. The piston rod 17 protruding from the lower ends of the outer parts 15 in FIG. 3 are fastened to the support 2 with their free outer ends so that the H-shaped housing with the pin-like locking elements 13 arranged thereon can be moved between the retracted release or change position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and an extended locking position, by applying corresponding pressure to the pressure spaces arranged within the two outer parts 15 of the housing. In the locking position, the pin-like locking elements 13 are extended and undercut the coupling elements 6 engaging with the first receptacles 4 for lockable securing of the attachment.

As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 2 and 4, hydraulic quick couplers 19A to 19C provided with hydraulic connections 18 are provided in the center part 16 of the H-shaped housing for releasable connection to corresponding counterparts on an adapter or attachment. In depicted variant shown, the hydraulic quick couplers 19A to 19C are designed as coupling sockets for connecting to corresponding quick coupling plugs on the adapter or attachment. A guide plate 20 with a protective flap 21, which is readily visible in FIG. 3, is fastened to the rear side of the center part 16 facing the second receptacles 5. The hydraulic quick couplings 19A to 19C are protected from soiling when not in use by the protective flap 21, which is urged into a closed position by a spring 22 in a closed position. The protective flap 21 is automatically opened by an operating rod 23 when the housing is in the forward position. If no adapter or no attachment is connected to the quick changer 1, the protective flap 21 is also closed via the operating rod 23 when the housing is moved into the rear position.

The hydraulic quick couplings 19A to 19C are arranged so that they are flush with the quick coupling plugs on the adapter or attachment during connection of an adapter or attachment to the quick changer 1, so that the hydraulic quick couplers 19A to 19C with the corresponding quick coupling plugs are automatically connected if the two pin-like locking elements 13 are moved into the extended locking position by the hydraulic drive described above.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, only three hydraulic quick couplings 19A to 19C arranged next to each other are provided on the middle part 16 of the H-shaped housing with two first and second outer quick couplings 19A and 19B arranged on the same plane and a center coupling 19C offset upwardly relative thereto. In the variant shown, the two outer hydraulic quick couplings are spaced 61 mm apart and the center hydraulic quick coupling is offset upwardly by 7 mm relative to the two outer hydraulic quick couplings. This allows for an optimal arrangement of the hydraulic quick couplings in a small design space. The two outer hydraulic quick couplings 19A and 19B are usable for a feed and return line and the center hydraulic quick coupling 19C for a leakage line of a hydraulic circuit. Smaller attachment tools on small excavators or the like can also be supplied with hydraulic fluid for their control or operation.

In order to connect an attachment by means of the quick changer 1, the quick changer 1 generally arranged on a boom of an excavator is initially moved so that the second coupling element arranged on the adapter or directly on the attachment is retracted into the claw-like or fork-like receptacles 5 on the one side of the quick changer 1. The quick changer 1 is then pivoted with the still withdrawn locking elements 13 by the second pin-like coupling element so that the first coupling element on the adapter or attachment comes into contact with the contact surfaces 10 of the upwardly open receptacles 4 on the other side of the quick changer 1. The locking elements 13 arranged movable in the guide holes on the support 2 of the quick changer 1 can then be extended hydraulically via the drive device 12, so that the first pin-like coupling element is undercut by the two pin-like locking elements 13 on the quick changer 1 and the attachment is thus secured on the quick changer 1. During extension of the locking element 13 by the drive device 12, the hydraulic quick couplers 19A to 19C are simultaneously coupled to the corresponding counterparts on the adapter or attachment.

List of Reference Numerals

1 Quick changer

2 Support

3 Side wall

4 First receptacle

5 Second receptacle

6 Side part

7 Cover sheet

8 Cover plate

9 Connection part

10 First contact surface

11 Second contact surface

12 Drive device

13 Locking element

14 Hole

15 Outer part

16 Center part

17 Piston rod

18 Hydraulic connection

19A First outer hydraulic quick coupling

19B Second outer hydraulic quick coupling

19C Center hydraulic quick coupling

20 Guide plate

21 Protective flap

22 Spring

24 Operating rod