MODULAR ASSEMBLY HAVING TILTABLE AND ROTATABLE FEATURE FOR HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATED COMPONENT

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a modular assembly for a hydraulically actuated component, such as an excavation bucket or a grappler apparatus, which is capable of tilting and rotating relative to the ground.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED PRIOR ART

During excavation, it is often desirable for an excavation bucket it to be tiltable, with respect to the horizontal axis, so as to be able to align the leading grading edge of the excavator bucket at a desired angle with respect to the ground to be contoured. Such tilting is particularly useful when the excavation bucket is being utilized for grading and shaping applications, for example.

In addition, for grading and shaping applications as well as other applications, it is often useful for the excavation bucket to be able to be rotate, relative excavation equipment and the ground, and thereby allow the operator to position the excavation bucket at a desired orientation with respect to the ground and/or the excavation equipment during use.

While it is known in the art to provide a mechanism which both facilitates tilting and rotation of the excavation bucket with respect to the ground and/or the excavation equipment, such known devices are not of modular form. That is, such known devices are only capable of always providing both tilting and rotating functions. However, for a number of applications or customers, only the tilt feature for the excavation bucket may be desired. For such applications or customers, the additional rotating feature of the excavation bucket provides undesired complexity and also adds additional costs to the associated equipment and thus tends to hinder sales.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Wherefore, it is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks associated with the prior art.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a modular arrangement, for an excavation bucket, in which the rotating feature can be readily added to or removed from the excavating bucket, equipped with tilting feature thereby, specifically tailoring the features of the excavating bucket to the desire of the operator, while all minimizing the associated costs.

A further object of the present disclosure is to permit the operator of the excavation bucket with the ability to easily add the rotating feature to the excavation bucket, when desired, or to remove the rotating feature from the excavation bucket, when not desired.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a basic design which provides the tilting feature of the excavation bucket, and thereafter allows a customer to add the rotating feature to the excavation bucket by merely installing a rotational modular unit to the existing excavation bucket.

A still further object of the present disclosure is to provide a modular arrangement which permits the rotating component to be utilized in connection with a variety of other hydraulically actuated components, such as a grappler apparatus for example, by simply disconnecting the supply/exhaust hydraulic lines and the bucket attachment plate from the riser mounting plate and then attaching a grappler mounting plate, of the grappler apparatus, to the riser mounting plate. Lastly, the supply/exhaust hydraulic lines are connected to the associated hydraulic lines of the grappler apparatus so that the hydraulically grappler apparatus thus have a rotation feature.

The present invention also relates to a modular assembly for an excavation bucket which is capable of at least one tilting and rotating of the excavation bucket, the modular assembly comprising: an equipment mounting plate supporting a coupling mechanism which facilitates connection to a stick end of an excavation equipment; a bucket attachment plate supporting an axle defining a tilt axis; the excavation bucket being rotationally supported by the axle defining the tilt axis; at least one hydraulic cylinder for tilting the excavation bucket, about the tilt axis, relative to the bucket attachment plate; and a rotational modular unit being located between and interconnecting the equipment mounting plate with the bucket attachment plate, and the rotational modular unit facilitating rotation of the excavation bucket relative to the equipment mounting plate, during use

The present invention also relates to a modular assembly for an excavation bucket which is capable of at least one tilting and rotating of the excavation bucket, the modular assembly comprising: an equipment mounting plate supporting a coupling mechanism which facilitates releasable connection of the equipment mounting plate to a stick end of an excavation equipment; a bucket attachment plate supporting an axle defining a tilt axis; the excavation bucket being rotationally supported by the axle defining the tilt axis; at least one hydraulic cylinder for tilting the excavation bucket, about the tilt axis, relative to the bucket attachment plate, and the at least one cylinder, in a neutral position thereof, lying generally parallel to a grading edge of the excavation bucket; and a rotational modular unit interconnecting the equipment mounting plate with the bucket attachment plate, and the rotational modular unit including a hydraulic motor which facilitates rotation of the excavation bucket, relative to the equipment mounting plate, and the rotational modular unit being separatable from the excavation bucket, when only tilting movement of the excavation bucket, relative to the equipment mounting plate, is desired whereby the bucket attachment plate can be directly attached to the equipment mounting plate.

The present invention also relates to a modular assembly for an excavation bucket which is capable of at least one tilting and rotating of the excavation bucket, the modular assembly comprising: an equipment mounting plate supporting a coupling mechanism which facilitates connection of the equipment mounting plate to a stick end of an excavation equipment; a first plate being mounting to the equipment mounting plate, the first plate being secured to a rotor housing, a second plate being rotatably supported by the first plate and the rotor housing, a hydraulic motor, supported by the rotor housing, for facilitating rotation of the second plate relative to the first plate and the rotor housing; and a bottom surface of the second plate supporting a riser mounting plate; a bucket attachment plate supporting an axle defining a tilt axis, and the bucket attachment plate being releasably attached to the riser mounting plate; the excavation bucket being rotationally supported by the axle defining the tilt axis; at least one hydraulic cylinder for tilting the excavation bucket, about the tilt axis, relative to the bucket attachment plate, and the at least one cylinder, in a neutral position thereof, lying generally parallel to a grading edge of the excavation bucket; and the rotor housing accommodating a rotary manifold for suppling hydraulic fluid to the at least one cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is to be appreciated that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale since the emphasis is instead placed on illustrating the principles of the invention. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic left side elevational view of the modular assembly, for an excavation bucket according to the disclosure, having both tilt and rotate features;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the modular assembly for the excavation bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the modular assembly for the excavation bucket along section line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic left side elevational view of the modular assembly, for the excavation bucket according to the disclosure, in which the rotatable feature was removed so that the excavation bucket is only tiltable;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the modular assembly for an excavation bucket of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic schematic view of hydraulic flow for a single axillary circuit of the modular assembly for the excavation bucket;

FIG. 7 diagrammatic schematic view of hydraulic flow for a dual axillary circuit of the modular assembly for the excavation bucket; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic front elevational view showing the excavation bucket, of the modular assembly according to the disclosure, being removed and replaced by a conventional grappler apparatus so as to provide a rotational component for the grappler apparatus.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the disclosed embodiments are sometimes illustrated diagrammatical and in partial views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of this disclosure or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure will be understood by reference to the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the appended drawings. It is to be appreciated that the following detailed description of the various embodiments is by way of example only and is not meant to limit, in any way, the scope of the present disclosure.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a brief description concerning the various components of the present disclosure will now be provided. As generally shown in these figures, the modular assembly 2, for an excavation bucket 2′, is designed to be attached to a desired piece of conventional excavation equipment (only the excavator stick end is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7), in a conventional manner. To facilitate such attachment, a pair of spaced apart plate ears 4, supporting one or more pins 6 for example, may be welded to a top surface of an equipment mounting plate 8. Alternative, a hook or some other conventional coupling mechanism (not shown in detail) may be affixed to the top surface of the equipment mounting plate 8 for releasably mating with a corresponding coupling mechanism of the stick end of the desired excavation equipment. Since there are a variety of different known coupling mechanisms, to facilitate such releasable attachment, a further detail discussion concerning the same is not provided.

By way of example only, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a pair of mounting plate ears 4 supporting a pair of spaced apart pins 6 for releasable coupling the excavation bucket 2′ to a mating coupling mechanism of the desired excavation equipment (not shown). It is to be appreciated that the overall size, arrangement and/or spacing of mounting plate ears 4 and/or the pins 6 can vary so as to facilitate mating with the corresponding coupling mechanism of the desired excavation equipment. As the attachment of such mounting plate ears 4/pins 6 to the top surface 10 of the equipment mounting plate 8 is conventional and well known in the art, a further detail discussion concerning the same is not provided.

Either first and second electronically controlled hydraulic valves 12, 14 (for use with a single axillary circuit—see FIGS. 2 and 6) or four separate hydraulic couplings (for use with a dual axillary circuit—see FIG. 7) are generally provided on the top surface 10 of a precision machined first (top) plate 26. Each one of the first and second electronically controlled hydraulic diverter valves 12, 14 has first and second (A and B—see FIG. 6) positions which facilitate communicating with either a hydraulic motor 18 or with first and second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22, which are both discussed below in further detail. The two hydraulic diverter valves 12, 14 or four hydraulic couplings are designed to supply hydraulic fluid to and to remove hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic motor 18 or the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 in order to achieve the desired rotation or tilting of the excavation bucket 2′, and a further discussion concerning the same will follow.

As generally shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a second (bottom) surface of the equipment mounting plate 8 is affixed, typically by a plurality of, e.g., 14, bolts, to a first (top) surface of a precision machined first (top) plate 26. If desired, four spacers 27, for example, may be utilized to space the second (bottom) surface of the equipment mounting plate 8, by a small distance, away from the first (top) surface of the precision machined first (top) plate 26 so as to permit passage of the hydraulic lines therebetween. A second (bottom) surface of the precision machined first (top) plate 26 is secured, e.g., by a plurality of bolts, to a first (top) surface of a precision machined rotor housing 28 so that the rotor housing 28 remains stationary.

A conventional rotary manifold 32 is supported within the rotor housing 28 (see FIGS. 2 and 3, for example) and the rotary manifold 32 permits hydraulic fluid to flow therethrough, in two different flow directions, while still permitting rotation of the of second (bottom) plate 30 relative to the fixed first (top) plate 26. A first (top) portion of the rotary manifold 32 is fixed to and remains stationary with the first (top) plate 26 while a second (bottom) portion of the rotary manifold 32 is fixed to and rotates with the second (bottom) plate 30. A rotary seal is provided, between the first (top) and second (bottom) portions of the rotary manifold 32, to prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid during use. The supplied and removed hydraulic fluid is utilized to control the tilting of the excavation bucket 2′ relative to fixed first (top) plate 26 and the rotor housing 28, as will be described in further detail below.

As shown, the precision machined rotor housing 28 has the hydraulic motor 18 is affixed thereto and the hydraulic motor 18 is designed to rotate the second (bottom) plate 30 relative to both the precision machined first (top) plate 26 and the rotor housing 28. The hydraulic motor 18 is coupled to a worm drive 19 (not shown in detail) which engages with a toothing (not shown in detail) which is supported by the second (bottom) plate 30 to achieve the relative rotation. A conventional overlapped coupling arrangement permits the first (top) plate 26 and the second (bottom) plate 30 to rotate relative to one another and also prevents the second (bottom) plate 30 from becoming separated from the first (top) plate 26.

As noted above, the excavation bucket 2′ is hydraulically connected to the modular assembly 2 by either two hydraulic fluid lines 34, 36 (e.g., a single axillary circuit—see FIG. 6) or four hydraulic fluid lines 34, 36, 38, 40 (e.g., a dual axillary circuit—see FIG. 7). The single and dual axillary circuits are both designed to supply hydraulic fluid to and to remove hydraulic fluid, via the rotary manifold 32, from the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 of the excavation bucket 2′. By adequately control of the flow of hydraulic fluid, via the two or four hydraulic lines 34, 36, 38, 40, both rotation of the excavation bucket 2′, relative to the excavation equipment and/or ground, as well as tilting of the excavation bucket 2′, relative to the excavation equipment and/or ground, can be achieved

That is, when hydraulic fluid flows through the hydraulic motor 18, in a first flow direction, the hydraulic motor 18 rotates the worm drive 19 in a first rotational direction which engages with the associated teeth to cause the second (bottom) plate 30 to rotate in a clockwise rotational direction relative to the first (top) plate 26. Alternatively, when hydraulic fluid flows through the hydraulic motor 18, in an opposite second flow direction, the hydraulic motor 18 rotates the worm drive 19 in a second rotational direction which engages with the associated teeth to cause the second (bottom) plate 30 to rotate in a counterclockwise rotational direction relative to the first (top) plate 26. Such rotation of the second (bottom) plate 30, relative to the first (top) plate 26 by the hydraulic motor 18 and the worm drive 19, provides the rotational component or feature of the modular assembly 2. The hydraulic motor 18 and the worm drive 19 are designed to rotate the second (bottom) plate 30 relative to the first (top) plate 26 greater than 360° in both rotational directions.

A first (top) upper surface of a riser 42 is permanently attached, e.g., by welding, to a central area of the second (bottom) surface of the second (bottom) plate 42. A second (bottom) surface of the riser 42 is permanently attached, e.g., typically by welding, to a central area of a first (top) surface of a riser mounting plate 44.

It is to be appreciated that all of the components located between, and inclusive of, the first (top) plate 26 and the riser mounting plate 44, e.g., the rotor housing 28, the second (bottom) plate 30, the hydraulic motor 18, the rotary manifold 32 and the riser 42, etc., together form a rotatable modular unit which can be removed as unitary component from the modular assembly 2.

The tiltable excavation bucket generally comprises a bucket attachment plate 46 which directly mounts to the riser mounting plate 44 via a plurality of mating nuts and bolts. Alternatively, as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the bucket attachment plate 46 may be directly attached to the equipment mounting plate 8, via the plurality of mating nuts and bolts, when the rotation component for the modular assembly 2 is not desired. The second (bottom) surface of the bucket attachment plate 46 has a pair of spaced apart bucket attachment plate ears 48 which extend normal to the bottom surface of the bucket attachment plate 46 to support opposed ends of an axle 50 which defines a tilt axis T of the excavation bucket 2′. A free end of a pair of spaced apart bucket ears 52, supported (e.g., by welding) by a top surface of the excavation bucket 2′, are rotatably supported by the axle 50. Such rotatable connection of the excavation bucket 2′ to the axle 50 facilitates pivoting or tilting of the excavation bucket 2′, about the tilt axis T, relative to the bucket attachment plate 46. The bucket ears 52 generally lie in a plane which extends normal to the tilt axis T.

The first hydraulic cylinder 20 and the second hydraulic cylinder 22, see FIGS. 1 and 2, are provided to facilitate the desired pivoting or tilting movement of the excavator bucket relative to the bucket attachment plate 46 about the tilt axis T. A first (cylinder) end of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 is pivotably supported between a first pair of spaced apart cylinder ears 54, which are permanently affixed to the top surface of the excavation bucket 2′ adjacent a first tapered sidewall SW thereof. A second (piston) end of the first hydraulic cylinder is pivotably supported between a pair of arms 56 which are permanently affixed to and extend from a central region of the second (bottom) surface of the bucket attachment plate 46. A first (cylinder) end of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is pivotably supported between a second pair of spaced apart cylinder ears 58, which are permanently affixed to the excavation bucket 2′ adjacent an opposed second tapered sidewall SW of the excavation bucket 2′. A second (piston) end of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is pivotably supported between a pair of arms 56 which are permanently affixed to and extend from the second (bottom) surface of the bucket attachment plate 46. It is to be appreciated that a portion of the second (piston) ends, of the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22, may be both supported by a common arm 56 permanently affixed to and extending from the bucket attachment plate 46, but this is not required.

The excavation bucket 2″, of the modular assembly 2, has a pair of tapered sidewalls SW which are connected to a generally C-shaped rear wall which together define a cavity 62 which is designed to accommodate desired quantity of material, such as dirt, sand, gravel, loam, plants, shrubs, etc. The overall size, shape and capacity of the excavation bucket 2′ are designed to facilitate carrying, pushing, moving, grading, conveying, etc., a desire quantity of objects or material during an excavation project. A leading bottom edge of the excavation bucket 2′ is generally flat and elongate and forms a grading edge 64 which extends along the entire width of the excavation bucket 2′. At least a portion of the bottom surface of the excavation bucket 2′ is generally flat to facilitate compaction of the ground. As generally shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, because the excavation bucket 2′ has two tapered sidewalls SW, a width of a leading end of the excavation bucket 2′, along the scraper edge 64, is greater than a width of a rear end of the excavation bucket 2′. Such tapering of the sidewalls SW renders it easier to grade the ground.

As generally shown in FIG. 2, the excavation bucket 2′ is shown in its “neutral” position (i.e., a position in which the grading edge 64 is generally horizontal and parallel to the ground G) in which the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 both lie generally horizontal and parallel to the ground as well as parallel to the grading edge 64. The since the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 are located between a top surface of the excavation bucket 2′ and the bucket attachment plate 46, the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 are generally shielded and protected, during operation, and thus less prone to become damaged, during operation, or hinder the desired excavation task at hand.

With reference now to FIG. 6, a detail description concerning the single auxiliary circuit, which utilizes the first and second electronically controlled diverter valve 12, 14, will now be provided. As shown, a first equipment hydraulic line 34, from the excavating equipment, is connected to an inlet of the first diverter valve 12, while a second equipment hydraulic line 36, from the excavator equipment, is connected to an inlet of the second diverter valve 14. As diagrammatically shown, each one of the two diverter valves 12, 14 has two outlets. When the diverter valves 12, 14 are both in an “A” (first) position, the respective inlet communicates with the respective first outlet, while when the two diverter valves 12, 14 are in a “B” (second) position, the respective inlet communicates with the respective second outlet. First and second supply/exhaust hydraulic lines 72, 74 are respectively connected to the first outlet, of the two diverter valves 12, 14, while third and fourth supply/exhaust hydraulic lines 76, 78 are respectively connected to the second outlet, of the two diverter valves 12, 14.

When both the first and second diverter valve 12, 14 are moved into the “A” position, hydraulic fluid is able to flow, along from the excavating equipment pump through the first equipment hydraulic line 34 and the rotary manifold 32 to the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 while hydraulic fluid is able to flow from the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22, through the rotary manifold 32, along the second equipment hydraulic line 36 back to the drain of the excavating equipment, or vice versa depending upon a clockwise or counter clockwise tilt angle to be achieved by the excavation bucket 2′. That is, the direction of hydraulic fluid flow into the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22, from either the first equipment hydraulic line 34 or the second equipment hydraulic line 36, will determine which of the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 has its stroke lengthen increased and which of the second and the first hydraulic cylinders 22, 20 has its stroke length decreased.

As generally shown in FIG. 6, the cylinder side of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 is interconnected, by a first cylinder hydraulic line 68, with the piston side of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 while the cylinder side of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is interconnected, by a second cylinder hydraulic line 70, with the piston side of the first hydraulic cylinder 20. The first cylinder hydraulic line 68 is also connected with the first supply/exhaust hydraulic line 72 which is connected, via the rotary manifold 32, to the first outlet of the first diverter valve 12 while the second cylinder hydraulic line 70 is also connected with the second supply/exhaust hydraulic line 74 which is connected, via the rotary manifold 32, to the first outlet of the second diverter valve 14. Due to such connections, both the first and the second cylinders 20, 22 move in unison with one another, but opposite directions to one another, in order to provide the desired pivoting or tilting motion of the excavation bucket 2′.

That is, when hydraulic fluid is supplied to the cylinder end of the first hydraulic cylinder 20, by the first cylinder hydraulic line 68, so as to lengthen the overall stroke length of the first hydraulic cylinder 20, the piston end of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is also simultaneously supplied with hydraulic fluid which correspondingly decreases its overall stroke length of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 and thereby correspondingly pivots or tilts the excavation bucket 2′ in a counterclockwise rotational direction about the tilt axis T. Simultaneously, while this is occurring, hydraulic fluid is also allowed to flow out of the piston end of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 and out of the cylinder end of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 into and along the second cylinder hydraulic line 70 so as to permit lengthening of the overall stroke length of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 and decreasing of the overall stroke length of the second hydraulic cylinder 22.

Alternatively, when the cylinder end of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is supplied with hydraulic fluid, via the second cylinder hydraulic line 70, so as to lengthen an overall stroke length of the second hydraulic cylinder 22, the piston end of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 is also simultaneously supplied with hydraulic fluid, via the second cylinder hydraulic line 70, which correspondingly decreases its overall stroke length of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 and the excavation bucket 2′ thereby correspondingly pivots or tilts in a clockwise rotational direction about the tilt axis T. Simultaneously, while this is occurring, hydraulic fluid is also allowed to flow out of the piston end of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 and out of the cylinder end of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 into and along the first cylinder hydraulic line 68 so as to permit the lengthening of the overall stroke length of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 and decreasing of the overall stroke length of the first hydraulic cylinder 20.

The excavation bucket 2′ is generally able to pivot or tilt between 10° and 90° in both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions, more preferably able to pivot or tilt between about 20°-50° in both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions, and preferably able to pivot or tilt at least about 30°±5° in both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions.

When both the first and the second diverter valves 12, 14 are moved into the “B” position, hydraulic fluid is able to flow, along either the first equipment hydraulic line 34 and the third supply/exhaust hydraulic line 76, through the hydraulic motor 18, as well as flow from the hydraulic motor 18 along the fourth supply/exhaust hydraulic line 78 and the second equipment hydraulic line 36 back to the excavation equipment, or vice versa. It is to be appreciated that the direction that the hydraulic fluid flows through the hydraulic motor 18 will determine the rotational direction of the hydraulic motor 18 and the worm gear 19 and, correspondingly, the rotational direction in which the precision machined second (bottom) plate 30, along with the excavation bucket 2′, is rotated.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a detail description concerning the dual auxiliary circuit will now be provided. A first equipment hydraulic line 34, from the excavating equipment, is connected to a first hydraulic connector (not shown in detail) supported by the equipment mounting plate 8 while a third equipment hydraulic line 38, from the excavator equipment, is connected to a third hydraulic connector (not shown in detail) supported by the equipment mounting plate 8. A second equipment hydraulic line 36, from the excavating equipment, is connected to a second hydraulic connector (not shown in detail) supported by the equipment mounting plate 8, while a fourth equipment hydraulic line 40, from the excavator equipment, is connected to a fourth hydraulic connector (not shown in detail) supported by the equipment mounting plate 8. The first and third equipment hydraulic lines 34, 38 facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 while the second and fourth equipment hydraulic lines 36 and 40 facilitate the flow of hydraulic fluid to and from the hydraulic motor 18. It is to be appreciated that the direction of the hydraulic fluid flow, along the first and the third equipment hydraulic lines 34, 38 and to and from the first and the second cylinders 20, 22, will determine the amount of tilt as well as the rotational direction of tilt of the excavation bucket 2′. Also the direction of hydraulic fluid flow, along the second and the fourth equipment hydraulic lines 36, 40 and through the hydraulic motor 18, will determine the rotational direction of the hydraulic motor 18 and, correspondingly, the rotational direction in which the precision machined second (bottom) plate 30 and the excavation bucket 2′ are rotated.

Similar to the single auxiliary circuit, the cylinder side of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 is interconnected, by a first cylinder hydraulic line 68, with the piston side of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 while the cylinder side of the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is interconnected, by a second cylinder hydraulic line 70, with the piston side of the first hydraulic cylinder 20. The first cylinder hydraulic line 68 is also connected, via the first supply/exhaust hydraulic line 72 and the rotary manifold 32, with the first equipment hydraulic line 34 while the second cylinder hydraulic line 70 is also connected, via the second supply/exhaust hydraulic line 74 and the rotary manifold 32, with the third equipment hydraulic line 38. Due to such connection, both the first and the second cylinders 20, 22 move in unison with one another, but in opposite directions to one another, in order to provide the desired pivoting or tilting of the excavation bucket 2′. That is, when the first hydraulic cylinder 20 is supplied with hydraulic fluid by the first cylinder hydraulic line 68 so as to lengthen the overall stroke length of the first hydraulic cylinder 20, the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is also simultaneously supplied with hydraulic fluid to correspondingly decrease its overall stroke length and the excavation bucket 2′ correspondingly pivots or tilts in a counterclockwise rotational direction about the tilt axis T. Alternatively, when the second hydraulic cylinder 22 is supplied with hydraulic fluid from the second cylinder hydraulic line 70 so as to lengthen an overall stroke length of the second hydraulic cylinder 22, the first hydraulic cylinder 20 is also simultaneously supplied with hydraulic fluid to correspondingly decrease its overall stroke length and the excavation bucket 2′ correspondingly pivots or tilts in a clockwise rotational direction about the tilt axis T.

The excavation bucket 2′ is generally able to pivot or tilt between 10° and 90° in both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions, more preferably able to pivot or tilt between about 20°-50° in both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions, and preferably able to pivot or tilt at least about 35° in both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions.

With reference now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described. As this second embodiment is very similar to the first embodiment, only the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be discussed in detail.

It is to be appreciated that for some applications, an operator of the excavation equipment, supporting the modular assembly 2, may not desire to have the rotational component of the modular assembly 2. In such instance, the operator can simply remove the rotational modular unit, i.e., all of the components located between the equipment mounting plate 8 and the bucket attachment plate 46. Once the rotational modular unit is removed, then the bucket attachment plate 46 can be directly attached to the equipment mounting plate 8, via a plurality of mating nuts and bolts. The necessary hydraulic lines of the single or the dual axillary circuit can then be coupled to the first and second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22, in a conventional manner, to achieve the desired tilting motion of the excavator bucket, during use.

In the event that the operator of the excavating equipment later desires to have the rotation component of the modular assembly 2, then the bucket attachment plate 46 is disconnected from the equipment mounting plate 8 and the rotational modular unit is reinstalled, between the equipment mounting plate 8 and the bucket attachment plate 46 as described above, to provide the rotational component of the modular assembly 2. The necessary hydraulic lines of the single or the dual axillary circuit can then be coupled to the hydraulic motor 18 and the first and second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 to achieve the desired rotation and tilting motion of the excavator bucket, during use.

While the above describes the use of both first and second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22 for tilting the excavation bucket 2′, it is to be appreciated that, for some applications, only a single one of the hydraulic cylinders 20 or 22 may be required for achieving the desired tilting of the bucket. In such instance, the rotary manifold 32 is still utilized but the hydraulic connections are simplified since hydraulic fluid is only supplied to or removed from one side of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 or 22 while hydraulic fluid is only removed from or supplied to the opposite side of the first hydraulic cylinder 20 or 22.

With reference now to FIG. 8, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described. As this third embodiment is very similar to the first embodiment, only the differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment will be discussed in detail.

It is to be appreciated that for some applications, an operator of the excavation equipment, supporting the modular assembly 2, may want to combine the rotational component of the modular assembly 2 with another component, other than the excavation bucket 2′, e.g., a grappler apparatus 80 supporting a pair of hydraulic grappler arm 82, 84. In such instance, the operator can simply disconnect the first and the second supply/exhaust hydraulic lines 72, 74 and then detach the bucket attachment plate 46, along with the remaining components of the excavation bucket (e.g., the first and the second hydraulic cylinders 20, 22, the excavation bucket 2′, the axle 50 which defines a tilt axis T, etc.) from the riser mounting plate 44 by removing the plurality of mating nuts and bolts.

Next, the operator can attach the grappler mounting plate 86, of the grappler apparatus 80, to the riser mounting plate 44 by engaging the plurality of mating nuts and bolts. Then, the operator can connect the first and second supply/exhaust hydraulic lines (not shown in detail) to the associated hydraulic lines of the pair of hydraulic grappler arm 82, 84 to control opening and closing of the arms. The rotational component, of the modular assembly 2, will now provide desired rotation of the grappler apparatus 80 and the associated pair of hydraulic grappler arms 82, 84 during operation. It is to be appreciated that a variety of other conventional hydraulically operated components, may be attached to the riser mounting plate 44 of the modular rotational unit in order to provide rotation thereof during use.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that various modifications and alterations of those embodiments will occur to and be readily apparent those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the appended claims. Further, the invention(s) described herein is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various other related ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items while only the terms “consisting of” and “consisting only of” are to be construed in the limitative sense.