Coupler for a heavy-duty machine
AssigneeGilmore Industries, Inc.
InventorCharles P. Gilmore, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A locking mechanism for a quick-connect/disconnect coupling for a heavy-duty machine including a boom and a stick to facilitate the interexchangeability of work tools wherein the locking mechanism can be remotely controlled to lock and unlock the coupling members when they are in mating engagement. The coupling includes a male member attachable to the boom of the machine and a female member attachable to the stick. The locking mechanism includes a pair of planetary gear assemblies, a motor and a brake that drive and maintain a pair of wedge shaped bars within their respective sockets. The coupling also includes proximity sensors to facilitate the proper engagement of the coupling members.
Claims44
A method of locking a stick to a boom in a heavy-duty machine wherein the machine includes a ground supporting base having an operator station, a boom pivotally mounted on one end to the base, a quick-connect/disconnect coupling for connecting the boom to a stick comprising a male coupling member pivotally connected to the boom and a female coupling member connected to the stick, the coupling members having locking means to lock and unlock the stick from the boom, the locking means including a pair of fixed sockets on the female coupling member, a pair of bars on the male coupling member movable longitudinally of the male coupling member and coacting with the mating sockets when the male and female coupling members are together, means reciprocally driving the bars in opposite directions between locking and unlocking positions and being slidably carried by the male coupling member for longitudinal movement thereon, and a brake to prevent movement of the bars and maintain the coupling in locked position, the method comprising the steps of:
- pivotally connecting the stick to the boom such that the coupling members are engaged;
- driving the locking bars into the sockets;
- operating the brake to lock the stick coupler member to the boom coupling member.
In a heavy-duty machine including a ground-supporting base having an operator station, a control panel inside the operator station, a boom pivotally mounted to one end of the base, a stick pivotally mounted to the free end of the boom, a working tool mounted on the free end of the stick, and a quick-disconnect coupling between the stick and the boom for facilitating the interchangeability of sticks having different tools comprising a male coupling member on the boom and a female coupling member on the stick, wherein the quick-disconnect coupling includes means for pivotally connecting the male coupling member to the female coupling member, the improvement in the coupling which comprises locking means operable from the operator station for locking the male and female members together in coupled relation and unlocking the male and female members to allow decoupling, the locking means including a pair of fixed sockets on the female member, a pair of wedge bars on the male member movable longitudinally of the male member and coacting with the mating sockets when the male and female members are together, means reciprocally driving the wedge bars in opposite directions between lock and unlock positions and being slidably carried by the male member for longitudinal movement thereon, and a brake on said driving means to prevent movement of the bars relative to the sockets once they are in locked position.
In a heavy-duty machine including a ground-supporting base having an operator station, a control panel inside the operator station, a boom pivotally mounted to one end of the base, a stick pivotally mounted to the free end of the boom, a working tool mounted on the free end of the stick, and a quick-disconnect coupling between the stick and the boom for facilitating the interchangeability of sticks having different tools comprising a male coupling member on the boom and a female coupling member on the stick, wherein the quick-disconnect coupling includes means for pivotally connecting the male coupling member to the female coupling member, the improvement in the coupling which comprises locking means operable from the operator station for locking the male and female members together in coupled relation and unlocking the male and female members to allow decoupling, the locking means including a pair of fixed sockets on the female member, a pair of wedge bars on the male member movable longitudinally of the male member and coacting with the mating sockets when the male and female members are together, means reciprocally driving the wedge bars in opposite directions between locking and unlocking positions and being slidably carried by the male member for longitudinal movement thereon, and latching means on the male member for locking the pin means of the female member to the male member.
In a heavy-duty machine including a ground-supporting base having an operator station, a control panel inside the operator station, a boom pivotally mounted to one end of the base, a stick pivotally mounted to the free end of the boom, a working tool mounted on the free end of the stick, and a quick-disconnect coupling between the stick and the boom for facilitating the interchangeability of sticks having different tools comprising a male coupling member on the boom and a female coupling member on the stick, wherein the quick-disconnect coupling includes means for pivotally connecting the male coupling member to the female coupling member, the improvement in the coupling which comprises locking means operable from the operator station for locking the male and female members together in coupled relation and unlocking the male and female members to allow decoupling, the locking means including a pair of fixed sockets on the female member, a pair of wedge bars on the male member movable longitudinally of the male member and coacting with the mating sockets when the male and female members are together, means reciprocally driving the wedge bars in opposite directions between locking and unlocking positions and being slidably carried by the male member for longitudinal movement thereon, and means for sensing when the wedge bars are in lock position.
In a heavy-duty machine including a ground-supporting base having an operator station, a control panel inside the operator station, a boom pivotally mounted to one end of the base, a stick pivotally mounted to the free end of the boom, a working tool mounted on the free end of the stick, and a quick-disconnect coupling between the stick and the boom for facilitating the interchangeability of sticks having different tools comprising a male coupling member on the boom and a female coupling member on the stick, wherein the quick-disconnect coupling includes means for pivotally connecting the male coupling member to the female coupling member, the female coupling member being mounted on the end of the stick opposite to the working tool, means for supporting the coupling end of the stick above the ground when decoupled from the boom, said means comprising a stand mounted on the coupling end of the stick to elevate the female coupling member above the ground for facilitating coupling the stick to the male coupling member of the boom and for protecting the stick against damage.
In a heavy-duty machine including a ground-supporting base having an operator station, a control panel inside the operator station, a boom pivotally mounted to one end of the base, a stick pivotally mounted to the free end of the boom, a working tool mounted on the free end of the stick, and a quick-disconnect coupling between the stick and the boom for facilitating the interchangeability of sticks having different tools comprising a male coupling member on the boom and a female coupling member on the stick, wherein the quick-disconnect coupling includes means for pivotally connecting the male coupling member to the female coupling member, said pivotally connecting means including a grabber means on one end of the male coupling member, a picker means on the other end of the male coupling member, and pin means interchangeably mounted on either end of the female coupling member for coacting with either the grabber means or the picker means, the improvement being in the pin means which comprises:
- a pin shaft, a grease groove in the shaft, a roller pin extending over the grease groove and rotatably carried on the shaft, grease seals at opposite ends of the roller pin to maintain the grease on the shaft under the roller pin, a grease fitting at one end of the shaft communicating with the grease groove for providing grease to the pin means, and means for securing the pin means to the female coupling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.