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US 9,951,484 B2Granted
Positioning assembly for placing steerable drive in multiple positions with respect to milling machine housing
AssigneeRoadtec, Inc.
InventorsJoseph E. Musil, James H. Bevill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A milling machine includes a frame, a housing, a milling drum mounted on the frame within the housing and a drive assembly. A positioning assembly is provided for moving the drive assembly between a first position which is laterally outside the periphery of the machine housing and a second position which is laterally inside the periphery of the machine housing, and for locking the drive assembly in at least the first and second positions without requiring the operator to manually manipulate a locking pin.
Claims10
A milling machine for milling a surface of a roadway, said milling machine comprising:
- (A) a frame;
- (B) a housing;
- (C) a milling drum mounted on the frame within the housing;
- (D) a drive assembly comprising a drive mechanism;
- (E) a positioning assembly for moving the drive assembly between a first drive assembly position which is laterally outside the housing and a second drive assembly position which is laterally inside the housing, said positioning assembly comprising:
- (1) a frame portion that is attached to the frame, said frame portion comprising:
- (a) a first frame locking component that is associated with the first drive assembly position for the drive assembly;
- (b) a second frame locking component that is associated with the second drive assembly position for the drive assembly;
- (c) a vertical pivot pin;
- (2) a pivot assembly that is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin of the frame portion and is adapted to move vertically on the pivot pin, said pivot assembly further comprising:
- (a) an elevating actuator that is adapted to move the drive mechanism, between a contact position on the surface on which the machine is placed for operation and a non-contact position that is off the surface on which the machine is placed for operation;
- (b) a pivot locking component that is adapted to cooperate with the first frame locking component of the frame portion and alternatively with the second frame locking component of the frame portion;
- (c) a locking actuator that is adapted to move the pivot assembly vertically on the pivot pin of the frame portion between a locking elevation and an unlocking elevation;
- (3) a positioning actuator that is adapted to pivot the pivot assembly on the pivot pin with respect to the frame portion between a first pivot position in which the first frame locking component of the frame portion is aligned with the pivot locking component and a second pivot position in which the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component;
- wherein the positioning assembly is configured and arranged so that:
- (F) the drive assembly is in the first drive assembly position when the first frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component;
- and
- (G) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the unlocking elevation to the locking elevation when the first frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will lock the pivot assembly to the frame portion with the drive assembly in the first drive assembly position;
- and
- (H) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the locking elevation to the unlocking elevation when the first frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will unlock the pivot assembly from the frame portion with the drive assembly in the first drive assembly position;
- and
- (I) the drive assembly is in the second drive assembly position when the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component;
- and
- (J) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the unlocking elevation to the locking elevation when the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will lock the pivot assembly to the frame portion with the drive assembly in the second drive assembly position;
- and
- (K) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the locking elevation to the unlocking elevation when the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will unlock the pivot assembly from the frame portion with the drive assembly in the second drive assembly position.
23 more elements
A method for moving a drive assembly of a milling machine having a frame and a housing, said drive assembly comprising a drive mechanism with an inner tube attached thereto, between a first drive assembly position which is laterally outside the housing of the milling machine and a second drive assembly position which is laterally within the housing, said method comprising:
- (A) providing a positioning assembly for moving the drive assembly between the first drive assembly position and the second drive assembly position, said positioning assembly comprising:
- (1) a frame portion that is attached to the frame, said frame portion comprising:
- (a) a first frame locking component that is associated with the first drive assembly position for the drive assembly;
- (b) a second frame locking component that is associated with the second drive assembly position for the drive assembly;
- (c) a vertical pivot pin;
- (2) a pivot assembly that is pivotally mounted on the pivot pin of the frame portion and is adapted to move vertically on the pivot pin, said pivot assembly further comprising:
- (a) an outer tube that is adapted to receive the inner tube of the drive assembly and to be in sliding engagement therewith;
- (b) an elevating actuator that is adapted to move the drive mechanism, between a contact position on the surface on which the machine is placed for operation and a non-contact position that is off the surface on which the machine is placed for operation, by moving the inner tube of the drive assembly with respect to the outer tube;
- (c) a pivot locking component that is adapted to cooperate with the first frame locking component of the frame portion and alternatively with the second frame locking component of the frame portion;
- (d) a locking actuator that is adapted to move the pivot assembly vertically on the pivot pin of the frame portion between a locking elevation and an unlocking elevation;
- (3) a positioning actuator that is adapted to pivot the pivot assembly on the pivot pin with respect to the frame portion between a first pivot position in which the first frame locking component of the frame portion is aligned with the pivot locking component and a second pivot position in which the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component;
- wherein the positioning assembly is configured and arranged so that:
- (4) the drive assembly is in the first drive assembly position when the first frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component;
- and
- (5) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the unlocking elevation to the locking elevation when the first frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will lock the pivot assembly to the frame portion with the drive assembly in the first drive assembly position;
- and
- (6) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the locking elevation to the unlocking elevation when the first frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will unlock the pivot assembly from the frame portion with the drive assembly in the first drive assembly position;
- and
- (7) the drive assembly is in the second drive assembly position when the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component;
- and
- (8) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the unlocking elevation to the locking elevation when the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will lock the pivot assembly to the frame portion with the drive assembly in the second drive assembly position;
- and
- (9) actuation of the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly from the locking elevation to the unlocking elevation when the second frame locking component is aligned with the pivot locking component will unlock the pivot assembly from the frame portion with the drive assembly in the second drive assembly position;
- (B) actuating the elevating actuator to move the drive mechanism from the contact position to the non-contact position;
- (C) actuating the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly to unlock the pivot assembly from the frame portion;
- (D) actuating the positioning actuator to pivot the pivot assembly on the pivot pin with respect to the frame portion between the first pivot position and the second pivot position;
- (E) actuating the locking actuator to move the pivot assembly to lock the pivot assembly to the frame portion;
- (F) actuating the elevating actuator to move the drive mechanism from the non-contact position to the contact position.
25 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.