EP2808271A1

EP2808271A1 - Containers to be fitted to an earth moving machine

Info

Publication number: EP2808271A1
Application number: EP14170025.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Enzo Credali
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-05-27
Filing date: 2014-05-27
Publication date: 2014-12-03
Also published as: ITPC20130017A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container (1) to be fitted to an earth moving machine comprising a support structure (10) with at least two facing side members (14, 15), which defines a housing (11) for receiving equipment, characterized in that it is provided on a first side member (14) with gripping means (16) configured to enable gripping and lifting of the container by means of a bucket (B) and on a second side member (15) with coupling means (17) for constraining the container to a blade (L) or shovel of the earth moving machine.

Description

The present invention relates to a container device, in particular for connection to earth moving machines and more in detail a container device for transporting equipment and tools to be fitted to said machines.
Earth moving machines, including excavators, bulldozers or the like, are generally used in road construction and other sites.
In particular, when it is necessary to use jackhammers of large size or on large areas, these are fitted to the end of the arm of an excavator (in place of the bucket) capable of providing all the degrees of freedom required.
The problem posed in these cases is the difficulty workers face when loading and unloading heavy and bulky equipment such as this on the trailers used to transport earth moving machines to the site.
Currently, these loading and unloading operations are carried out manually, but in many cases they require at least two or three people (for example, in order to load a jackhammer), due to the considerable weight of these items.
Moreover, this equipment is often very dirty with earth and dust, as well as with hydraulic oil, as in order to operate it is connected to the hydraulic system of the machines.
The problem set forth herein is clearly not limited to this type of equipment, but also to any particularly bulky and heavy item or tool that requires to be loaded manually onto the bed or rear load body of the transport vehicle.
In this context, the object of the present invention is to provide a container for equipment that solves the problems of the prior art described above.
In detail, an object of the present invention is to provide a container for equipment that can be handled and transported by an earth moving machine, in particular by an excavator.
More in detail, the object of the present invention is to produce a container for equipment that can be gripped and connected to an earth moving machine without requiring the use of dedicated accessories.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sturdy, simple to produce and inexpensive container.
These objects are substantially achieved by a container comprising a support structure with at least two facing side members, which defines a housing for receiving equipment, characterized in that it is provided, on a first side member, with gripping means configured to enable gripping and lifting of the container by means of a bucket and, on a second side member, with coupling means for constraining the container to a blade or shovel of the earth moving machine.
The container thus conceived can be gripped and lifted with the bucket of the machine through the gripping means and then coupled to the blade through the coupling means.
The operation can therefore be carried out by the driver of the earth moving machine, rapidly and easily and without any effort.
After the container has been fitted to the machine, this can be loaded onto the transport vehicle, taken to the site or to the workplace and unloaded.
The container can then be taken to the required area and subsequently decoupled with a reverse operation to the coupling operation described above.
In a preferred variant the gripping means can comprise at least one opening in which the end part of a bucket can be inserted. More in particular, said opening is limited at the top and bottom by two ledge elements adapted to collaborate on the edge of the bucket to prevent the container from falling or overturning.
For this purpose, the ledge elements are preferably mutually staggered along a vertical axis so that an upper ledge element is advanced with respect to a lower ledge element toward the inside of the container.
In the preferred variant, the coupling means can instead comprise at least one overturned U-shaped element adapted to engage the upper edge of the blade of the machine.
Advantageously a portion of said overturned U-shaped element can be comprised on said second side member of the support structure of the container.
Further characteristics and advantages will become more apparent from the following description of a non-limiting example of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the container according to the invention;
iFg. 2 is a side view of the device of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional side view of the device gripped by a bucket of an earth moving machine;
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional side view of the device coupled to the blade of an earth moving machine.

With reference to the accompanying figures, the container 1 connectable to an earth moving machine, comprises a support structure, indicated as a whole with 10, which defines a housing 11 for equipment to be used in road construction or building sites, such as equipment or accessories to be connected to earth moving machines.
More in detail said support structure 10 comprises at least one bottom 12 and side walls 13, which define the housing compartment 11 for the equipment.
Even more in detail, said structure comprises at least two mutually facing side members 14, 15, preferably rectilinear and parallel.
A feature of the invention is to provide, on a first side member 14 of said structure, gripping means, indicated as a whole with 16, configured to enable gripping and lifting of the container 1 by means of a bucket B of an earth moving machine, as can be seen in Fig. 3.
According to the invention, said support structure 10 also comprises, on a second side member 15, coupling means, indicated as a whole with 17, to constrain the container to a blade L of the machine.
The container 1 thus configured can be picked up from a storage area engaging on the first side member 14 the gripping means 16 with the bucket B. It can be lifted and handled by means of the arm of the machine and subsequently coupled by means of the coupling means 17 to the blade L of the same machine.
In fact, many small and medium sized excavators (up to approximately 150 quintals), are almost always provided with a movable blade connected to the chassis useful for small levelling operations or as extra support in conditions of precarious balance of the machine.
The container 1, after being coupled to the blade L can then be transported by the earth moving machine both to be loaded onto and unloaded from the vehicles used to transport the machines, and for movements within the work area (site).
After reaching said work area, the machine can then transport the container to the required area and unload it with a reverse procedure to the one described previously.
In detail, the arm of the machine is moved so as to engage the bucket B with the gripping means 16 to release the container from the blade L and subsequently lay it down in the required area.
In a preferred variant
With the container of the present invention, equipment required in the site can be placed therein and loaded/unloaded and/or handled without any effort by workers or operators.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention said gripping means 16 comprise at least one opening 18 in which the end part of a bucket B can be inserted.
Preferably, to prevent the container from disengaging from the bucket (with the risk of falling) said opening is limited at the top and bottom by two ledge elements 19, 20 adapted to respectively contact an upper edge and a lower edge of the bucket B.
Even more in detail, said ledge elements can be mutually staggered along a vertical axis Y so that the upper ledge element 19 is advanced with respect to a lower ledge element 20, toward the inside of the container 1.
This, in conjunction with the typical shape of a bucket, means that the weight of the container and of its content is discharged onto both the ledge elements 19, 20, thus preventing it from rotating and overturning.
For this purpose, said ledge elements 19, 20 can advantageously comprise a pair of rods, bars or the like with a curved or polygonal profile.
In a preferred variant the distance D between said ledge elements 19, 20 is preferably between 10 cm and 40 cm.
Again according to a preferred variant, said coupling means 17 instead comprise at least one overturned U-shaped element 21 configured to be placed straddling the upper edge S of the blade L.
The dimensions of said overturned U-shaped element 21 can vary both as a function of the load to be supported, i.e. as a function of the dimensions of the container, and of the shape and of the dimensions of the blade L of the machine.
In particular, there can be provided a single overturned U-shaped element 21 preferably placed on the centreline of the container or, preferably, at least one pair of U-shaped elements placed at the side members of said container.
According to a preferred embodiment, a portion of said overturned U-shaped element 21 can be comprised on said second side member 14 of the structure of the container 1.
In practice, said U-shaped element comprises an L-shaped bracket connected integral to the second side member 15 so as to form a seat 22 for housing the upper edge S of the blade L.
The structure 10 of the container can be produced in any way that enables objects and equipment of different sizes to be contained.
According to a preferred variant, said support structure 10 comprises a plurality of metal section bars 23 joined to one another and at least partly covered with panels 24, made of metal, plastic or wooden materials.
The structure thus configured has an adequate mechanical strength provided by the metal frame, but limiting the weight to reduce the effort sustained by the gripping means 16 and by the coupling means 17.
According to one of the possible variants of the container, a third side member 25 of the support structure is structured to receive the tip of a jackhammer.
In particular, said third side member has a V-shaped support 16 on which the tip of a jackhammer placed in the container can be placed.
The container thus configured, in particular, enables the jackhammer to be coupled to the arm of the machine and vice versa to be returned to the container, without having to grip or handle the hammer manually.
With the present invention it is thus possible to produce a container for equipment that can be easily handled and transported by an earth moving machine and, in particular, by an excavator.
In fact, the container according to the invention does not require any additional accessory and can be used by any excavator provided with a bucket and with a blade.
The container thus conceived is also sturdy and inexpensive.
The present invention, as described and illustrated, may be subject to various modifications and variants, all of which fall within the scope of the invention; furthermore, all the details may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

Claims

A container (1) to be fitted to an earth moving machine comprising a support structure (10) with at least two facing side members (14, 15), which defines a housing (11) for receiving equipment, characterized in that it is provided on a first side member (14) with gripping means (16) configured to enable gripping and lifting of the container by means of a bucket (B) and on a second side member (15) with coupling means (17) for constraining the container to a blade (L) or shovel of the earth moving machine.
The container as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said gripping means (16) comprise at least one opening (18) in which the end part of a bucket can be inserted.
The container as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said opening (18) is limited at the top and at the bottom by two ledge elements (19, 20).
The container as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that said ledge elements (19, 20) are mutually staggered along a vertical axis so that an upper ledge element (19) is advanced with respect to a lower ledge element (20) toward the inside of the container (1).
The container as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said ledge elements (19, 20) are positioned at a distance (D) in height comprised between 10 cm and 40 cm.
The container as claimed in claim 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that said ledge elements (19, 20) comprise a pair of rods, bars or the like.
The container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said coupling means (17) comprise at least one overturned U-shaped element (21).
The container as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a portion of said overturned U-shaped element (21) is comprised on said second side member (15) of the support structure (10) of the container (1).
The container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support structure (10) comprises a plurality of section bars (23) joined to one another and at least partly covered with panels (24).
The container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a third side member (25) of said structure is structured to receive the tip of a jackhammer.