GB2195609A - Releasable coupling for vehicle attachments - Google Patents

Abstract

A releasable coupling for use in attaching, for example, a hydraulically operated handling arm 14 or a load carrying platform to a free steered mine vehicle. The coupling comprises a platform 16, with side walls and a rear wall 17, and a front abutment 19 mounted on the vehicle. Each attachment has a base plate 27 with side members 26, the plate being bent to form a vertical cross member 28. A plate 29 at the rear of the side members has drilled blocks which receive pins 18 projecting forwardly from rear wall 17 when base plate 27 is located on platform 16. Aligned holes in the side walls and side members receive retaining pins held in position by a dowel 22 passing through lugs 23. L-shaped ribs provide mountings 34 for the attachment and lower mountings 35 for jacks 36 forming part of arm 14. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Mobile units The invention relates to mobile units, and par-, ticularly to mobile units for use in underground mining operations.

In underground mining operations, specific projects such as the installation of mine roof supports, are carried out at infrequent intervals in time, for example when transferring mine roof supports from a worked-out area to a new location underground where mining is to take place.

Because of the nature of mining in general, it is not possible, nor financially viable, to provide permanent material handling facilities between such old and new locations described above. One suitable alternative is to use speciaily designed underground transport of the type generally described as free steered vehicles or FSV's, where no permanent materials handling provisions or rail tracks are required.

Because of the long intervals between the occasional transfer operations described above, it would be expensive to provide such an FSV for such purpose, which would lie idle between one transfer and another, and it therefore becomes logical to use an FSV for other purposes therebetween. The provision of an FSV with interchangeable attachments has been found to satisfy the FSV utilisation requirements.

FSV's for underground use must meet a number of design criteria which govern the load carrying capacity, the ease to manoeuvre in confined spaces, limited headroom, and the self-loading and un-loading provisions not normally required on surface transportation systems. Mine roadways are usually non-metalled and uneven and it is desirable therefore to carry loads with the minimum amount of overhang and as close to the wheelbase as the above criteria allow.

In the transfer of mine roof supports, each of which may weigh 14 tonnes or more, two types of attachment are used, a carrying platform and a hydraulicaliy operable arm for manoeuvering each support into position after off-loading, and when the support is resting on the mine floor. The sequence of operations of off-loading, changing attachments, positioning the supports, and then changing attachments again in readiness for transporting a further support highlights the need to reduce changing attachments time to an absolute minimum and an object of the invention is to reduce such time of changeover.

The forces transitted to an FSV via its attachments may be vertical and/or lateral and therefore the attachment system described in our U.K. Patent Specification 2132584 would be unsuitable, although the channelled member and locking device assembly described therein may in themselves provide an alternative attachment to the carrying platform and operable arm described above.

According to the present invention there is provided a mobile unit having a first location means axially alignable with the direction of travel of the mobile unit for engagement with a second location means on an attachment therefor, and alignable retention means engageable transversely to the direction of travel such that the attachment and mobile unit are located together in a constant spacial relationship.

The mobile unit may comprise the vehicle.

The vehicle may be provided with a cradle or like housing, there being a projecting mating part on the attachment, such that the vehicle can be moved towards the stationary attachment until complete engagement is attained, after which a lateral retaining pin can be inserted to hold the vehicle and attachment together.

The cradle or like housing may be constructed in the form of a substantially flat table-like member having at least one location pin with its axis parallel to the plane of the table-like member, the pin extending from an upstanding wall arranged at the rear end of the table-like member.

At least one lateral retaining pin may extend over the table-like member from at least one upstanding wall at one side of the table-like member and in a direction at right angles to the said location pin.

Preferably there is an upstanding wall at each side of the table-like member, each upstanding wall having at least one lateral retaining pin extendable therefrom.

Preferably the table-like member located on the vehicle will be arranged to bear substantially all the load, the location and retaining pins serving mainly to maintain the position of the attachment thereon.

To enhance the load carrying ability of the vehicle and attachment the location pin or pins may be located at one side of a vehicle axle whilst the retention pin or pins are situated at the other side of the same axle.

An abutment for the cradle or like housing, which is load bearing and which assist in the alignment for the retention pin or pins may be provided on the retention pin side of the said axle.

The said cradle abutment may project downwards relative to the table-like member in line ahead of the said axle.

The invention also provides a method of coupling an attachment to a mobile unit, whereby a closing relationship therebetween engages location means and further closing movement along the same path aligns retention means therebetween.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front end of a mobile unit fitted with an attachment, according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of an alternative embodiment having a different attachment; and Figure 4 is a plan view of the unit shown in Figure 3.

The mobile units with which the embodiments of the invention are concerned are of the free steered vehicle or FSV form. As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, such a vehicle may comprise a front chassis member 10 pivotally connected to a rear chassis member 11. The front chassis member has an- axle 12 carrying wheels 13.

So that the vehicle can be used for a variety of different purposes, means are provided, which will be described in more detail below, for mounting different forms of attachment to the front of the vehicle. The attachment indicated partially at 14 in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a hydraulically operated arm for handling mine roof supports while they are resting on the floor of a mine, and the attachment indicated generally at 15 in Figures 3 and 4 comprises a load carrying platform. It may be necessary to carry a load such as a mine roof support on the platform 15 from an old location to a new location, lower the support to the floor of the mine, then remove the platform 15 and replace it by the handling arm 14, then manoeuvre the mine roof support into its final position, and finally replace the arm 14 by the platform 15 ready to transport a further mine roof support.Obviously it is desirable for the attachments 14 and 15 to be securely mounted on the vehicle, but at the same time they must be readily and rapidly interchangeable.

The mating parts on the vehicle and attachments, which make it possible to bring about the rapid but reliable interchangeability, will now be described. These parts are substantially identical for each of the embodiments.

The vehicle is provided, between the wheels 13, with a table-like platform 16 which has a rear upstanding wall 17 from which two location pins 18 project forwardly.

The vehicle is also provided with a front abutment means 19 which defines a vertical forwardly facing abutment face.

The platform 16 is also provided with two upstanding side walls 20 which are each provided with holes to accommodate retaining pins 21 which in turn are held in position by a dowel 22 passing through lugs 23 arranged respectively above and below the retaining pin 21. The retaining pins have D-shaped handles 24 and the dowels are attached to the walls 20 by means of a chain 25.

Each attachment has a frame which comprises two L-shaped side members 26 which are interconnected by a base plate 27. The base plate 27 is bent downwardly at the front thereof to provide a vertical cross-member 28.

The side members 26 are interconnected at their rearmost ends by a plate 29 which is braced at two locations 30 and has drilled blocks 31 affixed thereto to mate with the location pins 18.

The side members 26 also provide reinforced holes at 32 to receive the retention pins 21.

Attached to the members 27 and 28 are two inner L-shaped ribs 33 which in combination with the side members 26 provide mountings at 34 for the foremost part of the attachment 14 whilst a lower mounting 35 provides a means of attaching an abutment for arm operating jacks 36 and 37.

The operation of the fittings will now be described, with reference to the mounting of the attachment arm 14.

The attachment will normally be resting on support trestles (not shown) or the like, in a position where the plate 27 is the same height or marginally higher then the vehicle platform 16. The vehicle, which effectively has an empty cradle part, its boundaries defined by members 16 and 20, approaches the attachment and initially engages its empty cradle with the corresponding members 27 and 26.

Further travel of the vehicle causes the location pins 18 to become engaged within the drilled blocks 31 until the cross member 28 comes up against the abutment face defined by the abutment means 19. This engagement automatically aligns the retaining pins 21 with the holes in the members 26 so the pins 21 can be inserted into the holes and the dowels 21 can then be placed in position to hold the retaining pins in their respective aligned holes.

During the approach of the vehicle to the fully engaged position the attachment arm may be moved using the jacks 36 and 37 to assist in alignment of the location pins 18.

It will be noted that this construction brings about interengagement on each side of the vehicle axis so that any subsequent load borne by the attachment is distributed portionally over the axle. The construction reduces the need for a more substantial structure such as that which would be required if the attachment was merely mounted by a plate-like arrangement in front of the wheels, with no engagement behind the wheels.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment.

Claims (18)

1. A mobile unit having a first location means axially alignable with the direction of travel of the mobile unit for engagement with a second location means on an attachment therefor, and alignable retention means engageable transversely to the direction of travel such that the attachment and mobile unit are located together in a constant spacial relationship.

2. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 1, comprising a vehicle.

3. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 2, provided with a cradle Qr like housing, there being a projecting mating part on the attachment, such that the vehicle can be moved towards the stationary attachment until complete engagement is attained, after which a lateral retaining pin can be inserted to hold the vehicle and attachment together.

4. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 3, in which the cradle or like housing is constructed in the form of a substantially flat table-like member having at least one location pin with its axis parallel to the plane of the table-like member, the pin extending froin an upstanding wall arranged at the rear end of the table-like manner.

5. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 4, in which at least one lateral retaining pin is extendable over the table-like member from at least one upstanding wall at one side of the table-like member and in a direction at right angles to the said location pin.

6. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 5, in which there is an upstanding wall at each side of the table-like member, each upstanding wall having at least one lateral retaining pin extendable therefrom.

7. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 6, in which the table-like member located on the vehicle is arranged to bear substantially all the load, the location and retaining pins serving mainly to maintain the position of the attachment thereon.

8. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 7, in which, to enhance the load carrying ability of the vehicle and attachment, the location pin or pins are located at one side of a vehicle axle whilst the retention pin or pins located at the other side of the same axle.

9. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 8, in which an abutment for the cradle or like housing, which is load bearing and which assists in the alignment for the retention pin or pins is provided on the retention pin side of the said axle.

10. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 9, in which the said cradle abutment projects downwards relative to the table-like member in line ahead of the said axle.

11. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 2, provided with guide means for aligning projecting and mating parts arranged axially with respect to the vehicle, such that the vehicle can be moved towards the stationary attachment until complete engagement of the mating parts is attained, after which a lateral retaining pin can be inserted to hold the vehicle and attachment together.

12. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 11, in which the guide means form a cradle or like housing which is constructed to embody a substantially flat table-like member an end plate extending from one end of the flat tablelike member in a direction normal thereto.

13. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 12, in which there is at least one location means having an axis extending parallel to the plane of the table-like member and normal to the end plate.

14. A mobile unit as claimed in Claim 13, in which the end plate is at the rear end of the table-like member and the location means comprise at least one pin projecting from the end plate.

15. A mobile unit as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 14, in which the lateral retaining pin is positioned at the forward end of the cradle.

16. A mobile unit constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A method of coupling an attachment to a mobile unit, whereby a closing relationship therebetween engages location means and further closing movement along the same path aligns retention means therebetween.

18. A method of coupling an attachment to a mobile unit, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.