GB2210404A

GB2210404A - Improvements in or relating to coupling devices

Info

Publication number: GB2210404A
Application number: GB8822458A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Franz Winkelbauer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-09-25
Filing date: 1988-09-23
Publication date: 1989-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-23
Also published as: GB2210404B; DE3832266A1; FR2641343A1; ATA244387A; GB8822458D0; AT392307B; FR2641343B1

Description

22 10404 IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO COUPLING DEVICES This invention

relates to coupling devices and is concerned with a coupling device for fastening together first and second components so that they are readily detachable.

It is known to provide coupling devices for fastening together a first component, such as a construction machine and a second component such as a bucket or other attachment in such a way that the second component is easily detachable. Generally these known coupling devices comprise two fixing bolts spaced by a predetermined distance and mounted on one of the components and two receptacles on the other of the is components for co-opei-ating with the fixing bolts.

In the case of cur-Lent coupling devices, the fixing bolts provided are such that they must be inserted into, and then secured in. the receptacles.

This is disadvantageous in that the setting up and dismantling of the attachment is very time-consuming so that the fitting of attachments to the machine becomes correspondingly costly.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate these disadvantages and to provide a Coupling device of the type mentioned above which makes possible a very simple and rapid change of attachments.

According to the present invention, there is provided a coupling device for fastening first and second components together so that they are readily detachable, which device comprises:

(i) first and second recesses, each open at its side, provided on the first component, (ii) first and second protrusions provided on the second component, and (iii) a sleeve open at its side and mounted in the second of said recesses so as to be rotatable between an open position wheirein its open side is in registry with the open side of the recess and a closed position wherein its open side is out of registry with the open side of the recess. the arrangement being such that the first protrusion can be inserted into the first recess through its open side so as to be retained therein and the second component can then be rotated about the first protrusion so that the second protrusion enters the second recess through its open side with the sleeve in the open position. the second protrusion being retained in the second recess by rotation of the sleeve to its closed position.

In an embodiment, the recesses are provided in is a plate connected securely with the first component and they are oriented so that their open sides are at least at right angles to one another.

Preferably the profile of the closed part of the first recess corresponds to the profile of the first protrusion and the profile of the sleeve corresponds to the profile of the second protrusion.

If desired, more than one plate may be provided, each plate including first and second recesses.

This makes it possible to hang the attachment in a position on a suitable holding arm of a machine, provided for the fitting of an attachment, by means of one protrusion positioned in the first recess whose open side is directed preferably in an essentially horizontal direction, whereupon the second protrusion can be swung into the second recess, which can be closed by the sleeve, and the attachment secured by rotation of the sleeve.

Since, in the case of the coupling device according to the invention, no manipulation of fixing bolts is necessary in the sense of their fitting and 3- dismantling, vital savings result with respect to change over time and setting up costs in the fitting of an attachment.

According to a further embodiment of the invention provision is made for the sleeve to be pretensioned so that it tends to adopt the closed position in which it retains the protrusion in the second recess. This makes it possible for the sleeve to be fixed securely in its closed position in a simple manner so that the protrusionr which engages with the sleeve, is held securely therein. A further advantage which results from this is that, when it is desired to release the protrusion, the sleeve merely needs to be rotated against its pretension which pretension can be applied for example by a spring operating. at least when the sleeve is in its open position. essentially in the peripheral direction thereof. Thus no manipulation of a locking mechanism is necessary.

In order for the protrusion to be swung in more easily means may be provided whereby the rotatable sleeve can be locked, by means of a snap locking device. in its open position, in which its open side coincides with the open side of the recess.

Likewise, to facilitate insertion of the protrusions, the open sides of the recesses and of the sleeve are enlarged at their mouths and merge into the outer surface of the plate and the sleeve by means of rounded off areas.

In the case of a preferred embodiment of the invention provision can be made for the snap locking device to be in the form of (i) a stop-plate attached to the plate of the machine in such a way that the stop-plate is pretensioned against its rest position close to the sleeve, and wherein said stop-plate can be rotated from its rest position, about an axis, against this pretension, together with (ii) means comprising a radially projecting lug arranged on the rotatable sleeve, which lug works in conjunction with the stop plate. wherein the stop-plate, when the sleeve is turned in the direction of its open position. can be deflected by the lug of the sleeve against the pketensioning of the stop-plate.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect. reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a side view of an attachment secured to a construction machine by a coupling device according to the invention, Fig.2 is a side view of the attachment and machine of Fig.1 with the coupling device in its unlocked position, Fig.3 is a side view of the coupling device of Fig.1 on an enlarged scale, Fig.4 is a side view of the coupling device of Fig.2 on an enlarged scale, and Fig.5 and 6 are a longitudinal section and a cross section, respectively through a part of the coupling device of Figs.1 to 4.

Figures 1 and 2 show a bucket 3 secured by means of a coupling device 1 according to the invention onto an arm 2, e.g. of an excavator. The arm 2 includes an adjusting device 4 which also acts on the coupling device 1 and thus makes possible the control of the attachment, in this case the bucket 3.

As can be seen from Fig.2 the attachment includes protrusions in the form of fixing bolts 5,5' for engagement with recesses 6 and 6' of the coupling device 1. Each recess 6 and 6' has an open side.

Figs.3 and 4 represent an enlargement of the coupling device which includes two plates 7 (only one of which is shown), spaced from one another and lying parallel to one another. The plates are connected together by means of bolts (not illustrated) and can be considered as one unit.

The arm 2 and its adjusting device 4. which can have a cylinder-piston mechanism, engage between the two plates 7 and are connected with the plates by means of bolts which are not illustrated. It is not necessary for this connection to be operatively detachable since the two plates 7 can remain permanently connected with the arm 2 and its adjusting device 4 and removal of the plates will be necessary solely for maintenance work which has become duet but is not for fitting an attachment 3. Moreover the attachment 3 also engages between the plates 7.

Each of these plates 7 has two recesses 6 and 6. The open sides of the recesses 6 and 6' are oriented substantially perpendicularly to one another and the widths of the open sides of the recesses 6 and 6' increase in the direction towards the mouths of the open sides which merge with the outer surfaces of the plates 7 by means of rounded off areas 8. This makes possible the easy insertion of the fixing bolts 5, S' of the attachment 3, which is illustrated, by way of example, in the drawings as a bucket.

The recess 61, open at its side, has an essentially lyre-shaped form, and a cylindrical sleeve 9 is contained in the enlarged central area of this recess V. This sleeve 9. illustrated in longitudinal and cross sections in Figs. 5 and 6, possesses a slit which runs longitudinally of the sleeve so that the sleeve has an open side. The slit extends over the entire length of the sleeve and serves to hold the fixing bolt V. If the design of the bolt is suitable, it may not be necessary for the slit to pass through the axis of the sleeve. The only essential factor is that the fixing bolt 5' can be held by the slit 10.

This slit has a rounded off area 11 (see Fig.6) which serves as the bearing surface for the fixing bolt Vp as can be seen from Fig.3 which shows the coupling device 1 according to the invention in the closed position.

As can be seen in particular from Fig.5, the sleeve 9 has two flanges 12. These engage in corresponding grooves of the two plates 7 and secure the sleeve 9 in position in its axial direction in the two plates 7 and at the same time contribute to determining the distance of the two plates 7 from one another, The fitting of the attachment 3 to the arm 2 of the machine, which machine is not described further, and to the adjusting device 4 of the arm 2 takes place simply by the insertion of fixing bolt 5 of the attachment 3 laterally into the recesses 6 of the two plates 7, via the open side of each recess which open side is essentially horizontal. Thereafter the fixing bolt S' is swung into the recesses 6' of the plates 7.

At this stage the sleeve 9 is located in the position illustrated in Fig.4, in which its slit 10 coincides essentially with the edges of the recesses 6' so that the open sides of the sleeve 9 and the recesses 6' are in registry and as a result it is possible to swing the fixing bolt 5' into the slit 10 of the sleeve 9. After this has happened it is simply necessary to rotate the sleeve 9 so that the open sides of the sleeve and recesses 6' are out of registry with the base of the slit 10 closing the recesses 6' of the plates 7 and thus securing the fixing bolt V.

In order to facilitate the fitting of the attachment 3 a lug 13 is welded onto the sleeve 9 in that area of the outer surface of the sleeve which lies between the plates 7. This lug constitutes a part of a snap locking mechanism. This mechanism possesses in addition a plate 13 which is fixedly connected to an arm 15 which approximately describes an arc of 9C. A screw 16, provided as an adjustable stop, is attached to this plate. which screw serves simultaneously as a guide for a compression spring 17 which prestresses the plate 14 against its illustrated rest position which is located near to the sleeve 9 and which can be fixed by means of a stop which is not illustrated. The compression spring 17 is supported on a crosspiece 18 which connects the two plates 7. The arm 15 is held so is that it can be rotated about an axis which is held by screws 19 and which runs coaxially to these screws and which is not further described.

If the sleeve 9 is now rotated, in an anticlockwise direction out of its rest position illustrated in Fig.3. in which it closes the recess V, against the force of a tension spring 21 which is held on a radially projecting crosspiece 20 of the sleeve 9 and additionally hung on an eye 22 secured to a plate 7, and into its open position illustrated in Fig.4. then the lug 13 presses on the plate 14 from the bottom wherein the latter is deflected in an anticlockwise direction against the force of the compression spring 17. By this means the lug 13 on the front side of the plate 14 slides past said plate, whereupon the plate 14, under the influence of the compression spring 17, returns to its rest position in which it is located near to the sleeve 9 or, if a suitable stop is absent, rests against the sleeve 9.

Thus the conditions described in Fig.4 arise, wherein the lug 13 rests against the upper side of the plate 14 and, by virtue of the position of the axis of rotation 7 of the arm 15 and thus of the plate 14, said lug exerts a moment which acts on the plate 14 in a clockwise sense i.e. towards the sleeve 9. Since in addition the compression spring 17 also operates in this sense the sleeve 9 is held securely by the interaction of the lug 13 with the plate 14. in its open position, in which the fixing bolt S' can be swung into the slit 10 of the sleeve 9. Thus the sleeve no longer needs to be held after the snap locking device 13, 14 has locked. and the handle, not illustrated, which is fitted to the sleeve in order to rotate it. can be let loose.

if the fixing bolt 5' is now swung into the slit 10 of the sleeve 9, then a projection 23 of the is attachment 3 approaches the screw 16. which, as has already been mentioned, serves as a stop. Said projection 23 then presses against the screw 16 which screw is moved, together with the stop-plate 14 to which it is attached, in an upward direction. against the force of compression spring 17. Given a suitable adjustment of the screw 16 in relation to the plate 14 this leads to the lug 13 being released by the plate 14 at this point and thus the sleeve 9 can return to the closed position, illustrated in Fig.3, under the influence of the spring 21 as soon as the fixing bolt S' has almost reached the rounded area 11 of the slit of the sleeve 9.

The spacing between the centres 30 of the recesses 6,6' corresponds to the distance between the centres of the fixing bolts 5,5' and the profile of the closed part of the recesses 6,6' corresponds to the profile of the fixing bolts 5,5'.

Claims

CLAIMS:

A coupling device for fastening first and second components together so that they are readily detachable, which device comprises:

(i) first and second recesses. each open at its side, provided on the first component, (ii) first and second protrusions provided on the second component, and (iii) a sleeve open at its side and mounted in the second of said recesses so as to be rotatable between an open position wherein its open side is in registry with the open side of the recess and a closed position wherein its open side is out of registry with the open side of the recess, the arrangement being such that the is first protrusion can be inserted into the first recess through its open side so as to be retained therein and the second component can then be rotated about the first protrusion so that the second protrusion enters the second recess through its open side with the sleeve in the open position, the second protrusion being retained in the second recess by rotation of the sleeve to its closed position.
2. A coupling device according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve is pretensioned so that it tends to adopt the closed position.
3. A coupling device according to claim 1 or 2.

wherein the sleeve can be locked in its open position.
4. A coupling device according to claim 3 wherein the sleeve is locked in its open position by means of a snap locking device formed by means of (i) a stop plate attached to the plate of the machine in such a way that the stop-plate is pretensioned against its rest position close to the sleeve, and wherein said stop-plate can be rotated from its rest position, about an axis, against this pretension, together with (ii) means comprising a radially projecting lug arranged on the rotatable sleeve, which lug works in conjunction with the stop-plate, wherein the stop-plate, when the sleeve is turned in the direction of its open position, can be deflected by the lug of the sleeve against the pretensioning of the stop-plate.
5_ A coupling device as claimed in claim 4 wherein there is provided an adjustable stop attached to the stop plate of the snap-locking device which adjustable stop can cooperate with the second component as the second protrusion enters the second recess so that said adjustable stop and stop plate are deflected to a position at which the lug is released from the stop plate.
6. A coupling device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the recesses are provided in a plate.
7. A coupling device according to claim 6 wherein the open sides of the recesses and the open side of the sleeve are enlarged at their mouths.
8. A coupling device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the open sides of the recesses merge with the outer surface of the plate by means of rounded off areas.
9. A coupling device as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the open side of the sleeve merges with the outer surface of the sleeve by means of rounded off areas.
10. A coupling device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.
11. A structure comprising first and second components fastened together by means of a coupling device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

-il-
12. A structure as claimed in claim 11 wherein the first component is a construction machine and the second component is an attachment therefor.

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