EP2744947A1

EP2744947A1 - Tool holder

Info

Publication number: EP2744947A1
Application number: EP12823343.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andreas Andersson; Christer Lennartsson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Andersson Andreas; LENNARTSSON, CHRISTER
Priority date: 2011-08-18
Filing date: 2012-08-10
Publication date: 2014-06-25
Also published as: SE1100597A1; EP2744947A4; SE536309C2; WO2013025141A1; WO2013025141A8

Abstract

A holder (3) for a tool (4) on a forestry machine comprising hydraulic and mechanical connecting devices. The holder (3) is mechanically lockable and releasable by remote control. Remaining connecting devices are also lockable and releasable by remote control.

Description

TOOL HOLDER

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a holder for a tool on a forestry machine, comprising hydraulic and mechanical connecting devices, the holder being mechanically lockable and releasable by remote control.

BACKGROUND ART

Analogous with many other contractor machines, forestry machines employ different tools for different tasks, for example tools for harvesting and trimming trunks, cutting tools and gripping tools for brushwood. According as the machine alternates between different working tasks, a change of tool is naturally required. Such changes may unfortunately be complex and time-consuming manoeuvres, at the same time as they require manual action, and the driver of the forestry machine must dismount from the driver's cab on tool change, which may be a drawback for example in inclement weather. Otherwise, the loss of time on tool change is probably the greatest drawback, but in addition there is also the risk that the machine operator fails to carry out a working phase on tool change.

In order to simplify operation and in order to save time, equipment has been designed for forestry machines where a gripping device and a cutting assembly have been integrated into one and the same tool unit. This tool unit reduces the need of tool change between at least these two types of equipment. One advantage is thereby a reduction in the number of time-consuming tool changes. However, the drawback inherent in this design is that the unit of equipment has become a compromise between the two tool components included, and that it does not display any maximum performance for any of the tool types, which has been perceived as unsatisfactory. Such is the case even if the assembly has been designed so that only one tool at a time is in an operative state. Fixing attachments for buckets on excavating machines have also long been known in the art. The problem is similar in this area as well. Many of these fixing points are purely mechanical and in this regard differ from the holders on the above-mentioned forestry machines, which often include both hydraulic and electric connecting devices. A further aspect in this regard is that excavating machines are generally employed in an urban environment, where there are flat surfaces on which a replacement bucket may be placed so as to position it to facilitate a change. Similar preconditions, with flat ground, cannot be expected in a forest environment and the technology employed on these types of buckets for excavators is not applicable in a forest environment.

PROBLEM STRUCTURE

There is thus a need in the art to simplify and reduce the time consumption for switching between different tools.

SOLUTION

The object forming the basis of the present invention will be attained if the tool holder intimated by way of introduction is characterised in that the remaining connecting devices are also lockable and releasable by remote control.

Further advantages will be attained if the holder according to the present invention is moreover given one or more of the characterising features as set forth in appended Claims 2 to 8.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described in greater detail hereinbelow, with reference to the accompanying Drawings. In the accompanying Drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an arm included in a forestry machine, a tool holder and a tool;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a holder according to the present invention;

Figs. 3a and b are side elevations from two angles of the holder according to the invention in an open state; and

Figs. 4a and b are side elevations corresponding to those of Figs. 3 a and b of the holder in a locked state.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Fig. 1 shows a part of a forestry machine, which includes an arm 1 on which is mounted a rotator 2 which is rotary about its own axis. On the rotator 2 there is disposed a holder 3 by means of which a harvester unit 4 is releasably secured to the arm 1 of the forestry machine. The harvester unit 4 which is shown in Fig. 1 is but one example of a tool which may be fixed to the arm 1 using the holder 3. The tool may be of any other type, for example a tool for collecting and bundling branches and brushwood. The harvester unit 4 which is shown in Fig. 1 is disposed to carry out felling of trees, trimming of the felled trunks and cutting them into desired lengths.

Fig. 2 shows the rotator 2 and the holder 3 in exploded view. The holder is divisible into two parts, an upper part 3a and a lower part 3b. On the upper part there are gripping members 5 which, in the preferred embodiment, are two in number. Each part 3a, 3b of the holder 3 has hydraulic connecting devices together with connecting devices for electric power and data transfer. In one preferred embodiment, the electric connecting devices are six-poled and watertight in construction.

All connecting devices 6 for hydraulics, electric power and data transfer are disposed centrally in the holder parts 3a, 3b, which has numerous advantages. On the one hand, rotation of the holder 3 is facilitated, since the lines and conductors on rotation are simply twisted about themselves, which implies that only a limited extra length must be provided for the lines and conductors up to the connecting devices 6, so as not to prevent rotation or cause damage to lines, conductors or connecting devices. The other advantage inherent in central positioning is that encapsulation and protection of the connecting devices 6 are facilitated.

Surrounding the connecting devices 6, there are an outer jig or guide means 7a and an inner jig or guide means 7b. The guide means 7a, 7b are in the form of hollow straight blocks, where the outer guide means 7a displays slightly larger dimensions than the inner guide means 7b, so that the outer guide means 7a is slideably mountable outside the inner guide means. The outer dimensions of the inner guide means 7b thus correspond largely to the inner dimensions of the outer guide means 7a, so that the correspondence in configuration between the inner and the outer guide means 7a, 7b results in an alignment of the connecting devices 6 in the upper part 3a of the holder and the lower part thereof 3b, respectively, so that these are interconnected at the same time as the guide means 7a, 7b are brought together.

Surrounding the lower guide means 7b, there is provided a circumferential gripping edge 8. This gripping edge 8 has, on the one hand, the purpose of limiting the movement of the upper part 3 a of the holder in relation to its lower part 3 b and, on the other hand, the purpose of forming a part of the locking of the holder 3. When the upper guide means 7a has been mounted on the outside of the guide means 7b, its free outer end will abut against the gripping edge 8, and the upper part 3 a of the holder is thereby completely united with its lower part 3b. The gripping edge 8 is disposed at such a height around the lower guide means 7b that, when the upper guide means 7a has been brought into contact with the gripping edge 8, the connecting devices 6 for hydraulics, electric power and data transfer have also been interconnected. In order to retain the guide means 7a, b, and thereby also the connecting devices 6 in position in relation to one another, the gripping members 5 are moved on the upper part 3 a of the holder into engagement with the gripping edge 8 on that side which is turned to face away from the upper part 3 a of the holder. Thus, the gripping members 5 grasp about the gripping edge 8 in a position beyond the edge. At the same time as the configuration of the guide means 7a, 7b prevents these from being rotated in relation to one another, which would involve a risk of damage to the coupling devices 6 as well as an instability in the fixing, the gripping members 5 prevent a movement in the longitudinal direction of the guide means 7a, b, i.e. in their direction of interconnection. Thus, the gripping members 5 unite the holder 3 together as a single unit.

In order to realise an interconnection of a tool 4 with the arm 1 on a forestry machine with the aid of the holder 3, in brief the following sequence takes place: the tool 4 is placed on a substrate, for example the ground or the load platform of a truck or a trailer. The substrate need not be either horizontal or flat, which implies that the upper part of the tool with the lower part 3b of the holder 3 may be directed in any optional direction, the only precondition being that a space surrounding the holder part 3b is free so that this is accessible.

The arm 1 and the rotator 2 are aligned so that the upper part 3 a and the lower part 3b of the holder come into position in register with one another along a substantially straight line. The upper part 3 a of the holder with the guide means 7a approaches the lower part 3b of the holder and its guide means 7b in an approximately linear movement in the longitudinal direction of the guide means 7a, 7b, which thus is the direction of interconnection of the guide means 7a, 7b. If, when the guide means 7a, 7b are located in register with one another, it proves that they are slightly offset transversely of the direction of interconnection or slightly twisted in relation to one another, an additional fine adjustment of the upper part 3a of the holder may need to be carried out. Since the rotator 2 is disposed on the arm 1 on the forestry machine, it is possible for the driver of the forestry machine to guide and adapt the position of the upper part 3 a of the holder to a considerable extent. Yet a further advantage inherent in the rotator 2 being disposed between the arm 1 and the upper part 3a of the holder is that only one rotator 2 need be used, which is an advantage in economic terms compared with if a separate rotator must be provided on each individual tool. When a sufficient adaptation has been made of the upper part 3 a of the holder in relation to the position of the lower part 3b of the holder, the upper guide means 7a may be mounted on the lower guide means 7b. The connecting devices 6 which are disposed inside the guide means 7a, 7b fit together, since the adaption of the mutual positions of the guide means 7a, 7b also implies an automatic adaptation of the mutual positions of the coupling devices 6. The guide means 7a, 7b are moved together and any possible further alignment of them takes place on the mutual sliding of the guide means 7a, 7b. Thus, the parts 3a, 3b of the holder are brought together and the mechanical interconnection simultaneously entails, and in the same movement, an automatic mating of the connecting devices 6 for hydraulics, electric power and data transfer. Thus, no separate mating of hydraulics, electric power or data transfer is needed, but all operations take place automatically on interconnection of the two parts 3a, 3b of the holder 3. The driver of the forestry machine need not leave the driver's cab, and the risk that any connecting operation is missed is thereby obviated.

In order to retain the holder 3 in its position, the gripping members 5 beyond the gripping edge 8 are locked with the aid of the operating cylinders 9 disposed on the gripping members 5, the cylinders being, in the preferred embodiment, hydraulic. All connections 6 are held in place when the gripping members 5 have fixedly locked the guide means 7a, 7b in relation to one another. In addition, the connections 6 are protected from external action.

The locking of the gripping members 5 is retained even in the event of operational loss, such as pressure drop in the hydraulic lines, and in the event of a power failure.

When the tool 4 is to be released from the forestry machine, the process is the reverse. First, the gripping members 5 are released from the gripping edge 8, and thereafter the upper guide means 7a may be drawn away from the lower guide means 7b and the connecting devices 6 be disconnected from one another because of the tractive force exercised by the arm 1 on the upper part 3 a of the holder. Figs. 3a and 3b show the gripping members 5 in their open position before the guide means 7a and 7b have been united. In the figures, the rotator 2, the cylinders 9 in the gripping members 5, the guide means 7a and b and also the gripping edge 8 are visible. Correspondingly, Figs. 4a and 4b show the holder 3 when this is in its locked state. The parts included are the same as those disclosed above for Figs. 3a and 3b, but the upper guide means 7a is now applied on the lower guide means 7b, so that the gripping members 5 can grip beyond the gripping edge 8 and hold together the upper part 3a and the lower part 3b of the holder. DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

In principle, it is possible to design the guide means 7a, 7b in a manner other than that illustrated in the above described embodiment. The guide means 7a, 7b could be of other configuration than the rectangular configuration which is shown in the above embodiment. Above all, this applies to the cross sectional configuration. Naturally, it is a considerable advantage if the guide means 7a, 7b display such cross sectional configuration that they can only be brought together in one position, so that an automatic guiding into position also takes place of the connecting devices for hydraulics, electric power and data transfer, and the risk of faults is eliminated.

The guide means 7a, 7b may also have a more open design and fundamentally only consist of rails which extend in the converging direction, but one drawback inherent in this design is that the connecting members 6 for hydraulics, electricity and data transfer are not as well protected from external action as in the above-described embodiment.

The mechanical locking 5, 8 could be executed in some other way which is previously known to a person skilled in the art, but should be designed in such a manner that it does not release in the event of a possible operational loss, such as a power failure or pressure loss in the hydraulic system. In the foregoing discussion, mention was made of connecting devices 6 for data transfer. It is naturally also possible to transfer the data in wireless mode, which implies that no cable for this purpose would be needed. Thus, the present invention may be modified such that the connecting devices 6 inside the guide means 7a, 7b only relate to hydraulics and/or electric power.

The present invention may be modified further without departing from the scope of the appended Claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A holder for tools (4) on a forestry machine, comprising hydraulic and mechanical connecting devices (5, 6), the holder (3) being mechanically lockable and releasable by remote control, characterised in that remaining connecting devices (6) are also lockable and releasable by remote control.

2. The holder as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the holder (3) is two-parted, and cooperating parts of the connecting devices (5, 6, 7, 8) are disposed on each respective part (3 a, 3b) of the holder, the one part (3 a) of the holder being disposable on the forestry machine and its other part (3b) being disposable on the tool (4).

3. The holder as claimed in Claim 2, characterised in that the two parts (3a) have jigs or alignment means (7a, 7b) which cooperate with one another on bringing together of the two parts (3a, 3b) in a unification direction.

4. The holder as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the one part (3a) of the holder has gripping members (5) which are disposed to grip beyond an edge (8) disposed on the second part (3b) of the holder, the edge extending outwards from the holder (3).

5. The holder as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the guide means (7a, 7b) surround at least the hydraulic connecting devices (6).

6. The holder as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the connecting devices for electric power and/or data transfer are disposed in the holder (3) and are lockable and releasable by remote control.

7. The holder as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the connecting devices (6) are disposed to be connected by a linear movement in the unification direction.

8. The holder as claimed in Claim 4, characterised in that the gripping members (5) are hydraulically operated.