GB2268464A

GB2268464A - Implement coupler.

Info

Publication number: GB2268464A
Application number: GB9313467A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Steven Scholey
Original assignee: Fermec Manufacturing Ltd
Current assignee: Fermec Manufacturing Ltd
Priority date: 1992-07-04
Filing date: 1993-06-30
Publication date: 1994-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2013-06-30
Also published as: GB2268464B; GB9214255D0; EP0578447A1; GB9313467D0

Description

2268464 1 IMPLEMENT ATTACHMENT COUPLER This invention relates to couplers

for attaching implements, such as digging or loading buckets or f ork tines, to the end of a support member or members of, for example, a digging, loading or handling machine.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved form of quick attach coupler for coupling implements to, for example, a digging, loading or handling machine.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided an implement attachment coupler, for attaching an implement having first and second vertically spaced coupling means to a machine, the coupler including:

(a) first and second vertically spaced receiving means; (b) latch means associated with the f irst or second receiving means and movable between a latched position, in which the associated coupling means are held captive in the receiving means, and an open position, in which the coupling means are free to enter or leave the receiving means, the latch means being movable between latched and open positions by contact with the associated coupling means; (c) locking means capable of holding the latch means in the latched and open positions; (d) bias means biasing the locking means to a position in which it is capable of holding the latch means in the latched position; and (e) release means operable to move the locking means, against the action of the biasing means, to a position in which the latch means can move to the open position.

An advantage of an implement attachment coupler according to the present invention is that the latch means ismoved to both open and closed positions by contact with the implement coupling means using the weight of the implement. By utilising the weight of 2 the implement to move the latch means, even when the coupler is caked with mud, as often occurs with some forms of implement, the latch means will operate correctly.

A further advantage of an implement attachment coupler according to the present invention is that the latch means is held in a latched position by a bias means, via a locking means. Thus even in the event of an hydraulic failure the implement will be held securely by the coupler.

Preferably the bias means also biases the locking means into a position in which it is capable of holding the latch means in the open position in addition to holding it in the latched position.

In a preferred construction the first receiving means comprises a pair of upper upwardly opening slots and the second receiving means comprises a pair of lower horizontally opening slots.

Preferably the latch means comprises a pair of latch members pivotally mounted adjacent either each of the first or each of the second receiving means, and the locking means comprises a pair of locking members each pivotally mounted adjacent a respective latch member.

Each locking member may include first and second recesses with a threshold therebetween, and the respective latch member may include a formation for engagement in the first recess when the latch member is in the open position and for engagement in the second recess when in the latched position. The locking means may be in the same position when holding the latch means in the latched and open positions.

Conveniently the bias means may comprise a spring and the release means may comprise a single-acting hydraulic ram. The spring may be located within the cylinder of the hydraulic ram.

one embodiment of the invention, as applied to a bucket coupler 3 for a tractor mounted digger, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the right half of a coupler according to the invention, viewed from the centre of the coupler, with its latch member locked in open and latched positions, and in the released position respectively; Figure 4 shows (a) right side, (b) rear and (c) plan views of the body of the coupler shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3; Figure 5 shows a side view of a latch member of the coupler of Figures 1, 2 and 3; Figure 6 shows (a) side and (b) edge views of a right side locking member of the coupler of Figures 1, 2 and 3; Figure 7 shows a longitudinal section, in a plane perpendicular to that of Figures 1, 2 and 3, through a ram providing biasing and release functions, to operate the locking member of Figure 6; and Figure 8 shows the coupler of Figures 1, 2 and 3 connected to a dipper of a tractor mounted digger, and a bucket suitable for coupling using the coupler.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the right half of an implement attachment coupler 10 for use in attaching a digging bucket to a tractor mounted digger is shown viewed from the centre of the coupler. The coupler 10 includes a body 12 having pairs of upper and lower slots 23, 24. A pair of latch members 13 is provided adjacent the lower slots 24 with a locking member 14 provided adjacent to each latch member 13. A single-acting hydraulic ram 15 is provided to operate the locking members 14. Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the right side of the coupler 10, the coupler 10 is symmetrical about a plane parallel with that of the Figures running lengthwise through the ram 15 and thus the right side is a mirror image of the left side.

Referring now also to Figure 8, the coupler 10 is attached to a 4 dipper 60 and double-acting hydraulic ram 61, by pins 62, 63 inserted through bossed holes 19, 20. The coupler 10 is manipulated by extension and retraction of the ram 61. Bucket 64 has spaced plates 65 on one edge with upper and lower coupling means in the form of pins 66, 67 located therebetween. Pins 66 and 67 are received in slots 23 and 24 of coupler 10 to attach the bucket 64 to the dipper 60 as will be described in detail below.

Referring now also to Figure 4, the body 12 of coupler 10 consists of a back plate 16, with, weilded to its rear face, a pair of vertically disposed rear plates 17, and, welded to its front face, a pair of vertically disposed heavy duty fore plates 18. The back plate 16 has a centrally located hole 16a through which the ram 15 passes, and a pair of ram mounting lugs 16b welded to its rear face adjacent the hole 16a. The rear plates 17 include upper and lower bossed holes 19, 20 and aligned holes 22. The fore plates 18 have formed in then upper receiving means, in the form of upwardly opening slots 23, lower receiving means, in the form of horizontally opening slots 24, and two pairs of aligned holes 25 and 26.

Referring now to Figure 5, each latch member 13 is of a generally hook shape, the hook defining a slot 27 with inner and outer sides 27a and 27b respectively. Each latch member 13 also includes a hole 28 and a nose 29 formed adjacent the inner slot side 27a and is pivotally connected to the inner face of the respective fore plate 18, of the body 12, by a pivot pin 30 located in the respective aligned holes 26 and 28.

Referring now to Figure 6, each locking member 14 consists of inner and outer plates 31 and 32 respectively, overlapped and welded together. The inner plate 31 includes a hole 33. The outer plate 32 includes a hole 34, a recess 35 and a clamping face 36 formed along edge 37 overlying the inner plate 31 with a threshold 38 therebetween. Each locking member 14 is pivotally connected to the inner face of the respective fore plate 18 by a pivot pin 39 located in the respective aligned holes 25 and 34. As will be appreciated, Figure 6 shows the right-hand locking member, as viewed in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the left-hand locking member being a mirror image.

Referring now also to Figure 7, the single-acting hydraulic ram 15 consists of a cylinder 40 with cavities 41a and 41b separated by a piston 42 which is movable between first and,second ends 43 and 44 respectively. The piston 42 has a rod 45 which carries a connector 49 with a mounting hole 50. The cavity 41a contains a biasing means in the form of a spring 46, to bias the piston 42, and thus the rod 45, to the second end 44. Cavity 41b is connected via a coupling 47 to a hydraulic fluid circuit (not shown) which includes a source of pressurised fluid and an operator controlled fluid flow valve for controlling the supply to and venting of pressurised fluid from cavity 41b. When hydraulic fluid is supplied to cavity 41b at sufficient pressure the bias of the spring 46 is overcome and the piston 42 and the rod 45 move towards the f irst end 43. When cavity 41b is depressurised the spring 46 forces the fluid out of the cavity and the piston 42 is moved back towards the second end 44. A hole 48 is formed in the cylinder 40 for pivotal mounting of the ram 15 on the mounting lugs 16b on the rear f ace of the back plate 16 by a pivot pin 51 through aligned holes in the lugs 16c. The ram 15 is connected to the two locking members 14 by a pivot pin 52 which extends through both holes 33 and hole 50.

The operation of the coupler 10 when attached to the dipper 60 of a tractor mounted digger for the coupling of the digger bucket 64, will now be described, with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and 8. With the latch members 13 locked in the open position, as shown in Figures 1 and 8, the coupler 10 is manipulated using ram 61 such that the upper slots 23 engage the upper coupling means 66 of the bucket 64. The bucket 64 is then lifted of f the ground and the coupler 10 manipulated towards the vertical position. The weight of the bucket 64 ensures that the upper coupling means 66 pivot in the upper slots 23 allowing the lower coupling means 6 67 to enter the lower slots 24. On entering the lower slots 24 the lower coupling means 67 contact the inner sides 27a of the slots 27 in the latch members 13 and the weight of the bucket 64 acts to pivot the latch members 13 about the pivot pins 30 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Figures 1 and 8) to move the latch members from the Figure 1 position towards the Figure 2 position. As the latch members 13 pivot in this way the noses 29 force the respective locking members 14 to pivot, against the bias of the spring 46 applied via the rod 45, in an anticlockwise direction and the noses 29 ride along the edges 37 of the locking members 14 as they move from recesses 35 to clamping faces 36. As the noses 29 pass over the thresholds 38 the spring 46 acts via rod 45 to pivot the locking members 14 back in a clockwise direction, with the faces 27a engaged on the clamping faces 36, to the latched position shown in Figure 2.

With the latch members 13 in their latched positions, the lower coupling means 67 of the bucket 64 are held securely in the lower slots 24 and the upper coupling means 66 are also thus locked in place in the upper slots 23. Even if the bucket is manipulated such that the lower coupling means 67 contact the outer sides 27b of the slots 27 in the latch members 13, due to the shape of the second recesses 36, the latch members are not able to pivot about their pivot pins 30 and remain held securely in that latched position.

When it is desired to uncouple the bucket 53 from the coupler 10 the tractor operator operates the fluid flow valve to supply pressurised hydraulic fluid into cavity 41b in the cylinder 40. The fluid acts against the spring 46 and moves the piston 42 such that the rod 45 is withdrawn into the cylinder 40. This in turn rotates the locking members 14 in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2, to the position shown in Figure 3 in which the latch members 13 are released. The coupler 10 is then manipulated such that the lower coupling means 67 contact the outer sides 27b of the slots 27 thus forcing the latch members 13 to rotate about the pivot pins 30, in an anticlockwise 7 direction as viewed in Figure 3, to the open position. The lower coupling means 67 are thus able to exit the slots 24. The hydraulic pressure is then released so that the spring 46 forces the fluid from cavity 41b by movement of the piston 42, and the rod 45 returns to the extended position. This results in the locking members 14 rotating in a clockwise direction to engage the noses 29 in the first recesses 35 and lock the latch members 13 in the open position, as shown in Figure 1. The bucket 64 is then lowered onto the ground and the coupler 10 manipulated to remove the upper slots 23 from engagement with the upper coupling means 66. The coupler is now held in the correct state f or coupling with another implement.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to a tractor mounted digger, embodiments could also be constructed f or use on other f orms of machine to which implements are attached, and for use on other forms of implement.

DW6190.8P 8

Claims

An implement attachment coupler, f or attaching an implement having f irst and second vertically spaced coupling means to a machine, the coupler including:

(a) first and second vertically spaced receiving means; (b) latch means associated with the first or second receiving means and latch means is movable between a latched position, in which the associated coupling means are held captive in the receiving means, and an open position, in which the coupling means are free to enter or leave the receiving means, the latch means being movable between latched and open positions by contact with the associated coupling means; (c) locking means capable of holding the latch means in the latched and open positions; (d) bias means biasing the locking means to a position in which it is capable of holding the latch means in the latched position; and (e) release means operable to move the locking means, against the action of the biasing means, to a position in which the latch means can move to the open position.

2. An implement attachment coupler according to Claim 1 wherein the latch means is moved to both open and closed positions by contact with the implement coupling means using the weight of the implement.

3. An implement attachment coupler according to claim 1 wherein the bias means biases the locking means into a position in which it is capable of holding the latch means in the latched position and biases the locking means into a position in which it is capable of holding the latch means in the open position.

9 4. An implement attachment coupler according to claim 3 wherein the locking means are in the same position when holding the latch means in the latched and open positions.

5. An implement attachment coupler according to Claim 1 wherein the first receiving means comprises a pair of upper upwardly opening slots and the second receiving means comprises a pair of lower horizontally opening slots.

6. An implement attachment coupler according to Claim 1 wherein the latch means comprises a pair of latch members pivotally mounted adjacent either each of the first or each of the second receiving means, and the locking means comprises a pair of locking members each pivotally mounted adjacent a respective latch member.

7. An implement attachment coupler according to Claim 6 wherein each locking member includes first and second recesses.with a threshold therebetween, and the respective latch member includes a formation for engagement in the first recess when the latch member is in the open position and for engagement in the second recess when in the latched position.

8. An implement attachment coupler according to Claim 1 wherein the bias means comprises a spring and the release means comprises a single-acting hydraulic ram.

9. An implement attachment coupler according to Claim 8 wherein the spring is located within the cylinder of the hydraulic ram.

DW6190.CL