JP2008133640A - Branch cutting traveling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a branch cutting traveling device capable of surely cutting branches extending near train tracks and roads while moving the position along the tracks and roads. <P>SOLUTION: This branch cutting traveling device is formed in a structure of a shovel excavator having a traveling mechanism 1, a slewing body 2, and a boom mechanism 2 having a work device 4 at the end. The work device 4 comprises a movable body (bucket) 61 supported rotatably around the axis of the end part of the boom mechanism, a holding part 70 supported by the movable body 61, and a cutting device 80. The work device further comprises an axially rotating drive part (hydraulic motor) 52 for rotating the movable body around the axis, vertical swing drive parts 41, 44 for rotating it along the derricking surface, and a lateral swing drive part 55 for rotating it along the surface vertical to the derricking surface and including the axis of the end part of the boom mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting off a tree branch, and more specifically, a branch cutting for cutting a branch extending near a track or road of a train while changing the position along the track or road. The present invention relates to a traveling device.

  Trees located near train tracks and roads may have branches extending over the tracks and roads. This causes damage to wires and communication lines, and trains and cars run. The problem of contact sometimes occurs.

  To prevent this, it is necessary to cut off the extended branches. In order to cut a branch at a high place, a tool that attaches a grudge to the tip of a long rod and performs a cutting operation with a wire from below can be used. However, branches that can be cut by hand force are limited to thin ones. Moreover, although an operator may rest on a stepladder and cut with a chainsaw or the like, it takes time to move the stepladder and the worker up and down, and there is a risk in working at a high place.

On the other hand, for example, a tree pruning work vehicle described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a device for cutting off branches without depending on human power. In this work vehicle, a cutting machine having a trimmer attached to the tip of an articulated arm is mounted on the rear part of the traveling vehicle. As the trimmer, a clipper-like reciprocating cutting blade, a rotary blade, a chain saw, or the like is used. The branch cutting is done by driving the articulated arm to move the trimmer up and down to prune the side of the tree, or by arranging the trimmer in a gate shape and running the work vehicle so that the side and top of the tree are continuous. It is done by pruning.
JP-A-11-75544

  However, since the work vehicle is cut by bringing the trimmer into contact with the branch while moving, the branch having a small diameter can only be pruned. That is, a certain thick branch is not cut only by touching a trimmer blade that reciprocates or rotates, and is bent in the moving direction of the trimmer. As a result, it was not possible to reliably cut off the branches including those having a certain diameter so as to damage the electric wires and communication lines and cause problems with contact with trains and automobiles.

  The present invention solves such a problem of the prior art, and a branch cutting traveling device capable of reliably cutting off branches extending near the track or road of a train while changing the position along the track or road. The purpose is to provide.

  The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a swinging mechanism that is mounted on a traveling mechanism and that can turn in a horizontal direction and that can be raised and lowered. The excavator has an excavator-type excavator with a working device attached to the tip of the boom mechanism. The working device is supported so as to be rotatable about the axis of the tip of the boom mechanism, and the movable body is rotated about the axis. An axial drive unit for rotating the movable body along the undulation surface, a vertical swing drive unit for rotating the movable body along the undulation surface, and the boom perpendicular to the undulation surface and the boom. Opposite to the lateral drive unit for rotating along the plane including the axis of the tip of the mechanism, the gripper that can be opened and closed supported by the movable body, and the plane along the opening and closing movement of the gripper Cutting device arranged and driven to swing in a direction along the surface That it comprises a providing a debranching traveling device according to claim.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the branch cutting travel device according to the first aspect, the boom mechanism includes a base arm that can be raised and lowered extending from the revolving body, and a front end portion of the base arm that extends from a front end of the base arm. And a tip arm connected to the tip arm so that the movable body is attached to the tip of the tip arm, and the tip arm rotates along the undulating surface of the base arm. To do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the branch cutting travel device according to the first or second aspect, the movable body includes a power shovel or a backhoe bucket, and the gripping portion is on one side of the opening edge of the bucket. The cutting device is provided on the other side of the opening edge of the bucket.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a branch cutting traveling apparatus including a swinging body mounted on a traveling mechanism, a boom mechanism extending from the swinging body, and a working device attached to a tip of the boom mechanism. The excavator type excavator has a structure that allows the work device at the end to be moved to a desired position by rotating the swivel body in the horizontal direction and rotating the boom mechanism in the up-and-down direction. You can reach the place. Further, the working device includes a movable body supported rotatably about the axis of the tip of the boom mechanism, an axis driving unit for rotating the movable body about the axis, and the movable body as the boom mechanism. And a horizontal swing drive unit for rotating the movable body along a plane perpendicular to the undulation surface and including the axis of the tip of the boom mechanism. The most suitable position for gripping and cutting the branch by driving and rotating the movable body that has reached the desired position of the tree with the drive unit of axial rotation, vertical swing, and horizontal swing. And you can take a posture. And based on this, a branch can be hold | gripped by the holding part supported by this movable body, a position can be fixed, and a branch can be cut | disconnected by a cutting device. Further, since the cutting device is disposed opposite to the surface along the opening and closing movement of the gripping portion and is driven to swing in the direction along the surface, the cutting device can be rotated in the direction across the branch gripped by the gripping portion. Branches can be cut. Further, when cutting, if the tip of the branch is cut by the cutting device from the gripping portion by the gripping part, the cut branch is held by the gripping part. Therefore, if the gripping part is opened after the working device is moved by the boom mechanism to the storage unit or the like coupled to the traveling device, the cut branch can be discharged to a predetermined location, and the branch can be easily cleaned up. Become. And after cutting | disconnection, what is necessary is just to make a traveling apparatus self-propelled to the following location. Therefore, the reliable cutting of branches, including thick ones that cause damage to electric wires and communication lines, and problems with contact with trains and automobiles, while changing the position along the track and road Can be cut off reliably.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the boom mechanism includes a base arm that can be raised and lowered extending from the swivel body, and a pivot that extends from the distal end of the base arm to the distal end of the base arm. A tip arm connected to the tip arm, and the movable body is attached to the tip of the tip arm, and the tip arm is driven to rotate along the undulating surface of the base arm. Therefore, the work device can be more easily and reliably made to reach the desired position of the tree by the two arms of the base arm and the tip arm.

  Furthermore, in the branch cutting travel device according to the present invention described in claim 3, the movable body includes a power shovel or a backhoe bucket, and the gripping portion is provided on one side of the opening edge of the bucket, The cutting device is provided on the other side of the opening edge of the bucket. Therefore, by using the excavator or the backhoe and its bucket and providing the grip portion and the cutting device at the predetermined location, the branching traveling device can be easily manufactured.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a branching traveling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This branch cutting traveling device is equipped with a revolving body 2 that can be rotated in the horizontal direction on a traveling mechanism 1, and includes a boom mechanism 3 that can be raised and lowered extending from the revolving body, and a working device 4 at the tip of the boom mechanism. The excavator type excavator to which is attached, specifically, has a backhoe structure.

  The traveling mechanism 1 includes a wheel 11 for traveling on the rail R and a caterpillar 12, and the wheel 11 can be moved up and down by a lifting device (not shown). When the wheel 11 is lowered as shown in the figure, the vehicle can travel on the rails of the track, and when the wheel 11 is lifted, the caterpillar 12 can travel on the ground or the road. The power source for traveling is transmitted to either the wheel 11 or the caterpillar 12 used for traveling by the switching means of the transmission device.

  The swivel body 2 is mounted on the frame of the traveling mechanism 1 so as to be able to swivel around a vertical axis, and the driver's seat 21, the power unit 22, and the boom mechanism 3 are arranged in parallel.

  The boom mechanism 3 includes a base arm 31 extending from the revolving body 2 and a tip arm 32 extending from the tip of the base arm and rotatably connected to the tip of the base arm. The base arm 31 is attached to the swivel body 2 so as to be able to undulate in the vertical direction, and is driven to undulate by a hydraulic cylinder or the like connected to the power unit 22. The distal arm 32 is driven by the hydraulic cylinder 35 and the link mechanism 36 so as to rotate along the undulating surface of the base arm 31.

  The working device 4 is attached to the distal end portion of the distal arm 32. The working device 4 is configured as follows in order to perform a work of grasping and cutting a branch to be cut off.

  An axial drive unit 50 is connected to the distal end of the distal arm 32 via a link mechanism 41, and an operating unit 60 is supported by the axial drive unit. 2 to 5 show details of the axis rotation drive unit 50 and the operation unit 60 in the work device 4, FIG. 2 is a front view, FIG. 3 is a plan view, FIG. 4 is a right side view, and FIG. FIG.

  The axis rotation drive unit 50 causes a rotation operation around the axis of the tip arm 32 (around the axis along the longitudinal direction; hereinafter the same) in the working device 4 (hereinafter, this operation is referred to as axis rotation). A support portion 51 having a plate shape extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the arm 32 and a hydraulic motor 52 that rotates the support portion around the axis of the distal arm 32 are provided. A hydraulic cylinder 44 is attached to the proximal end portion of the distal arm 32 so as to extend toward the distal end side (FIG. 1), and the link mechanism 41 is provided between the end portion of the plunger of the hydraulic cylinder 44 and the support portion 51. The support portion 51 is configured to rotate along the undulating surface of the base arm 31 by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 44 (hereinafter, this operation is referred to as vertical swing). The hydraulic cylinder 44, the link mechanism 41, and the like constitute a vertical drive unit.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of protruding pieces 45 are provided at the distal end of the link mechanism 41, and a pair of protruding pieces 53 are also provided in the support portion 51 corresponding to these, and both protruding pieces 45 , 53 are coupled via a shaft 54 extending perpendicular to the axis of the tip arm 32. Thereby, the support part 51 is supported by the front-end | tip part of the link mechanism 41 so that rotation around the axis | shaft 54 is possible (henceforth this operation | movement is called horizontal swing). And the horizontal swing drive part for driving this rotation is comprised as follows. A pair of hydraulic cylinders 55 are rotatably attached to the tip of the link mechanism 41 at positions on both sides of the projecting piece 45 via a shaft 55a, and the tip of the plunger is supported by a support 55 via a shaft 55b. 51 is connected. With this structure, by operating the hydraulic cylinder 55, the support portion 51 is driven to swing (tilt) around the shaft 54.

  The support portion 51 includes a rear plate 51a, a front plate 51b, and a bearing portion 51c that is interposed between these plates and rotatably couples the plates to each other. The bearing portion 51c includes a casing fixed to the front plate 51b and an internal ring gear fixed to the rear plate 51a and rotatably supported by the casing. The rear plate 51a is provided with a hydraulic motor 52 and a gear box 51d for interlocking the hydraulic motor 52 and the ring gear. As described above, the rear plate 51a, the front plate 51b, the bearing portion 51c, and the like constitute a rotator, and the rotation of the hydraulic motor 52 is transmitted to the bearing portion 51c via the gear box 51d, and its internal ring gear. At the same time, the front plate 51b rotates. As a result, the front plate 51b rotates (rotates) about the axis of the tip of the tip arm 32.

  An operation unit 60 is provided on the support mechanism 51 on the tip side of the boom mechanism (the side opposite to the link mechanism 41). The operation unit 60 includes a bucket 61 as a movable body that is rotatably supported by the support unit 51. The bucket 61 has a bowl shape having a rectangular opening whose front and rear end edges and side edges are straight, and its base end portion is fixed to the front plate 51 b of the support portion 51 via a mounting frame 62. Yes. Therefore, when the front plate 51 b is rotated by the hydraulic motor 52, the bucket 61 is rotated (axially rotated) around the axis of the tip end of the tip arm 32.

  A gripping portion 70 is attached to one side of the bucket 61, and a cutting device 80 is attached to the other side. As shown in FIG. 4, the grip portion 70 includes a grip lever 72 that is rotatably attached to the side wall of the bucket 61 by a shaft 71. The grip lever 72 includes a long portion 72 a and a short portion 72 b that extend in substantially opposite directions from the shaft 71, and the long portion 72 a extends in a direction along the opening side edge 61 a of the side wall of the bucket 61. Near the bottom of the bucket 61, one end of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 73 is coupled by a pin 73a, and the tip of the plunger is coupled to the end of a short portion 72b by a pin 72c. With this configuration, when the hydraulic cylinder 73 is operated, the grip lever 72 rotates, and the long portion 72 a opens and closes with respect to the side edge portion 61 a of the bucket 61. In FIG. 4, the closed position of the long portion 72a is indicated by a solid line, and the open position is indicated by a two-dot chain line. An accumulator 74 is provided in the hydraulic circuit for operating the cylinder 73. Thereby, even if the pump that operates the hydraulic cylinder 73 is stopped, the position of the grip lever 72 is reliably maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting device 80 includes a chainsaw 81 in this embodiment. The chain saw 81 is mounted on the bucket 61 by a support lever 82. The support lever 82 is supported at the center by a shaft 84 on the side wall of the bucket 61 and can be rotated. A chain saw 81 is attached to one end of the support lever 82. The chain saw 81 extends in a direction substantially along the opening side edge of the side wall of the bucket 61, and the chain is driven by the hydraulic motor 82. Near the bottom of the bucket 61, one end of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 83 is coupled by a pin 83a, and the tip of the plunger is coupled to the other end of the support lever 82 by a pin 82a. With this configuration, when the hydraulic cylinder 83 is operated, the chainsaw 81 rotates around the shaft 84. The swing range of the chainsaw 81 is determined so as to take a position retracted from the side edge of the bucket 61 toward the bucket bottom and an advanced position separated from the bucket 61. In FIG. 5, the backward position of the chainsaw 81 is indicated by a solid line, and the forward position is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  Turning of the swing body 2 described above, swinging motion of the boom mechanism 3, axial rotation of the bucket 61, vertical swing, horizontal swing, opening / closing motion of the gripping unit 70, swing of the cutting device 80, turning on the chain saw hydraulic motor 82 The operation such as turning off is set so that it can be performed by the operation unit of the driver's seat 21.

  The branch cutting travel device of this embodiment is used as follows. First, the traveling device is placed on the rail of the track, and with the boom mechanism 3 stored, the traveling device is self-propelled to a point where the branching is performed. When reaching below the branch to be cut, the boom mechanism 3 is extended to bring the work device 4 close to the location to be cut. At this time, the long portion 72a of the gripping portion 70 is set to the open position, and the chainsaw 81 of the cutting device 80 is set to the retracted position. The position of the bucket 61 is adjusted by appropriately using the vertical swing by the hydraulic cylinder 44, the horizontal swing by the hydraulic cylinder 55, and the axis rotation by the hydraulic motor 52, the chain saw 81 is positioned near the branch, and the tip of the branch The side is positioned between the elongated portion 72a of the grip portion 70 and the bucket side edge portion 61a. In this state, when the long portion 72 a is closed by the hydraulic cylinder 73, the branch is firmly held by the grip portion 70. At this time, even if the pump for operating the hydraulic cylinder 73 is stopped, the position of the grip lever 72 is maintained by the accumulator 74, and the holding state of the branches is maintained. When the chain saw 81 is driven by the hydraulic motor 82 and moved to the forward position by the hydraulic cylinder 83, the chain saw 81 cuts the branch. Since the cut branch is gripped by the grip portion 70, the boom mechanism 3 is operated to move the cut branch to a predetermined location, and the grip portion 70 is opened to release the branch. In particular, if a storage unit or the like is connected to the traveling device, a cut branch can be put into the traveling device, and the branch can be easily cleared. After cutting, the traveling device may be self-propelled to the next location.

  FIG. 6 shows a debranching traveling apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. This branch cutting traveling device is obtained by replacing the chainsaw used as the cutting device in the previous embodiment with a knife-like cutter. In FIG. 6, the same or similar parts as those in the previous embodiment are denoted by the same numbers.

The cutting device 90 in this embodiment includes a cutter 92 that is rotatably supported by a shaft 91 provided on the side wall of the bucket 61. The cutter 92 includes a long blade 92 a and a short drive piece 92 b extending in substantially opposite directions from the shaft 91, and the blade 92 a extends in a direction along the opening side edge 61 a of the bucket 61 side wall. As illustrated, the blade 92a has a zigzag blade portion so that the branch does not escape from the blade during cutting. A counter blade 93 having a similar zigzag blade portion is fixed to the side wall of the bucket 61 corresponding to the blade 92a. However, the shape of the blade portion can be a straight line, a curved line, or the like as necessary, and the cutting is performed by the contact of the two blade portions as shown in the drawing, or the stagnation shearing by the two blade portions. You can also do this. In addition, during the cutting operation, either or both of the blade 92a and the counter blade 93 are driven so as to move in the direction along the blade portion, so that the cutting operation is added to the turning operation of the blade 92a. It can also be made more efficient.
Near the bottom of the bucket 61, one end of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 93 is coupled by a pin 93a, and the tip of the plunger is coupled to the end of the drive piece 92b by a pin 92c. With this configuration, when the hydraulic cylinder 93 is operated, the cutter 92 rotates, and the blade 92 a opens and closes the counter blade 93. In FIG. 6, the closed position of the blade 92a is indicated by a solid line, and the open position is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  The branch cutting travel device of this embodiment can also be used basically in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. However, the cutting device 90 sets the blade 92a in the open position in advance, holds the branch by the gripping portion 70, and then moves the blade 92a to the closed position by the hydraulic cylinder 93 to cut the branch.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the movable body does not have to use a bucket, and can be configured by a frame that can support the gripping portion and the cutting device. The boom mechanism may include a single arm or an arm having a telescopic function in addition to the base arm and the tip arm. The operation of the work device is performed outside the travel device by providing a wired or wireless remote control unit separately from the travel device instead of or in addition to the operation unit provided in the driver's seat of the travel device. It can also be. For driving the boom mechanism, the gripping unit, the cutting device, the axis rotation / longitudinal swing / horizontal swing drive units, etc., an appropriate power source such as electric power can be used in addition to hydraulic pressure.

It is a figure which shows the branch cutting traveling apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention with the track | orbit and the branch which should be cut | disconnected. It is a front view of the principal part of the branch cutting travel apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the principal part of the branch cutting travel apparatus shown in FIG. It is a left view of the principal part of the branch cutting travel apparatus shown in FIG. It is a right view of the principal part of the branch cutting travel apparatus shown in FIG. It is a right view of the principal part of the branch cutting traveling apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Traveling mechanism 2 Revolving body 3 Boom mechanism 4 Working device 31 Base arm 32 Tip arm 41 Link mechanism (vertical swing drive part)
44 Hydraulic cylinder (vertical drive unit)
50 Axis rotation drive unit 52 Hydraulic motor (Axis rotation drive unit)
55 Hydraulic cylinder (lateral drive unit)
61 Bucket (movable body)
70 Grasping parts 80, 90 Cutting device

Claims (3)

The excavator type excavator is provided with a revolving body that can be rotated in a horizontal direction on a traveling mechanism, a boom mechanism that can be raised and lowered extending from the revolving body, and a work device attached to a tip of the boom mechanism. The working device comprises:
A movable body supported rotatably about the axis of the boom mechanism tip;
An axial drive unit for rotating the movable body about the axis;
A vertical drive unit for rotating the movable body along the undulation surface with respect to the boom mechanism;
A lateral drive unit for rotating the movable body along a plane perpendicular to the undulating surface and including the axis of the tip of the boom mechanism;
A gripper that is supported by the movable body and that can be opened and closed;
A branch cutting travel device, comprising: a cutting device that is disposed to face a surface along the opening and closing movement of the gripping portion and is driven to swing in a direction along the surface. The boom mechanism includes a base arm that can be raised and lowered extending from the swivel body, and a tip arm that extends from the tip of the base arm and is pivotally connected to the tip of the base arm. The branch cutting travel device according to claim 1, wherein the movable body is attached, and the tip arm rotates along the undulating surface of the base arm. The movable body includes a power shovel or a backhoe bucket, the gripping portion is provided on one side of the opening edge of the bucket, and the cutting device is provided on the other side of the opening edge of the bucket. The branch cutting travel device according to claim 1, wherein the branch cutting travel device is provided.

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