US3080943A - Hose control arrangement - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 1963 R. J. GOODALL HOSE "CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Filed June 7, 1960 9 R w mm QM mfi m m6 5 w m a E ATTORN EY March 12, 1963 R'. J. GOODALL HOSE CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Filed June 7, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

2056871/ {000/946 INVENTOR ATTORN EY March 12, 1963 R. J. GOODALL 3,080,943

HOSE CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Filed June 7, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 zaaizn/g 60mm F l G 3 INVENTOR I ym/1M United States Patent 3,080,943 HOSE CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Robert J. Goodall, Albion, Mich., assignor to The Raymond Corporation, Greene, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 7, 1960, Ser. No. 34,435 Claims. (Cl. 187-9) This invention relates to a lift truck, and particularly to improvements in a take-up mechanism for taking up slack in a flexible element extending from the truck to the load carriage.

' The present invention is primarily concerned with controlling the slack in hydraulic hoses which extend from a lift truck to a hydraulic cylinder on the carriage of the truck and which become slack during elevation of the carriage and extension of the truck mast. Heretofore, the common type of hose take-up mechanism has included a weighted traveling sheave movable along the outer upright structure of the truck under the influence of gravity to take up the slack in one or more hoses.

, There have been some disadvantages in this type of take-up mechanism in that the weight must be made of considerable size to effect the desired movement of the hose and, secondly, the traveling sheave has had a tendency to bind on its guides because of the deposit and accumulation, of dirt and foreign rn'atteron the guides and sheave. When this occurs, the hose forms a loose loop which may be caught between the moving parts of the mast structure and severed or damaged,

It is a main object of the present invention to provide a lift truck having a hose take-up mechanism which is operable independently of the influence of gravity to take up slack in the hydraulic hoses connecting the truck to the load carriage.

Q It is another object of the present invention to provide such a mechanism which is compact and which does not materially interfere with the vision of the operator of the truck.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a take-up mechanism which is operable to take up slack in the carriage hoses of full free lift trucks.

Another object is to provide on a lift-truck a takeup mechanism operable to take up slack in any flexible elementextending from the truck to the carriage.

The take-up mechanism of the present invention is characterized in that part thereof is attached to the fixed uprights and part to the movable uprights and a pair of carriage hoses are so trained about the mechanism that the slack in the hoses is automaticallyand positively taken up upon movement of the carriage and extension of the mast. V Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG.1 is a front view of a lift truck having a hose take-up mechanism according to -the present invention in which the hydraulically'a'ctuated mechanism (e.g reach mechanism, revolving apron) normally mountedupon the load carriage is omitted for purposes of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the truck in which the mast and load-elevating structure are shown in an elevation view taken along-line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

3,080,943 Patented Mar. 12, 1963 ice FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the hose take-up mechanism according to the invention.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the truck 9 has a base 11 with a mast mounted on the front end thereof. The mast comprises an outer upright structure which inludes a pair of spaced uprights 32, 32 and an inner upright structure which includes a pair of spaced uprights 13, 13 movably mounted within the outer uprights. A load carriage has a rectangular frame 15, FIG. I, mounted for movement along the inner uprights of the mast. The carriage may include, e.g., a reach mecha? nism (not shown) mounted on the frame 15 and carrying load forks. The reach mechanism may be operated by one or more double acting piston and cylinder units in a manner similar to that disclosed in the Gibson 2,752,058 patent. It is unimportant to the present invention what type of carriage and associated apparatus are provided so long as said apparatus include at least one hydraulic motor. The take-up mechanism of the present invention may be used in conjunction with any flexible devices (e.g., hydraulic hoses, pneumatic hoses, fluid carrying hoses, electrical cables, mechanical cables,

etc.) used to convey hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, or mechanical power, or fluids to one or more power device-s mounted upon the load carriage or the telescoping mast of a lift truck, or to tools or fluid dispensing nozzles manipulable remotely by the truck operator, or by an operative stationed upon a platform mounted upon said load carriage or upon said telescoping mast.

The lift truck shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, including truck body 10, base 11, base arms 12, wheels 14, and steering wheel 16, is shown merely schematically, and it is to be understood that the hose take-up mechanism of the instant invention is applicable broadly to all lift trucks and is not restricted in its utility to the type of truck, actuating mechanism, elevating mechanism, etc., shown in the accompanying drawings.

A hydraulic ram unit 1 is mounted between the fixed uprights 32, 32 by means of brackets 2, FIG. 1. The unit is supplied with hydraulic fluid under pressureby means of a supply member (not shown). The piston rod 3 of unit 1 is connected at its upper end to a crossbrace 4 connecting the inner uprights 13. The inner uprights 13 and the cross-brace 4 will'hereinafter be referred to collectively as the telescoping mast, while the fixed uprights 32, 32 will hereinafter be referred to as the main mast. The upper ends of inner uprights 13 are joined by an additional upper cross-brace 5 whichis dis-. posed generally rearwardly of said inner uprights. The upper ends of the outer uprights 32, 32 are joined by an additional upper cross-brace member 6 which is disposed generally rearwardly of the rear faces of said outer outer uprights 32,32.

\ rods 8 of the carriage drive cylinders have fixedly disposed at their upper ends elbow members terminating in outwardly disposed horizontal stu'b shafts, said horizontal stub shafts carrying bearings upon which sheaves 17 are freely rotatably, disposed. The axes of sheaves I 17 are, then, at all times maintained substantially e0 axial. Load carriage 15 'is connected to the outer ends of chains 19 which are reeved over the sheaves 17. The inner ends of chains 19 are connected at points 20 to cross-brace 4, whereby when sheaves 17, are propelled upwardly by carriage drive cylinders 7, carriage is simultaneously propelled upwardly substantially co-planarly within the inner uprights 13, being retained within inner uprights 13 by means of rollers 18. Carriage 15 may, of course, have mounted upon it any desired power actuable means the flexible lead-s to which may be protected from kinking, etc., by the take-up mechanism of the instant invention. Said power actuable means are omitted completely in FIGS. 1 and 2 in order that the operation and structure of the hose take-up mechanism according to the instant invention may be clearly viewed. Disposed upon the base 11 of the main mast structure, substantially adjacent main drive cylinder 1 is a manifold box 21 from which hydraulic fluid under pressure is supplied by means of hoses 22, 23 to hydraulic drive means (not shown) mounted upon load carriage 15. Hoses 22 and 23 are traced from manifold box 21 to outer ends 24, 25 as follows, while outer ends 24, 25 are shown merely as abruptly cut otf end portions of hoses 22 and 23 it is to be understood that, in the usual application, small additional portions of hoses 22 and 23 would extend generally within load carriage 15 to hydraulic power driving means disposed thereupon. The portion of hoses 22 and 23 (numbered 22, 23) passing directly upward from manifold block 21 are shown as a single hose in FIG. 1 for the reason that, in the preferred embodiment, hose 23 would be disposed directly behind hose 22 as viewed from the front of the truck. Hoses 22 and 23, side by side, continue generally upwardly from manifold block 21 and pass over pulley 26 of the free-floating block assembly. The free-floating block assembly comprises pulley 26, sprocket 28, and link 27 the ends of which carry stub shafts on which are disposed bearings carrying pulley 26 and sprocket 28 in freely rotatable parallel-axis relation. Hoses 22 and 23, after passing over pulley 26 proceed thence substantially downwardly to where they are secured to crossbrace 4, or where they terminate in a terminal block arrangement secured to the rear face of cross-brace 4 and projecting rearwardly therefrom by a suitable, predetermined amount. Hoses 22 and 23 thence proceed respectively rightwardly and leftw ardly (or, alternatively, suitable rigid tubing connections proceed rightwardly and leftwardly from said terminal block arrangement) to points immediately adjacent points at which chains 19 are fastened to cross-brace 4. At said points immedi ately adjacent points 20 hoses 22 and 23 are clamped to said cross-brace 4 and thereafter deflected vertically upwardly, Whereafter they run adjacent to or in substantial contact with chains 19. Alternatively, of course, where the rigid tubing connections suggested above are employed additional elbow type terminal blocks may be disposed approximately at points 20, and the upwardly directed segments of hoses 22 and 23 may be attached to said terminal blocks. Hoses 22 and 23, in contact with or substantially adjacent to chains 19 are run upwardly and forwardly over sheaves 17 (chains 19 being reeved over said sheaves inwardly of hoses 22 and 23). From the forward edge of sheaves 17 hoses 22 and 23 and associated chains 19 proceed substantially downwardly to the lower portion of carriage 15 to which chains 19 are secured for reasons noted hereinabove. Hoses 22 and 23 are clamped to carriage 15 by means generally indicated at 29. Directly below clamp means 29 hoses 22 and 23 are shown as open endedly terminated at 24 and 25, though it is to be noted that these open-ended terminations are merely for the purpose of simplifying the illustrations herein and that in applications of the instant invention hoses 22 and 23 would normally extend a short distance beyond 24 and to the supply terminals of hydraulic power drive means. Returning to the free-floating block assembly, it is noted that a drive chain, of the type generally employed in vehicle or machine drives is associated with sprocket 28. One end of chain 30 is secured to the upper cross-brace 6 of the main mast. The other end of chain 30 is secured to upper cross-brace 5 of the telescoping mast. Sprocket 28 hangs in a generally vertically downwardly depending relation in the bight of the loop formed by chain 30. Link 27 will, in the preferred embodiment, be composed to two parallel substantially like parts disposed respectively before and behind sprocket 28 and pulley 26. The bight of the loop of chain 30 will then pass along the lower side of sprocket 28 and between the two said portions of link 27. The hydraulic drive means for the telescoping mast and the load carriage may, of course, comprise a ram unit of the well-known free lift type where.n an intermediate cylinder initially raises the carriage to the upper end of the telescoping mast without extension of the telescoping mast and, thereafter, the telescoping mast is elevated in unison with the carriage.

The problem with which the present invention is concerned is the take-up of slack in hoses which conduct hydraulic fluid to and exhaust fluid from the hydraulic drive means mounted on the load carriage, and which are connected at one set of ends to the hydraulic drive means mounted on the load carriage and at the opposite set of ends to control valve means, not shown, on the truck.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3, there is shown therein a schematic diagram of the hose take-up system of the instant invention. Common numerals refer to the mechanical elements found in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in the schematic drawing of FIG. 3. In the lower portion of FIG. 3 is shown manifold block 21 which is secured to main base structure 11, or other structure fixedly mounted with respect to main base structure 11. Hoses 22, 23 are shown proceeding generally upwardly from manifold blOck 21 to the point where they pass, side by side, between the flanges of and over pulley 26. Also indicated in FIG. 3 are link 27 and sprocket 28. After passing over pulley 26 hoses 22, 23 proceed generally downwardly to the point where they are clamped to cross-brace 4 and diverge in opposite directions. It will be noted that the portions of FIG. 3 wherein hose 23 lies behind hose 22 are indicated by double cross-hatching, whereas the single lays of hose 22 and 23 are indicated by single cross-hatching. After proceeding substantially horizontally along cross-brace 4 to the areas at which chains 19 are fastened to cross-brace 4 hoses 22 and 23 thence proceed upwardly in contact, or close adjacency, with chains 19. Chains 19 and hoses 22 and 23 then pass upwardly over the tops of sheaves 17 where after chains 19 proceed downwardly and are fastened to load carriage 15. Hoses 22 and 23, after passing over sheaves 17 with chains 19, continue downwardly and are fastened to carriage 15 adjacent the portions at which chains 19 are fastened thereto. From this point hoses 22 and 23 proceed to suitable couplings whereby hydraulic fluid is conveyed to hydraulic power means disposed on the load carriage. Chain 30, as mentioned hereinabove, is aflixed to the upper cross-brace 5 of the telescopic mast and to the upper cross-brace 6 of the main mast, and sprocket 28 is disposed in the bight portion of the downwardly depending U-shaped loop formed thereby.

Referring to FIG. 1, the operation of the hose take-up mechanism of the present invention is as follows. As the telescoping mast is moved upwardly relative to the main mast by hydraulic ram unit 1 hoses 22 and 23 passing over pulley 26 would tend to become slack if pulley 26 were fixed in vertical position. Pulley 26, however, is drawn upwardly by sprocket 28 and link 27 in an amount just sufficient to completely take up the slack which upward motion of the telescoping mast has a tendency to produce. Consideration of the configuration of the loop formed by hoses 22 and 23 passing from manifold block 21, over pulley 26, to cross-brace 4 will show that, since each increment of hoses 22 and 23 subtracted from the bight of the loop of these hoses by the upward motion of the telescopingmast is halved in its effect by the fact that said increment acts along the entire length of the bight, the center of pulley 26 will move upwardly relative to the main mast always one-half the distance that the telescoping mast moves upwardly relative to the main mast. Since pulley 26, in order to keep hoses 22 and 23 taut, must move up wardly at one-half the rate of the upward movement of the telescopic mast sprocket 28 coacting with chain 30 andlink 27 must provide upward motion to be transmitted to pulley 26 which is at a rate equal to one-half the rate of upward motion of the telescoping mast in order to achieve the desired result of eliminating all ,slack in hoses 22 and 23. Considering, then, that portion of the downwardly depending loop of chain 30 which is located below cross-brace 6, it will be seen that when upward motion of the telescopic mast, and its cross-brace 5, effectively deducts an increment of chain 30 from said portion said increment will, in effect, be deducted from both ends 4 of said portion, for which reason the deduction of a given increment of chain 30 from said portion (caused by a 1 given increment of upward motion of the telescopic mast) will cause an incremental upward motion of sprocket 28 and link 27 of precisely one-half the incremental upward motion of chain 30 (i.e., the incremental upward motion of the telescopic mast). Thus, it may be seen that the interrelation of sprocket 28 and chain 30 with the main mast and the telescoping mast is such as to produce precisely the incremental upward motion of sprocket 28 and, thus, link 27 which will raise pulley 26 just sufiiciently to eliminate completely the slack in hoses 22 and 23 which might otherwise be produced between manifold block 21 and telescoping mast cross-brace 4.

It is thus apparent from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a hose take-up mechanism which positively moves by precisely the necessary amount to at all times take up the slack in the hose, or hoses, and which is independent of the force of gravity and thus cannot become stuck. While the traveling pulley 26 is shown as including sufficient space between its flanges to accommodate both hoses 22 and 23, this double-width pulley could be replaced by a pair of Single pulleys in order to prevent binding and to better protect the hoses from wear.

It is further pointed out that the hose take-up mechanism of the present invention can be modified without substantial alteration of any of the parts thereof to accommodate a single hose. It is not necessary, as in more cornplicated prior art devices, to provide a cable for insuring the proper take-up slack when the device of the instant invention is employed in conjunction with a single hose.

It will be further apparent that while the guides for the hose have been shown in the form of pulleys, or sheaves, they could assume other forms as well.

' The connections and adaptations of the end portions of hoses 22 and 23 terminating at a load carriage 15 in order to employ the hydraulic fluid pressure carried thereby to perform desired mechanical work, e.g., rotating an apron or extending a reach mechanism, will in most instances be a matter of routine design depending upon the carriage-mounted power means to be actuated.

Hoses 22 and 23 may, of course, carry electrical conductors therewith for actuating electrical devices mounted upon the load carriage. These conductors could be utilized for powering and controlling solenoids which actuate the valve members comprising part of the'hydraulic power devices mounted upon the load carriage. The electrical conductors could, of course, be separate from the hoses and trained over the reeving elements in the same manner as the hoses, or over separate reeving elements if desired.

Thevarious mechanical expedients (e.g., chains, sprockets, sheaves) employed in the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 may, of course, be replaced by other alternative mechanical expedients which will occur to those skilled in the materials handling art. For instance, chain 30 may be replaced by any other desirable flexible means,

e.g., rope, wire rope, so-called aircraft cable, or other varieties of chain than that described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 hereiuabove. In the event that such a substitution is made for chain 30 alternative means may of course be employed in the place of sprocket 28, e.g., a sheave, or pulley, like those indicated by numerals 17 and 26. Also it may be noted that load carriage 15 may be carried on three pairs of rollers instead of two pairs of rollers in such manner that the portion of the carriage upon which a single pair of rollers is disposed may be caused to travel above the upper end of telescopic mast 13.

For convenience, in the claims the term fconductorsf when used alone, will mean either a hose for conducting hydraulic fluid or a similar medium or an electrical conductor for conducting electric current, or a plurality, or structural combination, of them. The term flexible element will cover a conductor or any other flexible connecting member, such as a wire, rope, cable, chain, or the like, which may not be employed to conduct energy from the truck to the carriage, but may be employed to transfer energy, such as, for instance, the use of a pull cord contained in an outer sheath in the well known manner for the mechanical control of a valve on the load carriage. Also, such a flexible element could be used as the companion of a single hose, or by a simple and expeditious mechanical modification of the present invention in conjunction with twoor more hoses.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efliciently attained, and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, migh be said to fall therebetween. a

H-aving described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lift truck mast structure comprising a main mast structure mounted vertically fixed on a truck body, a telescopic mast structure slidable vertically within said main mast structure and a carriage slidably mounted upon said' telescopic mast structure, with a flexible power-connecting cable connected between said truck body and said carriage, means for controlling said flexible power-connect-ing cable to prevent the formation of slack thereinas said telescopic mast structure and said carriage are moved, said means comprising a floating block member having interconnected upper and lower sheave means and power-connecting cable.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including first hydraulic ram means connected to move said telescopic mas structure vertically with respect to said vertically fixed main mast structure, and second hydraulic ram means connected to move said carriage vertically with respect to said telescopic mast structure, a portion'of said flexible power-connecting cable between its ends being fixedly connected to said telescopic mast structure.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said second hydraulic ram means is mounted on said telescopic mast structure and connected to drive a further sheave vertically with respect to said telescopic mast structure, said apparatus including a further flexible cable connected over said further sheave and between said telescopic mast structure and said carriage.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said flexible power-connecting cable includes a portion having one end fixedly connected to said telescopic mast structure and the other end fixedly connected to means on said carriage, and in which said portion of said flexible powerconnecting cable is reeved over said further sheave together with said further flexible cable.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said flexible power-connecting cable includes a first portion of flexible cable having one end connected fixedly with respect to said truck body and another end fixedly attached 8 to said telescopic mast structure, said first portion of flexible cable being reeved over said lower sheave means of said floating block member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,724,520 Overbeck Nov. 22, 1955 2,752,058 Gibson June 26, 1956 2,763,390 Vandemark Sept. 18, 1956 2,791,293 Schenkelberger May 7, 1957 2,932,419 Harris Apr. 12, 1960 2,941,684 Quayle June 21, 1960

Claims (1)

1. IN A LIFT TRUCK MAST STRUCTURE COMPRISING A MAIN MAST STRUCTURE MOUNTED VERTICALLY FIXED ON A TRUCK BODY, A TELESCOPIC MAST STRUCTURE SLIDABLE VERTICALLY WITHIN SAID MAIN MAST STRUCTURE AND A CARRIAGE SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID TELESCOPIC MAST STRUCTURE, WITH A FLEXIBLE POWER-CONNECTING CABLE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID TRUCK BODY AND SAID CARRIAGE, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID FLEXIBLE POWER-CONNECTING CABLE TO PREVENT THE FORMATION OF SLACK THEREIN AS SAID TELESCOPIC MAST STRUCTURE AND SAID CARRIAGE ARE MOVED, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FLOATING BLOCK MEMBER HAVING INTERCONNECTED UPPER AND LOWER SHEAVE MEANS AND A SECOND FLEXIBLE CONNECTING ELEMENT, SAID SECOND FLEXIBLE CONNECTING ELEMENT BEING CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID MAIN MAST STRUCTURE AND SAID TELESCOPIC MAST STRUCTURE AND AROUND SAID UPPER SHEAVE MEANS, SAID FLEXIBLE POWERCONNECTING CABLE BEING REEVED OVER SAID LOWER SHEAVE MEANS, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID FLOATING BLOCK MEMBER AS SAID TELESCOPIC MAST STRUCTURE AND SAID CARRIAGE ARE VERTICALLY ADJUSTED OPERATES TO MAINTAIN TAUT SAID FLEXIBLE POWER-CONNECTING CABLE.

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