WO2014081665A1

WO2014081665A1 - Work machine

Info

Publication number: WO2014081665A1
Application number: PCT/US2013/070576
Authority: WO
Inventors: Congchong HAN; Steven K. ANDERSON; Benjamin I. MARTIN
Original assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
Priority date: 2012-11-26
Filing date: 2013-11-18
Publication date: 2014-05-30
Also published as: RU2015122248A; CN202965936U; RU2640062C2; BR112015010795A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a work machine comprising a hood cover, a shunt tank disposed inside the hood cover, and a support member independent of the hood cover and adapted to support the shunt tank, the shunt tank being separated from the hood cover in an operating state of the work machine and detachably fixed to the support member, wherein the hood cover is provided with a fitting structure adapted for fitting a connector, and the shunt tank is provided with a connecting structure which is configured to form a detachable connection by means of the connector and the fitting structure on the hood cover

Description

WORK MACHINE Technical Field

The present invention relates to a work machine, and more specifically to a work machine comprising a hood cover, a shunt tank disposed inside the hood cover and a support member independent of the hood cover and adapted to support the shunt tank, the shunt tank being separated from the hood cover in an operating state of the work machine and detachably fixed to the support member.

Background Art

In work machines (engineering machines), such as hydraulic bulldozer, wheeled-loader, non-highway truck and wheeled pull-type scraper, heat generated during operation of the engine is carried away by cooling liquid in a cooling system to prevent excessively high working temperature of the engine and low efficiency caused thereby. In a cooling liquid circulation circuit of the cooling system, a shunt tank is provided for reserving additional volume of cooling liquid resulted from expansion due to increased temperature in order to prevent over-high pressure in the lines of the cooling liquid circulation circuit. In addition, the shunt tank can be used as a refilling port of the cooling liquid circulation circuit to prevent the problem that the flow in the cooling liquid circulation circuit is too small to cool hot component to a low enough

temperature. In terms of security, because temperature of the working liquid in the shunt tank is very high, the shunt tank is usually disposed inside the hood cover and free of connection with the hood cover or any vibrating component therein such as engine. The shunt tank is normally fixedly connected to an air box located outside the enclosure of the hood cover. However, this configuration is disadvantageous in that the air box has to be removed when it is required to repair the machine, particular the gear box or working pump below the air box, so the shunt tank connected with the air box has to be removed together, thus the lines between the shunt tank and the cooling liquid circulation circuit need to be removed and the cooling liquid therein needs to be discharged, which necessarily results in a complex disassembling processes and a waste of cooling liquid.

Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve one or more of the above problems.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a work machine which prevents disassembling of the shunt tank connected with the air box during repairing of the latter and also prevents waste of cooling liquid and complex

assembling/disassembling process resulted from disassembling and re-assembling the shunt tank in the prior art.

The above objective is realized by a work machine having the following the technical features: the work machine comprising a hood cover, a shunt tank disposed inside the hood cover, and a support member independent of the hood cover and adapted to support the shunt tank, the shunt tank being separated from the hood cover in an operating state of the work machine and detachably fixed to the support member, wherein the hood cover is provided with a fitting structure adapted for fitting a connector, and the shunt tank is provided with a connecting structure which is configured to form a detachable connection by means of the connector and the fitting structure on the hood cover.

Preferably, the fitting structure is a throughhole, and the connector is a threaded fastener, and the connecting structure is a threaded hole.

Preferably, the throughhole is formed in a top surface of the hood cover, and the threaded hole is arranged in a protrusion extending upward from the top surface of the shunt tank and aligned with the through-hole of the hood cover. Preferably, the number of the connecting structure is two.

Preferably, the support member is an air box.

Preferably, the shunt tank is fastened at one side to the air box through a mounting element.

Preferably, the work machine is selected from the group consisting of an excavator, a loader, a grader, a bulldozer, a non-highway truck, and a wheeled pull-type scraper.

The work machine with such a configuration is favorable for convenient maintenance of the machine, lessening work load in maintenance, shortening time needed for maintenance and saving cooling liquid.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows the relative position relationship between the shunt tank, the air box and the hood cover;

Fig. 2 schematically shows the connection between the shunt tank and the air box with a portion of the hood cover being removed; and

Fig. 3 shows a service holder for repairing a work machine according to present invention.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

As shown in Fig. 1, a work machine 1 (i.e. machine, such as a hydraulic excavator, a wheeled loader, a grader, a bulldozer, a non-highway truck, a wheeled pull-type scraper) is provided with a shunt tank 10 inside a hood cover 30. The shunt tank is configured to store an additional volume of fluid in a cooling system. In an operating state of the work machine 1, the shunt tank 10 is separated from the hood cover 30 and is detachably fixed to a support member 20 of the work machine 1 independent of the hood cover. In this illustrated embodiment, the support member is specifically in the form of an air box. The term "operating state" herein refers to a state in which the work machine has been assembled ready for work or the work machine is working to perform certain task, and also a state in which the work machine is in service despite being in idleness. That is to say, a work machine is considered in an operating state as long as it is not in a "paralyzing" state, e.g. being repaired or in a disassembled state.

The term "separate" means that there is no connection relationship between the two components.

The term "independent of refers to that two components do not have any overlapping or intersecting portion in terms of spatial position or structure and can be considered as independent individuals.

Specifically, referring to Fig. 2, it can be seen that the shunt tank 10 is fastened at one side thereof to the support member 20 by means of a mounting element 11. The support member 20 and the hood cover are arranged side by side without any direct connection therebetween. There is not any connection between the shunt tank 10 and the hood cover 30 such that it is possible to safeguard the shunt tank 10 against damages of vibration transmitted from machine engine through the hood cover 30.

Fig. 3 shows a service holder 40 for the work machine according to the present invention, which service holder comprising a fitting structure 31 disposed on the hood cover 30 and adapted for fitting a connector such as screw, and a connecting structure 15 arranged on the shunt tank 10 and configured to form a detachable connection by virtue of the connector and the fitting structure 31 on the hood cover. Thanks to the service holder 40, the shunt tank 10 can be temporarily fixed to the hood cover 30 when it is required to remove the support member 20 in order to repair components e.g. transmission, working pump below the support member 20 such as air box.

In the embodiment of the illustrated service holder 40, the fitting structure 31 is a throughhole, and the connecting structure 15 is a threaded hole. The connector is a threaded fastener such as screw or bolt. When it is required to repair, the connector, such as screw is screwed into the throughhole and the threaded hole before the support member 20, e.g. air box is disassembled, so that a detachable connection is formed between the shunt tank and the hood cover, and the shunt tank 10 is firmly supported on the hood cover. Thus, complex process caused by disassembling of the shunt tank is avoided and time required for repairing is saved.

Although the fitting structure on the hood cover shown in the drawings is a circular hole, but it is not limited to this, and can be, for example, designed as an elongate groove or other irregular shaped opening.

Although the connecting structure 15 in the drawings is arranged on a top surface 12 of the shunt tank, but those skilled in the art could envisage that the connecting structure may be arranged at other position, e.g. on the side, of the shunt tank according to actual configuration of the hood cover in case of allowing a service person to operate the connector from the outside to achieve detachable connection between the shunt tank and the hood cover.

As shown in Fig. 3, the connecting structure 15, e.g. threaded hole, is arranged in a cylindrical shaped protrusion 16 projected from the top surface 12 of the shunt tank and is aligned with the fitting structure 31, i.e. through-hole on the hood cover. With this configuration, it is possible to save material of the shunt tank under the condition of ensuring strength thereof and to prevent thermal deformation caused by over-thickness of the top plate of the shunt tank.

Naturally, those skilled in the art can envisage that if permitted in terms of strength, the protrusion 16 may be designed as a configuration having any shaped cross section, such as tapered shape or semi-spherical shape.

Also, as shown in Fig. 3, although the number of the threaded hole or the throughhole matched therewith is two, those skilled in the art could conceive that the number of the threaded hole or the throughhole matched therewith may be one or more as a function of the dimension of the shunt tank. In addition, the threaded hole or throughhole matched therewith may be distributed in the shunt tank or hood cover in a pattern different from the linear shape as shown.

The connecting structure 15 according to the present invention includes but is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 3. For instance, the connecting structure 15 may be a ring member arranged on the top surface of the shunt tank 10, and the connector, for example, may be a hook member extending into the hood cover through the fitting structure 31 on the hood cover. The hook member is deflected to engage with the ring member when the shunt tank is required to be supported on the hood cover. The hook member is deflected to disengage from the ring member when it is required to disconnect the shunt tank and the hood cover. Those skilled in the art could also conceive of arranging a connecting structure in the form of a hook on the top surface of the shunt tank, the connector being designed for example, as a ring member extending into the inside of the hood cover by virtue of the fitting structure on the hood cover, so that similarly connection or disconnection between the shunt tank and the hood cover may be selectively achieved.

In another embodiment, the connecting structure 15 may be designed as a groove structure having a coattail shaped cross section and disposed on the top surface 12 of the shunt tank. The connector is designed as an "I" shaped lock whose one end is configured to extend into the inside of the hood cover through the through-hole on the hood cover. The end of the lock extending into the throughhole enters into the groove structure at an angle and then the lock is deflected by 90 degrees about its axis such that one end of the lock is blocked in the opening of the groove structure and the other end is blocked in the throughhole, so that the connection between the shunt tank and the hood cover is achieved. When the shunt tank and the hood cover have to be disconnected, the lock is deflected by 90 degrees in an opposite direction to take the lock out from the groove structure and the throughhole. Those skilled in the art could design various connecting structures 15 for selectively connecting or disconnecting the shunt tank and the hood cover, including but not limited to above configurations. According to specific design of the connecting structure, it is easy for those skilled in the art to conceive of designing a corresponding connector and a corresponding fitting structure to ensure detachable connection between the shunt tank and the hood cover.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention can be used in various work machines in which the shunt tank is required to be mounted independent of the hood cover during normal operation of the machine and to be connected to the hood cover when the machine is repaired. The disclosed work machine makes it possible to conveniently repair other components e.g. air box, connected to the shunt tank to mitigate repair work and avoid refilling of coolant caused by disassembling and re-assembling the shunt tank.

The following is a depiction of the repair process of the work machine.

When the support member 20 needs to be disassembled for repair, firstly, the connector, such as threaded fastener is screwed into the fitting structure 31 of the hood cover 30 and the connecting structure 15 on the shunt tank 10 to connect the shunt tank 10 to the hood cover 30. Then, the mounting element 11 is released to disconnect the shunt tank 10 from the support member 20. The above sequential operation is capable of holding the shunt tank 10 and the line connected thereto at a fixed position while disassembling the support member 20 from the work machine 1.

When the repair is finished, the shunt tank 10 is connected to the support member 20 by means of the mounting element 11 , and the connector is released to disconnect the temporary connection between the shunt tank 10 and the hood cover 30 to ensure that there is not any possible vibration transmission between the shunt tank 10 and the hood cover 30. The disclosure herein is beneficial for a variety of work machines, such as an excavator, a loader, grader, a bulldozer, a non-highway truck, a wheeled pull-type scraper and so on.

The above depiction is directed to only preferred embodiments of the present invention and shall not be taken as limiting or restricting this invention since various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention through the exercise of those skilled in the art. Other embodiments may be obtained on the basis of disclosure in the description. The description and embodiments shall be considered exemplary only and the true scope of the invention is defined by the annexed claims and equivalents thereof.

List of reference numbers:

1 - - work machine

10 — shunt tank

11 — mounting element

12 — top surface

15 — connecting structure

16 — protrusion

20 — support member

30 — hood cover

31 — fitting structure

40 — service holder

Claims

1. A work machine, comprising a hood cover, a shunt tank disposed inside the hood cover and a support member independent of the hood cover and adapted to support the shunt tank, the shunt tank being separated from the hood cover in an operating state of the work machine and detachably fixed to the support member, wherein the hood cover is provided with a fitting structure adapted for fitting a connector, and the shunt tank is provided with a connecting structure which is configured to form a detachable connection by means of the connector and the fitting structure on the hood cover.

2. The work machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the fitting structure is a throughhole, and the connector is a threaded fastener, and the connecting structure is a threaded hole.

3. The work machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the throughhole is formed in a top surface of the hood cover, and the threaded hole is arranged in a protrusion extending upward from the top surface of the shunt tank and aligned with the through-hole of the hood cover.

4. The work machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of the connecting structure is two.

5. The work machine according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the support member is an air box.

6. The work machine according to claim 5, characterized in that tank is fastened at one side to the air box through a mounting element.

7. The work machine according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the work machine is selected from the group consisting of an excavator, a loader, a grader, a bulldozer, a non-highway truck, and a wheeled pull-type scraper.