Coupler telescopic apparatus and coupler

Abstract

A coupler telescopic apparatus comprises a housing and a drawbar capable of extending and retracting along the housing, the housing is sleeved outside the drawbar, a limiting block is fixed arranged on an outer side face of the drawbar, a locking ring capable of coming into contact with the limiting block is sleeved inside the housing, and the locking ring is coaxial with the housing and rotatably connected to the housing; a through groove is axially formed on an inner surface of the locking ring, and the through groove correspond to the limiting block in shape, so that the limiting block passes through the through groove when the through groove is aligned with the limiting block, and then an extension of the drawbar is locked by rotating the locking ring to block the limiting block after the extension of the drawbar is completed. The present application can reduce space occupation and has simple structure.

Claims

1. A coupler telescopic apparatus, comprising a housing and a drawbar capable of extending and retracting along the housing, the housing being sleeved outside the drawbar; wherein: a limiting block is fixed arranged on an outer side face of the drawbar, a locking ring capable of coming into contact with the limiting block is sleeved inside the housing, and the locking ring is coaxial with the housing and rotatably connected to the housing; a through groove is axially formed on an inner surface of the locking ring, and the through groove correspond to the limiting block in shape, so that the limiting block passes through the through groove when the through groove is aligned with the limiting block, and then an extension of the drawbar is locked by rotating the locking ring to block the limiting block after the extension of the drawbar is completed; and there are a plurality of limiting blocks and the plurality of limiting blocks are arranged at intervals about an axis of the drawbar, and there are a plurality of through grooves corresponding to the limiting blocks.

2. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a telescopic cylinder is arranged in the housing, and two ends of the telescopic cylinder are connected to the housing and the drawbar, respectively, to drive the drawbar to extend or retract along the housing.

3. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drawbar is sleeve-shaped, and the drawbar is sleeved outside the telescopic cylinder; a body of the telescopic cylinder is connected to the housing; the drawbar has an extension end capable of extending out from the housing, and a rod of the telescopic cylinder is connected to the extension end of the drawbar.

4. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first hole is formed on a side of the housing, and a locking pin is sleeved inside the first hole; a second hole is formed on an outer side face of the drawbar; and, the second hole corresponds to the first hole, so that the second hole is aligned with the first hole and the locking pin extends into the second hole after the drawbar is retracted, so as to lock a retraction of the drawbar.

5. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein further comprises a linkage assembly, the linkage assembly is connected to the locking pin to drive the locking pin to do a reciprocating motion of extending into or out from the second hole; the linkage assembly is connected to the locking ring, so as to drive the locking ring to rotate until blocking the limiting block when the locking pin extends into the second hole, and to drive the locking ring to rotate until the through groove is aligned with the limiting block when the locking pin extends out from the second hole.

6. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the linkage assembly comprises a rotating arm, a pulley block, a pull rope and an elastic member; the rotating arm is rotatably connected to an outer wall of the housing, and the rotating arm is connected to the locking pin to drive the locking pin to do the reciprocating motion of extending into or out from the second hole by rotating; the pulley block is fixedly arranged on the outer wall of the housing; one end of the pull rope is connected to the rotating arm, while an other end of the pull rope goes around the pulley block and is connected to the elastic member; the locking ring is fixedly connected to the pull rope to synchronously rotate with the rotating arm under a drive of the pull rope; and, the elastic member is fixedly connected to the housing to extend or contract along with a movement of the pull rope.

7. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an unlocking handle is fixedly connected to the rotating arm to drive the rotating arm to rotate.

8. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an unlocking cylinder is fixedly arranged on the outer wall of the housing, and the unlocking cylinder is connected to the rotating arm to drive the rotating arm to rotate.

9. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an unlocking handle is fixedly connected to the rotating arm to drive the rotating arm to rotate.

10. A coupler, comprising the coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 1.

11. A coupler telescopic apparatus, comprising a housing and a drawbar capable of extending and retracting along the housing, the housing being sleeved outside the drawbar; wherein: a limiting block is fixed arranged on an outer side face of the drawbar, a locking ring capable of coming into contact with the limiting block is sleeved inside the housing, and the locking ring is coaxial with the housing and rotatably connected to the housing; a through groove is axially formed on an inner surface of the locking ring, and the through groove correspond to the limiting block in shape, so that the limiting block passes through the through groove when the through groove is aligned with the limiting block, and then an extension of the drawbar is locked by rotating the locking ring to block the limiting block after the extension of the drawbar is completed; and a telescopic cylinder is arranged in the housing, and two ends of the telescopic cylinder are connected to the housing and the drawbar, respectively, to drive the drawbar to extend or retract along the housing.

12. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the drawbar is sleeve-shaped, and the drawbar is sleeved outside the telescopic cylinder; a body of the telescopic cylinder is connected to the housing; the drawbar has an extension end capable of extending out from the housing, and a rod of the telescopic cylinder is connected to the extension end of the drawbar.

13. A coupler, comprising the coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 11.

14. A coupler telescopic apparatus, comprising a housing and a drawbar capable of extending and retracting along the housing, the housing being sleeved outside the drawbar; wherein: a limiting block is fixed arranged on an outer side face of the drawbar, a locking ring capable of coming into contact with the limiting block is sleeved inside the housing, and the locking ring is coaxial with the housing and rotatably connected to the housing; a through groove is axially formed on an inner surface of the locking ring, and the through groove correspond to the limiting block in shape, so that the limiting block passes through the through groove when the through groove is aligned with the limiting block, and then an extension of the drawbar is locked by rotating the locking ring to block the limiting block after the extension of the drawbar is completed; and a first hole is formed on a side of the housing, and a locking pin is sleeved inside the first hole; a second hole is formed on an outer side face of the drawbar; and, the second hole corresponds to the first hole, so that the second hole is aligned with the first hole and the locking pin extends into the second hole after the drawbar is retracted, so as to lock a retraction of the drawbar.

15. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein further comprises a linkage assembly, the linkage assembly is connected to the locking pin to drive the locking pin to do a reciprocating motion of extending into or out from the second hole; the linkage assembly is connected to the locking ring, so as to drive the locking ring to rotate until blocking the limiting block when the locking pin extends into the second hole, and to drive the locking ring to rotate until the through groove is aligned with the limiting block when the locking pin extends out from the second hole.

16. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the linkage assembly comprises a rotating arm, a pulley block, a pull rope and an elastic member; the rotating arm is rotatably connected to an outer wall of the housing, and the rotating arm is connected to the locking pin to drive the locking pin to do the reciprocating motion of extending into or out from the second hole by rotating; the pulley block is fixedly arranged on the outer wall of the housing; one end of the pull rope is connected to the rotating arm, while an other end of the pull rope goes around the pulley block and is connected to the elastic member; the locking ring is fixedly connected to the pull rope to synchronously rotate with the rotating arm under a drive of the pull rope; and, the elastic member is fixedly connected to the housing to extend or contract along with a movement of the pull rope.

17. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 16, wherein an unlocking cylinder is fixedly arranged on the outer wall of the housing, and the unlocking cylinder is connected to the rotating arm to drive the rotating arm to rotate.

18. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 17, wherein an unlocking handle is fixedly connected to the rotating arm to drive the rotating arm to rotate.

19. The coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 16, wherein an unlocking handle is fixedly connected to the rotating arm to drive the rotating arm to rotate.

20. A coupler, comprising the coupler telescopic apparatus according to claim 14.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is an internal structure diagram of a coupler telescopic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application after a drawbar is extended;

(2) FIG. 2 is a state diagram of FIG. 1 after the drawbar is retracted;

(3) FIG. 3 is an external structure diagram of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the coupler telescopic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application;

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic structure diagram of the drawbar according to the embodiment of the present application;

(6) FIG. 6 is a schematic structure diagram of a locking ring according to the embodiment of the present application;

(7) FIG. 7 (including FIGS. 7a and 7b) is a schematic diagram showing a manner in which limiting blocks and the locking ring cooperate;

(8) FIG. 8 (including FIGS. 8a and 8b) is a schematic structure diagram of a linkage assembly 7 in a locked state; and

(9) FIG. 9 (including FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c) is a schematic structure diagram of the linkage assembly 7 in an unlocked state;

(10) in which:

(11) 1: housing; 11: first hole; 12: chute; 2: drawbar; 21: second hole; 3: limiting block; 4: locking ring; 41: through groove; 42: synchronous element; 5: telescopic cylinder; 51: body of the telescopic cylinder; 52: rod of the telescopic cylinder; 6: locking pin; 7: linkage assembly; 71: rotating arm; 711: long through hole; 72: pulley block; 73: pull rope; 74: elastic member; 8: unlocking cylinder; 9: unlocking handle; and, 10: hinge block.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) The present application will be specifically described below by exemplary implementations. However, it should be understood that elements, structures and features in one implementation can be advantageously integrated into other implementations without further recitation.

(13) In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that: (1) the fixed connection in the present application may be detachable fixed connection or integral fixed connection; (2) the orientation or position relation indicated by terms “inner”, “outer”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear” or the like is an orientation or position relation shown by the accompanying drawings, merely for describing the present application and simplifying the description rather than indicating or implying that the specified apparatus or element must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, so the terms should not be interpreted as limitations to the present application; and, (3) the terms “first” and “second” are merely descriptive, and cannot be interpreted as indicating or implying the relative importance.

(14) A coupler telescopic apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application comprises a housing 1 and a drawbar 2 capable of extending and retracting along the housing 1; the housing 1 is sleeved outside the drawbar 2, and the drawbar 2 is coaxial with the housing 1, the drawbar 2 is in sliding fit with the housing 1 to extend or retract along the housing 1.

(15) FIGS. 1-3 are structure diagrams of the coupler telescopic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application, where FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram under a state that the drawbar 2 is extended, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram under a state that the drawbar 2 is retracted. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a portion of the housing 1 and a portion of the drawbar 2 are removed to clearly show fitting relationships between internal components. FIG. 3 is an external structure diagram, and FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the coupler telescopic apparatus.

(16) FIG. 5 shows a structure of the drawbar 2 according to the embodiment of the present application. To reduce the space occupation and simplify the structure, a limiting block 3 is fixedly arranged on an outer side face of the drawbar 2, and a locking ring 4 capable of coming into contact with the limiting block 3 is sleeved inside the housing 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the locking ring 4 is coaxial with the housing 1 and rotatably connected to the housing 1. A structure of the locking ring is shown in FIG. 5. A through groove 41 is axially formed on an inner surface of the locking ring 4, and the through groove 41 correspond to the limiting block 3 in shape, e.g., the through groove 41 and the limiting block 3 may be connected in a key-groove fitting manner, so that the limiting block 3 passes through the through groove 41 when the through groove 41 is aligned with the limiting block 3, and then an extension of the drawbar 2 is locked by rotating the locking ring 4 to block the limiting block 3 after the extension of the drawbar is completed.

(17) Specifically, a fitting mode of the limiting block 3 and the locking ring 4 is shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b. To clearly show the fitting relationship between the limiting block 3 and the locking ring 4, other components are omitted. In FIG. 7a, the limiting block 3 are aligned with the through groove 41 on the locking ring 4, the drawbar 2 extends out (moving away from the locking ring 4), and the limiting block 3 passes through the through groove 41. As shown in FIG. 7b, the locking ring 4 is rotated to misalign the through groove 41 with the limiting block 3, so as to limit the movement of the limiting block 3 toward the locking ring 4 and thus lock the extension of the drawbar 2. On the contrary, when the drawbar 2 is to be retracted, the locking ring 4 is rotated to align the limiting block 3 with the through groove 41, so that the drawbar 2 can be retracted into the housing 1 after passing through the through groove 41.

(18) Based on the above, in the coupler telescopic apparatus provided by the present application, by fixedly arranging limiting block 3 outside the drawbar 2 and rotatably arranging a locking ring 4 in the housing 1, when the drawbar 2 extends out from the housing 1, the drawbar 2 can be locked by only rotating the locking ring 4. Therefore, compared with the existing telescopic mechanisms, the internal structure of the housing 1 is simplified, the space inside the housing 1 is saved, and it is advantageous to arrange external driving structures in the housing 1 and reduce space occupation.

(19) As shown in FIG. 5, to improve the stability of locking the limiting block 3 by the locking ring 4, there are preferably a plurality of limiting blocks 3 that are arranged at intervals about an axis of the drawbar 2. For example, the limiting blocks 3 are arranged about the axis of the drawbar 2 in a circular array. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 6, there are a plurality of through grooves 41 corresponding to the limiting blocks 3. Thus, without affecting normal extension or retraction of the drawbar 2, a contact area of the locking ring 4 with the limiting blocks can be increased, and a stability of locking the limiting blocks 3 by the locking ring 4 can be improved.

(20) In view of a specific realization of the effect of reducing space occupation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a telescopic cylinder 5 is arranged in the housing 1, and two ends of the telescopic cylinder 5 are connected to the housing 1 and the drawbar 2, respectively, to drive the drawbar 2 to extend or retract along the housing 1.

(21) Preferably, the drawbar 2 is sleeve-shaped, so that the drawbar 2 is sleeved outside the telescopic cylinder 5 when the drawbar 2 is retracted, with reference to FIG. 2. A body 51 of the telescopic cylinder 5 is connected to the housing 1, the drawbar 2 has an extension end capable of extending out from the housing 1, and a rod 52 of the telescopic cylinder 5 is connected to the extension end of the drawbar 2 so as to control the extension or retraction of the drawbar 2.

(22) Specifically, further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the body 51 of the telescopic cylinder 5 is coaxial with the housing 1, and the body 51 of the telescopic cylinder 5 is connected to the housing 1 through a spherical plain bearing. Meanwhile, the rod 52 of the telescopic cylinder 5 is connected to the drawbar 2 through a spherical plain bearing, so that the telescopic cylinder 5 has a freedom of rotation, thus avoiding a damage to the telescopic cylinder 5 caused by a bending moment during extension.

(23) To further simplify the structure, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, a first hole 11 is formed on a side of the housing 1, and a locking pin 6 is sleeved inside the first hole 11; a second hole 21 is formed on an outer side face of the drawbar 2; and, the second hole 21 corresponds to the first hole 11, so that the second hole is aligned with the first hole and the locking pin 6 extends into the second hole after the drawbar is retracted, so as to lock a retraction of the drawbar 2, as shown in FIG. 2.

(24) Based on the above, in the coupler telescopic apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application, by providing a locking pin 6, the drawbar 2 in a retracted or extended state can be locked by the locking pin 6 and the locking ring 4, respectively. The locking ring 4 and the drawbar 2 form a spline-type locking mechanism used for bearing a larger force during extension locking, and the locking pin 6 and the drawbar 2 form a latch-type locking mechanism which is simple in structure and used for bearing a smaller force during retraction locking. Therefore, with the coupler telescopic apparatus provided by the present application, the structure is further simplified, and the efficiency of expanding or retracting couplers is improved.

(25) To further improve the efficiency of extending or retracting couplers, as a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the coupler telescopic apparatus further comprises a linkage assembly 7, the linkage assembly 7 is connected to the locking pin 6 to drive the locking pin 6 to do a reciprocating motion of extending into or out from the second hole; the linkage assembly 7 is connected to the locking ring 4, so as to drive the locking ring 4 to rotate until blocking the limiting blocks 3 when the locking pin 6 extends into the second hole, and to drive the locking ring 4 to rotate until the through grooves are aligned with the limiting blocks 3 when the locking pin 6 extends out from the second hole.

(26) Based on the above, in the coupler telescopic apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application, by providing a linkage assembly 7, the locking pin 6 and the locking ring 4 can be synchronously driven to move. Thus, on one hand, a number of driving elements is decreased, and the structure is further simplified; on the other hand, a control to the movements of the locking pin 6 and the locking ring 4 is simplified, and the efficiency of extending or retracting couplers is further improved.

(27) A structure of the linkage assembly 7 may be as following. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the linkage assembly 7 comprises a rotating arm 71, a pulley block 72, a pull rope 73 and an elastic member 74, the rotating arm 71 is rotatably connected to an outer wall of the housing 1, and the rotating arm 71 is connected to the locking pin 6 to drive the locking pin 6 to do the reciprocating motion of extending into or out from the second hole 21 by rotating; the pulley block 72 is fixedly arranged on the outer wall of the housing 1, one end of the pull rope 73 is connected to the rotating arm 71, while an other end of the pull rope 73 goes around the pulley block and is connected to the elastic member 74; the locking ring 4 is fixedly connected to the pull rope 73 to synchronously rotate with the rotating arm 71 under a drive of the pull rope 73; the elastic member 74 is fixedly connected to the housing 1 to extend or contract along with the movement of the pull rope 73.

(28) Specifically, further refer to FIGS. 1-3, the rotating arm 71 is preferably a lever, and a hinge block 10 is hinged at a pivot point of the rotating arm 71, and the hinge block 10 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the housing 1, one end of the rotating arm 71 is connected to an unlocking cylinder 8 to automatically drive the rotating arm 71 to rotate.

(29) The unlocking cylinder 8 is arranged on the outer wall of the housing 1, a body of the unlocking cylinder 8 is hinged to the housing 1, and a rod of the unlocking cylinder 8 is hinged to the rotating arm 71, and an other end of the rotating arm 71 is fixedly connected to the pull rope 73 and an unlocking handle 9. The unlocking handle 9 is used to drive the rotating arm 71 to rotate in a manual driving manner when the unlocking cylinder 8 does not operate.

(30) A long through hole 711 is formed on a side of the pivot point of the rotating arm 71 (at a position where the rotating arm 71 is hinged to the locking pin 6) in a length direction of the rotating arm 71. The locking pin 6 has a rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft of the locking pin 6 is sleeved inside the long through hole 711 of the rotating arm 71 to do a reciprocating motion along the long through hole of the rotating arm 71 during its rotation relative to the rotating arm 71.

(31) As shown in FIG. 3, the pulley block 72 comprises three pulleys, and the three pulleys are arranged in a triangle shape, one pulley is located on a side of the rotating arm 71, and the other two pulleys are located at a side of the locking rind 4; the pull rope 73 successively goes around the three pulleys from the rotating arm 71 to be fixedly connected to the elastic member 74. The elastic member 74 is preferably a telescopic spring, and two ends of the elastic member 74 are fixedly connected to the pull rope 73 and the housing 1, respectively.

(32) FIGS. 8a and 8b are a schematic structure diagram of the linkage assembly 7 in a locked state, where FIG. 8a is a stereoscopic view, and FIG. 8b is a left view of FIG. 8a. FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c are a schematic structure diagram of the linkage assembly 7 in an unlocked state, where FIG. 9a is a stereoscopic view, FIG. 9b is a left view of FIG. 9a, and FIG. 9c is a sectional view along A-A.

(33) As shown in FIGS. 8a and 9a, a chute 12 is formed on the outer wall of the housing 1 corresponding to the locking ring 4, the chute 12 runs through the housing 1 in a thickness direction of the housing 1, and the chute is arc-shaped; the locking ring 4 is fixedly connected to a synchronous element 42, and the synchronous element 42 is in sliding fit with the chute 12 to do a reciprocating motion along the chute 12; the synchronous element 42 is fixedly connected to the pull rope 73 to transfer a reciprocating motion of the pull rope 73 to the locking ring 4, so as to realize a reciprocating motion of the locking ring 4.

(34) To explain the operating principle of the embodiment of the present application more clearly, the following detailed description will be given with reference to FIGS. 1-2 and FIGS. 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b and 9c.

(35) 1. Extension Locking

(36) As shown in FIG. 2, the drawbar 2 is completely retracted. At this time, the locking pin 6 is at a locking position and forms the latch-type locking with the drawbar 2. At this time, the state of the linkage assembly 7 is shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b (however, it differs from FIGS. 8a and 8b that the drawbar 2 is in a retracted state at this time).

(37) By retracting of the unlocking cylinder 8 or pulling the unlocking handle 9, the rotating arm 71 is driven to rotate to pull the locking pin 6 out from the drawbar 2. At this time, the state of the linkage assembly 7 changes from FIGS. 8a and 8b to FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c (however, it differs from FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c that the drawbar 2 has not yet extended at this time). Meanwhile, the rotating arm 71 pulls the pull rope 73, so that the synchronous element 42 moves from one side to the other side of the chute 12, and the synchronous element 42 drives the locking ring 4 to rotate to align the limiting blocks 3 with the through grooves 41. At this time, both the locking ring 4 and the locking pin 6 reach the unlocking position.

(38) The telescopic cylinder 5 extends out to drive the drawbar 2 to extend out. During this process, the limiting blocks 3 smoothly pass through the through grooves 41 (with reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b). After the drawbar 2 is extended in place, the unlocking cylinder 8 is reset or the unlocking handle 9 is released. By the function of the elastic member 74, the locking ring 4 and the locking pin 6 are restored to the locking position, that is, the linkage assembly 7 is restored to the state shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b. The limiting blocks 3 are misaligned with the through grooves on the locking ring 4, and the drawbar 2 cannot be retracted, so that the extension locking is realized. At this time, the state of the coupler telescopic apparatus is shown in FIG. 1.

(39) 2. Retraction Locking

(40) As shown in FIG. 1, the drawbar 2 is completely extended. At this time, the locking pin 6 is at the locking position and forms the spline-type locking with the drawbar 2. At this time, the state of the linkage assembly 7 is shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b.

(41) By retracting of the unlocking cylinder 8 or pulling the unlocking handle 9, the rotating arm 71 is driven to rotate to pull the locking pin 6 out from the drawbar 2. At this time, the state of the linkage assembly 7 changes from FIGS. 8a and 8b to FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c. Meanwhile, the rotating arm 71 pulls the pull rope 73, so that the synchronous element 42 moves from one side to the other side of the chute 12, and the synchronous element 42 drives the locking ring 4 to rotate to align the limiting blocks 3 with the through grooves 41. At this time, both the locking ring 4 and the locking pin 6 reach the unlocking position.

(42) The telescopic cylinder 5 is retracted to drive the drawbar 2 to retract. During this process, the limiting blocks 3 smoothly pass through the through grooves 41. After the drawbar 2 is retracted in place, the unlocking cylinder 8 is reset or the unlocking handle 9 is released. By the function of the elastic member 74, the locking ring 4 and the locking pin 6 are restored to the locking position, that is, the linkage assembly 7 is restored to the state shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b (however, it differs from FIGS. 8a and 8b that the drawbar 2 is in the retracted state at this time). Then, the locking pin 6 forms the latch-type locking with the drawbar 2 again, and the drawbar 2 cannot extend out, so that the retraction locking is realized. At this time, the state of the coupler telescopic apparatus is shown in FIG. 2.

(43) Another embodiment of the present application further provides a coupler, comprising a telescopic apparatus. A specific structure of the telescopic apparatus refers to the above embodiment. Since the coupler employs all the technical solutions in the above embodiment, the coupler at least achieves all beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions in the above embodiment, and it will not be repeated here.