MOBILE CRANE TRAVEL GEAR AXLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile crane travel gear axle with suspensions, which are independent of one another, of the wheel carriers arranged on both sides of the travel gear frame of the mobile crane, wherein the suspensions each have at least one transverse link which couples the wheel carrier to the travel gear frame and which is connected to the travel gear frame so as to be rotatable about an axis extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the travel gear frame.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A mobile crane drive assembly axle, comprising mutually independent suspensions of the wheel carriers arranged on both sides of the drive assembly frame of the mobile crane, wherein the suspensions each comprise at least one transverse control arm which couples the wheel carrier onto the drive assembly frame and is connected to the drive assembly frame such that it can be rotated about an axis which extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drive assembly frame.

13. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 12, wherein the suspension is embodied as a double transverse control arm wheel suspension comprising two control arm planes which are arranged one above the other and which each comprise at least one transverse control arm.

14. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 13, wherein at least one transverse control arm, in particular at least one transverse control arm of each control arm plane, is configured as a control rod, a triangular control arm or a quadrilateral control arm.

15. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 13, wherein each control arm plane comprises one triangular control arm each, and wherein at least one control arm plane, in particular an upper control arm plane, comprises another control rod.

16. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 13, wherein a first control arm plane, in particular a lower control arm plane, comprises a triangular control arm, and wherein a second control arm plane, in particular an upper control arm plane, comprises at least one control rod and specifically further comprises a longitudinal or oblique control arm which is embodied as a control rod.

17. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 13, wherein the suspensions are configured such that at least one transverse control arm, in particular a transverse control arm of the lower control arm plane, extends from the wheel carrier up to and into the central region of the drive assembly frame.

18. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 13, wherein the suspensions are configured such that at least one transverse control arm, in particular a transverse control arm of the upper control arm plane, extends from the wheel carrier up to a vertical side wall of the drive assembly frame.

19. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 13, comprising combined drive assembly elements which perform the function of steering rods and track rods and which are in particular arranged substantially in the lower control arm plane and/or substantially exhibit the length of the transverse control arms arranged in the lower control arm plane and are specifically actuated by means of a steering gear arranged centrally with respect to the drive assembly frame.

20. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 12, wherein the wheel carrier is configured to connect a wheel hub drive comprising an electric motor or a hydraulic motor for driving the respective wheel.

21. The mobile crane drive assembly axle according to claim 20, wherein the wheel carrier comprises a bearing head which is mounted on the wheel carrier body via a joint, in particular a rotary joint, and on which a spring suspension cylinder and/or at least one control arm acts, wherein the bearing head comprises a connection for the energy supply of the wheel hub drive, and wherein the joint comprises a feedthrough for the energy supply to the wheel carrier body.

22. A mobile crane comprising at least one drive assembly axle according to claim 1 and a drive assembly frame which is configured at least in sections as a hollow profile and which is in particular symmetrical with respect to a vertical plane of symmetry, wherein the profile sides are formed from multiple profile segments, at least beyond the suspensions up to a predetermined height, wherein the profile segments are connected to each other such that the horizontal width of the profile increases from the lower side of the profile.

Description

[0027] There is shown:

[0028] FIG. 1 a view of the mobile crane drive assembly axle in accordance with the invention, assembled on a crane drive assembly frame, from below;

[0029] FIG. 2 a sectional view through the mobile crane wheel carrier in accordance with the invention;

[0030] FIG. 3 a detailed view of a rotary bearing of the wheel carrier from FIG. 2;

[0031] FIG. 4 a sectional view of the mobile crane drive assembly frame in accordance with the invention.

[0032] FIG. 1 is an example of a view showing two identical drive assembly axles in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, which are assembled on a mobile crane drive assembly frame in accordance with another aspect of the present invention. Each of the drive assembly axles is configured as a double transverse control arm drive assembly axle, wherein a transverse control arm 4 which is formed as a triangular control arm is arranged in a lower control arm plane 19 (FIG. 2) and acts on the drive assembly frame 2 via two spaced rotary joint bearings situated near the centre of the frame. The global rotational axis D of the triangular control arm 4 thus extends parallel to longitudinal axis L of the frame. At the outer end, the triangular control arm 4 is rotatably coupled to the wheel carrier 3 via a spherical joint 21 (see FIG. 2). The combined track-steering rods 22 which act on the wheel carrier 3 via the steering levers 23 are also arranged in the lower control arm plane 19. Spring-compressing and/or spring-extending the steering cylinders 24 in opposite directions causes a steering lock of the wheels 10 of the relevant vehicle axle via the central steering lever 25 and the track-steering rods 22 connected to it. Turning the wheel carrier 3 at steering lock is enabled in the lower control arm plane 19 by the spherical joint 21 on the lower triangular control arm 4 and, by contrast, in the upper control arm plane 20 by the rotary joint 11 which is formed between the wheel carrier body 12 and the bearing head 13.

[0033] The embodiment shown likewise comprises a triangular control arm 5 in the upper control arm plane 20, whichlike the control rod 6is formed as a transverse control arm and is pivoted together with it on the drive assembly frame 2 about a common rotational axis D as soon as the corresponding wheel 10 is spring-compressed or spring-extended. Since the rotary joint 11 does not permit any rotation about a horizontal rotational axis, the transverse control arms 5 and 6 arelike the spring suspension cylinder 14coupled to the bearing head 13 via spherical joints and/or rotary joints which are not indicated in further detail. At the frame end, the spring suspension cylinder 14 and the transverse control arms 5 and 6 are likewise mounted via rotary joints.

[0034] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, guiding the relatively long lower triangular control arms 4 below the drive assembly frame 2 and significantly shortening the upper transverse control arms 5 and 6 enables the drive assembly frame 2 to be significantly widened in its width or equally in its depth as compared to conventional solutions, without having to provide apertures or cavities in the drive assembly frame 2 for the control arms or other parts of the drive assembly for this purpose. Since the frame cross-section is constant across the length of the frame and nonetheless greatly widened, a crane undercarriage is provided which is extremely easy to build and nonetheless has a very high load capacity as compared to conventional solutions. Structuring the drive assembly axle as a double transverse control arm axle in accordance with the invention also enables standardised components to be used to a high degree, which enables not only a drive assembly axle which is cheap and easy to build but above all a high and uninvolved capacity to be adapted to different types of crane exhibiting different geometric parameters for the drive assembly axle.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section through a wheel carrier 3 in accordance with the invention which represents a second aspect of the present invention. The wheel carrier 3 in accordance with the invention comprises its own drive, for the wheel 10 which it mounts, in the form of a wheel hub drive 8. In the embodiment shown, the wheel hub drive 8 comprises a hydraulic motor 9 which is borne by the wheel carrier 3, coaxially with the wheel 10, and drives the latter via a planetary gear and a switchable coupling. In order to supply the motor 9 with power, a hydraulic power supply 15 is provided, comprising a hydraulic feed and drainage of the hydraulic oil provided for this purpose. The hydraulic conduit coming from the drive assembly frame 2 of the crane undercarriage is directly connected to the bearing head 13 which remains substantially stable in its location relative to the spring suspension cylinder 14 and the transverse control arms 5 and 6, as soon as the wheel 10 together with the wheel carrier 3 experiences steering lock. Consequently, the stress on the hydraulic conduit leading to the bearing head 13, caused by steering lock, is negligibly small. The hydraulic oil then continues to the hydraulic motor 9 via a rotary union 16 in the rotary joint 11. For this purpose, annular grooves are incorporated into the cylindrical inner surface of the bearing head 13 for the oil feed or equally the oil drainage, wherein in co-operation with radial bores and connecting axial bores in the cylindrical bearing journal 27 of the wheel carrier body 12, said annular grooves form a feedthrough for the hydraulic oil via the elements which rotate relative to each other, i.e. the bearing head 13 and the wheel carrier body 12. The motor 9 which is fixed in its location relative to the wheel carrier 3 can be supplied from the bores in the wheel carrier body 12 via static hydraulic conduits. In the embodiment shown, the oil leaving the motor 9 is guided back towards the drive assembly frame 2 in an identical way to how it is fed.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows another aspect of the present invention, namely a mobile crane drive assembly frame 2 which is configured as a hollow profile and exhibits a frame width B which is ever-increasing in an upward direction in the lower region up to a predetermined height H.

[0037] For this purpose, the frame 2 which is symmetrical with respect to the vertical plane of symmetry M is constructed from multiple profile segments 17 in the lower region which are connected to each other such that the profile walls 7 formed by the profile segments 17 widen in an upward direction. Viewed as a whole relative to the side wall 7, the individual profile segments form a reinforcing zigzag pattern, i.e. the side B of the frame increases at alternately pronounced rates in an upward direction. Above the predefined height H, the frame 2 can exhibit a constant width, wherein a width which increases or also decreases at least in sections is equally conceivable. The hollow profile of the frame 2 formed in accordance with the present invention thus maximally utilises the design space granted it by the drive assembly axles. A constant profile cross-section with no cavities or apertures provided in sections, as shown in FIG. 1, crucially aids the load capacity of the frame 2 when a given material is used for the crane undercarriage.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0038] 1 suspension [0039] 2 drive assembly frame [0040] 3 wheel carrier [0041] 4, 5, 6 transverse control arm [0042] 7 side wall [0043] 8 wheel hub drive [0044] 9 electric/hydraulic motor [0045] 10 wheel [0046] 11 rotary joint [0047] 12 wheel carrier body [0048] 13 bearing head [0049] 14 spring suspension cylinder of the suspension [0050] 15 power supply [0051] 16 rotary union [0052] 17 profile segment [0053] 18 lower side of the profile [0054] 19 lower control arm plane [0055] 20 upper control arm plane [0056] 21 spherical joint [0057] 22 track-steering rod [0058] 23 steering lever [0059] 24 steering cylinder [0060] 25 central steering lever [0061] M plane of symmetry of the frame [0062] D rotational axis of the transverse control arm [0063] L longitudinal axis of the frame