Multiple interface tool for a construction machine

Abstract

A tool for a construction machine includes a first interface that is located at a first location on the tool, and a second interface that is located at a second location on the tool being different from the first location, wherein each of the first interface and the second interface is individually configured to mount the tool on the construction machine, and wherein the construction machine includes a loader bucket.

Claims

1. A tool for a construction machine, the tool including a loader bucket and comprising: a first interface that is located at a first location on the tool and configured to mount the tool on the construction machine in a loader mode; and a second interface that is located at a second location on the tool being different from the first location and configured to mount the tool on the construction machine in a dozer mode, wherein each of the first interface and the second interface is alternatively configured to mount the tool on the construction machine.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises a first locking means, and the second interface comprises a second locking means, and wherein each of the first locking means and the second locking means is configured to be engaged with the construction machine.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein the first interface comprises at least one handle for grabbing the tool by a tool mount of the construction machine.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein the second interface comprises at least one bracket for attaching the tool to a tool carrier of the construction machine.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein the second interface comprises two brackets spaced apart from each other.

6. The tool of claim 1, wherein the first interface or the second interface comprise a detent for a safety engagement of the construction machine with the tool.

7. The tool of claim 1, wherein the first interface and the second interface comprise a detent for a safety engagement of the construction machine with the tool.

8. The tool of claim 1, wherein the first interface is located on a first face of the tool and the second interface is located on a second face of the tool, the second face being different from the first face.

9. The tool of claim 8, wherein the first face of the tool is angled with respect to the second face of the tool, and wherein an angle between the first face and the second face is an obtuse angle.

10. A tool arrangement for a construction machine, comprising: a tool according to claim 1; and a tool carrier configured to be attached to a chassis of the construction machine, wherein the tool is detachably mountable on the tool carrier via at least one of the first interface and the second interface.

11. The tool arrangement of claim 10, wherein the tool is detachably mountable on the tool carrier via the first interface.

12. The tool arrangement of claim 10, wherein the tool is detachably mountable on the tool carrier via the second interface.

13. The tool arrangement of claim 10, wherein the tool is detachably mountable on the tool carrier via the first interface and the second interface.

14. The tool arrangement of claim 10, further comprising an adjustment mechanism having a hydraulic positioning cylinder for providing a height adjustability of the tool arrangement with respect to the chassis of the construction machine.

15. The tool arrangement of claim 14, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes an electric adjustment mechanism.

16. The tool arrangement of claim 14, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes a hydraulic adjustment mechanism.

17. A method of utilizing the tool on the construction machine that includes an articulated boom, the construction machine being the construction machine according to claim 12, the method comprising: depositing, by the articulated boom, the tool on the tool carrier of the construction machine.

18. A method of utilizing the tool on the construction machine that includes an articulated boom, the construction machine being the construction machine according to claim 13, the method comprising: depositing, by the articulated boom, the tool on the tool carrier of the construction machine.

19. The tool of claim 1, wherein the tool is mountable on the construction machine via: a first tool carrier adjustable in a vertical direction and connectable with the second interface; and a second tool carrier configured to store the tool and positioned above tracks of the construction machine.

20. The tool of claim 19, wherein the first tool carrier comprises a pivot joint configured to hold the tool at the second interface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.

(2) FIG. 1 generally illustrates a side view of a tool according to the principles of the present disclosure.

(3) FIG. 2 generally illustrates a back view of the tool of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 generally illustrates a top view of the tool of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 4 generally illustrates a side view of a tool arrangement according to the principles of the present disclosure.

(6) FIG. 5 generally illustrates a side view of a tool carrier of the tool arrangement of FIG. 4.

(7) FIG. 6 generally illustrates a side view of a construction machine according to the principles of the present disclosure.

(8) FIG. 7 generally illustrates a side view of the construction machine of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) Embodiments of the present disclosure are subsequently described with reference to the attached FIGS. 1 to 7.

(10) FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a tool 10 according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the tool 10 is designed as a loader bucket 11. The loader bucket 11 is configured for being mounted on a tool carrier 40 and on an articulated boom 2 of a construction machine 1, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.

(11) The loader bucket 11 may have five faces, a first face 12 as a top face, a second face 13 as a rear face, a third face 14 as a bottom face and two side faces 17. Said five faces 12, 13, 14, 17 may form a bucket as a partly closed container being open at a front 18. Thus, the faces 12, 13, 14, 17 define the volume of the loader bucket 11. The angle between the first face 12 and the second face 13 may be approximately 135 degrees in the present embodiment.

(12) The loader bucket 11 comprises a first interface 110 at a first location 111 and a second interface 120 at second locations 121. The first interface 110 is configured to mount the loader bucket 11 on an articulated boom 2, and the second interface 120 is configured to mount the loader bucket 11 on a tool carrier 40. The first interface 110 may be arranged on the first face 12 of the loader bucket 11 and the second interface 120 may be arranged on the second face 13 of the loader bucket 11. The first interface 110 may be located at a centered location 111 on the first face 12. The second interface 120 may be provided at two locations 121 on the second face 13, said two locations 121 being situated apart from one another. The two locations 121 may be arranged symmetrically to the centered location 111 on the loader bucket 11.

(13) The first interface 110 may comprise a first locking means 112. The first locking means 112 may comprise two handles 130. Both handles 130 may be arranged parallel to the first face 12, wherein both handles 130 may be arranged above the first face 12. Both handles 130 may be grabbed by a tool mount 3 of the articulated boom 2.

(14) The second interface 120 may comprise a second locking means 122. The second locking means 122 may comprise two brackets 140. Both brackets 140 may be spaced apart from each other and may be arranged substantially parallel to the second face 13. Both brackets 140 may include a base plate 141 and a protrusion 142 attached to the base plate 141 at an upper portion thereof, wherein the base plate 141 and the protrusion 142 may be angled with respect to each other with an acute angle forming a mounting support. A detent 150 may be provided in the base plate 141 as an opening. Both brackets 140 may be mounted on the tool carrier 40.

(15) FIGS. 4 and 5 show an embodiment of a tool arrangement 200 according to the present disclosure. The tool arrangement 200 comprises a tool carrier 40, which is shown in combination with a tool 10 mounted thereon in FIG. 4 and alone in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the tool 10 is the loader bucket 11 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 above.

(16) The tool carrier 40 comprises a holding arm 41 with a pivot joint 42 at one end and a holder 43 at the other end thereof. The holding arm 41 may be pivotably attached to a chassis 4 of a construction machine 1 via the pivot joint 42. For actuating a pivoting movement of the holding arm 41, an adjustment mechanism 210 is provided. This adjustment mechanism 210 comprises a hydraulic positioning cylinder 212 interconnecting the holding arm 41 with the chassis 4 of the construction machine 1. By actuating the hydraulic positioning cylinder 212, the holding arm 41 with the holder 43 attached thereto is pivoted around the pivoting joint 42. Alternatively or additionally, an electric actuator (not shown) may be provided for pivoting the holding arm 41 around the pivoting joint 42. For this purpose, at least one battery (not shown) and an electric motor (not shown) may be arranged on the construction machine 1 for operating and powering the electric actuator.

(17) The holder 43 of the tool arrangement 200 comprises two end plates 44 with a seating 45 at the top of each end plate 44 (only one end plate 44 is shown). The brackets 140 of the loader bucket 11 may be engaged with the end plates 44, wherein the protrusions 142 of the brackets 140 may rest on the seatings 45 of the end plates 44.

(18) The holder 43 may further comprise a lock 46 arranged at least on one of the end plates 44. The lock 46 may engage with the detent 150 of the base plate 141 when the bracket 140 rests on the end plate 44, so as to realize a safety engagement. The lock 46 may be actuated manually, electrically and/or hydraulically by a manual, electric and/or hydraulic actuating mechanism (not shown).

(19) FIGS. 6 and 7 show an embodiment of a construction machine 1 according to the present disclosure. The construction machine 1 of this embodiment is a chain-driven loader-excavator, which may additionally be operated in a dozer mode. The tool arrangement 200 of FIGS. 4 and 5 is arranged on a chassis 4 of the construction machine 1.

(20) In FIG. 6, the tool 10 is mounted on the tool carrier 40 via the brackets 140. The construction machine 1 is operated in a dozer mode, in which the tool carrier 40 is pivoted downwards to place the bottom face 14 of the loader bucket 11 on the ground. In this operational mode, the articulated boom 2 is not in use and the loader bucket 11 is utilized as a dozer blade.

(21) In FIG. 7, the tool 10 is mounted on a tool mount 3 of the articulated boom 2 of the construction machine 1 via the handles 130 to operate the construction machine in a loader mode. The construction machine 1 can be transferred from the dozer mode illustrated in FIG. 6 to the loader mode illustrated in FIG. 7 by picking up the tool 10, which is attached on the tool carrier 40 via the brackets 140, with the tool mount 3 of the articulated boom 2. Specifically, the tool mount 3 snaps into the first interface 110, i.e. the handles 130, of the loader bucket 11. After picking up the loader bucket 11 with the tool mount 3, the upper structure may be rotated by 180 degrees with respect to the chassis.

(22) Furthermore, in FIGS. 6 and 7, an additional tool carrier 150 is shown, which may be provided on the construction machine 1 for storing and changing additional tools. Said tool carrier 50 may carry an additional excavator bucket 21, which may be mounted on the tool mount 3 of the articulated boom 2.

(23) In the above described embodiments, a multi-functional tool 10 in combination with a construction machine 1 is described. Said tool 10 is configured to be used for different operational modes of the construction machine by comprising different interfaces 110, 120, each being designed for a specific one of said operational modes.

(24) As used herein, the terminology or is intended to mean an inclusive or rather than an exclusive or. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, X includes A or B is intended to indicate any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B, then X includes A or B is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles a and an as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean one or more unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.

(25) Further, for simplicity of explanation, although the figures and descriptions herein may include sequences or series of steps or stages, elements of the methods disclosed herein may occur in various orders or concurrently. Additionally, elements of the methods disclosed herein may occur with other elements not explicitly presented and described herein. Furthermore, not all elements of the methods described herein may be required to implement a method in accordance with this disclosure. Although aspects, features, and elements are described herein in particular combinations, each aspect, feature, or element may be used independently or in various combinations with or without other aspects, features, and elements.

(26) While the disclosure has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.