EXCAVATOR BUCKET

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an excavator bucket, which can be used both as a front loader bucket and as a backhoe bucket. The excavator bucket comprises a shell delimiting a bucket volume and a retaining device connected to the shell, via which the excavator bucket can be detachably connected to a quick coupling device of an implement. The retaining device comprises a first bolt for establishing a first connection to the quick coupling device and bolt receptacles arranged in a collinear manner to each other for establishing a second connection to the quick coupling device. According to the disclosure, the retaining device further comprises a second bolt, by means of which the first connection to the quick coupling device can be established as an alternative to the first bolt, wherein the second bolt is arranged on a side of the bolt receptacles opposite to the first bolt when viewed from above the retaining device. The bolts are arranged such that the second connection can be established via the same bolt receptacles, both when using the first bolt and when using the second bolt. The disclosure further relates to a method for converting the excavator bucket according to the disclosure between a backhoe bucket operation and a front loader bucket operation.

Claims

1. Excavator bucket, which can be used both as a front loader bucket and as a backhoe bucket, comprising a shell delimiting a bucket volume, and a retaining device connected to the shell, via which the excavator bucket can be detachably connected to a quick coupling device of an implement, wherein the retaining device comprises a first bolt for establishing a first connection to the quick coupling device and bolt receptacles arranged in a collinear manner to each other for establishing a second connection to the quick coupling device, wherein the retaining device comprises a second bolt, by means of which the first connection to the quick coupling device can be established as an alternative to the first bolt, wherein the second bolt is arranged on a side of the bolt receptacles opposite to the first bolt when viewed from above the retaining device, wherein the bolts are arranged such that the second connection can be established via the same bolt receptacles, both when using the first bolt and when using the second bolt.

2. Excavator bucket according to claim 1, wherein the first bolt has the same distance from an imaginary connecting line extending centrally through the bolt receptacles as the second bolt.

3. Excavator bucket according to claim 2, wherein the retaining device does not have any further connecting elements besides the two bolts and the bolt receptacles for connection to a quick coupling device.

4. Excavator bucket according to claim 3, wherein the retaining device comprises two fastening flanges projecting from the shell and extending parallel to each other, in which flanges the bolt receptacles are formed and the two bolts are fastened, wherein the fastening flanges are formed by sheets projecting vertically from the shell.

5. Excavator bucket according to claim 4, wherein the fastening flanges comprise a first portion, which is arranged in the region of an opening of the excavator bucket defined by a front edge of the shell and comprise a second portion, which is arranged in the region of a rounded rear wall of the shell, wherein the first bolt is arranged on the first portions and the second bolt is arranged on the second portions of the fastening flanges.

6. Excavator bucket according to claim 5, wherein the fastening flanges in the first portion run substantially parallel to the shell and/or the fastening flanges in the second portion extend in a direction away from the shell and taper.

7. Excavator bucket according to claim 3, wherein the longitudinal axes of the two bolts and an imaginary connecting line extending centrally through the bolt receptacles do not lie in a common plane.

8. Excavator bucket according to claim 5, wherein the longitudinal of the first bolt and the imaginary connecting line span a first plane and wherein the longitudinal axis of the second bolt and the imaginary connecting line span a second plane, wherein the part of the second plane lying between the imaginary connecting line and the second bolt encloses an acute angle (?) with the part of the first plane that is separated from the first bolt by the imaginary connecting line and runs between the second bolt and the shell, wherein the angle (?) is between 10? and 60?, particularly preferably between 20? and 40?.

9. Excavator bucket according to claim 3, wherein the two bolts run parallel to each other, wherein the second bolt has a greater distance from the shell than the first bolt.

10. Excavator bucket according to claim 5, wherein two protective devices for mechanical protection of an energy circuit coupling half of the quick coupling device are arranged on the retaining device or on the shell in the region of the retaining device, wherein the protective devices have a flat protective side facing away from the shell and the protective sides of the two protective devices assume an angle to one another.

11. Implement, in particular a hydraulic excavator, having an excavator bucket according to claim 1, wherein the implement comprises a boom, on the end of which a quick coupling device is arranged for mounting the excavator bucket.

12. Implement according to claim 5, wherein the quick coupling device comprises first connecting elements for establishing a first connection optionally to the first or the second bolts of the excavator bucket and further comprises second connecting elements for establishing a second connection to the bolt receptacles of the excavator bucket, wherein the first connecting elements comprise open bolt receptacles and/or the second connecting elements comprise one or more bolts that can be inserted into the collinear bolt receptacles of the excavator bucket.

13. Method for converting the excavator bucket of an implement according to claim 12 between a backhoe bucket operation and a front loader bucket operation, the method comprising the following steps: releasing the second connection between the second connecting elements of the quick coupling device and the bolt receptacles of the retaining device; releasing the first connection between the first connecting elements of the quick coupling device and the first bolt or the second bolt of the retaining device; rotating the excavator bucket relative to the quick coupling device and/or the quick coupling device relative to the excavator bucket so that subsequently, as viewed from the quick coupling device, the first and second bolts are interchanged; establishing the first connection between the first connecting elements of the quick coupling device and the second bolt or the first bolt of the retaining device; establishing the second connection between the second connecting elements of the quick coupling device and the bolt receptacles of the retaining device.

14. Method according to claim 5, wherein the change between backhoe bucket operation and front loader bucket operation is performed without disconnecting or reconnecting the first or second bolt and using the same bolt receptacles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0040] Further features, details and advantages of the disclosure result from the following exemplary embodiment explained with the help of the figures. In the figures:

[0041] FIG. 1: shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of the excavator bucket according to the disclosure in a perspective view;

[0042] FIG. 2: shows an excavator bucket according to FIG. 1 in a side view; and

[0043] FIGS. 3a-b: show the protective devices and the arrangement thereof in the retaining device in a perspective view and a side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of the excavator bucket 10 according to the disclosure in a perspective exploded view. The excavator bucket 10 according to the disclosure comprises a steel shell 12, which delimits an internal bucket volume and has an opening for filling and emptying the excavator bucket 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the shell 12 comprises two laterally arranged side walls and a curved rear wall, wherein the latter forms both the bottom and the rear wall and top of the excavator bucket 10. The opening is defined or delimited by a front edge 13, which is formed by the different walls of the shell 12. The front edge 13 or opening may have a substantially rectangular shape.

[0045] In the upper region or on the upper side of the shell 12, the excavator bucket 10 according to the disclosure has a retaining device 20 that attaches the excavator bucket 10 to a quick coupler (=quick coupling device) of an implement such as, for example, an excavator. The retaining device 20 comprises two plate-shaped fastening flanges 30 extending perpendicular to the upper outer contour of the shell 12 and parallel to each other. The fastening flanges 30 each have a first portion 31 located adjacent to the front edge 13. The first portions 31 have a substantially constant height and have a bolt receptacle 25 in an end region facing the front edge 13, in which a first bolt 21 is accommodated.

[0046] The fastening flanges 30 each have a second portion 32 that, starting from the front edge 13, connects to the first portion 31 in the direction of the rear of the excavator bucket. The second portions 32 project obliquely rearwards/upwards from the shell 12 and taper to an end portion, each of which has a further bolt receptacle 26 formed therein. A second bolt 22 is accommodated in these bolt receptacles 26.

[0047] In the exploded view of FIG. 1, the bolts 21, 22 are shown outside the bolt receptacles 25, 26 to illustrate that in this exemplary embodiment the bolts 21, 22 can be stored in the bolt receptacles 25, 26 and are therefore in principle removable (although they do not need to be removed for conversion). Alternatively, the bolts 21, 22 could also be securely connected, in particular welded, to the fastening flanges 30.

[0048] Between the first and second bolts 21, 22, in the transition region between the first and second portions 31, 32, the fastening flanges 30 have central bolt receptacles 23. These central bolt receptacles 23 are arranged collinear to each other and receive at least one, preferably two, locking bolts of the quick coupler.

[0049] The retaining device 20 according to the disclosure allows the excavator bucket 10 to be used either as a backhoe bucket or as a front loader bucket and to be connected to the same quick coupler. For this purpose, either the first bolt 21 or the second bolt 22 is used together with the central bolt receptacles 23 to connect to the quick coupler, depending on the mode of operation (front loader bucket or backhoe bucket operation). The retaining device 20 therefore has two different positions for engaging the quick coupler. To change the excavator bucket 10 according to the disclosure between front loader bucket and backhoe bucket, no bolts 21, 22 on the excavator bucket 10 have to be repositioned.

[0050] When the excavator bucket 10 is used as a backhoe bucket, the quick coupler is connected to the first bolt 21 to form a first connection and to the central bolt receptacles 23 to form a second connection. On the other hand, if the excavator bucket 10 is used as a front loader bucket, the excavator bucket is provided rotated 180? relative to the quick coupler and the quick coupler is connected to the second bolt 21 to form the first connection and to the central bolt receptacles 23 to form the second connection. The first connection to the quick coupler is therefore established either via the first bolt 21 or the second bolt 22, depending on the mode of operation. The center bolt receptacles 23, on the other hand, are used to connect to the quick coupler in both cases.

[0051] The solution according to the disclosure makes it possible to combine the special kinematics of the backhoe bucket and the special kinematics of the front loader bucket in one system without having to make any compromises. For this purpose, the fastening flanges 30 have the characteristic shape shown in FIG. 1 with the second portions 32 projecting upwards towards the rear, at the end portions of which the second bolt 22 is arranged or fastened. On the one hand, this geometry extends the distance between the second bolt 22 and the shell 12, resulting in a greater reach in front loader bucket operation. For special work, such as undermining in canals, there is also improved working behavior.

[0052] On the other hand, this geometry takes into account the special requirements for the kinematics of the front loader bucket, which is attached to the quick coupler at a different angle. As can be seen in particular in the side view of the excavator bucket 10 of FIG. 2, the central axes or longitudinal axes of the first bolt 21 and the central bolt receptacles 23 (here the term longitudinal axis refers to an imaginary line running centrally through the bolt receptacles 23) lie in a common first plane 1 and the central axes or longitudinal axes of the second bolt 22 and the central bolt receptacles 23 lie in a common second plane 2. The two planes 1, 2 are not parallel to each other, but the second plane 2 is swung out from the first plane 1 by an angle ? upwards. More specifically, the portions of the first and second planes 1, 2 in FIG. 2, each lying to the left of the imaginary line through the central bolt receptacles 23, enclose an acute angle ? with each other.

[0053] The longitudinal axes of the two bolts 21, 22 and the imaginary line through the central bolt receptacles 23 are therefore not in a common plane. This allows the excavator bucket 10 to be connected to the quick coupler at an angle optimized for front loader bucket operation. The special shape of the fastening flanges 30 or the elevated position of the second bolt 22, which has a greater distance from the shell 12 than the first bolt 21, represents an angle correction for front loader bucket operation. The angle ? can therefore also be called the correction angle. The retaining device 20 thus combines the advantages of both bucket types.

[0054] This geometry provides a particular advantage. As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, which respectively show a perspective and a side view of the retaining device 20, two protective devices 40 or guard plates 40 may be mounted on the shell 12 in the region between the fastening flanges 30. These protective devices 40 have a flat guard side that covers an energy circuit coupling half of the quick coupler when it is mounted on the excavator bucket 10. Such energy circuit couplings are known, for example, from EP 1 239 087 A1 or DE 10 2020 110 523 A1 and automatically establish electrical and/or hydraulic connections during mechanical coupling of the attachment tool. In the event that the excavator bucket 10 according to the disclosure does not have an actuator and such an energy circuit coupling half is arranged on the quick coupler, the free coupling half can be covered by one of the guard plates 40 and thereby protected. Since there are two possible mounting positions for the quick coupler, two guard plates 40 are preferably provided, which are arranged at an angle to each other, which preferably corresponds to the correction angle ? described above.

[0055] The energy circuit coupling half is also protected by the bolt 21, 22, which is not used for the connection, so that the bolt 21, 22 has an additional mechanical protective function in backhoe bucket and front loader bucket operation. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the excavator bucket 10 may have one or more stiffening structures in the form of a torsion box 14 on its upper side in the region of the retaining device 20, which improves the stability of the excavator bucket 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, two torsion boxes 14 are provided, wherein one torsion box 14 is arranged in the region of the first portion 31 and a second torsion box 14 is arranged in the region of the second portion 32 of the fastening flanges 30.

[0056] In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the front torsion box 14 is formed in the region of the first portion 31 by an additional bent sheet 15 that has been welded onto the shell 12. The fastening flanges 30 have a complementary contour on their underside that takes into account the bulging shape of the torsion box 14. In the rear torsion box 14, on the other hand, the upper sheet is arranged between the fastening flanges 30. Alternatively, both torsion boxes 14 could be formed like the front torsion box or like the rear torsion box 14. Other forms of stiffening structures are also conceivable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0057] 1 First plane [0058] 2 Second plane [0059] 10 Excavator bucket [0060] 12 Shell [0061] 13 Front edge [0062] 14 Stiffening structure (torsion box) [0063] 15 Sheet [0064] 20 Retaining device [0065] 21 First bolt [0066] 22 Second bolt [0067] 23 Bolt receptacle [0068] 25 Bolt receptacle for the first bolt [0069] 26 Bolt receptacle for the second bolt [0070] 30 Fastening flange [0071] 31 First portion [0072] 32 Second portion [0073] 40 Protective device [0074] ? Correction angle