SCRAPER ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A scraper arrangement for a soil tilling roller of a soil tilling machine, comprising a scraper bar (32) which is elongated in the direction of a longitudinal bar axis (B) and is to be attached or is attached by means of at least two articulated units (40) to a machine frame (22) of a soil tilling machine (10) so that it can pivot between an active position and an inactive position, wherein each articulated unit (40) comprises a first articulated carrier element (42) intended to be fixed to a machine frame (22) and a second articulated carrier element (44) intended to be fixed to the scraper bar (32), characterised in that each articulated unit (40) further comprises at least one first articulated connection element (46), wherein the at least one first articulated connection element (46) is pivotably connected to the first articulated carrier element (42) about a first pivot axis (S.sub.1) in a first pivot coupling region (50) of the at least one first articulated connection element (46) and is pivotably connected to the second articulated carrier element (44) about a second pivot axis (S.sub.2) which is substantially parallel to the first pivot axis (S.sub.1) in a second pivot coupling region (54) of the at least one first articulated connection element (46), and comprises at least one second articulated connection element (48), wherein the at least one second articulated connection element (48) is pivotably connected to the first articulated carrier element (42) about a third pivot axis (S.sub.3) which is substantially parallel to the first pivot axis (S.sub.1) in a first pivot coupling region (60) of the at least one second articulated connection element (48) and is pivotably connected to the second articulated carrier element (44) about a fourth pivot axis (S.sub.4) which is substantially parallel to the third pivot axis (S.sub.3) in a second pivot coupling region (66) of the at least one second articulated connection element (48).

Claims

1. Scraper arrangement for a soil tilling roller of a soil tilling machine, comprising a scraper bar which is elongated in the direction of a longitudinal bar axis and is to be attached or is attached by means of at least two articulated units to a machine frame of a soil tilling machine so so as to be pivotable between an active position and an inactive position, wherein each articulated unit comprises: a first articulated carrier element intended to be fixed to a machine frame, a second articulated carrier element intended to be fixed to the scraper bar, at least one first articulated connection element, wherein the at least one first articulated connection element is pivotably connected to the first articulated carrier element about a first pivot axis in a first pivot coupling region of the at least one first articulated connection element and is pivotably connected to the second articulated carrier element about a second pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the first pivot axis in a second pivot coupling region of the at least one first articulated connection element, and at least one second articulated connection element, wherein the at least one second articulated connection element is pivotably connected to the first articulated carrier element about a third pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the first pivot axis in a first pivot coupling region of the at least one second articulated connection element and is pivotably connected to the second articulated carrier element about a fourth pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the third pivot axis in a second pivot coupling region of the at least one second articulated connection element.

2. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein in at least one articulated unit two first articulated connection elements are arranged at a distance from one another in the direction of the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis, and in that a first pivot coupling region of the first articulated carrier element is arranged axially between the first pivot coupling regions of the first articulated connection elements and a first pivot coupling region of the second articulated connection element is arranged axially between the second pivot coupling regions of the first articulated connection elements, and/or in that in at least one articulated unit two second articulated connection elements are arranged at a distance from one another in the direction of the third pivot axis and the fourth pivot axis and in that a second pivot coupling region of the first articulated carrier element is arranged axially between the first pivot coupling regions of the second articulated connection elements and a second pivot coupling region of the second articulated connection element is arranged axially between the second pivot coupling regions of the second articulated connection elements.

3. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a single first articulated connection element is provided for at least one articulated unit and in that a first pivot coupling region of the first articulated carrier element overlaps the first pivot coupling region of the first articulated connection element on its two axial sides and a first pivot coupling region of the second articulated carrier element overlaps the second pivot coupling region of the first articulated connection element on its two axial sides, and/or in that a single second articulated connection element is provided in at least one articulated unit and in that a second pivot coupling region of the first articulated carrier element overlaps the first pivot coupling region of the second articulated connection element on its two axial sides and a second pivot coupling region of the second articulated carrier element overlaps the second pivot coupling region of the second articulated connection element on its two axial sides.

4. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first articulated connection element is pivotably connected in its first pivot coupling region to the first articulated carrier element by a pivot pin about the first pivot axis, and/or in that the at least one first articulated connection element is pivotably connected in its second pivot coupling region to the second articulated carrier element by a pivot pin about the second pivot axis, and/or in that the at least one second articulated connection element is pivotably connected in its first pivot coupling region to the first articulated carrier element by a pivot pin about the third pivot axis, and/or in that the at least one second articulated connection element is pivotably connected in its second pivot coupling region to the second articulated carrier element by a pivot pin about the fourth pivot axis.

5. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first pivot axis and the third pivot axis differs from a distance between the second pivot axis and fourth pivot axis.

6. Scraper arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the distance between the first pivot axis and the third pivot axis is smaller than the distance between the second pivot axis and fourth pivot axis.

7. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first pivot axis and the third pivot axis corresponds to a distance between the second pivot axis and fourth pivot axis.

8. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first articulated connection element is curved between its first pivot coupling region and its second pivot coupling region at least on a side facing the at least one second articulated connection element, and/or in that the at least one second articulated connection element curved between its first pivot coupling region and its second pivot coupling region at least on a side facing the at least one first articulated connection element.

9. Scraper arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the at least one first articulated connection element and the at least one second articulated connection element are curved in opposite directions to one another, and/or in that the at least one first articulated connection element and/or the at least one second articulated connection element is concavely curved on the side facing the respective other articulated connection element.

10. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a prestressing arrangement is provided, wherein the prestressing arrangement prestresses the scraper bar into the inactive position when the scraper bar is positioned in the inactive position and prestresses the scraper bar into the active position when the scraper bar is positioned in the active position.

11. Scraper arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the prestressing arrangement comprises at least one prestressing springs arranged at an axial distance from one another and acting between the first articulated carrier element and the second articulated carrier element.

12. Scraper arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one articulated connection element of the first articulated connection element and second articulated connection element is tiltable with respect to the respective pivot axis and/or displaced orthogonally to the respective pivot axis in at least one pivot coupling region of the first pivot coupling region and second pivot coupling region with respect to the articulated carrier element of the first articulated carrier element and second articulated carrier element coupled thereto.

13. Soil tilling machine, in particular soil compactor, comprising at least one soil tilling roller and, in association with at least one soil tilling roller, at least one scraper arrangement comprising a scraper bar which is elongated in the direction of a longitudinal bar axis and is pivotably attachable by at least two articulated units to a machine frame so as to be movable between an active position and an inactive position, wherein each articulated unit comprises: a first articulated carrier element intended to be fixed to a machine frame, a second articulated carrier element intended to be fixed to the scraper bar, at least one first articulated connection element, wherein the at least one first articulated connection element is pivotably connected to the first articulated carrier element about a first pivot axis in a first pivot coupling region of the at least one first articulated connection element and is pivotably connected to the second articulated carrier element about a second pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the first pivot axis in a second pivot coupling region of the at least one first articulated connection element, and at least one second articulated connection element, wherein the at least one second articulated connection element is pivotably connected to the first articulated carrier element about a third pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the first pivot axis in a first pivot coupling region of the at least one second articulated connection element and is pivotably connected to the second articulated carrier element about a fourth pivot axis which is substantially parallel to the third pivot axis in a second pivot coupling region of the at least one second articulated connection element.

Description

[0025] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached figures.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a soil compactor in side view;

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a soil tilling roller of a soil compactor with a scraper arrangement associated therewith;

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a side view of a soil compacting roller with a scraper arrangement associated therewith in an active position;

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 3 with the scraper arrangement positioned in an inactive position;

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an articulated unit of a scraper arrangement;

[0031] FIG. 6 shows another perspective view of the articulated unit of FIG. 5;

[0032] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an articulated unit;

[0033] FIG. 8 shows another perspective view of the articulated unit of FIG. 7.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a soil tilling machine constructed in the form of a soil compactor 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the soil compactor 10 comprises a rear carriage 12 with drive wheels 14 carried on it. In addition to a drive assembly that cannot be seen in FIG. 1, a control station 16 is also provided on the rear carriage 12, in which an operator operating the soil compactor 10 can find a seat. A front carriage 18 is pivotably connected to the rear carriage 12. By pivoting the front carriage 18 with respect to the rear carriage 12, the soil compactor 10 is steered during movement over the subsoil 20 to be compacted.

[0035] The front carriage 18 comprises a machine frame 22 on which a soil tilling roller 24 is rotatably supported about an axis of rotation D orthogonal to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 1. The soil tilling roller 24 is carried on the machine frame 22 via a plurality of elastic suspension elements 26 in order to achieve a movement decoupling between the soil tilling roller 24 and the machine frame 22, particularly when the soil tilling roller is assigned an oscillation mechanism or a vibration mechanism.

[0036] It should be noted that the soil compactor 10 could be designed in a wide variety of other ways. For example, it could also have a soil tilling roller on the rear carriage 12 or a machine frame carrying a respective soil tilling roller could be constructed in a different way than illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows the soil tilling roller 24 in connection with a frame part 28, which extends in the direction of the roller axis of rotation D, of the machine frame 22 that rotatably supports the soil tilling roller 24. A scraper arrangement, generally designated 30, is carried on this frame part 28 or on the machine frame 22. It should be pointed out that the soil tilling roller 24 can also be assigned two such scraper arrangements 30, for example.

[0038] The scraper arrangement 30 comprises a scraper bar 32, which is elongated in the direction of a longitudinal bar axis B that is substantially parallel to the roller axis of rotation D and can be moved between an active position shown in FIG. 2, in which a scraper edge 34 abuts the scraper bar 32 on an outer peripheral surface 36 of a roller casing 38 of the soil tilling roller 24, and an inactive position, in which the scraper edge 34 is moved away from the outer peripheral surface 36.

[0039] In order to enable this mobility, the scraper bar 32 is supported on the frame part 28 or on the machine frame 22 by means of two articulated units 40 which are preferably identical in construction and are arranged at a distance from one another in the direction of the longitudinal bar axis B. The two articulated units 40 are each carried in the vicinity of an axial end of the scraper bar 32, for example.

[0040] The construction and functioning of the two articulated units 40 are described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

[0041] First, FIGS. 3 and 4 show the scraper arrangement 30 and the scraper bar 32 of the same in the active position (FIG. 3) and the inactive position (FIG. 4). During the transition between the active position shown in FIG. 3 and the inactive position shown in FIG. 4, the scraper bar 32 moves in a combined pivoting-sliding movement. This is achieved, among other things, by the fact that each of the two articulated units 40 is constructed in the manner of a parallelogram guide, which, during the transition between the inactive position and the active position or in the opposite direction, guides the scraper bar on the one hand in the circumferential direction or tangentially with respect to the compactor roller 24 or the outer peripheral surface 36 thereof on a curved path and on the other hand pivots or tilts radially towards or away from this.

[0042] FIGS. 5 and 6 show that each articulated unit 40 has a first articulated carrier element 42 which is designed for attachment to the machine frame 22 or the frame part 28, for example by screwing. The first articulated carrier element 42 can be a sheet metal part, for example. A second articulated carrier element 44 is provided for attachment to the scraper bar 32, which can be fixed, for example, by screwing to the scraper bar and can likewise be provided as a sheet metal part.

[0043] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, two first articulated connection elements 46 and two second articulated connection elements 48 are provided for coupling the first articulated carrier element 42 and the second articulated carrier element 44. The two first articulated connection elements 46 are substantially identical in construction to one another, and the two second articulated connection elements 48 are substantially identical in construction to one another. All articulated connection elements 46, 48 are particularly preferably identical in construction to one another.

[0044] Each first articulated connection element 46 has a first pivot coupling region 50 in which it is pivotably attached to a first pivot coupling region 52 of the first articulated carrier element 42 by means of a pivot pin 53 about a first pivot axis S.sub.1. To provide the first pivot coupling region 52, the first pivot carrier element 42 can have two bent, tab-like regions which, like the first pivot coupling regions 50 of the first articulated connection elements 46, provide passage openings for the pivot pin 53. The first pivot coupling region 52 of the first articulated carrier element 42 is arranged between the two first articulated carrier elements 46 in the direction of the first pivot axis S.sub.1.

[0045] The first articulated connection elements 46 also have a second pivot coupling region 54 in which they are pivotably connected to a first pivot coupling region 56 of the second articulated carrier element 44 about a second pivot axis S.sub.2. The first pivot coupling region 56 of the second articulated carrier element 44 may be provided by bending two tabs. In association with a pivot pin 58, the first pivot coupling region 56 of the second articulated carrier element 44, like each first articulated connection element 46 in its second pivot coupling region 54, has a passage opening.

[0046] The second articulated connection elements 48 are pivotably connected in a respective first pivot coupling region 60 to a second pivot coupling region 62 of the first articulated carrier element 42 about a third pivot axis S.sub.3. The second pivot coupling region 62 of the first articulated carrier element 42 can be provided on the bent tabs that also provide the first pivot coupling region 52 and can have passage openings for a pivot pin 64, which also passes through respective passage openings in the first pivot coupling regions 60 of the second articulated connection elements 48. In respective second pivot coupling regions 66 of the second articulated connection elements 48, these are pivotally connected to a second pivot coupling region 68 of the second articulated carrier element 44 about a fourth pivot axis S.sub.4. For this purpose, a pivot pin 70 is provided, which passes through respective passage openings in the second pivot coupling regions 66 of the second articulated connection elements 48 and in the second pivot coupling region 68 of the second articulated carrier element 44.

[0047] The four pivot axes S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3 and S.sub.4 are arranged substantially parallel to one another and to the longitudinal bar axis B of the scraper bar 32 or to the roller axis of rotation D. Furthermore, the first pivot axis S.sub.1 and the third pivot axis S.sub.3 are at a smaller distance d from one another than the distance D between the second pivot axis S.sub.2 and the fourth pivot axis S.sub.4. As a result, during the transition from the inactive position of the scraper bar 32 shown in FIG. 4 to the active position of the scraper bar 32 shown in FIG. 3, this on the one hand undergoes a movement in the circumferential direction or tangentially with respect to the soil tilling roller 24 or the outer peripheral surface 36 of the same and on the other hand a pivoting or tilting movement towards the outer surface 38 until the scraper bar 32 rests with its scraper edge 34 on the outer peripheral surface 36.

[0048] In order to support this movement or to hold the scraper bar 32 in the active position and the inactive position, a prestressing arrangement, generally designated 72, is provided. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this comprises two prestressing springs 74 which are arranged at an axial distance from one another and are designed as screw tension springs, which are fixed in one of their end regions with respect to the first pivot carrier element 42 and in their other end region with respect to the second pivot carrier element 44 and thus act between them. The two prestressing springs 74 form an over-dead centre arrangement which, when a movement dead centre is exceeded, prestresses the second pivot carrier element 44 in the direction of that position of active position and inactive position towards which the scraper bar 32 is moving. The active position is defined by the contact of the scraper bar 32 on the outer peripheral surface 36 of the soil tilling roller 24. The inactive position can be defined by a stop 76 provided on the first pivot carrier element 42, against which the second pivot carrier element 44 comes to rest when moving out of the active position. Alternatively or additionally, the or a stop 76 could be provided on the second pivot carrier element 44 and/or on one or a plurality of the articulated connection elements 46, 48.

[0049] It can be clearly seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 that the first and second articulated connection elements 46, 48 are curved in opposite directions to one another. In particular, the first and second articulated connection elements 46, 48, which are associated with each other in pairs and as such pairs are in the same axial region, have a concave curvature on their respective facing sides with respect to the respective other articulated connection element. If common parts are used for the articulated elements 46, 48, each pair of a first articulated connection element 46 and a second articulated connection element 48 can be positioned in opposite positions to one another and thus positioned with their concavely curved regions facing one another. During the transition to the active position, this allows the first pivot coupling region 60 of the second articulated connection element 48 or the pivot pin 64 provided there to enter the recess formed by the concavely curved or arched contour of the first articulated connection elements 46 and thus a mutual interference or striking against each other of the first and second articulated connection elements 46, 48 is avoided. For this purpose, the curved shape of the first articulated connection elements 46 is of particular importance. With the shape or kinematics shown in the figures, the second articulated connection elements 48 do not necessarily have to be curved. However, this makes sense in order to be able to use the same components for the second articulated connection elements 48 as for the first articulated connection elements 46. This also means that when using the same components, a distance between the first pivot axis S.sub.1 and the second pivot axis S.sub.2 corresponds to the distance between the third pivot axis S.sub.3 and the fourth pivot axis S.sub.4. However, such a configuration, in which the distance between the two pivot axes or pivot coupling regions is the same for both types of articulated connection elements, can also be provided, in principle, regardless of the shape of the articulated connection elements.

[0050] It should be pointed out that, in principle, an embodiment can also be selected in which, on the one hand, the two distances d and D are equal to one another and, on the other hand, as already described, the distances between the pivot axes S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 or S.sub.3 and S.sub.4 are equal to one another, so that the movement between the active position and the inactive position is substantially a displacement movement running substantially arc-like tangentially with respect to the soil tilling roller 24. An embodiment is also conceivable in which the pivot axes S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 are at a different distance from one another than the pivot axes S.sub.3 and S.sub.4.

[0051] The embodiment of the articulated units 40 described above, in which each of the articulated units 40 has a total of four pivot axes S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3, S.sub.4, in which components move in relation to one another, makes it possible that during the transition between the active position and the inactive position or in a respective position, in particular the active position, in the two articulated units 40 arranged near the axial ends of the scraper bar 32, at least slightly different movements occur in relation to one another.

[0052] With a scraper arrangement constructed according to the invention, this enables the occurrence of a gap-like intermediate space to be avoided during a steering movement and a relative movement occurring between the soil tilling roller 24 and the frame part 28, which in the arrangement known from the prior art, depending on the steering direction, primarily occurs in one of the two axial end regions of the soil tilling roller 24 or is more pronounced than in the other axial end region, between the scraper edge 34 of the scraper bar 32 positioned in its active position and the outer peripheral surface 36 of the soil tilling roller 24.

[0053] This different mobility is favoured on the one hand by the kinematics of the articulated units 40 constructed according to the invention and on the other hand by the fact that inevitably in each of the regions in which components are pivotably connected to one another there is a play of movement that does not only allow a pure pivoting movement. This play of movement, which is necessary for assembly on the one hand and unavoidable for manufacturing reasons on the other hand, makes it possible, for example, for the first articulated connection elements 46 in the respective first pivot coupling region 50 to move not only in the circumferential direction about the first pivot axis S.sub.1 with respect to the first pivot coupling region 52 of the first articulated carrier element 42, but also slightly orthogonally can move with respect to the pivot axis S.sub.1 or can tilt with respect to the pivot axis S.sub.1. Since such a relative movement can occur in the region of each of the four pivot axes S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3, S.sub.4, the play of movement adds up, so that even comparatively small plays of movement result in the scraper bar 32 in the region of each of the articulated units 40 being able to perform a tilting movement with respect to the roller axis of rotation D or also the frame part 28 in the range of up to a few degrees. This is generally sufficient to compensate for the relative movement occurring in steering movements between the soil tilling roller 24 and the machine frame 22 and to avoid the formation of a gap-like intermediate space between the scraper edge 34 and the outer peripheral surface 36. If, due to the structural embodiment, a greater relative movement between the soil tilling roller 24 and the rotatably supporting machine frame 22 can be expected, for example, beyond the production-related play of movement that occurs, a defined excess which favours such tiltability can be provided in the region of the passage openings receiving various pivot pins 54, 64, 58, 70. Since the relative mobility in the region of each of the pivot pins 54, 64, 58, 70 also adds up, this relative movement can be kept comparatively low in the region of each of these pivot pins, which results in a defined pivoting-sliding movement or a defined sliding movement in the transition between the active position and the inactive position being guaranteed.

[0054] FIGS. 7 and 8 show an alternative embodiment of such an articulated unit 40. In the articulated unit 40 shown in these FIGS. 7 and 8, a single first articulated connection element 46′ or a single second articulated connection element 48′ is provided. The articulated connection elements 46′, 48′ may correspond in their shaping, in particular the curved configuration, to the shaping of the first and second articulated connection elements 46, 48 described above with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. However, they have a significantly greater extent in the direction of the pivot axes S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3 and S.sub.4, and are overlapped at their two axial sides by the first and second pivot coupling regions 52, 62 or 56, 68 provided on the first articulated carrier element 42 and on the second articulated carrier element 44. Thus, with the functionality of identical functionality described above, the number of components used to build the articulated units 40 can be significantly reduced.

[0055] In principle, an embodiment is possible, in which one type of the articulated connection elements, for example in the first articulated connection elements, two arranged in axial distance to each other and the respectively associated pivot coupling region of the first or second articulated carrier element between receiving articulated connection elements are provided, while in the other type of articulated connection elements, i.e. for example, the second articulated connection elements, only a single articulated connection element is provided, which is overlapped at its axial ends by the respective pivot coupling regions of the first or second articulated carrier element and thus also positioned axially between the other two articulated connection elements. Since all articulated connection elements are axially offset from each other in this embodiment, a mutual interference cannot occur or can only occur in a limited way when performing a movement between the active position and the inactive position. Therefore, no or only less strong structural measures, such as a curved forming of the articulated connection elements, must be provided to avoid mutual interference.