Screened earth moving bucket with vibrating bars

Abstract

A screened earth-moving bucket with vibration. The bucket includes a bottom, side plates, a back plate, and an attachment for connecting to a work machine. The bucket also includes at least one screen part having a plurality of adjacent bars to form a screen. At least one bar included in the screen part is vibrated by a vibrator unit so that the vibrated bar moves in relation to the bucket.

Claims

1. A bucket comprising: a bottom; side plates on opposite edges of the bottom; a back plate; engagement members wherewith the bucket is connectable to a work machine; at least one screen part which comprises a plurality of bars arranged at a distance from one another in such a way that between adjacent bars there will be screen gaps and the bars form a screen; at least one vibrator unit for directing vibration to the bucket; and wherein the plurality of bars in the screen part are in transverse direction to the side plates; longitudinal axes of the plurality of bars in the screen part are straight; and the vibrator unit is arranged to direct vibrating motion directly to at least one bar of the plurality of bars in the screen part, whereby the at least one bar to be vibrated moves in relation to the bucket; the vibrator unit comprises at least one vibrator device for generating vibration motion and at least one transmission member connected to the vibrator device for transmitting vibration motion from the vibrator device directly to the at least one bar to be vibrated; the transmission member is parallel to the side plates and is movable relative to the side plates by means of the vibrator device and comprises a plurality of openings through which at least some of the plurality of bars in the screen part are arranged; and the engagement between the transmission member and each of the at least some of the bars in the screen part is without rigid attachment, whereby each of the at least some of the bars in the screen part is allowed to vibrate relative to the transmission member during operation of the vibrator device.

2. The bucket of claim 1, wherein the screen part includes a vibrated portion which comprises the plurality of bars; and adjacent bars within the plurality of bars in the vibrated portion are arranged for being vibrated in a different manner with respect to one another.

3. The bucket of claim 1, wherein the screen part includes a vibrated portion which comprises the plurality of bars; and adjacent bars within the plurality of bars in the vibrated portion are arranged for being vibrated in a different manner with respect to one another; the bucket comprises two vibrator units; and the first vibrator unit is arranged to vibrate every second bar in the vibrated portion, and the second vibrator unit is arranged to vibrate every other bar.

4. The bucket of claim 1, wherein the transmission member is an elongated piece parallel to the side plates of the bucket; and the shape of the transmission member corresponds to that of the bottom of the bucket.

5. The bucket of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings in the transmission member comprises several alternating first openings and second openings, through which the at least some of the bars in the screen part are arranged; each of the first openings is shaped and dimensioned to correspond to the contour of the bar of the at least some of the bars arranged through the first opening, whereby the first opening transmits the vibration motion to the bar; and each of the second opening is shaped and dimensioned to be larger than the contour of the bar of the at least some of the bars arranged through the second opening, whereby the second opening does not transmit the vibration motion to the bar.

6. The bucket of claim 1, wherein the bucket comprises a plurality of openings through the side plates; at least one bar of the plurality of bars in the screen part is removable by pulling the bar longitudinally from the bucket, and correspondingly, is mountable by inserting it longitudinally into place through one of the plurality of openings through the side plates; and the size of the screen gaps in the screen part is adjustable by adding or removing bars.

7. The bucket of claim 1, wherein the bucket comprises two separate vibrator units, each including a vibrator device and a transmission member; the transmission members of the vibrator units are located at a transversal distance of the bucket from one another and they are parallel to the side plates of the bucket; and the transmission members are furnished with a plurality of transversal openings, through which the bars are arranged.

8. Use of a bucket, wherein is employed a bucket which comprises at least one screen part having a plurality of bars arranged at a distance from one another in such a way that between adjacent bars there will be screen gaps; and wherein the bucket is attached to a boom of a work machine by means of engagement members; and wherein the bucket is used for shifting material containing particles of different sizes and for its simultaneous sorting on the basis of the particle size; and wherein the bucket is subjected to vibration by means of a vibrator unit during the handling of the material; and utilizing the bucket, which is according to claim 1; directing the vibration directly to at least one bar in the screen part, which bar is a straight piece and placed transversally to the side plate of the bucket; and making the at least one bar vibrate in relation to the rest of the structure of the bucket.

9. The use as claimed in claim 8, comprising adjusting the size of screen gaps in the screen part by adding and removing bars in the screen part; and moving the bar during the adjustment mainly in its longitudinal direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Some embodiments are explained in more detail in the accompanying drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a work machine having a boom equipped with a screen bucket,

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a bucket,

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a bucket,

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a transmission member by which vibration may be transmitted to bars in a screen part, and

(6) FIGS. 5 to 8 show schematically, and in principle, some alternatives for vibrating bars included in the vibrated portion in the screen part.

(7) For the sake of clarity, the figures show some embodiments in a simplified manner. Like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

(8) FIG. 1 shows a work machine 1 having a boom 2 equipped with a screen bucket 3. The work machine 1 may be an excavator as shown in the figures or it may also be a wheel loader or a corresponding earth-moving machine, or another vehicle employing a bucket. The screen bucket 3 allows transfer and treatment of soil material having particles of various sizes. For instance, the screen bucket 3 may separate larger stones 5, roots and other dispensable material from soil 4 or sand. The screen bucket 3 includes a screen part 6 having a plurality of parallel bars 7. Soil 4 or the like material having a small particle size falls through the gaps between the bars 7 and thus exits the screen bucket 3. Whereas stones 5 or other material having a larger particle size remains in the screen bucket 3 and it may be removed via the bucket orifice after the material of smaller particle size is sorted out. Sorting may be enhanced by vibrating V the bars 7 in the screen bucket 3. Vibrating V of the bars 7 causes substantially less vibration to the boom 2, the cabin 8 and other structures of the work machine 1 than solutions in which the whole bucket is vibrated. Thus, the operational comfort of the screen bucket 3 is better and the structures are subjected to less loading. In addition, because the mass to be vibrated is smaller in the bars 7 than in the whole bucket, sufficient vibration may be achieved by lower vibration force, and consequently vibration means may be smaller in size and less costly in price. FIG. 1 further shows that the bucket 3 comprises engagement members 9 wherewith the bucket 3 may be attached to the boom 2 or other attachment point in the work machine 1.

(9) FIG. 2 shows a screen bucket 3 in side view. The bucket 3 comprises a bottom, side plates 11 or side walls and a back plate 12 or a back wall. Further, the bucket 3 has an orifice 13, through which material to be treated is introduced into a cuplike bucket 3, and wherefrom screening reject, i.e. material of larger particle size, is removed at the end of the processing. The bottom 3 of the bucket may be provided with a lip plate 14 in the brim portion of the orifice 13. Typically, the bucket 3 is made of plate material utilizing sheet metal work methods and welding methods.

(10) The bucket 3 is provided with a screen part 6 that may be at the bottom 10. The whole bottom 10 may constitute a screen, whereby the bars 7 form the bottom of the bucket. Alternatively, part of the bottom 10 may be the screen part 6 and part a solid plate structure, for instance. Further, the screen part 6 may extend part of the way up the back plate 12, or the whole back plate, or back surface, may consist of the bars 7. The screen part 6 comprises one or more vibrated portions 15 having one or more bars 7 which are subjected to vibration V by the vibrator unit 16. The vibrator unit 16 comprises a vibrator device 17 whereby vibrating or oscillating motion is produced. In addition, the vibrator unit 16 comprises a transmission member 18 whereby the vibration motion is transmitted to the bars 7 to be vibrated. The transmission member 18 may be, for instance, a rigid rod that is connected to selected bars 7. The vibrator device 17 may be a device based on a rotating, eccentric weight, a device based on linear impact and impact mechanism, or any appropriate device that produces vibrating motion.

(11) Further still, it can be seen in FIG. 3 that the bars 7 may be arranged through the openings 19, 20 in the side plates 11. Thus, the side plates 11 carry the bars 7. The axial movement of the bars 7 may be prevented by means of retainer members 21. In FIG. 3, the plate serving as the retainer member 21 is illustrated in broken lines. In the vibrated portion 15 the openings 19 in the side plates 11 may be dimensioned larger than the bars 7 so that they do not hinder the vibration motion of the bars 7. Further, the openings 19 may be shaped in view of the vibration motion. When bars having a round cross section are used, the openings 19 may be elongated in shape, for instance oval. The bars not to be vibrated in the screen part 6 may be connected to the side plates 11 with openings 20 having a cross section in accordance with the bars. The size of the screen gaps S in the screen part 6 may be adjusted by removing bars from the bucket 3 or by adding bars thereto. FIG. 3 below illustrates this adjustment by arrows K.

(12) The bucket 3 of FIG. 3 comprises two vibrator units 16a, 16b, which may be placed at a distance from one another, seen in the transverse direction of the bucket 3. In addition, the vibrator units may be at a distance from the side plates 11. The vibrator units 16a, 16b may be attached to the bucket 3 through the bars 7 alone, and the lateral position of the vibrator units may be determined by means of tubes 22 arranged around one or more bars. Each vibrator unit 16a, 16b comprises a vibrator device 17 and a transmission member 18. The vibrator device 17 may comprise a rotating motor 23 which rotates an eccentric weight 24, the rotation of which produces the vibrating effect. The first vibrator unit 16a may be connected to vibrate every second bar in the vibrated portion 15, the bars being indicated by reference a, and correspondingly, the second vibrator unit 16b may be arranged to vibrate every other bar b. In that case, the vibrated portion 15 may have adjacent bars a and b which are vibrated independently of one another. This makes it possible that the bars a and b may be vibrated at different pace, with different intensity and even in different directions.

(13) FIG. 4 shows a transmission member 18 that may be a rod-like piece the shape of which corresponds to the shape of the bottom of the bucket. Thus, the transmission member 18 may be, for instance, a curved bar as shown in the figure, which bar may be formed by cutting from plate material. The transmission member 18 shown in FIG. 4 may be arranged in a first vibrator unit 16a in the arrangement of FIG. 3. In that case, said transmission member 18 transmits vibration motion only to the bars a. In the transmission member 18, at least in the vibrated portion, there are alternately first openings 25 and second openings 26, of which just some are indicated in the figure with reference numerals. The first openings 25 are dimensioned and shaped in accordance with the bars such that the vibration motion is transmitted from the transmission member 18 to the bars a. Whereas, the second openings 26 are dimensioned and shaped such that the vibration motion is not transmitted from the loose openings to the bars b. In the transmission member 18 of the second vibrator unit 16b the openings 25, 26 are in reverse order so that the vibration motion is transmitted only to the bars b.

(14) FIG. 5 illustrates in a simplified manner the principle of the solution disclosed in FIG. 3, in which every other bar is vibrated by separate vibrator units 16a, 16b.

(15) In FIG. 6 the same vibrator unit 16 is arranged to vibrate all the bars comprised by the vibrated part 15.

(16) In FIG. 7 every second bar is a bar not to be vibrated and every other bar is vibrated by the vibrator unit 16. The division between the bars to be vibrated and not to be vibrated may also be different.

(17) FIG. 8 shows a solution in which each of the bars 7 has a specific vibrator unit 16.

(18) The principles disclosed in FIGS. 5 to 8 may be combined and modified so that the bucket 3 will have exactly the desired vibrated portion 15, or a plurality of vibrated portions.

(19) In some cases, features disclosed in this application may be used as such, regardless of other features. On the other hand, when necessary, features disclosed in this application may be combined in order to provide different combinations.

(20) The drawings and the related description are only intended to illustrate the idea of the invention. Details of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.