FLUID CONVEYANCE SYSTEM FOR INDUSTRIAL MACHINE
An industrial machine includes a frame supporting a boom, an elongated member movably coupled to the boom, an attachment, a conduit, and a reel supporting at least a portion of the conduit. The boom includes a first end coupled to the frame and a second end opposite the first end. The elongated member is movably coupled to the boom and includes a first end and a second end. The attachment is coupled to the second end of the elongated member. The conduit extends between the frame and the attachment. The reel is rotatably supported on a support shaft. The reel rotates about an axis of rotation to reel in and pay out the conduit as the elongated member moves relative to the boom.
This application is a continuation of co-pending, prior-filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/033,428, filed Sep. 20, 2013, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/704,050, filed Sep. 21, 2012. The entire contents of these documents are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates to industrial machines. Specifically, the present invention relates to a fluid conveyance system for a earthmoving machine attachment.
Conventional rope shovels include a frame supporting a boom and a handle coupled to the boom for rotational and translational movement. A dipper is attached to the handle and is supported by a cable or rope that passes over an end of the boom. The rope is secured to a bail that is pivotably coupled to the dipper. During the hoist phase, the rope is reeled in by a hoist drum, lifting the dipper upward through a bank of material and liberating a portion of the material. The orientation of the dipper relative to the handle is generally fixed and cannot be controlled independently of handle and hoist rope.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, the invention provides an industrial machine including a frame supporting a boom, an elongated member movably coupled to the boom, an attachment, a conduit, and a reel supporting at least a portion of the conduit. The boom includes a first end coupled to the frame and a second end opposite the first end. The elongated member is movably coupled to the boom and includes a first end and a second end. The attachment is coupled to the second end of the elongated member. The conduit extends between the frame and the attachment. The reel is rotatably supported on a support shaft. The reel rotates about an axis of rotation to reel in and pay out the conduit as the elongated member moves relative to the boom.
In another aspect, the invention provides an industrial machine including a frame supporting a fluid source and a boom, a handle movably coupled to the boom for translational and rotational movement relative to the boom, an attachment coupled to the handle, a conduit, a first reel, and a second reel. The conduit includes a first portion, a second portion, and a fluid coupling. The first portion is in fluid communication with a portion of the attachment. The second portion is in fluid communication with the fluid source. The fluid coupling includes a first end in fluid communication with the first portion of the conduit and a second end in fluid communication with the second portion of the conduit. The first reel supports the first portion of the conduit and is rotatable to reel in and pay out the first portion of conduit as the attachment moves relative to the boom. The second reel supports the second portion of the conduit and is rotatable to reel in and pay out the second portion of the conduit as the attachment moves relative to the boom.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a fluid conveyance system for an industrial machine having a frame supporting a fluid source and a boom, an elongated member movably coupled to the boom and having a first end and a second end, and an attachment coupled to the second end of the elongated member. The fluid conveyance system includes a conduit for providing fluid to a portion of the attachment, a support shaft defining an axis of rotation, a first reel rotatably supported on the support shaft, and a second reel. The conduit includes a first portion, a second portion, and a fluid coupling. The second portion is configured to be in fluid communication with the fluid source. The fluid coupling provides fluid communication between the first portion and the second portion. The first reel supports the first portion of the conduit and is rotatable about the axis of rotation to reel in and pay out the first portion. The second reel supports the second portion of the conduit and is rotatable to reel in and pay out the second portion.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONAs shown in
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In the illustrated embodiment, the bucket 34 is a clamshell-type bucket 34 having a rear wall 98 and a main body 102 that can be separated from the rear wall 98 to empty the contents of the bucket 34. In other embodiments, the shovel 10 may include other types of attachments, buckets, or dippers. Each pivot actuator 36 is coupled between the bucket 34 and the handle 30. The pivot actuators 36 actively control the pitch of the bucket 34 (i.e., the angle of the bucket 34 relative to the handle 30) by rotating the bucket 34 about the handle first end 82. In the illustrated embodiment, the pivot actuators 36 are hydraulic cylinders.
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The conduit 102 includes a first portion 118 that is at least partially wrapped around the first reel 110 and a second portion 122 that is at least partially wrapped around the second reel 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion 118 extends from the first reel 110 toward the first end 82 of the handle 30 and includes an end in fluid communication with a valve block or manifold 134 (
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In the illustrated embodiment, the transmission 170 causes the first reel 110 to rotate in the same direction as the shipper shaft 62 and establishes a timing relationship between the angular displacement of the shipper shaft 62 and the angular displacement of the first reel 110. This relationship utilizes the crowd motion of the handle 30 to pay out and reel in the correct length of the conduit 102, thereby avoiding excessive tension on the conduit 102 when the handle 30 is extended and limiting the amount of slack when the handle 30 is retracted. In other embodiments, the gears 174, 178, 182, and 190 may be sized differently in order to provide a desired speed reduction between the shipper shaft 62 and the first reel 110. In still other embodiments, the transmission may be a planetary gear transmission.
Furthermore, the first reel 110 and the second reel 114 may be independently driven (e.g., mounted on separate shafts), and the first portion 118 and second portion 122 may be coupled by a swivel or rotary union or other fluid coupling to accommodate independent movement of the reels 110, 114. Alternatively, the first reel 110 and the second reel 114 may be coupled by a second transmission that establishes a timing relationship between the first reel 110 and the second reel 114. In still other embodiments, the reels 110, 114 may be directly fixed to the shipper shaft 62 to provide a direct timing relationship. In other embodiments, the rotation of the reels 110, 114 can be controlled by a separate motor, such as a torque-controlled motor that maintains a relatively constant tension on the conduit 102.
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In the illustrated embodiment, the circumference of the outer surface of the pins 154 is approximately equal to a maximum extension length of the handle 30 (i.e., the length of the rack, also referred to as the crowd distance). As a results, the first reel 110 rotates through approximately 360 degrees or one full revolution as the handle 30 is retracted or extended, thereby causing the first portion 118 of the conduit 102 to wrap once around the pins 154 when the handle 30 is fully retracted (
Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the first reel 110 rotates clockwise as the handle 30 is extended and counter-clockwise as the handle 30 is retracted. In other embodiments, the first portion 118 of conduit 102 may be wrapped onto the reel 110 such that the reel 110 rotates counter-clockwise as the handle 30 is extended. In still other embodiments wherein the reels 110 and 114 are mounted together, the first portion 118 can be wrapped onto the first reel 110 in a first direction (e.g., clockwise) and the second portion 122 wrapped onto the second reel 114 in an opposite direction (e.g., counter-clockwise) so that the reels simultaneously pay out and wind in their respective conduit portions. Additionally, in other embodiments in which the first portion 118 extends directly from the first reel 110 to the rear or second end 86 of the handle 30, the conduit 102 is wrapped around the first reel 110 as the handle 30 is extended. In embodiments wherein the reels 110, 114 are independently mounted, the reels 110, 114 can be controlled to rotate in opposite directions from one another so that when one reel is winding up a portion of the conduit, the other reel is paying out conduit.
In some embodiments, the first portion 118 may wrap onto the pins 154 of the first reel 110 multiple times at the same diameter (i.e., sequential wrappings of the conduit 102 are positioned side-by-side on the reel 110) to match the timing of the handle to the shipper shaft. In other embodiments, the first portion 118 can be wrapped on itself. The latter configuration would cause the effective diameter of the first reel 110 to change as the first portion 118 wraps onto the reel 110. Although this configuration would require the length of the first portion 118 to be greater than the extension distance of the handle 30, it would also permit the size of the first reel 110 to be reduced.
Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a fluid conveyance system for a mining shovel. Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the invention as described.
Claims
1. A digging assembly for a rope shovel, the rope shovel including a frame supporting a fluid source, a boom coupled to the frame and including a first end and a second end, and a transverse drive shaft supported on the boom between the first end and the second end, the digging assembly comprising:
- a handle configured to be supported on the drive shaft for translational and rotational movement relative to the boom;
- an attachment coupled to an end of the handle;
- a conduit including a first portion, a second portion, and a fluid coupling, the first portion in fluid communication with a portion of the attachment, the second portion in fluid communication with the fluid source, the fluid coupling including a first end in fluid communication with the first portion of the conduit and a second end in fluid communication with the second portion of the conduit;
- a first reel supporting the first portion of the conduit, the first reel supported on a support shaft for rotation about a first axis to reel in and pay out the first portion of conduit as the attachment moves relative to the boom; and
- a second reel supporting the second portion of the conduit, the second reel supported for rotation to reel in and pay out the second portion of the conduit as the attachment moves relative to the boom.
2. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the first reel and the second reel are rotatably supported by the support shaft, the support shaft defining the first axis as a common axis of rotation for both the first reel and the second reel.
3. The digging assembly of claim 2, wherein the fluid coupling is offset from the common axis of rotation.
4. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the first reel is larger than the second reel.
5. The digging assembly of claim 1, further comprising a gear transmission for transmitting torque from the drive shaft to the support shaft, the gear transmission including a pinion and at least one gear member, the pinion configured to be coupled to the drive shaft, the pinion driving the at least one gear member to rotate the support shaft at a predetermined speed relative to the drive shaft.
6. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the first axis and the second axis are collinear.
7. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the handle is extendable through a crowd distance, wherein the first reel includes a surface onto which the first portion of conduit is wrapped, the surface defining a perimeter of the first reel.
8. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the handle engages the drive shaft such that rotation of the drive shaft drives the handle for movement relative to the boom.
9. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the attachment includes a bucket pivotably coupled to the handle and a hydraulic actuator for pivoting the bucket relative to the handle, and wherein the first portion of the conduit is in fluid communication with the hydraulic actuator.
10. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the second reel is coupled to the first reel, rotation of one of the first reel and the second reel causing rotation of the other of the first reel and the second reel.
11. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the second reel reels in the second portion of the conduit concurrently with one of the first reel reeling in the first portion of the conduit and the first reel paying out the first portion of the conduit.
12. The digging assembly of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the conduit is suspended between the second reel and the fluid source in a slack state.
13. A fluid conveyance system for a rope shovel, the rope shovel including a frame supporting a fluid source and a boom, a drive shaft supported on the boom, a handle movably supported on the drive shaft for translational and rotational movement relative to the boom, and an digging attachment coupled to the handle and pivotable relative to the handle based on operation of a fluid actuator, the fluid conveyance system comprising:
- a conduit including a first portion, a second portion, and a fluid coupling, the first portion configured to be in fluid communication with fluid actuator, the second portion configured to be in fluid communication with the fluid source, the fluid coupling including a first end in fluid communication with the first portion of the conduit and a second end in fluid communication with the second portion of the conduit;
- a support shaft;
- a first reel supporting the first portion of the conduit, the first reel supported on the support shaft for rotation about a first axis to reel in and pay out the first portion of conduit as the attachment moves relative to the boom; and
- a second reel supporting the second portion of the conduit, the second reel supported on for rotation about a second axis to reel in and pay out the second portion of the conduit as the attachment moves relative to the boom.
14. The fluid conveyance system of claim 13, wherein both the first reel and the second reel are rotatably supported by the support shaft, wherein the first axis and the second axis are collinear, wherein the fluid coupling is offset from the common axis of rotation.
15. The fluid conveyance system of claim 13, further comprising a gear transmission for transmitting torque from the drive shaft to the support shaft, the gear transmission including a pinion and at least one gear member, the pinion configured to be coupled to the drive shaft, the pinion driving the at least one gear member to rotate the support shaft at a predetermined speed relative to the drive shaft.
16. The fluid conveyance system of claim 13, wherein the first reel includes a surface onto which the first portion of conduit is wrapped, the first reel defining a perimeter.
17. The fluid conveyance system of claim 13, wherein rotation of one of the first reel and the second reel causes rotation of the other of the first reel and the second reel, wherein the second reel reels in the second portion of the conduit concurrently with one of the first reel reeling in the first portion of the conduit and the first reel paying out the first portion of the conduit.
18. The fluid conveyance system of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the conduit is suspended between the second reel and the fluid source in a slack state.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 13, 2017
Publication Date: Dec 13, 2018
Inventor: Jason Knuth (Brookfeild, WI)
Application Number: 15/457,573