Abstract:
A multistage telescopic boom or jib, in particular for a loading crane on a truck, has hydraulic units each including a piston and a cylinder arranged between the successive, telescopically nested arms. A pipe projects axially from the bottom of the cylinder into the chamber of the cylinder, sealingly extending into the hollow piston rod when the piston is retracted and sealing the chamber of the cylinder from an inner chamber of the hollow piston rod. In order to ensure an automatic extension sequence of the telescopic arms, the inner chamber of each hollow piston rod is linked to the cylinder chamber of the next outer hydraulic unit by a preferably rigid line, and the inner chamber of each hollow piston rod communicates with the cylinder chamber of the same hydraulic unit when the piston is fully extended.

Description:
This application is a continuation of now abandoned application, Ser. No. 08/081,293, filed as PCT/AT92/00144, Nov. 10, 1992. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a multistage telescopic boom, in particular for a loading crane on a truck, where a hydraulic unit, comprising piston and cylinder, is arranged between each pair of successive, telescopic arms, where at least at the cylinder of an innermost arm a pipe extends axially from the cylinder bottom into the cylinder chamber. Such pipe reaches into a hollow interior of the piston rod so as to be sealed with respect to the piston when the piston is at least partially driven in. Thus, the cylinder chamber is sealed with respect to the interior of the hollow piston rod. 
     Sequence controls for loading cranes have the purpose of ensuring that the individual arms of a telescopic boom are telescoped or retracted in a specific, usually fixed order of sequence. The loading cranes used in the past by the company Palfinger Aktiengesellschaft are equipped with a mechanically simple sequence control of the above type, but which has, however, the drawback that only that arm of the telescopic boom that is braced directly against a folding arm enveloping such that arm is automatically telescoped first. The other arms of the telescopic boom (thrust arm) are, in contrast, not fixed with respect to the order of sequence in which they are telescoped. In the case of the cranes of Palfinger Aktiengesellschaft in prior public use, a valve which is actuated by means of a stop attached to the folding arm is on the piston side end of the hydraulic cylinder that actuates the first arm, such end being directed toward the folding arm. Not until this first arm is totally telescoped does the valve, designed as a non-return valve, allow the hydraulic fluid to flow through to the cylinders of the other telescope arms. 
     DE-A 34 13 443 shows a three stage telescopic boom with a controller to determine any arbitrary order of telescoping sequence. The hydraulic oil is fed into a central cylinder by way of a telescopic sliding line which is attached to a base cylinder and which is complicated and occupies a lot of space on the side next to the piston rod of the base cylinder. The hydraulic oil is fed into an outermost cylinder by way of a pipe which projects axially from the cylinder bottom and which extends so as to seal with respect to the piston into a hollow piston rod connected to the controller. The oil flowing out of the pipe of the base cylinder flows by way of a line into another pipe which projects from the bottom of the central cylinder and leads sealingly with respect to the piston in such cylinder into the hollow piston rod. The end of this hollow piston rod communicates with the cylinder chamber of the outermost hydraulic unit. In the device of DE-A 34 13 433 the order of sequence of the telescoping process is controlled exclusively by way of the external controller, which can control any arbitrary sequence of telescoping. Yet it is not ensured that the telescopic arms are telescoped automatically starting from the innermost arm. In addition, DE-A 34 13 443 does not teach how more than three hydraulic units are possible for a telescopic boom with more than three stages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention is to provide a constructively simple and compact device of the type described above in such a manner that it can be used to control automatically the sequence of movement of several telescopic arms. 
     This is achieved according to the invention in that the interior of each hollow piston rod of one hydraulic unit is connected by way of a preferably rigid line to the cylinder chamber of the next outer hydraulic unit when the piston of such one hydraulic unit is retracted, and that the interior of each hollow piston rod communicates with the cylinder chamber of the same one hydraulic unit when the piston of such one hydraulic unit is totally extended. 
     Whereas the pipe, which projects from the cylinder bottom of the device of DE-A 34 13 443 and extends into the hollow piston rod, serves merely for the passage of hydraulic oil to the next but one (third) hydraulic unit and, therefore, at each piston position communicates continuously exclusively with the interior of the hollow piston rod, a pipe of a hydraulic unit according to the invention is designed in such a manner that it and the position of the piston implements a control function for the supply of hydraulic oil into the next outer hydraulic unit. Whereas the cylinder chamber of the hydraulic unit is sealed with respect to the interior of the hollow piston rod, which is connected to the cylinder chamber of the next hydraulic unit when the piston is at least partially driven in, the interior of the hollow piston rod communicates with the cylinder chamber of the same hydraulic unit when the piston is driven totally out. Thus, it can be ensured that when hydraulic fluid is fed into the cylinder chamber of a hydraulic unit, the piston moves out, first of all, without any hydraulic oil continuing to flow into the next outer hydraulic unit. Not until the piston is totally driven out is there communication between the cylinder chamber and the interior of the hollow piston rod so that the hydraulic oil can continue to flow into the next outer hydraulic unit. 
     Such control effect of the pipe with respect to the supply of hydraulic oil, which depends on the position of the piston, into the next outer cylinder can be achieved in a simple manner, for example, by the pipe being shorter than the displacement path of the piston and thus, when the piston is driven totally out, issuing from the piston or a seal therein. By means of suitable inclined surfaces at the piston or at the free end of the pipe it can be achieved that the pipe enters, in fact, into the hollow piston rod when the piston is driven in again. To avoid problems with the pipe upon re-entering the piston when the piston is driven in, a preferred embodiment provides that the pipe is guided into the piston even when the piston is totally driven out and has near its free end at least one opening in the pipe wall or jacket. Such opening is positioned in the cylinder chamber when the piston is totally driven out and thus establishes communication between the cylinder chamber and the hollow piston rod through the end region of the pipe. In the retracted position of the piston, the closed pipe wall seals the interior of the hollow piston rod with respect to the cylinder chamber. When the piston is totally extended, however, the hydraulic oil can flow through the opening or boreholes provided near the free end of the pipe, into the pipe and from there into the interior of the hollow piston rod and finally into the cylinder chamber of the next outer hydraulic unit. 
     Except for the outermost hydraulic unit, which does not need any additional guidance of the hydraulic oil to the next outer hydraulic unit, all of the hydraulic units can be designed in essence identically and hydraulically connected in series. Without any complicated external controller, hydraulic oil has to be admitted only into the cylinder chamber of the innermost hydraulic unit in order to achieve successive telescoping of the hydraulic units. This &#34;self-control&#34; of the hydraulic units during extension ensures that an arm of the telescopic boom extends only after the next inner arm has already been telescoped. 
     Since the piston rod of a hydraulic unit and the cylinder of the next outer hydraulic unit are rigidly connected to the same arm of the telescopic boom, the line leading from the interior of the hollow piston rod into the cylinder chamber of the next outer hydraulic unit can be designed optimally as a wear-resistant and pressure-tight, rigid line. 
     To retract the arms of the telescopic boom in the correct sequence, all pistons can be loaded in the direction of retraction by feeding hydraulic oil into the annulus defined between the piston rod and the cylinder wall. A specified sequence of retraction can be achieved by opening valves in succession, which prevents the hydraulic oil from flowing out of the cylinder chamber. These &#34;drain valves&#34; can be controlled by the state of retraction of the next outer hydraulic unit. A preferred embodiment provides that the selected valves can also be preferably in the blocking direction openable non-return valves in the line leading from the hollow piston rod of the next inner hydraulic unit into the cylinder chamber. It is always possible to feed hydraulic oil through such a non-return valve in order to drive the piston out. If the piston is loaded in the retraction direction, this non-return valve blocks first. However, if the valve receives from a control line a signal that the next outer piston has already been driven in, then the non-return valve also opens in its original blocking direction and the hydraulic oil can flow out of the cylinder chamber over the line into the hollow piston rod of the next inner cylinder. From there the hydraulic oil flows over the pipe of the invention and from it into a drain line. This drain line can open in turn into a line leading to the interior of the hollow piston rod of the next inner hydraulic unit, from where the hydraulic oil can drain in turn by way of the pipe thereof. Thus, the pipes according to the invention are intended not only to control automatically the sequence frequency of the outward movements but also to recycle the hydraulic oil when the hydraulic units are retracted. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other advantages and details of the invention are explained below in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a loading crane with a four stage telescopic boom or thrust arm; 
     FIG. 1a is a view of the boom with the arms thereof fully extended; 
     FIG. 1b is a view similar to FIG. 1a but with the arms fully retracted; 
     FIG. 2 is a fluid circuit diagram of a sequence control according to the invention with hydraulic control of a retraction sequence; 
     FIG. 3 is a fluid circuit diagram of a sequence controller according to the invention with an electric control of the retraction sequence; 
     FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of a hydraulic unit in a region of a cylinder boom when a piston is driven in; and 
     FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view in the region of the piston with the piston driven totally out. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The loading crane, which is shown in FIGS. 1-1b and whose construction of arms corresponds to that of the state of the art, includes a stand 3 which can be pivoted about a vertical axis on a base 8. A lifting arm 5 is swivelled relative to stand 3 around a horizontal axis 4 by means of a lifting cylinder 1. A so-called folding base or innermost arm 7 is swivelled around another horizontal axis 9 by a hydraulic unit 6 and a toggle lever 2. The folding arm 7 forms with a series of telescopic arms 11-14, which altogether can be called a thrust arm, a four stage telescopic boom. 
     The invention relates to a sequence control to telescope and retract arms 11, 12, 13, 14, which are connected to the folding arm 7 or to each other by means of a series of four hydraulic units 15a-15d (in part not shown). 
     FIG. 2 shows a fluid circuit diagram of the hydraulic units 15a-15d for a multistage telescopic boom according to the invention. Each hydraulic unit includes a respective piston 18a-18d which can be caused to slide in a respective cylinder 16a-16d by a respective piston rod 17a-17d . The cylinder 16a could be connected, for example, to the folding arm 7 of FIG. 1, whereas the piston rod 17a can be connected with the arm 11, the piston rod 17b with the arm 12, the piston rod 17c with the arm 13, and the piston rod 17d with the arm 14. The cylinders 16b-16d of the three outer hydraulic units 15b-15d are rigidly connected, via respective arms 11-13, to the respective piston rods 17a-17c of the next inner hydraulic units 15a-15c, so that lines 19a-19c, 20a-20 c (to be explained in greater detail below) can be designed as rigid lines. Even an extension or telescoping line 21 and a retraction line 22 can be designed as rigid lines. 
     Respective pipes 23a-23c project axially from respective cylinder bottoms of the three inner hydraulic units 15a-15c into the respective cylinder chambers. When the respective piston 18a, 18b, 18c is at least partially retracted, the respective pipe 23a, 23b, 23c which is sealed with respect to such piston, extends into the respective hollow piston rod and thus seals the respective cylinder extension chamber 24a, 24b, 24c with respect to the interior or inner chamber 25a, 25b, 25c of the hollow piston rod 17a, 17b, 17c. Such seal, resting on the outside of the pipe in the region of the piston, is not shown in FIG. 2 but is visible in FIGS. 4 and 5 at 40. 
     In contrast to the state of the art, the pipe 23a-23c is designed according to the invention in such a manner that, when the piston is driven to its outermost position (e.g. as shown at piston 18a of the innermost hydraulic unit 15a in FIG. 2), the respective cylinder extension chamber 24a can communicate with the interior or inner chamber 25a of the piston rod 17a of the same hydraulic unit. The pipe 23a is shorter than the displacement path of the piston 18a. Thus, when piston 18a is driven to its outermost position, the pipe 23a and the seal thereof are totally withdrawn from the piston and the seal therein. Accordingly, hydraulic oil fed by way of extension line 21 flows out of the cylinder chamber 24a into the interior chamber 25a of the piston rod 17a. At this stage, according to the invention, interior or inner chamber 25a is connected by way of a preferably rigid line 19a to the cylinder extension chamber 24 b of the next outer hydraulic unit 15b. Thus, when the pressurized hydraulic oil is admitted to the extension line 21, at first only the piston 18a and piston rod 17a and thus the next outermost arm 11 of the boom are telescoped from innermost arm 7. Not until the piston 18a has reached the final position shown in FIG. 2 does hydraulic oil flow into the next outer hydraulic unit 15b and displaces the piston 18b and piston rod 17b thereof outwardly. In FIG. 2 the piston 18b is already partially driven out, whereas the pistons of the two outer hydraulic units 15c and 15d are shown still totally retracted. 
     Altogether the result of constructing the hydraulic units 15a-15c virtually identically without additional external controllers is an automatic sequence control, during which process a next outer piston rod is not driven out until the next inner piston rod has already been totally driven out. 
     Hydraulic retraction lines 22, 20a-20 c, which communicate among each other continuously, are provided for the retraction of the piston rods 17a-17d . Each of these lines open into a respective annulus or retraction chamber defined between the respective piston rod 17a-17d and cylinder wall, and in particular on the side of the driven-out piston 18a-18d that faces away from the piston head. Each of respective lines 26a-26c, each of which is separated from the interior 25a-25c of the piston rod and is led through the piston rod 17a-17c from the region of the piston and which opens into a hydraulic retraction line 20a-20 c to the next outer hydraulic unit, is provided from this respective annulus. When pressurized hydraulic oil is admitted to the hydraulic retraction line 22, all of the pistons 18a-18d are loaded first of all in the direction of retraction. Then the piston 18a can be retracted only a minimum distance, until the pipe 23a seals the cylinder chamber 24a. Then a non-return valve 27a blocks the piston 18a from retracting further. Even the pistons 18b and 18c can be driven inwardly only a minimum distance, until the pipe 23b or 23c seals the cylinder chamber 24b or 24c. Due to the non-return valve 27b or 27c that is closed beforehand, the hydraulic oil cannot drain anywhere from the cylinder extension chambers 24b and 24c, and the pistons 18b and 18c cannot be driven inwardly any further. Only the outermost piston 18d can be driven inwardly without hindrance from the beginning, since nothing prevents the hydraulic oil draining from the cylinder chamber 24d. The hydraulic oil drains, first of all, through the line 19c, the piston rod interior chamber 25c and the pipe 23c, to which a drain line 28c is attached. A second non-return valve 29c is arranged in this drain line, and the drain line 28c opens into line 19b at a position on a side of the first non-return valve 27c away from the cylinder chamber. When the piston 18c is driven out, the second non-return valve 29c prevents the hydraulic oil from penetrating into the pipe 23c, but allows the hydraulic oil to drain without hindrance from pipe 23c. Such hydraulic oil flows from the line 19b through the hydraulic units 15b and 15a in an analogous manner. 
     After the outermost piston rod 17d has been totally driven inwardly to a retracted position of piston 18d, the piston 18d opens by way of an actuating pin 31d a non-return valve 32d, which previously was blocked, disposed in a control line 30c and representing in essence a mechanism to detect the totally retracted position of the piston 18d. At this stage, hydraulic oil flows by way of the control line 30c to the next inside hydraulic unit 15c and opens the non-return valve 27c. Thus, the hydraulic oil in the cylinder extension chamber 24c can drain along a path analogous to that described above, and the piston 18c and piston rod 17c are driven inwardly. The totally retracted piston 18c then opens a non-return valve 32c by way of an actuating pin 31c, resulting in hydraulic oil flowing to the hydraulic unit 15b by way of a control line 30b. There the same control procedures as for the hydraulic unit 15c are carried out. Finally, hydraulic oil flows into a line 30a and opens the first non-return valve 27a, and thus the innermost piston rod 17a can also be driven inwardly. 
     It is clear that the mechanism to detect the totally retracted position of a piston can also detect the position of the arm of the telescopic boom that is moved by the corresponding piston rod. A control pulse also can be derived from the position of the telescopic arm as soon as it is totally retracted. 
     The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in essence by the first non-return valves 27&#39;a-27&#39;c for controlling the retraction sequence being electrically actuated. Otherwise, the hydraulic units are built in essence identically as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The pipes 23a-23c are shown in FIG. 3 only by solid lines but in reality they are just as hollow as the pipes shown in FIGS. 2 or 4 and 5. 
     To retract the piston rods and thus the arms of the boom, the hydraulic line 22 is put under pressure. Thus, the piston of the outermost hydraulic unit 15d retracts first. When the piston 18d is totally driven inwardly, a stop 31&#39;d attached to the piston rod or to the suitable arm of the boom closes a switching element 32&#39;d, thus resulting in current being supplied from a current source 33 by way of an electrical line 34 to a line 30&#39;c leading to electrically openable non-return valve 27&#39;c. Thus, when the piston of unit 15d is totally driven in, the outermost hydraulic unit 15d opens the valve 27&#39;c and thus allows hydraulic oil to drain from the cylinder chamber of the hydraulic unit 15c, whereupon the piston and piston rod thereof retract. In an analogous manner a stop 31&#39;c and a switching element 32&#39;c switch by way of a line 30&#39;b electrically operated non-return valve 27&#39;b, and a stop 31&#39; b with a switching element 32&#39;b switch by way of an electric control line 30&#39;a electromagnetically actuated non-return valve 27&#39;a. Thus, altogether the retraction sequence is automatically fixed. 
     Instead of the mechanically operated switching elements 32&#39;b-32&#39;d, proximity switching elements can be provided, for example, magnetically operated reed switches or switches operated by way of light barriers or similarly switched switching elements. 
     FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of hydraulic unit 15b in the region of a cylinder bottom 34b with the piston 18b totally driven in. The pipe 23b is mounted, e.g. by being threaded into a hollow screw 35, on bottom 34 and projects in the axial direction from the cylinder bottom 34b into the cylinder chamber. The non-return valve 29b allows the hydraulic oil to drain without hindrance from the pipe 23b into the line to be attached at 36. The hydraulic oil for driving out the piston 18b is supplied through an opening 37 and line segment 38, which is shown by dashed lines and to which hydraulic oil can be supplied by way of a non-return valve (which corresponds to the first non-return valve 27b of FIG. 2 or 27&#39;b of FIG. 3 and which is not shown in detail) at a position 39. Since the pipe 23b is sealed with respect to the piston 18b by means of seal 40, the piston moves out when the hydraulic oil is supplied through opening 37, without any hydraulic oil subsequently flowing into the interior or inner chamber 25b of the hollow piston 17b. 
     Not until the piston 18b has reached the totally extended position shown in FIG. 5 (contact at a cylinder end segment 52) can the hydraulic oil flow from the cylinder extension chamber 24b by way of the boreholes 41, provided in the vicinity of the free end of the wall of the pipe 23b, into the interior or inner chamber 25b of the hollow piston rod 17b. From there the oil can then flow over a line 19b (illustrated in FIG. 2) into the cylinder extension chamber of the next outer hydraulic unit and drive it outwardly. 
     To retract the piston 18b, hydraulic oil is supplied from a line (not illustrated) and an opening 42 into the annulus or retraction chamber provided between the piston rod 17b and the cylinder surface. Thus, in every case the piston 18b moves first slightly inwardly until the boreholes 41 in the pipe 23b are closed by piston 18b. Up to that point, hydraulic fluid can drain from the cylinder chamber 24b and the openings 41 by way of the pipe 23b. After this short movement of the piston 18b, it remains stationary because now the cylinder chamber 24b is sealed with respect to the interior of the pipe 23b and no hydraulic oil can drain for the time being. If at this stage the non-return valve at the position 39 opens after the next outer hydraulic unit is totally driven in, the hydraulic oil can flow from the line 38 out of the cylinder chamber 24b, and the piston 18b can move into the position shown in FIG. 4. There the piston 18b presses the actuating pin 31b counter to the action of a spring 43 to the right as shown in FIG. 4 and thus opens the non-return valve 32b, which is installed in a borehole closed by a screw 44. Thus, hydraulic oil can flow counter to the original blocking direction of the non-return valve 32b from the control line (which is not illustrated but corresponds to the control line 30b of FIG. 2) which is attached to a chamber 46 into a control line (which is not illustrated but corresponds to the control line 30a of FIG. 2) which is attached to a chamber 45, and thus can open the first non-return valve of the next inner hydraulic unit, resulting in such hydraulic unit retracting. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the piston rod 17b is designed as a double pipe including an interior pipe 48 lying concentric to an outer pipe 47 and enveloping the interior or inner chamber 25b of the piston rod 17b. An annulus 49 between the outer pipe 47 and the inner 48 pipe makes available a line (corresponding to the line 26b of FIG. 2) that is hydraulically separated from the interior 25b in the piston rod, in order to guide hydraulic oil from cylinder interior or retraction chamber 50 by way of an opening 51 through the piston rod annulus 49 out of the piston rod and from there into the cylinder annulus or retraction of the next outer hydraulic unit. 
     It is self-evident that the invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown. For example, any number other than the illustrated four hydraulic units can also be connected together in series.