Dampener for impacting mechanism

A dampener for cushioning engagement forces of an impacting mechanism. An impacting mechanism has relatively movable members that can be releasably coupled together. The coupling engagement produces forces which tend to deform the coupling members. An impacting mechanism, having an actuator with a releasable coupling member is coupled to a relatively movable impact plunger, contains a dampener which compresses or deforms to cushion the coupling force. An impacting mechanism having a dampener for cushioning the forces during coupling engagement prevents the coupling members from being deformed.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to a mechanical impacting mechanism used to impact a 
surface and more particularly to a dampener assembly for cushioning 
coupling engagement force between two members of the impacting mechanism. 
BACKGROUND ART 
A known impacting mechanism has a housing. An actuator plunger is mounted 
within the housing for axial movement with respect to the housing. A power 
plunger is mounted within the housing in parallel relation to the actuator 
plunger for movement with respect to the housing and the actuator plunger. 
The impacting mechanism has a latch which is fixed to the actuator 
plunger. With the actuator plunger in contact with a surface which is to 
be impacted the housing is moved toward the surface causing the latch to 
engage a fixed collar on the power plunger to releasably couple the 
actuator plunger to the power plunger. A problem associated with such 
impacting mechanism is that with the latch and collar both being fixed to 
respective plungers engagement forces are not cushioned when the plungers 
are coupled together. The engagement forces deform the latch and the 
collar. 
The present invention is directed to overcome the problem as set forth 
above. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
In one aspect of the present invention a dampener assembly for an impacting 
mechanism is provided. A guide structure is adapted to be connected to a 
movable manipulator. An impact plunger is movably supported relative to 
the guide structure. An actuator is parallel to the impact plunger and 
movably supported relative to the guide structure and the impact plunger. 
A means releasably couples the actuator and the impact plunger in response 
to the guide structure being moved toward the end surface of the actuator. 
A means cushions the coupling engagement between the impact plunger and 
the releasable coupling means. 
An impacting mechanism having a means to cushion the coupling engagement 
between the impact plunger and the latch on the actuator reduces the 
engagement force to prevent damage to the coupling mechanism.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a dampener assembly 10 for an impacting 
mechanism 11 is shown. The impacting mechanism 11 includes a guide 
structure 12, an elongate actuator 14, an impact plunger 16, a resilient 
means 18, a releasable coupling means 20, a dampener means 22, and a 
releasing means 24. 
The guide structure 12 includes a housing 26 having a first end portion 28 
and a second end portion 30. A bracket 32 of suitable construction is 
fixedly attached to the housing 26, intermediate the first and second ends 
28,30, and connects the housing 26 to a movable manipulator 34, such as a 
boom or suitable linkage of an industrial vehicle. A first end plate 36 is 
suitably fastened to the first end portion 28 of the housing 26. The end 
plate 36 has a first aperture 38 and a second aperture 39 adjacent the 
first aperture 38. A second end plate 40 is suitably fastened to the 
second end portion 30 of the housing and has a first aperture 41 aligned 
with the first aperture 38 of the first end plate 36 and a second aperture 
42 adjacent the first aperture 41 and aligned with the second aperture 39 
of the first end plate 36. A resilient bumper 43 is positioned within the 
first end of the housing 26 and is supported by the first end plate 36. 
The actuator 14 slidably extends through the first aperture 38 of the first 
end plate 36 and the first aperture 41 of the second plate 40 and is 
moveable between an extended position and a retracted position. The 
actuator 14 has an end surface 44 adapted to contact a surface 45 to be 
impacted. A collar 46, has a hole 50 through which the actuator 14 
extends, is fixedly attached to the actuator 14 and is positioned adjacent 
the resilient bumper 43 within the housing 26 when the actuator is in the 
extended position. The collar 46 has a stepped portion, adjacent the 
impact plunger 16, having a vertical surface 51 and a horizontal surface 
52. The collar has a pair of spaced side steps 47 in the surface adjacent 
the bumper, as best shown in FIG. 3. 
The impact plunger 16 slidably extends through the second aperture 39 of 
the first end plate 36 and the second aperture 42 of the second end plate 
40 and is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position. 
In this specific embodiment the actuator and the impact plunger are 
positioned within the housing 26 in parallel and adjacent relationship to 
each other, however they could be positioned parallel and coaxial or 
concentric to each other as will be disclosed in an alternate embodiment. 
The impact plunger 16 has an end surface 53 adapted to impact the surface 
45. A spring abutment and latching collar 54, has a hole 55 through which 
the impact plunger 16 extends, is fixedly attached to the impact plunger 
16 and is positioned adjacent the resilient bumper 43 within the housing 
26 when the impact plunger 16 is in the extended position. 
The resilient means 18, in this specific embodiment a coil spring 56, 
encircles the impact plunger 16 and is positioned between and confined by 
the collar 54 of the impact plunger 16 and the second end plate 40 of the 
housing 26. 
As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the releasable coupling means 20 
includes a latch assembly 57 on the actuator 14. The latch assembly 57 
includes a mounting plate 58 slidably positioned on the actuator 14 
adjacent the collar 46. The mounting plate 58 includes a hole 59, through 
which the actuator 14 extends, and a plurality of threaded holes, one of 
which is shown at 60. The diameter of the hole 59 is larger then the 
diameter of actuator 14 to allow for movement of the mounting plate 58. 
The mounting plate 58 also includes a vertical surface 61 adjacent the 
housing 26. A stop 62 is attached to the bottom surface of the mounting 
plate 58 adjacent to the vertical surface to limit movement of the 
mounting plate 58 toward the collar 46. The releasable coupling means 20 
includes a pair of plates 63, each having a c-shaped cross section, 
attached to the top surface of the mounting plate 58 by a plurality of 
bolts 64, being threaded into the threaded holes 60. Each of the plates 63 
includes a central body portion 65, a first flange 66 overlapping the 
mounting plate 58, and a second flange 67 overlapping and extending into 
the side step of the collar 46, as best shown in FIG. 3. Each of the 
plates 63 includes a mounting tab 68 having a bore 69, the bores 69 are 
aligned with each other. The plate 63 and overlapping flanges 66,67 
provide a means 70 for limiting the movement of the mounting plate 58 away 
from the fixed collar 46. A latch 71 is pivotally mounted in the bores 69 
of the mounting tabs 68 by a pin 72. The latch 71 has an engagement 
portion 73 adjacent the impact plunger 16 and is positioned for engagement 
with the spring abutment and latching collar 54. A pair of springs 74 are 
positioned between the latch 71 and the mounting plate 58 to urge the 
latch 71 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2. A stop 76 
which extends downwardly from the pin 72 of the latch 71 contacts the 
vertical surface 51 of the collar 46 to limit the counterclockwise pivotal 
movement of the latch 71. The stop 76 is positioned to contact the 
horizontal surface 52 of the collar 46 and the stop 62 is positioned to 
also contact the collar 46 to limit the movement of mounting plate 58 
toward the fixed collar 46. The latch 71 also includes a releasing portion 
78 adjacent the housing 26. 
The dampener means 22 for cushioning coupling engagement includes, in the 
illustrated embodiment, a wedge shaped elastomeric pad 80 having a hole 82 
through which the actuator 14 extends. The elastomeric pad 80 is positioned 
between the mounting plate 58 of the latch assembly 57 and the collar 46 of 
the actuator 14. 
As shown in FIG. 1 the releasing means 24 includes an abutment member 84 
removably attached within the housing 26 by a plurality of bolts 86 and 
positioned for engagement with the releasing portion 78 of the latch 71. 
In FIG. 5, a impacting mechanism of a first alternate embodiment is 
disclosed. The elements which are the same in both embodiments will be 
shown with a reference number having a prime. 
A impacting mechanism 10' includes a dampener means 22' positioned on a 
impact plunger 16' to reduce the shock loading when the impact plunger 16' 
and a actuator 14' are coupled together. 
The actuator 14' is movably supported by the housing 26'. A collar 88 is 
fixedly attached to the actuator 14' within the housing 26. The collar 88 
includes a pair of spaced tabs 90 projecting therefrom, with each tab 90 
having a bore 91 which is aligned with each other. 
The impact plunger 16' is movably supported by the housing 26'. A spring 
abutment collar 54' is fixedly attached to the impact plunger 16' within 
the housing 26'. The dampener means 22' includes, in the illustrated 
embodiment, a wedge shaped elastomeric pad 80' positioned below and 
adjacent the fixed collar 54'. The elastomeric pad 80' has a hole 94 
through which the impact plunger 16' extends. A collar 96, has a bore 97 
through which the impact plunger 16' extends' is slidably positioned on 
the impact plunger 16' adjacent and below the elastomeric pad 80'. The 
bore 97 is larger then the diameter of the impact plunger 16, to allow the 
collar to move relative to the plunger 16'. The collar includes a pair of 
spaced side steps 98 similar to the steps 47 of the collar 46. The 
abutment collar 54' includes a pair of plates 99, only one shown, similar 
to the plates 63 of FIG. 3. The plates 99 have a c-shaped cross section 
and are removably attached to the fixed collar 54' by a plurality of bolts 
100. The plates 99 each have a central body portion 101, a first flange 102 
which overlaps the abutment collar 54', and a second flange 103 which 
overlaps and extends into step of the collar 96. The plates 99 and 
overlapping flanges 102,103 provide a means 104 for limiting the movement 
of the slidable collar 96 away from the fixed collar 54'. 
A releasable coupling means 20' on the actuator 14' includes a latch 71' 
pivotally mounted in the bores 91 of the mounting tabs 90. The latch 71' 
has an engagement portion 73' positioned for engagement with the slidable 
collar 96. A pair of springs 74' are positioned between the latch 71' and 
the fixedly attached collar 88 for urging the latch 71' in a 
counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5. 
In FIG. 6, an impacting mechanism of a second alternate embodiment is 
disclosed. The elements which function the same in all embodiments will be 
shown with a reference number having a double prime. As shown in the 
drawing, an impacting mechanism 11" includes a housing 26" having an end 
plate 106 with a hole 108. A tubular actuator 14" slidably extends through 
the hole 108 in the end plate 106, and is movable between an extended 
position and a retracted position. The tubular actuator 14" includes a 
plurality of circumferentially equally spaced apertures, one of which is 
shown at 110, adjacent the end plate 106 within the housing 26" when the 
actuator 14" is in the extended position. 
A releasable coupling means 20" includes a plurality of latch assemblies, 
one of which is shown at 57", positioned one in each of the apertures 110 
of the tubular actuator 14". Each latch assembly 57" includes a mounting 
assembly 112 having a first side plate 114, and a second side plate 116 
with a tang 117. The side plates 114, 116 are spaced apart and secured in 
the aperture 110. An upper plate 118 is secured to the upper end of the 
side plates 114, 116. A lower plate 120 is secured to the lower edge of 
the side plates 114, 116. A bellcrank 122 is pivotally attached between 
the side plates 114, 116. The bellcrank 122 has an inwardly projecting 
first arm portion 124 and an outwardly projecting second arm portion 126. 
The first arm portion 124 has a bifurcated end portion 128. A roller 130 
is positioned within the bifurcated end portion 128 and rotatably 
connected thereto by a pin 132. A tension spring 134 is connected between 
the second arm portion 126 of the bellcrank 122 and the tang 117 of the 
second side plate 116 to pivot the bellcrank 122 counterclockwise. A 
plurality of resilient bumpers, one of which is shown at 136, are attached 
one under each of the lower plates 120 by a bolt 138. An impact plunger 16" 
is telescopically disposed in parallel coaxial or concentric relation 
within the tubular actuator 14". A spring abutment collar 140 having a 
hole 142 through which the impact plunger 16" extends is fixedly attached 
to the impact plunger 16" and is spaced upwardly from the apertures 110 in 
the tubular actuator 14" when both the impact plunger 16" and the actuator 
14" are in the extended position as shown. A tube 143 is attached to the 
collar 140 and extends upwardly. A resilient means 18", in the specific 
embodiment a coil spring 56", encircles the impact plunger 16" and is 
positioned adjacent the collar 140 and enclosed and located by the tube 
143. A groove 144 in the impact plunger 16" is spaced downwardly from the 
collar 140. A guide ring 146 is removably attached in the groove 144 of 
the impact plunger 16". The guide ring 146 includes a first member 148 and 
a second member 150 encircling and disposed in the groove 144 and 
maintained in position by bolts 152. An elongate sleeve 154 is positioned 
upwardly and abutts the guide ring 146 and extends upwardly encircling the 
impact plunger 16". A collar 156, having a hole 158 through which the 
impact plunger 16" extends, is slidably positioned on the impact plunger 
16" above and abutts the sleeve 154 when the actuator 14" and the impactor 
16" are not coupled together. The collar 156 has an annular surface 160 for 
engagement with the rollers 130, and a fixedly attached elongate sleeve 162 
extends upwardly therefrom. The guide ring 146 and the sleeve 154 of the 
impact plunger 16" provides a means 155 for limiting the movement of the 
slidable collar 156 away from the abutment collar 140. The dampener means 
22" includes an elastomeric pad or, in this specific embodiment, an 
elastomeric ring 164 positioned between the collar 156 and the spring 
abutment collar 140 and encircles the impact plunger 16". 
Industrial Applicability 
In the impacting process of the first embodiment, the movable manipulator 
34 is used to move the impacting mechanism 11 toward the surface 45 which 
is to be impacted. The actuator 14 and the impact plunger 16 extend 
downwardly from the first end portion 28 of the guide structure 12 as 
shown in FIG. 1. In this position, the end surface 53 of the impact 
plunger 16 is spaced upwardly from the end surface 44 of the actuator 14. 
As the impacting mechanism 11 is moved downward, the end surface 44 of the 
actuator 14 contacts the surface 45 thereby stopping its downward movement. 
The spring 74 maintains the latch 71 in position to allow for the 
engagement portion 73 of latch 71 to engage the collar 54 on the impact 
plunger 16. As the guide structure 12 and the impact plunger 16 continue 
to be moved downward, the collar 54 contacts the engagement portion 73 and 
releasably couples the impact plunger 16 to the actuator 14, thereby 
stopping downward movement of the impact plunger 16. The elastomeric pad 
80 of the dampener means 22 cushions the engagement force between the 
latch 71 and the collar 54. The elastomeric pad 80 compresses or deforms 
to allow the latch 71 and mounting plate 58 to move slightly toward the 
fixed collar 46. The elastomeric pad is wedge shaped because the 
engagement force produces a side loading which is higher directly below 
the contact point. The movement of the latch 71 and the plate 58 is 
stopped when the stops 62 and 76 contact the collar 46. The continued 
downward movement of the guide structure 12 relative to the impact plunger 
16 and the actuator 14 compresses the spring 56 between the collar 54 and 
the second end plate 40 of the guide structure 12. When the guide 
structure 12 is moved downward a predetermined distance relative to the 
actuator 14 the abutment member 84 of the releasing means 24 engages the 
releasing portion 78 of the latch 71. Continued downward movement of the 
guide structure 12 and the abutment member 84 pivots the latch 71 
outwardly around the pin 72 against the force of the spring 74, until the 
engagement portion 73 is disengaged from the collar 54 on the impact 
plunger 16. When the engagement portion 73 disengages from the collar 54, 
energy of the spring 56 is released and immediately drives the impact 
plunger 16 downward at a high rate of speed and high force to impact the 
surface 45. If the impact plunger 16 breaks through the surface 45 
downward movement of the impact plunger 16 is stopped by cushioned 
engagement of the collar 54 with the resilient bumper 43. 
The impacting mechanism 11 is then raised by lifting the guide structure 
12. Upward movement of the guide structure 12 also raises the impact 
plunger due to the engagement between the bumper 43 and the collar 54. The 
gravitational weight of the actuator 14 causes it to remain in contact with 
the surface 45 during the initial movement of the guide structure 12 and 
the impact plunger 16. As the latch 71 becomes disengaged from the 
abutment means 84, the spring 74 pivots the latch 71 inwardly around the 
pin 72. Upward movement of the impact plunger 16 relative to the actuator 
14 causes the latch 71 to contact the collar 54 and be pivoted clockwise 
or outwardly around the pin 72. After the latch 71 passes the collar 54, 
the spring 74 again pivots the latch 71 inwardly around the pin 72 to 
position the latch 71 for engagement with the collar 54. Continued upward 
movement of the guide structure 12 and impact plunger 16 eventually causes 
the collar 46 to engage the resilient bumper 43 thereby also raising the 
actuator 14 in unison with the guide structure 12 and the impact plunger 
16. With the actuator 14 and the impact plunger 16 in position to be 
latched together, the impact process can be repeated to impact the surface 
45 at adjacent locations. 
In the impacting process of the first alternate embodiment, the dampener 
means 22' is associated with the collar 54' of the impact plunger 16'. The 
latch 71' is mounted on the collar 88 of the actuator. As the guide 
structure 12' and the impact plunger 16' move downward, the slidable 
collar 96 contacts the engagement portion 73' of the latch 71' and 
releasably couples the impact plunger 16' to the actuator 14'. The 
elastomeric pad 80' of the dampener means 22' cushions the engagement 
force between the latch 71' and the slidable collar 96 by compressing or 
deforming and allowing the slidable collar 96 to move slightly toward the 
spring abutment collar 54'. 
In the impacting process of the second alternate embodiment, the dampener 
means 22" is associated with the collar 156 of the impact plunger 16". The 
plurality of latch assemblies 57" are mounted on the tubular actuator 14". 
As the impacting mechanism 11" is moved downward, the springs 134 pivot 
the bellcranks 122 inwardly to position the rollers 130 for engagement 
with the collar 156 on the impact plunger 16". As the housing 26" and the 
impact plunger 16" continue to be moved downward, the surface 160 of the 
collar 156 contacts the rollers 130 to releasably couple the impact 
plunger 16" to the tubular actuator 14", thereby stopping downward 
movement of the impact plunger 16". The resilient ring 164 of the dampener 
means 22" cushions the engagement force by compressing or deforming by 
allowing the collar 156 to move slightly upward relative to the sleeve 
154. The continued downward movement of the housing 26" relative to the 
impact plunger 16" and the tubular actuator 14" compresses the spring 56". 
Downward movement of the housing 26" a predetermined distance relative to 
the tubular actuator 14" causes the releasing means (not shown) to contact 
the second arm portion 126 of the bellcranks 122. The continued downward 
movement of the housing 26" pivots the bellcranks outwardly to disengage 
the rollers 130 from the collar 156. When the rollers 130 disengage from 
the collar 156 energy of the spring 18" is released and immediately drives 
the impact plunger 16" downward at a high rate of speed and high force. 
An impacting mechanism 11 having a dampener means 22 positioned to cushion 
the coupling engagement between the latch and the collar reduces the 
engagement forces and prevents the parts from being deformed. In two of 
the embodiments the elastomeric pad 80 is wedged shaped because the 
engagement force produces a side loading which is high directly below the 
contact point. The thicker portion of the elastomeric pad compresses or 
deforms more than the opposite side and maintains proper alignment and 
contact between the collar 54 and the contact portion 73 of the latch 71. 
The second alternate embodiment has the plurality of circumferentially 
equally spaced latch assemblies 57" which prevent side loading, therefore 
the cushioning means 22 is of constant thickness in the form of a flat 
elastomeric pad or an elastomeric ring as disclosed in the drawing. 
Other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention can be obtained from 
a study of the drawings, disclosure, and the appended claims.