Abstract:
A swivel connection for quick attachment bracket equipped excavator booms. The swivel connection has a frame that mounts onto a quick attachment bracket on an excavator or backhoe boom, and the frame pivotally mounts a second attachment bracket about a swivel axis. The second attachment bracket is adapted to fit into a frame on an implement that also is connectable to the bracket on the boom. An implement attached to the second bracket this can be pivoted relative to the frame of the swivel connection. A linear hydraulic actuator is used for controlling the pivoting movement of the second bracket relative to the frame.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS  
       [0001]    Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,706 and to U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,535 both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a swivel connection for use between a quick attachment mounting frame and a quick attachment bracket to permit a bucket or other attachment coupled to a boom to be pivoted about a generally horizontal axis during use for cutting a grade slope or working at an angle, and still have the benefit of a quick attachment bracket for engaging a frame on the bucket.  
           [0003]    Quick attachment units have been utilized for excavator buckets and other attachments. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,706 illustrates such a quick attachment system, where a bracket can be used for mounting frames that are attached to various tools so the tools can quickly be mounted to an excavator or backhoe boom. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,535 shows a quick attachment bracket and frame which are held in assembly with a bolt on connection.  
           [0004]    Excavator or backhoe booms pivot about generally horizontal axes, and these horizontal pivots are fixed. However, it is desired from time to time to cut a slope with the bucket, or use an attachment such as a powered earth auger at an angle other than vertical. The present devices do not provide a low cost positive holding angular displacement swivel for use with a quick attachment bracket on a bucket or a tool.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention relates to a hydraulically controlled swivel connected between a backhoe or excavator boom and an attachment tool implement. The swivel has a frame on one end that attaches to a quick coupler bracket on the boom. A second bracket that will couple to a similar frame is pivotally mounted to the frame of the swivel. The second bracket is for connection to a frame on a bucket or other attachment or implement. The swivel frame and bracket are held together with a pivot pin which, is substantially horizontal when the excavator bucket is moved to a position with the bucket cutting blade or edge lowered. A linear hydraulic cylinder is mounted between the swivel frame and the second bracket for pivoting the second bracket about the axis of the pivot pin so that the bucket cutting blade or other implement or tool can be positioned at an angle or slope during use.  
           [0006]    The linear hydraulic cylinder used can be mounted on end pivot pins, as shown, or on trunnions at a desired location along the cylinder. While one linear cylinder is shown, two linear cylinders, one on each side of the pivot pin could be used. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an excavator having a bucket mounted on a swivel made according to the present invention;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the end of the excavator boom and the swivel in place;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a side view of the swivel;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is an end view of the swivel taken generally along line  4 - 4  in FIG. 3, with a boom mounted bracket removed;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary schematic view of a quick attachment frame mounted on an excavator bucket; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is a detail of the retainer between the swivel bracket and a frame on a bucket or blade. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 illustrates an excavator  10  of typical configuration, to show an implement or machine on which the present control arrangement is mounted. The excavator  10  includes a frame  12 , mounting an engine in a compartment  12 A. The excavator drive tracks  13 A and  13 B are mounted on suitable sprockets and axles, and are driven by hydraulic motors  15 , shown schematically. The motors  15  could also be electric, and controlled by a switch assembly. The tracks  13 A and  13 B on opposite sides of the excavator are used for driving the excavator along the ground and for steering. The excavator can be turned right and left, by selectively driving the tracks, which can be driven in forward and rearward directions.  
         [0014]    The engine in the engine compartment  12 A is used for driving various components, including a hydraulic pump  15 C that will provide hydraulic pressure for the drive motors  15  for tracks  13 A and  13 B, and also for operating actuators such as the actuator or cylinder  14 A for a main or base boom arm  14 , and an actuator or cylinder  14 B for controlling a dipper arm  16  that is pivoted to the end of base arm  14 . The actuator boom, dipper arm and a bucket  20  are operated in a normal manner. These actuators may be controlled by a conventional joystick control  17  comprising a handle movable to control the various functions of the boom, dipper arm and bucket.  
         [0015]    The base arm  14  is pivoted to a bracket on the frame  12  about a horizontal pivot. The pivot of the dipper arm  16  to the base arm is parallel to the base arm pivot. The outer end of the dipper arm  16  includes a folding link assembly  18  that is used for controlling pivoting of a tool such as the bucket  20 . The link is actuated by double acting hydraulic actuator shown schematically at  22  and operated through controls  17 . The actuator  22  extends and retracts an actuator rod  22 A (FIG. 2) under power and controls the tool pivoting about a horizontal axis. The link assembly  18  connects to a quick attachment bracket  24  that is pivotally mounted on a pin  26  to the outer end of the arm  16 , again about a pivot parallel to the base arm or boom pivot. The actuator  22  acting through the linkage  18  controls the pivoting of the quick attachment bracket  24  about the axis of the pin  26 .  
         [0016]    The bracket  24  is a quick attachment bracket that can have an automatic latch such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,706, that will support a swivel assembly  34 . The bracket  24  is not shown in detail. The swivel assembly includes a frame  35  comprising a pair of side plates  36  and  38 , that will straddle the bracket  24 , and will permit a nose end  32  of the bracket  24  to fit underneath a crossbar  40 . In addition, the frame  35  has a cross member  42  that fits into a mating saddle  24 A on the bracket  24 . A releasably spring-loaded latch dog  43  on the bracket engage a latch surface  24 C on the frame  35  to hold the frame  35  on the bracket  24  until the latch dog  43  is released.  
         [0017]    The frame  35  is not directly attached to an implement, as it is in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,974,706 and 5,983,535, but forms part of the swivel  34 . The frame  35  carries a swivel support bracket  50  that has spaced end bracket plates  52  and  54 , respectively, that are held together with one or more panels  56 . The panel  56  and bracket plates  52  and  54  are all welded into place on a quick attachment frame base plate  58  that also supports the frame side plates  36  and  38  on an opposite side of the base plate from the bracket  50 .  
         [0018]    The panels  56  are perpendicular to the base plate  58  and support the spaced end bracket plates  52  and  54 . Laterally and outwardly extending arms  60 A and  60 B that are parallel to each other are fixed to the bracket  50 . The arms  60 A and  60 B extend back toward and beyond the quick attachment frame side plates  36  and  38 , and extend alongside dipper arm  16 . When the swivel frame  50  is in a position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the arms  60 A and  60 B, extend upwardly. The arm  60 A and  60 B are spaced so they support a hydraulic cylinder  62  between them. The cylinder end is pinned to the outer ends of the arms.  
         [0019]    A pivot hub  64  is mounted between the outer end portions  52 A and  54 A of the end bracket plates  52  and  54 . The arm  60 B is an integral part of the plate  54 , as shown, but can be welded in place if desired. The arm  60 A is welded to the panel  56  and extends laterally therefrom.  
         [0020]    A second attachment bracket  68  (FIGS. 3 and 4) is mounted to the swivel support bracket  50  for pivotal movement about the axis of hub  64 . The second quick attachment bracket  68  has a pair of plates  72  and  74  extending therefrom that overlap the ends  52 A and  54 A of the frame plates  52  and  54 . A pin  70  passes through the sleeve  64  and the ends of the plates  72  and  74  SO the bracket  68  is mounted on swivel bracket  50 , and thus on frame  35  and forms a part of swivel  34 . Additionally, the bracket  68  has an ear  76  mounted thereon, with a bore which aligns with a bore on plate  74  that carries a pin  77  that holds a rod end  78  on the rod of the double acting, linear hydraulic actuator  62 . The actuator  62  will control the angle of the second bracket  68  about the axis  71  of the pin  70 .  
         [0021]    In FIG. 3, the swiveling second bracket  68  is shown without a bucket or blade attached for sake of clarity. It can be seen that the swiveling second bracket  68  has a saddle  80  that is open in direction facing toward a nose portion  82  that is formed by a pair of side plates  84 . The side plates  84  are held together with a cross plate  86  from which the saddle  80  is made. The details of the saddle, side plates and cross plate of bracket  68  are shown in the prior mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,535. The bracket  24  on the end of the arm  16  has a saddle constructed in the same manner, but includes the automatic latch arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,706.  
         [0022]    The swiveling second bracket  68  receives and supports a quick attachment frame  90  of the excavator bucket or other implement  20 . Frame  90  includes a pair of side plates  93 , and an end cross member  94  that fits into the saddle  80 . The side plates  93  are spaced sufficiently so they fit on the outer sides of the side plates  84  and cross plate  86  of the swiveling second bracket  68 . The nose member  82  fits beneath a retainer bar  92  on the frame  90  on the bucket  20  as shown in FIG. 6. A cross bar  94  is positioned to extend between and rest on outer ends of both of the side plates  93  on the frame  90 . The bar  94  is held against the edges of the side members  93  of the frame  90  and the nose member  82  of the bracket  68  is pulled into place and held with cap screws  98 , also as shown in FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. 5,983,535. When the bucket  20  or other tool or implement and frame  90  are positioned substantially as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and the swivel assembly is mounted on the boom dipper arm  16 , it can be seen that by extending and retracting the rod of linear actuator or cylinder  62 , the angle of the blade  100  of the bucket  20  relative to a horizontal plane can be changed, since the bracket  68  swivels about the axis  71  of pin  70 . The second frame can be attached to a bulldozer blade or larger bucket if desired, or can support a tool such as an earth auger or hydraulic breaker.  
         [0023]    The cylinder  62  is controlled by a double lock pilot operated valve  106  of conventional design to prevent leakdown of the cylinder  62  when it is under load. Hydraulic pressure from the valve  106  to either of the outlets from the valve connected to lines  106 A or  106 B serves as pilot pressure to open check valves to permit flow into and out of cylinder  62 . The check valves normally prevent flow out of either end of the cylinder to insure that the cylinder  62  remains in a fixed position. Thus, there is no unwanted change in angular position because of valve leakage.  
         [0024]    The use of a direct acting linear hydraulic cylinder or actuator  62  provides for a very rugged and controllable positioning of the angle of the bucket blade or other tool under boom loading. A set angle of slope on a ditch or the like can be obtained. The dipper arm of the excavator used for moving the bucket toward or away from the excavator body to form an angle cut. The slope angle of a ditch or channel can be maintained as the angled blade  100  moves along the ditch. Augers and hammers can be held at an angle during use as well.  
         [0025]    A total swiveling or pivoting movement about pin  70  of approximately 30° in each direction can be obtained using the hydraulic cylinder  62 . In FIG. 4, angle indicator marks  104  are shown schematically. Also, a dotted position of the plate  74  is shown in FIG. 4. It should be noted that the pin axis  71  extends in fore and aft direction of the excavator, perpendicular to the axis of pivoting of the excavator backhoe boom, so that the angle can be maintained to provide a slope relative to the pivot axis of the boom, and thus relative to a horizontal plane.  
         [0026]    As stated, while one linear cylinder is shown, two cylinders, one on each side of the pivot pin, can be used. The cylinders also can be mounted as desired. The linear cylinder swivel can be used with any type of quick attachment bracket arrangement.  
         [0027]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.