Patent Publication Number: US-6709224-B2

Title: Implement coupling assembly

Description:
This invention relates to a coupling assembly and more particularly to an assembly for detachably connecting an implement such as a bucket, blade, grapple, rake and the like to the operating arms of a machine such as a front end loader. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the use of machines such as front end loaders to perform various work functions such as digging, grading, loading, raking and the like, it has been a common practice to use different types of implements attachable to such loaders for performing such functions. More recently, it has become the conventional practice to utilize various implement designs to permit the rapid coupling and uncoupling of different types of implements in order to improve productivity. In the prior art, there has been developed a great number of such coupling assemblies intended to minimize the amount of time required to uncouple an implement designed to perform a certain work function and couple another implement designed to perform a different function operation. Such a prior art assemblies, however, have not been found to be entirely simple in design, capable of rapidly coupling and uncoupling different implements and effective in performance. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved implement coupling assembly which is simple in design, adapted to be easily and rapidly coupled to and uncoupled from a front end loader, and effective and reliable in performance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an improved assembly for coupling an implement to a machine such as to the lift arms and tilt link of a front end loader, generally consisting of a first component attached to an implement including a downwardly opening hook at an upper end thereof, at least one spring seated latch at a lower end thereof, and a cooperating second component including means disposed at a lower end thereof for pivotally connecting the second component to the lifting arms of the loader, means disposed at an upper end thereof for pivotally connecting the second component to the tilt link of the rotor, a connecting pin disposed at a upper, forward portion thereof engageable with the hook member of the first component to permit the first component to be pivotally connected to the second component, a striker element disposed at the lower end thereof adapted to trip the spring seated latch on the first component when the first component is pivotally connected to the upper connecting pin of the second component and the first component is swung towards the second component to position such striker element between such latch element and the first component and thus correspondingly, attach the first component along with such implement to the second component, and means for selectively depressing the latch element and thus permit the first component to be swung away and detached from the second component. Preferably, a pair of transversely spaced, spring seated latches are used, each having an angled surface engageable by a pair of striker elements, to facilitate the tripping of such latches, and a transversely disposed bar is used to depress the latches in detaching the first component from the second component, which is displaced either by a electrically operated solenoid assembly or a fluid actuated cylinder assembly. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a coupling assembly embodying the present invention, illustrating a first component thereof mounted on an implement and having a portion of such implement broken away, and a second component thereof partially connected to first component; 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to the view shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the assembly in a fully coupled condition and having portions thereof broken away; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the assembly in the coupled condition as shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial view of the view shown in FIG. 2, having a portion thereof broken away and illustrating the method of unlatching the components of the assembly; and 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to the view shown in FIG. 5, illustrating the assembly in the unlatched condition. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a coupling assembly  10  including a first component  11  adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear wall  12  of an implement  13 , and a cooperating component  14  adapted to be detachably connected to the lift arms and the tilt link of a front end loader. Component  11  includes a transversely disposed, upper plate segment  15 , a pair of transversely spaced, lower plate segments  16  and  17  and a pair of transversely spaced plate segments  18  and  19  each interconnecting upper plate segment  15  and a lower segment  16  or  17 , all of which are rigidly secured to rear wall  12  of the implement, preferably by welding. Mounted on the underside of upper plate segment  15  is a downwardly opening hook member  20 . Mounted on the lower ends of plate segments  18  and  19  is a set of latch devices  21  and  22 . As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, latch device  21  includes an upperwardly opening cup-shaped receptacle  23 , a spring  24  seated therein and a latch element  25  disposed therein and seated on spring  24 . Latch device  22  is similar to latch device  21  and includes a latch element  26 . Latch elements  25  and  26  are provided with engagement surfaces  25   a  and  26   b , respectively, which are disposed equidistantly from upper plate segment  15 , and lie in a common plane disposed at a angle relative to the lines of travel of such elements in being depressed against the biasing action of the springs on which they are seated. 
     Component  14  includes a frame consisting of an upper, transversely disposed member  27 , a lower transversely disposed member  28 , sets of transversely spaced brackets  29  and  30  interconnecting upper and lower members  27  and  28  and a bracket set  131  interconnecting upper and lower members  27  and  28  and disposed intermediate bracket sets  29  and  30 . Bracket set  29  includes a pair of transversely spaced plate members  31  and  32  interconnected by means of a pair of spacer members  33  and  34  and provided with a pair of connecting pin openings at the lower ends thereof as at  35 . Bracket set  30  is transversely aligned with and similar to bracket set  29  and includes a pair of transversely spaced plate members  36  and  37  interconnected by upper and lower spacer members  38  and  39  and having pin connecting openings at their lower ends transversely aligned with the pin connecting openings in bracket set  29 . 
     Bracket set  131  includes a pair of transversely spaced plate members  40  and  41  provided with a transversely disposed connecting pin  42  at an upper end thereof, a spacer member  43  just below connecting pin  42  and a pair of transversely aligned connecting pin openings  44 . Mounted on spacer member  43  and depending therefrom is an electrically operated solenoid  45  having an extendable rod member  46  connected at its free end to a set of brackets  47  and  48  rigidly mounted to a transversely disposed, vertically displaceable bar  49 . 
     The lower end of assembly component  14  is adapted to be mounted on the lower, lift arms of a front end loader by means of a set of connecting pins mounted in openings  35  of bracket sets  29  and  30  registered with openings in the lift arms. The upper end of bracket set  31  is adapted to be connected to the tilt link of the front end loader by means of a connecting pin inserted in openings  44  registered with an opening in the tilt link. With the component thus mounted on the front end loader, it will be appreciated that such component may be lifted and lowered by lifting and lowering the lift arms of the loader and may be tilted about the axis of the lower connection thereof with the lift arms by extending and retracting the cylinder assembly connected to the tilt link. Implement  13  further will be seen as being connectable to component  14  by means of manipulating assembly component  14  to cause connecting pin  42  to be received within hook member  20 . By causing connecting pin  42  to engage hook member  20  of component  11  mounted on implement  13  as shown in FIG. 1, and retracting the tilt link, it also will be appreciated that component  11  of the assembly and implement  13  will be caused to swing rearwardly into engagement with assembly component  14  into a coupled condition as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     As assembly component  11  with implement  13  is caused to swing rearwardly from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2, transversely disposed member  28  functioning as a striker will trip latch elements  25  and  26  as it engages such elements and causes them to be depressed against the springs on which they are seated. As such striker member clears the latch elements, it will engage members  18  and  19 , and the actions of the springs on which they are seated will cause the latch elements to move upperwardly, securing striker member  28  between plate segments  18  and  19  and latch elements  25  and  26 . To facilitate the tripping of latch elements  25  and  26  and cause them to be depressed, striker member  28  is provided with a beveled lower surface  28   a  adapted to engage beveled surfaces  25   a  and  26   a  of the latch elements, as assembly component  11  swings rearwardly from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG.  2 . To depress the latch elements and thus permit striker member  28  to clear the latch elements and component  11  with implement  13  to swing away from component  14 , solenoid  45  is energized to extend rod member  46  and cause depressor bar  49  to engage and depress the latch elements. 
     With assembly component  11  mounted on the rear wall of implement  13 , the implement positioned on the ground and assembly component  14  mounted on the lifting arms and the tilt link of the front end loader, the implement may be loaded onto the lift arms of the loader simply by extending the tilt link to lower connecting pin  42  to a level below hook  20 , advancing the loader toward the implement so that the connecting pin  42  is positioned below hook  20  and then retracting the tilt link while raising the lift arms to cause connecting pin  42  to engage hook  20  as shown in FIG. 1, and assembly component  11  with implement  13  to swing rearwardly about the axis of connecting pin  42  to the position as shown in FIG.  2 . As the implement swings rearwardly towards assembly component  14 , portions of beveled surface  28   a  of striker bar  28  will engage surfaces  25   a  and  26   a  of latch element  25  and  26 , respectively, to trip such elements and cause the striker bar to engage plate segments  18  and  19 , clear of the latch elements. Once the striker bar has cleared the latch elements, the springs on which the latch elements are seated will cause such elements to displace upperwardly, releaseably locking the striker bar between the latch elements and plate segments  18  and  19 . When it is desired to uncouple the implement from the loader, solenoid  45  is energized to extend rod member  46  and correspondingly cause retracted bar  49  to engage and depress latch elements  25  and  26  against the biasing action of the springs on which they are seated. With the latch elements thus being cleared from the swing path of striker bar  28 , the lift arms and tilt link of the loader may be operated to position connecting pin  41  away from the loader to allow the implement to swing away from assembly component  14 , lower the implement to the ground and disengage the connecting pin from hook  20 , and thus uncouple the implement from the loader. 
     Implement  13  may consist of any type of implement including but not limited to a bucket, dozer blade, sheering blade, grapple, rake and the like. The members of the assembly components may be formed of steel plate and bar stock and/or castings suitably connected together, preferably by welding. Although a solenoid is used in the embodiment described for displacing the latch depressing bar, other forms of displacing devices such as fluid actuated cylinder assemblies may be used. A solenoid, however, is preferred in that it utilizes simply an electrical line easily secured to the components of the loader and assembly component t  14  rather than fluid lines which are more expensive, bulkier and prone to damage. 
     It will be appreciated that the assembly as described is simple in design, comparably inexpensive to manufacture and install and easily operated to rapidly and efficiently couple and uncouple various implements used to perform various work functions to a front end loader. 
     From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention, which come within the province of those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the aforementioned invention pertains. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the appended claims.