Patent Publication Number: US-10309067-B2

Title: Rotor deployment mechanism for a machine

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a road construction machine, and more particularly, to the rotor deployment mechanism for the machine. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Roadways are built to facilitate vehicular travel. Depending upon usage density, base conditions, temperature variation, moisture levels, and/or physical age, the surfaces of the roadways eventually become misshapen and unable to support wheel loads. In order to rehabilitate the roadways for continued vehicular use, road construction machines are used to remove the spent road surface in preparation for resurfacing. In some cases, the removed layer is pulverized, mixed with other material (such as binders and emulsions), and spread back on the roadway to stabilize the deteriorated roadway. In some cases, removed layer is mixed with additives and spread on the roadway. Some road construction machines, such as, for example, cold planers, reclaimers, etc., include a rotating rotor with cutting tools that can be lowered on to (i.e., deployed on) the road surface to break up the surface layer. For smooth operation of the machine, it is desirable to support the rotor on the machine in a stable manner. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 9,068,304, issued to Mannebach et al. on Jul. 30, 2015 (“the &#39;304 patent”), describes connecting the cutting rotor of a reclaimer to the machine frame using pivoted two-armed levers positioned on either side the rotor. The rotor mounting mechanism of the &#39;304 patent may not provide sufficient stability for some applications. The rotor deployment mechanism of the present disclosure may solve one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, a machine having a ground-engaging rotor is disclosed. The machine may include a first swing arm having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, and a second swing arm having a third end and a fourth end opposite the third end. The first end of the first swing arm may be pivotably coupled a frame of the machine at a first pivot and the second end may be coupled to the rotor. The third end of the second swing arm may be pivotably coupled the frame at a second pivot and the fourth end may be coupled to the rotor. A torsion bar and a crossbeam may be coupled to both the first swing arm and the second swing arm. At least one actuator may be coupled to the crossbeam such that activation of the at least one actuator rotates the first swing arm about the first pivot and the second swing arm about the second pivot and deploy the rotor. 
     In another aspect, a method of operating a machine having a ground-engaging rotor is disclosed. The method includes activating a rotation of the rotor positioned between a first swing arm and a second swing arm. The first swing arm may include a first end and a second end opposite the first end, and the second swing arm may include a third end and a fourth end opposite the third end. The first end of the first swing arm may be pivotably coupled a frame of the machine at a first pivot and the second end may be coupled to the rotor. The third end of the second swing arm may be pivotably coupled the frame at a second pivot and the fourth end may be coupled to the rotor. A torsion bar may be coupled to both the first swing arm and the second swing arm. And, a crossbeam may be coupled to both the first swing arm and the second swing arm. The method may include activating at least one actuator coupled to the crossbeam to rotate the first swing arm about the first pivot and the second swing arm about the second pivot and deploy the rotor. 
     In yet another aspect, a machine having a ground-engaging rotor is disclosed. The machine may include a first swing arm and a second swing arm symmetrically positioned about a longitudinal axis of the machine. The first swing arm may include a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end may be pivotably coupled a frame of the machine at a first pivot and the second end may be coupled to the rotor. The second swing arm may include a third end and a fourth end opposite the third end. The third end may be pivotably coupled the frame at a second pivot and the fourth end may be coupled to the rotor. A torsion bar may extend substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis and may be coupled to the first swing arm at the second end and may be coupled to the second swing arm at the fourth end. A crossbeam may extend substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis and may be coupled to the first swing arm at a location between the first end and the second end and may be coupled to the second swing arm at a location between the third end and the fourth end. At least one actuator may be coupled to the crossbeam such that activation of the at least one actuator synchronously rotates the first swing arm about the first pivot and the second swing arm about the second pivot to move the rotor with respect to the frame of the machine. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of one configuration of an exemplary reclaimer; 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of another configuration of the reclaimer of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration of a portion of the reclaimer of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the purpose of this disclosure, the term “ground surface” is broadly used to refer to all types of surfaces that form typical roadways (e.g., asphalt, cement, clay, sand, dirt, etc.) or can be conditioned to form roadways. In this disclosure, relative terms, such as, for example, “about” is used to indicate a possible variation of ±10% in a stated numeric value. Although the current disclosure is described with reference to a machine which performs surface reclamation and stabilization, this is only exemplary. In general, the current disclosure can be applied as a rotor deployment mechanism of any machine, such as, for example, a cold planer or another milling machine. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a simplified perspective view of an exemplary reclaimer machine  10  according to the present disclosure. For sake of brevity, the reclaimer machine  10  is referred to as the machine  10  for the remainder of this document.  FIG. 1  illustrates view of machine  10  with its rotor in the retracted configuration, and  FIG. 2  illustrates a view of machine  10  with its rotor in the deployed configuration. In the discussion below, reference will be made to both  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The machine  10  is built upon a frame  12  and includes, among other systems, a power system  14 , a propulsion system  16 , a rotor assembly  18 , and an operator station  22 . The machine frame  12  is generally a rigid metal frame (e.g., iron, steel, etc.) configured to support the machine  10  and to withstand the forces and vibrations when the rotor assembly  18  engages with and operates on a ground surface. The frame  12  supports the power system  14  (and related systems such as a cooling system) and the operator station  22 . The power system  14  is operatively connected to the drive wheels  24  located on opposite sides of machine  10  via components of the propulsion system  16  (e.g., transmission, hydraulic pump, hydraulic motors, etc.). 
     Power system  14  includes a power generation mechanism that provides power to propel and operate the machine  10 . In some embodiments, the power system  14  may include an internal combustion reciprocating engine such as a diesel engine, a gasoline engine, a gaseous fuel (e.g., a natural gas) powered engine, an electric drive. To propel the machine  10 , the propulsion system  16  may include a hydraulic, mechanical, or an electric drive that transmits the power generated by the power system  14  to the drive wheels  24 . In some embodiments, the power system  14  may be operatively connected to a hydraulic pump (such as, for example, a variable or fixed displacement hydraulic pump) that produces and directs a stream of pressurized fluid to one or more motors associated with the wheels  24  for propulsion of the machine  10 . Alternatively, the power system  14  may be operatively connected to an alternator or generator configured to produce an electrical current used to power one or more electric motors driving the wheels  24 . The power system  14  may be operatively coupled with the wheels  24  through components of a mechanical transmission (torque converter, gear box, differential, reduction gear arrangement, etc.) 
     In addition to providing power to propel the machine  10 , the power system  14  may also be configured to supply power to the rotor assembly  18 . The rotor assembly  18  may include, among other components, a rotor  20  positioned in a rotor chamber  32 . The rotor  20  (partially visible in  FIG. 3 ) is a cylindrical drum-like component extending along the width of machine  10 , and having cutting features (cutting bits, teeth, etc.) on its outer cylindrical surface. The power system  14  may be operatively coupled to the rotor  20  through mechanical (e.g., chains, belts, pulleys, etc.) and/or hydraulic components (e.g., pumps, hydraulic cylinders, valves, supply lines, etc.) to rotate the rotor  20  about an axis “X” that extends across the width of machine  10 . During operation of machine  10 , when the rotor  20  is deployed in the ground surface, the rotating rotor  20  engages with the ground to break up the ground surface. It should be noted that the description of the rotor  20  above is only exemplary. In general, the rotor  20  may be of any form that is configured to perform a desired operation on the ground surface. 
     The rotor  20  is rotatably mounted within the rotor chamber  32 , and is supported by left and right swing arms  28  of the machine  10 .  FIG. 3  is a schematic view of the machine  10  with some components removed to illustrate the swing arms  28 . In the discussion below, reference will be made to  FIGS. 1-3 . The right and left swing arms  28  are located on either side of the machine  10 , and are symmetrically positioned about a longitudinal axis  120  that extends along the length of the machine  10 . Both the right and the left swing arms  28  have the same configuration and function substantially similarly. Therefore, in the discussion below, only one of the swing arms  28  will be described. 
     A first end  28 A of each swing arm  28  is pivotably coupled to the machine frame  12  at a pivot  30  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), and the opposite second end  28 B (of the swing arm  28 ) is coupled to the rotor  20  via a rotor connection housing extending through a cutout  34  in the rotor chamber  32  (see  FIG. 3 ). Typically, the cutout  34  is covered by a debris plate (not shown) that enables movement of rotor  20  along the cutout  34  while minimizing escape of debris. The second end  28 B of each swing arm  28  is also connected to, and supported by, a common torsion bar  40  through a link assembly  50 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the torsion bar  40  is an elongate bar or rod that extends across the width of the machine  10  substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis  120  of the machine  10 . In some embodiments, the torsion bar  40  may be rotatably mounted to (or attached to) the rotor chamber  32  via mounts  42 . In some embodiments, the mounts  42  may include bearings to facilitate the rotation of the torsion bar  40  in the mounts  42 . Although two mounts  42  are illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in general, any number (1, 3, 4, etc.) may couple the torsion bar  40  to the rotor chamber  32 . 
     The link assembly  50  may include a first link  52  and a second link  54  pivotably coupled to each other at one of their ends. The opposite end of the first link  52  is pivotably coupled to the second end  28 B of the swing arm  28 . And, the opposite end of the second link  54  is fixedly coupled to the torsion bar  40  such that, when the torsion bar  40  rotates (in the mounts  42 ), the second links  54  on either side of the torsion bar  40  rotates along with it jointly. That is, there is no relative motion between the second links  54  on either side of the torsion bar  40 . It should be noted that the structure of the described link assembly  50  is only exemplary. As would be recognized by people skilled in the art, link assembly  50  may have any number of links and may have any structure that is suited for its function (described below). 
     Rotating the swing arms  28  at the pivot  30  about axis  110  moves the rotor  20  between its deployed configuration (i.e., when the rotor  20  is engaged with the ground surface) and its retracted configuration (i.e., when the rotor  20  is off the ground surface). When the first end  28 A of the swing arm  28  is rotated about the pivot  30  in the clockwise direction (see  FIG. 2 ), its second end  28 B swings towards the ground surface, and the rotor  20  moves from its retracted configuration ( FIG. 1 ) to its deployed configuration ( FIG. 2 ). With reference to  FIG. 3 , when the swing arm  28  rotates clockwise, the torsion bar  40  along with the second links  54  on either side of the torsion bar  40  rotates jointly in the counter-clockwise direction. As each second link  54  rotates in the counter-clockwise direction, the first link  52  pivoted to each second link  54  rotates about its pivot point to extend the link assembly  50  and allow the second end  28 B (of the swing arm  28 ) to move away from the torsion bar  40  and towards the ground surface. In a similar manner, rotating the first end  28 A of the swing arm  28  in the counter-clockwise direction (see  FIG. 1 ) lifts the rotor  20  from its deployed to its retracted configuration. When the swing arm  28  rotates counter-clockwise, the link assembly  50  rotates about its pivot points to allow the rotor  20  to move towards the torsion bar  40  in a synchronous manner. 
     Supporting the second ends  28 B of the two swing arms  28  using the common torsion bar  40  enables each swing arm  28  to move towards and away from the ground surface in a synchronous and controlled manner. In general, the torsion bar  40  can have any size and shape. Although not a requirement, in some embodiments, the torsion bar  40  may have a circular cross-sectional shape and have a diameter between about 7-10 inches. 
     In general, any known device and technique may be used to actuate the swing arms  28  (i.e., rotate the swing arms  28  about the pivot  30 ) and move the rotor  20  between its retracted and deployed configurations. In some embodiments, an actuator system  60  may be used to actuate the swing arms  28 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the actuator system  60  may include at least one actuator, such as, for example, or a pair (or a different number) of hydraulic cylinders  60 A,  60 B connected at one end to a crossbeam  70  that couples the two swing arms  28  together, and at another end to the frame  12  of the machine  10 . The crossbeam  70  may include a rod or a beam that extends substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis  120  of the machine  10  (i.e. substantially parallel to axis  110 ). The crossbeam  70  may connect the two swing arms  28  at a location between the first and second ends  28 A,  28 B of the swing arms  28 . When the pair of hydraulic cylinders  60 A,  60 B extend, the crossbeam  70  simultaneously pushes the left and right swing arms  28  in a downward direction, causing both the swing arms  28  to rotate synchronously about the pivot  30  in a clockwise direction (in the view illustrated in  FIG. 3 ) and deploy the rotor  20 . Similarly, when the pair of hydraulic cylinders  60 A,  60 B retract, the crossbeam  70  forces the swing arms  28  to rotate about the pivot  30  in the opposite direction and move the rotor  20  to its retracted configuration. Although an actuator system  60  with two hydraulic cylinders are illustrated in  FIG. 3 , this is only exemplary. In general, any known type of actuator may be used in actuation system  60 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, the swing arms  28 , the link assemblies  50 , the actuation mechanism  60 , the torsion bar  40 , and the crossbeam  70  may be substantially symmetrically positioned about the longitudinal axis  120  that extends along a length of the machine  10 . Further, in some embodiments, the link assemblies  50 , the actuation mechanism  60 , the torsion bar  40 , and the crossbeam  70  may be substantially positioned between the two swing arms  28 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The disclosed rotor deployment mechanism may be used in any machine where stable operation of the machine rotor is important. The disclosed rotor deployment mechanism may include a pair of symmetric swing arms attached to the rotor to actuate the rotor to its deployed configuration. The two swing arms may be coupled together using a torsion bar and a crossbeam to enable the swing arms to move in a synchronous manner during actuation. Operation of machine  10  will now be explained. 
     During operation of machine  10 , the rotor  20  may remove a portion of the ground surface below the rotor  20  as it traverses along the ground surface. In some cases, several passes or “cuts” may be made in order to completely treat the ground surface. During each pass, the rotor  20  may cut the ground surface at a desired depth. To begin a cut as the machine  10  traverses the ground surface, the operator of the machine may actuate the rotor  20  (e.g., to begin rotation) and may activate an actuator system  60  (e.g., using a control system), such as the pair of hydraulic cylinders  60 A,  60 B, to deploy the rotating rotor  20  onto the ground surface. When activated, the hydraulic cylinders  60 A,  60 B may push down on a crossbeam  70  that connects the left and the right swing arm  28  and cause the swing arms  28  to rotate (in a clockwise direction in  FIG. 3 ) in a synchronous manner about the pivot  30 . Rotation of the swing arms  28  moves the rotor  20  to its deployed configuration ( FIG. 2 ) where it engages with, and operates on, the ground surface. A common torsion bar  40  that couples to, and supports, the two swing arms  28  proximate to the rotor  20  assists in parallel engagement of the rotor  20  with the ground surface. 
     The use of the crossbeam  70  (i.e., coupling the pair of hydraulic cylinders  60 A,  60 B to a crossbeam that is connected to both the swing arms  28 ) to actuate (i.e., deploy and retract) the rotor  20 , forces the two swing arms  28  to move synchronously. Supporting the second ends  28 B of the two swing arms  28  to the common torsion bar  40  (through the link assemblies  50 ) also allows the second ends  28 B of each swing arm  28  to move towards the ground surface in a synchronous and controlled manner. The synchronous movement of the swing arms  28  towards the ground surface causes the rotor  20  to engage with the ground surface in a parallel manner and improve the operation of the machine  10 . Coupling the two swing arms  28  together using the crossbeam  70  and the torsion bar  40  also increases the stability of the machine  10  (e.g., when the machine  10  operates on the ground surface) and assist in generating a level and stable cut. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments of the system will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the rotor deployment mechanism disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.