EP0335800A1 - Vehicle for continuously gathering and loading materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The automotive vehicle for continuously gathering and loading materials has a crawler undercarriage (1) surmounted by a chassis (4) comprising from front to rear: - a gathering head consisting of a bucket (5) equipped with a transverse scraper blade (6) and with a transverse screw rotor (7) for centring the materials; - an elevator belt (8) extending behind said bucket (5); - an orientable distributor belt (11) extending downstream of said elevator belt (8); according to the invention, it likewise possesses, between the chassis (4) and the crawler undercarriage (1), a joint of the universal type in the form of a frame inserted in the structure (2) of the crawler undercarriage (1). The rotor (7) possesses teeth (29) on its periphery, and it interacts with a deflector (36) for unclogging the screws (34) of said rotor. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a continuous material pickup and loading machine, more particularly suitable for picking up materials from the shoulders of roads.

In practice, the recovery of all kinds of materials on the shoulders of roads is carried out either manually or by means of a mechanical shovel. These works are generally quite long and, when using a mechanical shovel, the condition of the site often requires additional repair and finishing work.

The present invention provides a machine which makes it possible to carry out the collection and loading of materials on the shoulder of the roadways, in a continuous manner unlike a mechanical shovel which can only advance in stages.

In addition, when a mechanical shovel is used, it is most often located on the road, as is the truck that receives the materials.

The pickup device according to the invention is adapted to position itself directly on the shoulder of the roadway and therefore it does not obstruct traffic. Similarly, the truck receiving the load of materials can also position itself by biting on the shoulder, behind the pickup machine.

The collection device according to the invention also has the advantage of directly performing all the finishing operations, that is to say that behind its passage, the site does not require any additional operation.

Another advantage of the machine according to the invention lies in the possibility of using it for simultaneous digging operations, continuous collection by means of particularly suitable means.

Machines of this type, that is to say excavators, are described, for example, in documents US-A-3,982,340 and 3,651,588.

These machines are first of all machines excavators, that is to say they perform a ripping operation; excavation debris is removed from the rear of the machine, using conveyor belts.

Document US-A-3,982,340 presents a loader excavator which comprises, at the front, two excavator wheels arranged on half-axles which extend to the right and to the left of a central load-bearing casing. At the rear of these excavating wheels, there is the transport device which evacuates the debris towards the rear of the machine.

Such a machine does not have an intermediate chassis between the wheel set or tracks and the excavator system. The works are therefore not very precise.

Furthermore, the excavating wheels work by pushing the materials away, while the machine according to the invention works by swallowing to facilitate in particular the collection of the materials.

The document US Pat. No. 3,651,588 also presents a machine which is used for digging a pavement for example and for leveling at the same time. This machine consists of a crawler train which supports a frame on which is mounted, from front to back, a digging head, a first conveyor belt which pours the cuttings onto a second orientable belt. The frame still supports the engine components and the operator's cabin.

The digging head has a scraper blade and two worms to refocus the product in front of the main conveyor belt. These screws are equipped, at their periphery, with teeth which knock down the ground by pushing up the debris.

The frame is articulated and guided on the crawler train to allow adjustment of the digging head.

Such a machine is primarily intended for digging. The direction of rotation of the screws does not allow a simple operation of collecting debris of any kind.

Furthermore, the articulation system of the frame on the undercarriage does not have a character of rigidity comparable to that of the machine according to the invention, which makes it particularly difficult to handle.

The subject of the invention is a machine of the self-propelled type by a train of tracks or wheels, which is surmounted by a chassis comprising, from front to back: - a pickup head consisting of a bucket provided with a blade transverse to its lower part and also a transverse rotor, which has propellers for centering the materials;
- a lifting belt extending behind the bucket;
- an adjustable distributor belt, placed downstream of the lifting belt. According to the invention, the machine comprises, interposed between the track train, or wheels, and the support frame of the pickup and loading means, a joint of the universal type consisting of a frame positioned in the frame of the train of caterpillars; this frame is articulated along a longitudinal central axis of roll on the frame of the crawler train; it is movable under the effect of at least one jack interposed between it and said train of tracks; moreover, the support frame of the pick-up and loading means is articulated along a transverse pitch axis on said frame; it is movable by means of at least one jack interposed between it and said frame to adjust the height of the pickup head relative to the ground.

According to another arrangement of the invention, the propeller rotor arranged in the bucket comprises perforating teeth regularly distributed around the periphery of said rotor. These teeth are positioned so as to strike the tips on the materials to be degraded, that is to say that they are centered on an axis which forms an open angle relative to the tangent at the periphery of the rotor.

The rotor consists of at least two reverse-direction propellers to center the product in front of the lifting belt; these propellers are separated by a space of between 10 and 20 cm, in front of the entry of said belt, and a deflector is positioned between the hub of said rotor and the upper part of said entry in the median plane of this entry, perpendicular to the 'axis of rotation of the rotor, centered in the space in question between the central ends of said propellers.

According to a preferred arrangement of the invention, the lower end of the deflector is guided on the hub of the rotor, by means of a wear ring, so as to better resist the efforts, and to rid the propellers, stones and the like. debris, to prevent clogging of the central part of the rotor.

Still according to the invention, the bucket is articulated on the axis of the input roller of the main lifting belt; it is movable under the effect of at least one jack so as to vary the angle of attack of the teeth of the rotor relative to the position of the blade disposed at the entrance to the bucket.

According to another arrangement of the invention, the pick-up head is offset laterally, for example on the right side of the machine, so as to improve the recovery capacity on the sides of the roads for example without encroaching on the latter.

Still according to the invention, the distributor belt is articulated on a vertical pivot axis allowing an angular movement at least equal to 180 °.

According to another arrangement, the support of the distributor belt is mounted on guides sliding in a substantially vertical manner, at the rear of the chassis, so as to allow in particular a folding of said belt for transport.

• - la figure 1 est une vue schématique de l'engin en coupe longitudinale, montrant les principaux organes ;
• - la figure 1bis représente en détail une dent montée sur rotor ;
• - la figure 2 est une vue de dessus, avec des demi-coupes longitudinales partielles montrant les principaux éléments constitutifs de l'engin ;
• - la figure 3 est une vue en perspective du bâti principal du train de chenilles montrant le cadre qui sert de joint universel ;
• - la figure 4 représente, de façon plus détaillée, le déflecteur central ;
• - la figure 5 est une vue selon 5-5 de la figure 4.

The invention will be further illustrated by the following description and the attached drawings, given for information only, and in which:

• - Figure 1 is a schematic view of the machine in longitudinal section, showing the main organs;
• - Figure 1bis shows in detail a tooth mounted on the rotor;
• - Figure 2 is a top view, with partial longitudinal half-sections showing the main components of the machine;
• - Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main frame the crawler train showing the frame that serves as a universal joint;
• - Figure 4 shows, in more detail, the central deflector;
• - Figure 5 is a view along 5-5 of Figure 4.

As shown in Figure 1, the machine comprises a crawler train 1 secured to a frame 2, which frame supports, by means of an intermediate frame 3, a frame 4 on which are arranged in particular the pickup and loading means materials.

These collection and loading means consist, from front to rear, of a bucket 5, arranged transversely, comprising at its lower part, a scraper blade 6. This bucket 5 contains a rotor 7 responsible in particular for refocusing the materials and propel them onto the lifting belt 8.

This main lifting belt 8 comprises an input roller 9 disposed behind the bucket 5, at its bottom, and an output roller 10 disposed at the rear top part of the chassis 4, above the entrance of a carpet. distributor 11. The lateral structures of the mat 8 are not shown in the figures; they are integral with the chassis 4.

The distributor belt 11 is mounted on a support 12 by means of a hinge pin 13 arranged vertically, so as to allow an orientation of said distributor belt 11 over a sector of at least 180 °.

We also note that the support 12 of the distributor belt 11 is mounted on guides 14, which guides slide on arms 15 arranged at the rear of the chassis 4. These arms 15 are arranged either vertically or, as shown, slightly inclined towards the 'back. Their role is to allow movement of the support 12 of the distributor belt 11 from the top to the bottom, in particular to make it possible to raise said belt 11 and thus reduce the total size of the machine during transport. The belt 11 is raised by means of a jack 16 interposed between the turret 17 which serves as a pivoting support said mat and the side structure, not shown, which guides said mat.

The movement of the support 12 of the mat 11 takes place by means of lateral jacks 18, visible in FIG. 2, interposed between the chassis 4 and the guides 14.

Note also, Figure 1, that the frame 4 supports the drive member 19 disposed under the carpet 8 and the driver's cabin 20 located at the front, above the pickup head.

The bucket 5 supports the rotor 7 by means of two lateral arms 21. The rotor 7 is driven by means of at least one hydraulic motor 22 secured to one of the arms 21. The scraper blade 6 is located under the bucket, parallel and slightly behind the axis 23 of the rotor 7. Behind the blade 6, in the bucket, there is a curved wall 24 for guiding the materials up to the entrance of the lifting belt 8.

The bucket 5 is arranged in front of the lifting belt 8, articulated, by means of the yokes 5 a , on the axis 25 of the input roller 9 of said carpet 8. This bucket 5 is movable relative to the chassis 4 by means of at least one actuator 26 positioned between a yoke 27 disposed under the cabin 20 on the chassis 4, and a yoke 28 disposed at the top of said bucket 5.

The rotor 7 works downstream; it has at its periphery teeth 29 which protrude so as to carry out digging and degradation of the materials; the direction of rotation of the rotor is indicated by an arrow, figure 1bis.

These teeth 29 appear in detail in Figure 1bis. They are mounted on a support 30 fixed on the rotor and they have a body whose general shape is cylindrical and whose axis 31 makes an angle A relative to the tangent 32 between 30 and 60 °, preferably close to 45 °.

Adjusting the position of the bucket by means of the jack 26 makes it possible to modify the depth of attack of the teeth 29 relative to the scraper blade 6.

The rotor 7 appears in FIG. 2. It is made up propellers which allow a refocusing of the materials towards the entry 33 of the lifting belt 8. These propellers 34 are for example four in number, two with a step to the right and two with a step to the left, and they have at their periphery , the teeth 29 detailed in FIG. 1a. In the central part of the rotor, a space of about 10 to 20 cm has been preserved between the ends of the propellers 34. These propellers can also be offset angularly on the rotor so that their central ends do not match, as shown in the figure 2; these ends can be in concordance and form a funnel.

Note, Figure 2, arranged in the median plane 35 of the inlet 33, a deflector 36 interposed between the upper part of said inlet and the hub 37 of the rotor 7. This deflector 36 also appears in Figure 1 and it is shown so detailed figures 4 and 5.

The purpose of this deflector 36 is to facilitate the feeding of the lifting belt 8 and in particular to prevent recycling from the front of the debris. Indeed, taking into account the direction of rotation of the propellers, stones or others can become immobilized in the central part of the rotor and harm the refocusing and the evacuation of debris. The deflector 36 overcomes this drawback and permanently clears the rotor by guiding the products towards the inlet 33 of the lifting belt 8.

Note, Figure 4, the deflector arm 36 interposed between the rotor 7 and in particular its hub 37 and the upper part 38 of the inlet of the lifting belt 8. This deflector arm 36 is in the form of a flat section rectangular, the lower end of which is guided on the hub 37 by means of a crown 39. This crown 39 is a wear crown on which the end 40 of the deflector 36 can rub. This deflector 36 is guided laterally on the crown by two wedges 41 welded at its end 40. The deflector 36 can thus bear on the hub 37 and collect significant forces when it comes, for example, to extract stones blocked between the propellers 34.

Note also, in Figure 2, the lateral offset of the bucket 5, on the right side of the machine so as to improve the collection capacity on the side of a road for example.

Depending on the inclination of the bucket 5, by means of the jack 26, the rotor 7 can play different roles. In the raised position, the rotor 7 has only a simple role of refocusing the materials towards the inlet 33 of the lifting belt 8; in the fully lowered position, the rotor 7 always ensures the refocusing of the materials towards the inlet 33 of the lifting belt 8 but in addition, by means of its teeth 29, it performs a real digging operation over a height which may be of the order from 10 cm to 40 cm.

To obtain high precision at the level of the pick-up head of the machine, a universal type joint comprising an intermediate frame 3, FIG. 3 is interposed between the chassis 4 and the frame 2 of the track train. 3. This intermediate frame 3 is inserted into the frame 2 of the crawler train; it is articulated along a longitudinal axis 45 which corresponds to the roll axis of the machine and which is located in the median plane 35. This roll movement is controlled by means of a jack 46 interposed between a yoke 47 arranged in a lateral corner of the frame 3 and a bracket 48 secured to the frame 2.

The chassis 4 is articulated on the frame 3 around a transverse axis 49 of pitch. This axis 49 is located at the rear of the frame 3; the connection between the frame 3 and the frame 4 takes place by means of the yokes 50 and 51 arranged respectively on said frame 3 and said frame 4.

The pitching movement of the chassis 4 is controlled by means of at least one jack 52 arranged at the front part of the frame 3, and preferably by means of two jacks 52 arranged laterally in the corners of said frame 3.

The frame 3 is inserted into the frame 2 and it is notably supported by the front crosspieces 53 and rear 54 of said frame; the roll axis 45 being located substantially at the center of said crosspieces 53 and 54.

The reference signs inserted after the Technical features mentioned in the claims are intended only to facilitate understanding of the latter, and in no way limit their scope.

Claims (8)

1.- Self-propelled material collection and loading machine, of the self-propelled type which comprises a track train (1) surmounted by a chassis (4) comprising, from front to back:
- a pickup head consisting of a movable bucket (5), provided with a transverse scraper blade (6) and a transverse rotor (7) with material centering propellers;
- a lifting belt (8) extending behind said bucket (5);
- a directional distributor belt (11), extending downstream of said lifting belt (8),
characterized in that it comprises, between the chassis (4) and the track train (1), a joint of the universal type in the form of a frame inserted in the frame (2) of the track train (1); this frame (3) is articulated along a longitudinal median axis (35) of roll, on the frame (2) of the track train (1), movable under the effect of at least one jack (36) interposed between it and said frame (2); the frame (4) is articulated along a transverse axis (39) of pitch, on the frame (3), which frame is movable by means of at least one jack (42) interposed between it and said frame (3), so as to adjust the position of the pickup head relative to the ground. 2.- continuous pickup and loading of materials, according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotor (7) works downstream and has teeth (29) provided with perforating points in high strength steel including axis (31) forms, with the tangent (32) of the rotor, an angle A of between 30 and 60 °. 3.- continuous pickup and loading of materials, according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a rotor consisting of propellers (34), in opposite directions, separate, in front of the entry (33) of the lifting belt (8), of a space comprised between 10 and 20 cm in which space there is, interposed between the upper part (38) of said entry and the hub (37) of said rotor, a deflector (36) positioned in the median plane (35) of said inlet (33). 4. A continuous material pickup and loading machine according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a deflector (36) whose lower end is guided on the hub (37) of the rotor (7), by means of a wear crown (39). 5.- continuous pickup and loading of materials, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bucket (5) is articulated on the axis (25) of the input roller (9 ) of the lifting belt (8), which bucket is movable under the effect of at least one jack (26) interposed between the frame (4) and said bucket (5) to vary the angle of attack of the teeth ( 29) of the rotor (7) relative to the position of the blade (6) for entering said bucket. 6. A continuous collection and loading material material, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a collection head offset laterally, on the right side of said machine for example. 7.- continuous pickup and loading of materials, according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the distributor belt (8) is mounted on a vertical pivot axis (13) allowing loading of materials in an angular sector at least equal to 180 °. 8. A continuous collection and loading machine for materials, according to claim 7 characterized in that the support (12) of the distributor belt (11) is mounted on guides (14) sliding on posts (15) arranged at the end of the chassis (4) so as to allow folding of said mat (11) at the rear of the machine to facilitate its transport.

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