US-12618221-B2 - Quick coupler and quick coupler system with such a quick coupler

US12618221B2US 12618221 B2US12618221 B2US 12618221B2US-12618221-B2

Abstract

A quick coupler for changing attachments on a construction machine includes a carrier; first receptacles arranged on one side of the carrier for a first coupling element; second receptacles arranged on the other side of the carrier for a second coupling element; a locking device associated with the first receptacles, the locking device movable between release and locking positions; and a catch device arranged on the carrier with at least one catch hook arranged pivotably on the carrier for catching the attachment. A control element is arranged on the catch hook for pivoting the catch hook, independently of the locking device, between a folded-down change- and catch position and a folded-up safety position. The catch hook is pushed into its folded-down change- and catch position by a spring assembly.

Inventors

Stefan Schauer
Michael KOLLMANN

Assignees

OilQuick Deutschland KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230609
Priority Date: 20220719

Claims (9)

1 . A quick coupler for changing attachments on a construction machine, the quick coupler comprising: a carrier, first receptacles arranged on one side of the carrier for a first coupling element, second receptacles arranged on the other side of the carrier for a second coupling element, a locking device associated with the first receptacles and movable between a release position and a locking position, and a catch device arranged on the carrier and having at least one catch hook pivotably arranged on the carrier for catching the attachment, wherein a control element is arranged on the catch hook for pivoting the catch hook independently of the locking device between a folded-down change and catch position and a folded-up safety position, wherein the catch hook is pushed into the folded-down change and catch position by a reset device, wherein the reset device comprises a bolt-shaped pressure element associated with the at least one catch hook and biased by a pressure spring, and wherein the bolt-shaped pressure element is arranged in a bore of the carrier and pushes with an upper end against an underside of the control element on the at least one catch hook.
2 . The quick coupler according to claim 1 , wherein the control element is designed as a nose-shaped driver projecting from the at least one catch hook and arranged in a region of the second receptacles.
3 . The quick coupler according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one catch hook comprises two catch hooks arranged at a distance from one another on the carrier.
4 . The quick coupler according to claim 3 , wherein the catch hooks are arranged on the second receptacles of the carrier.
5 . The quick coupler according to claim 3 , wherein the catch hooks are pivotably arranged about transverse axes in central slots of two connecting bars projecting rearwardly from the carrier.
6 . The quick coupler according to claim 3 , wherein groove-shaped recesses are provided on the second receptacles for receiving the control element in the folded-up safety position of the catch hooks.
7 . The quick coupler according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one catch hook is designed in such a way that the at least one catch hook encloses the second coupling element in a semicircular manner.
8 . The quick coupler according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one catch hook has on an underside an abutment surface for contact with a contact surface of the carrier.
9 . A quick coupler arrangement comprising the quick coupler according to claim 1 and an adapter that is coupleable to the quick coupler.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a quick coupler. The invention also relates to a quick coupler system comprising such a quick coupler and an associated adapter. BACKGROUND Such quick couplers are used for easy and convenient changing of different attachments on construction machines. With such a quick coupler, e.g. swing buckets, grabs, shears, compactors, magnets, hydraulic hammers or other attachments can be coupled or uncoupled in a few seconds and with a high safety standard from an operator's cab, e.g. on a boom of an excavator. A generic quick coupler is known from DE 10 2018 128 479 A1. This includes a carrier which can be attached to a boom of an excavator and has, on one side, first receptacles with a locking device which can be moved between a release position and a locking position for holding a first coupling element provided on an attachment and, on the other side, second receptacles for holding a second coupling element spaced apart from the first coupling element. In order to prevent the attachments from falling and thereby possibly endangering persons in the event of an unintentional movement of the locking device into a release position, a catch device with two spaced-apart catch hooks is provided on the carrier. The catch hooks, which are completely independent of the locking device, enable an attachment to be safely caught and prevented from falling, even in the event of any operating errors of the locking device. Via a control element on the catch hooks, these can be pivoted by one of the two coupling elements between a folded-down change- and catch position and a folded-up safety position. Through the control element, a movement of the catch hook initiated by the attachment can thus take place. No separate drives are required. With the known quick coupler, the movement of the catch hooks into the folded-down change- and catch position is effected by gravity alone due to their own weight. In certain positions of the quick coupler, however, this can lead to problems during the changing process under certain circumstances. SUMMARY One aspect of the invention relates to a compactly constructed quick coupler of the type mentioned above and a quick coupler system with such a quick coupler, which enable a safe changing process with high precision and improved handling, regardless of the position of the quick coupler. Expedient embodiments and advantageous further developments of the invention are disclosed herein. In the quick coupler according to the invention, the catch device has at least one catch hook pivotably arranged on the carrier, on which a control element is arranged for pivoting the catch hook, independently of the locking device, between a folded-down change- and catch position and a folded-up safety position. The catch hook is pushed into its folded-down change- and catch position by a reset device arranged on the carrier. This ensures that the catch hook is securely in its folded-down change- and catch position when the attachment is not yet coupled, regardless of the position of the quick coupler. In the folded-down change- and catch position of the catch hook, an attachment can be changed by setting down appropriately on the ground and, if necessary, caught in a catch position by engaging the coupling element on the catch hook, thereby holding it on the quick coupler, while in the folded-up safety position the catch hook encloses the receptacle for a coupling element. By folding in the catch hook, a particularly compact design can be achieved, which can significantly reduce the risk of possible collisions with an attachment. The pivoting movement of the catch hook is controlled independently of the actuation of the locking device by a coupling element on the attachment to be coupled to the quick coupler. No additional control or actuation devices are required. A catch hook damaged by improper use can also be easily replaced without having to replace the entire carrier. There is no need to disassemble or replace the entire carrier. In a particularly expedient embodiment, the reset device is designed as a spring assembly. It can comprise a bolt-shaped pressure element associated with the catch hook and preloaded by a pressure spring. The bolt-shaped pressure element can be arranged in a bore in the carrier and press with its upper end against the underside of the control element on the catch hook. The control element for moving the catch hook between the folded-down change- and catch position and the folded-up safety position can expediently be designed as a nose-shaped driver projecting from the catch hook and arranged in the area of the second receptacles. The catch device may comprise one or more catch hooks separated from or connected to each other. In a particularly expedient embodiment, the catch device can have two catch hooks arranged at a distance from one another on the carrier. The catch hooks are preferably arranged on the second receptacles of the c