DRAGLINE BUCKET WITH REMOTE DUMPING AND POSITIONING CAPABILITIES

• US 20130247426A1
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Cover, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 8,950,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/398
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/48 Drag-lines
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/60 Buckets, scrapers, or other digging elements
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2217 with energy recovery arrangements, e.g. using accumulators, flywheels
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2271 Actuators and supports therefor and protection therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/494 Fluidic or fluid actuated device making

Abstract

A dragline bucket includes a main body moveable between a digging orientation and a dumping orientation and a pivotable spreader beam coupled to the main body at a pivot point. The dragline bucket further includes an energy capture mechanism including an actuator coupled to the main body and the pivotable spreader beam and an energy storage mechanism coupled to the actuator.

Claims

1. A dragline bucket, comprising:

a main body moveable between a digging orientation and a dumping orientation;

a pivotable spreader beam coupled to the main body at a pivot point;

an energy capture mechanism comprising;

an actuator coupled to the main body and the pivotable spreader beam; and

an energy storage device coupled to the actuator.

2. The dragline bucket of claim 1, wherein the actuator transfers energy to the energy storage mechanism as the bucket moves from the digging orientation to the dumping orientation, wherein the energy storage device transfers at least some of the stored energy to the actuator to move the bucket from the dumping orientation to the digging orientation.

3. The dragline bucket of claim 2, wherein the energy capture mechanism comprises a hydraulic system.

4. The dragline bucket of claim 3, wherein the energy storage device comprises a hydraulic accumulator.

5. The dragline bucket of claim 4, wherein the actuator comprises a small bore linear actuator and a large bore linear actuator.

6. The dragline bucket of claim 4, wherein the actuator comprises a multiphase linear actuator comprising a first chamber, a second chamber, and a third chamber, the third chamber having a cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of the first chamber;

wherein a volume of fluid forced into one of the first chamber or the third chamber moves the actuator in a first direction and the volume of fluid forced into the second chamber moves the actuator in an opposite direction.

7. The dragline bucket of claim 6, wherein the volume of fluid forced into the first chamber moves the actuator at a first speed with a first force and wherein the volume of fluid forced into the third chamber moves the actuator as a second speed with a second force, the first speed being less than the second speed and the first force being greater than the second force.

8. The dragline bucket of claim 4, wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator.

9. The dragline bucket of claim 8, wherein the rotary actuator is coupled to the pivot point of the pivotable spreader beam.

10. The dragline of claim 1, wherein the energy capture mechanism receives remote instructions through a remote control unit coupled to the bucket.

11. A dragline, comprising:

a housing including hoist machinery and drag machinery;

a hoist rope coupled to the hoist machinery;

a drag rope coupled to the drag machinery;

a bucket coupled to the hoist rope and the drag rope, the bucket moveable about a pivot point between a digging orientation and a dumping orientation;

an energy capture mechanism coupled to the bucket, the energy capture mechanism comprising;

an actuator;

an energy storage device; and

a remote control unit configured to receive control signals from an operator of the dragline to operate the actuator;

wherein the actuator transfers energy to the energy storage mechanism as the bucket moves from the digging orientation to the dumping orientation, and wherein the energy storage device transfers at least some of the stored energy to the actuator to move the bucket from the dumping orientation to the digging orientation.

12. The dragline of claim 11, wherein the hoist rope is coupled to the pivot point of the bucket.

13. The dragline of claim 12, wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator coupled between the pivot point of the bucket and the hoist rope.

14. The dragline of claim 12, wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator coupled to the bucket offset from the pivot point and is coupled to the hoist rope with an eccentric cam member.

15. The dragline of claim 12, wherein the bucket comprises a bucket arch, the bucket arch coupled to the hoist rope with a dump rope.

16. The dragline of claim 15, wherein the actuator comprises a rotary actuator coupled between the bucket arch and the dump rope.

17. The dragline of claim 11, wherein the bucket comprises:

a main body;

a pivotable spreader beam coupled to the main body, the spreader beam moveable about the pivot point between a forward position and a rearward position by the actuator.

18. A method for manufacturing a dragline bucket, the method comprising:

coupling a spreader beam to a bucket at a pivot point;

coupling an actuator to the spreader beam and the bucket;

coupling an energy storage device to the actuator; and

providing control valves configured to transfer energy from the actuator to the energy storage device as the bucket moves from a digging orientation to a dumping orientation and to transfer energy from the energy storage device to the actuator to move the bucket from the dumping orientation to the digging orientation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein transferring energy to the energy storage device comprises charging a hydraulic accumulator.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the actuator is one of a multiphase linear actuator or a rotary actuator.