telescoped excavating support and wear members are releasably retained in their telescoped relationship by a connector pin assembly removably received in aligned connector openings in the members. A body portion of the pin assembly blocks removal of the wear member from the support member, and a lock member portion of the assembly is rotatable relative to the body, toward and away from a locking orientation, to releasably lock the body within the connector openings. A resilient detent member carried by the lock member slidingly and deformably engages a polygonally shaped interior side surface section of a body passage that rotatably receives the lock member, the detent member yieldingly resisting rotational movement of the lock member away from its locking orientation.
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21. A connector pin assembly comprising:
a body having a passage longitudinally extending inwardly through an outer surface thereof, said passage having a noncircularly shaped side surface section;
a lock member received in said passage and circumscribed by said side surface section, said lock member being rotatable relative to said body and having a slot extending therethrough and opening outwardly through opposite outer side surface portions of said lock member; and
a resilient detent member extending through said slot and having opposite end portions projecting outwardly beyond said outer side surface portions and slidably engaging said noncircularly shaped side surface section of said passage.
16. A connector pin assembly comprising:
a body having a passage longitudinally extending inwardly through an outer surface thereof, said passage having a noncircularly shaped side surface section;
a lock member received in said passage and circumscribed by said side surface section, said lock member being rotatable relative to said body; and
a resilient detent member carried by said lock member for rotation therewith relative to said body and having a periphery circumscribing said lock member, said periphery complementarily and slidably engaging said noncircularly shaped side surface section,
said connector pin assembly being configured to be operatively inserted into aligned openings in telescoped excavating wear and support members to captively retain them in a telescoped relationship.
1. A connector pin assembly comprising:
a body having a passage longitudinally extending through an outer surface thereof and having a polygonally shaped side surface section extending completely around a longitudinal portion of the interior of said passage;
a lock member received in said passage and circumscribed by said side surface section, said lock member being rotatable relative to said body between locking and unlocking positions; and
a resilient detent structure carried by said lock member for rotation therewith relative to said body and being circumscribed by said side surface section, said resilient detent structure being operative to releasably retain said lock member in either of said locking and unlocking positions and being slidingly engageable with and deformable by said side surface section, during rotation of said lock member relative to said body, in a manner yieldingly resisting rotation of said lock member relative to said body from said locking to said unlocking position.
26. A connector pin assembly and associated apparatus comprising:
first and second telescoped members having aligned connector openings therein; and
a connector pin assembly captively retaining said first and second members in a telescoped relationship, said connector pin assembly including:
a body removably received in said aligned connector openings and blocking separation of said first and second members from one another, said body having a passage extending inwardly through an outer surface thereof, said passage having a noncircularly shaped side surface section,
a lock member received in said passage and circumscribed by said side surface section, said lock member being rotatable relative to said body between a locking position in which said lock member blocks removal of said body from said connector openings, and an unlocking position in which said lock member permits removal of said body from said connector openings, and
a resilient detent member carried by said lock member for rotation therewith relative to said body and being operative to releasably retain said lock member in said locking position, said detent member having a periphery circumscribing said lock member, said periphery complementarily and slidably engaging said noncircularly shaped side surface section.
32. A connector pin assembly and associated apparatus comprising:
first and second telescoped members having aligned connector openings therein; and
a connector pin assembly captively retaining said first and second members in a telescoped relationship, said connector pin assembly including:
a body removably received in said aligned connector openings and blocking separation of said first and second members from one another, said body having a passage extending inwardly through an outer surface thereof, said passage having a noncircularly shaped side surface section,
a lock member received in said passage and circumscribed by said side surface section, said lock member having a slot extending therethrough and opening outwardly through opposite outer side surface portions of said lock member, said lock member being rotatable relative to said body between a locking position in which said lock member blocks removal of said body from said connector openings, and an unlocking position in which said lock member permits removal of said body from said connector openings, and
a resilient detent member carried by said lock member for rotation therewith and being operative to releasably retain said lock member in said locking position, said detent member extending through said slot and having opposite end portions projecting outwardly beyond said outer side surface portions and slidably engaging said noncircularly shaped side surface section of said passage.
2. The connector pin assembly of
said resilient detent structure circumscribes said lock member.
3. The connector pin assembly of
said resilient detent structure, when said lock member is in either of said locking and unlocking positions, is complementarily received in said polygonally shaped side surface section.
4. The connector pin assembly of
said resilient detent structure has a square configuration.
5. The connector pin assembly of
said polygonally shaped side surface section has a square shape.
6. The connector pin assembly of
said lock member has a retaining member thereon which engages said body in a manner captively retaining said lock member in said passage.
7. The connector pin assembly of
said retaining member is a snap ring received in an interior side surface groove of said passage.
8. The connector pin assembly of
said body has an elongated shape with an exterior side surface that extends between opposite end portions of said body, outwardly circumscribes said passage, and is substantially parallel to the length of said body.
9. The connector pin assembly of
said lock member has a generally cylindrical portion with an outer end from which a locking lobe transversely projects.
10. The connector pin assembly of
said outer end has a noncircularly cross-sectioned rotational driving portion thereon.
11. The connector pin assembly of
said rotational driving portion projects longitudinally outwardly from said locking lobe.
12. The connector pin assembly of
said lock member has a slot extending therethrough and opening outwardly through opposite outer side portions thereof, and
said resilient detent structure includes a resilient detent member extending through said slot and having opposite end portions projecting outwardly beyond said opposite outer side portions of said lock member and engaging circumferentially spaced apart portions of said polygonally shaped side surface section.
13. The connector pin assembly of
an annular bushing circumscribing a portion of said lock member and being press-fitted into said passage, said bushing captively retaining said resilient detent structure within said polygonally shaped side surface section.
14. The connector pin assembly of
an O-ring seal member carried by said lock member and sealingly engaging a circular interior side surface portion of said bushing.
15. The connector pin assembly of
said connector pin assembly is configured to be operatively inserted into aligned openings in telescoped excavating wear and support members to captively retain them in a telescoped relationship.
17. The connector pin assembly of
said side surface section has a polygonal shape.
19. The connector pin assembly of
said body has an elongated shape with an exterior side surface that extends between opposite end portions of said body, outwardly circumscribes said passage, and is substantially parallel to the length of said body.
0. 20. The connector pin assembly of
said connector pin assembly is configured to be operatively inserted into aligned openings in telescoped excavating wear and support members to captively retain them in a telescoped relationship.
22. The connector pin assembly of
24. The connector pin assembly of
said body has an elongated shape with an exterior side surface that extends between opposite end portions of said body, outwardly circumscribes said passage, and is substantially parallel to the length of said body.
25. The connector pin assembly of
said connector pin assembly is configured to be operatively inserted into aligned openings in telescoped excavating wear and support members to captively retain them in a telescoped relationship.
27. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said first member is an excavating support member, and
said second member is an excavating wear member.
28. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said excavating support member is an adapter, and
said excavating wear member is a tooth point.
29. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said side surface section has a polygonal shape.
30. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said polygonal shape is a square shape.
31. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said body has an elongated shape with an exterior said surface that extends between opposite end portions of said body, outwardly circumscribes said passage, and is substantially parallel to the length of said body.
33. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said first member is an excavating support member, and
said second member is an excavating wear member.
34. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said excavating support member is an adapter, and
said excavating wear member is a tooth point.
35. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said side surface section has a polygonal shape.
36. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said polygonal shape is a square shape.
37. The connector pin assembly and associated apparatus of
said body has an elongated shape with an exterior said surface that extends between opposite end portions of said body, outwardly circumscribes said passage, and is substantially parallel to the length of said body.
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The present invention generally relates to material displacement apparatus such as excavating equipment and, in illustrated embodiments thereof, more particularly relates to apparatus for releasably coupling a replaceable excavating tooth point or other wear member to an associated adapter nose structure.
A variety of types of material displacement apparatus, such as excavating equipment, are provided with replaceable wear portions that are removably carried by larger base structures and come into abrasive, wearing contact with the material being displaced. For example, excavating tooth assemblies provided on digging equipment such as excavating buckets or the like typically comprise a relatively massive adapter portion which is suitably anchored to the forward bucket lip and has a reduced cross-section, forwardly projecting nose portion, and a replaceable tooth point having formed through a rear end thereof a pocket opening that releasably receives the adapter nose. To captively retain the point on the adapter nose, generally aligned transverse openings are formed through these telescoped elements adjacent the rear end of the point, and a suitable connector structure is driven into and forcibly retained within the aligned openings to releasably anchor the replaceable tooth point on its associated adapter nose portion.
The connector structure typically has to be forcibly driven into the aligned tooth point and adapter nose openings using, for example, a sledge hammer. Subsequently, the inserted connector structure has to be forcibly pounded out of the point and nose openings to permit the worn point to be removed from the adapter nose and replaced. This conventional need to pound in and later pound out the connector structure can easily give rise to a safety hazard for the installing and removing personnel.
Various alternatives to pound-in connector structures have been previously proposed for use in releasably retaining a replaceable wear member, such as a tooth point, on a support structure such as an adapter nose. While these alternative connector structures desirably eliminate the need to pound a connector structure into and out of an adapter nose they typically present various other types of problems, limitations and disadvantages including, but not limited to, complexity of construction and use, undesirably high cost, difficult installation and removal and unintentional operational dislodgment of the installed connector structure from its associated tooth point and support structure.
A need accordingly exists for an improved wear member/support member connector structure. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.
In carrying out principles of the present invention, in accordance with representative embodiments thereof, first and second members, illustratively an excavating adapter and associated tooth point, are captives retained in a telescoped relationship by a specially designed connector pin assembly embodying principles of the present invention. The connector pin assembly basically includes a body, a lock member and a resilient detent structure.
The body is removably received in aligned connector openings in the telescoped first and second members and blocks separation thereof from one another, the body having a passage extending inwardly through an outer surface thereof, the passage having a noncircularly shaped side surface section. Preferably, this noncircularly shaped side surface section has a polygonal shape which is representatively square. In a representatively illustrated version thereof, the body has an elongated flat shape with an exterior surface that extends between opposite end portions of the body, outwardly circumscribes its passage, and is substantially parallel to the length of the body.
The lock member is received in the body passage and is circumscribed by its noncircular side section, the lock member being rotatable relative to the body between a locking position in which a portion of the lock member, representatively a transverse lobe on an outer end portion thereof, blocks removal of the body from the aligned connector openings, and an unlocking position in which the lock member permits removal of the body from the aligned connector openings. The resilient detent member is carried by the lock member for rotation therewith, and is operative to releasably retain the lock member in its locking position.
In a first representative embodiment of the connector pin assembly, the resilient detent member has a periphery circumscribing the lock member and complementarily and slidably engaging the noncircularly shaped side surface section of the body passage. The lock member is captively retained within the body passage by a snap ring member carried by the lock member and received in a corresponding groove in the surface of the body passage.
In a second representative embodiment of the connector pin assembly, the lock member has a slot extending there-through and opening outwardly through opposite outer side portions thereof. The resilient detent member extends through the slot and has opposite end portions projecting outwardly beyond these outer side portions and slidably engaging the noncircularly shaped side surface section of the body passage. The lock member is captively retained within the body passage by an annular bushing circumscribing the lock member and press-fitted into the body passage. An O-ring seal on the lock member slidingly and sealingly engages a circular interior side surface portion of the bushing.
AS illustrated in
In addition to its applicability to material displacement and excavating equipment, the connector pin assembly 10 may also be advantageously utilized in joining a wide variety of other types of telescoped members. Accordingly, it is to be clearly understood that principles of the present invention are in no way limited to the fields of material displacement and excavation equipment although such inventive principles are particularly well suited to such fields.
Connector pin assembly 10 includes an elongated metal main body portion 22 having an opening or passage 24 longitudinally extending inwardly through one end thereof, and opposite, longitudinally outwardly projecting end portions 23 that, as shown in
Opening or passage 24 has a circularly cross-sectioned longitudinally outer portion 24a (see FIG. 2), a square cross-sectioned longitudinally intermediate portion 24b (see FIGS. 3 and 7), and a smaller diameter longitudinally inner circularly cross-sectioned portion 24c (see
Still referring to
The connector pin structure 10 is assembled by first placing the O-ring 32 in an associated annular groove on the body 34 between the lobe 40 and the transverse slot 36, and then placing the metal bushing 30 on the body 34 over the O-ring 32 (see FIG. 4). The resilient detent member 28 is then inserted into the slot 36 and the lock member body 34 is driven into the opening 24 in the main body portion 22 to press fit the bushing 30 into the opening portion 24a and bring the assembled lock member 26 to its
With the inserted lock member 26 in its solid line insertion/unlocking orientation shown in
When the lock member 26 is rotated from its insertion/unlocking position to its retention/locking position, the opposite ends of the resilient detent member 28 are initially inwardly compressed against opposite side surfaces of the opening portion 24b (as indicated by the dotted line position of the detent member 28 in
Since the resilient detent member 28 must be compressed during its rotational movement between the insertion and retention positions of the lock member 26, it resiliently resists undesired rotational movement of the lock member 26 from its retention/locking position to its insertion/unlocking position to thereby prevent accidental dislodgement of the inserted connector pin assembly 10 from the tooth point/adapter openings 18,20. The press-fitted bushing 30 overlies and outwardly blocks the opposite ends of the detent member 28 to thereby captively retain the lock member 26 within the opening 24 of the main body portion 22. The O-ring seal 32 disposed within the press-fitted bushing 30 functions to inhibit dirt and other debris from entering the interior of the connector assembly 10 inwardly past such seal.
AS can be seen, the interior opening or passage portion 24b within the main connector pin body portion 22 has a polygonal shape (representatively square) which circumscribes the inserted lock member 26. However, a variety of alternate polygonal and other non-circular shapes for this opening portion 24b could be utilized if desired.
An alternate embodiment 26a of the lock member 26 is shown in
The square central section 44 is received in a corresponding square central opening 48 of a square rubber detent member 50 captively retained on the body portion 42 between facing ledges on the cylindrical portions of the body portion 42 disposed on opposite ends of its central square section 44. When the lock member 26a is driven into the opening 24 of the main body portion 22, the resilient detent member 50 enters the opening section 24b as shown in FIG. 13. Additionally, a snap ring 52 (see
With the inserted lock member 26a in its
As can be seen from the foregoing, each of the representatively illustrated and described connector pin assemblies 10 and 10a may be inserted into the telescoped point 12 and adapter nose 14 (or other types of telescoped members as the case may be) without the necessity of pounding the assembly into place. Moreover, the assemblies 10 and 10a are each of a simple construction, are easy to install and remove, and provide, via their unique locking member detent structures, for improved retention of the installed connector pin assemblies in the members which they releasably retain in a telescoped orientation.
The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited solely by the appended claims.
Ruvang, John A., Robinson, Howard W.
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