WO2008130283A1

WO2008130283A1 - A dismountable joint for a tubular track

Info

Publication number: WO2008130283A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/000374
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andreas JÖNSSON
Original assignee: Husqvarna AB
Current assignee: Husqvarna AB
Priority date: 2007-04-20
Filing date: 2007-04-20
Publication date: 2008-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2009-10-20

Abstract

A dismountable joint for securing a first (1) and a second tubular track part (2) end to end to each other to form a track for a wall sawing device, for example, the dismountable joint comprising: - a hook (10) fixed exteriorly to one end of the first track part (1); - a cooperating exterior member (14) mounted on an adjacent end of the second track part (2) for gripping by the hook (10), so as to help holding said first and second track parts (1 and 2) in an end to end relationship; - a pivotal internal hook (19) mounted at one end in one of the track parts; - a cooperating internal member (24) mounted at the adjacent end in the other one of the track parts, the internal member (24) offering a grip (25) for the pivotal hook (19) to secure the mounting of the track parts (1 and 2) in a straight line; and - a mechanism (27) operable for pivoting the pivotal hook (19) into and out of engagement with the internal member (24) in order to lock and unlock the joint, respectively, when the track parts are in the end to end relationship.

Description

Applicant: HUSQVARNA AB, S-561 82 HUSKVARNA, Sweden Case P1695 PCT

A DISMOUNTABLE JOINT FOR A TUBULAR TRACK

DESCRIPTION

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a dismountable joint for securing a first and a second tubular track part end to end to each other to form track for a wall sawing device, for example.

The invention also relates to a tubular track provided with such a dismountable joint.

BACKGROUND ART

Saws for sawing out openings in concrete walls are previously known and have a sawing device movable along a track. The track may be mounted vertically or horizontally or in any position therebetween on a wall, but may also be mounted horizontally on a ceiling or a floor when an opening is to be sawed therein. The saw usually is driven by at least one electric or hydraulic motor, but also an internal combustion engine may be used. The engine/motor is mounted on a carriage running on the track, and in addition to moving the saw along the track it drives a circular blade, wire or chain, all of which are diamond equipped. As an example, a hydraulically driven wall saw, WS 463, is marketed by Husqvarna Construction Products AB in Sweden and has a 2 m rail and a 1.2 m rail, which can be joined together by means of exterior, loose coupling links.

The sawing equipment usually is transported in a carriage, and presently it is not possible to transport the saw lying on a standard Euro pallet (ISO 1), which is 800 x 1200 mm. To permit transportation on a Euro pallet, the track has to be dismountable into two or more track parts that are short enough. To join the track parts to each other, loose exterior coupling links have been used, which upon tightening of screws with a wrench are clamped around the two track ends. This requires a correct alignment of the two tracks and fitting of a coupling link, i.e. a third part, with a number of screws usually 4 screws. All this is time consuming. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to provide a dismountable joint, which enables the tracks to be easily and quickly mounted and dismounted, and in which the connecting members do not come loose when the track joint is dismounted. In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved in a dismountable joint of the kind referred to in the introductory portion above, in that the dismountable joint comprises:

- a hook fixed exteriorly to one end of said first track part;

- a cooperating exterior member mounted on an adjacent end of said second track part for gripping by said hook, so as to help holding said first and second track parts in an end to end relationship;

- a pivotal internal hook mounted at one end in one of said track parts;

- a cooperating internal member mounted on an adjacent end in the other one of said track parts, said internal member offering a grip for the pivotal hook to secure the mounting of the track parts in a straight line; and

- a mechanism operable by hand for pivoting the pivotal hook into and out of engagement with the internal member in order to lock and unlock the joint, respectively, when the track parts are in the end to end relationship.

A wall saw, for example, having such a dismountable joint can be transported on a Euro pallet provided that the track parts are sufficiently short, the joint members do not come loose when the track joint is being dismounted.

Preferably, the fixed external hook has a curved portion gripping the cooperating external member, and the curved portion and the exterior member gripped thereby form a hinge-like connection. Thereby, the two track parts can be hooked together to form an open V, which after opening to a maximum forms a straight track.

With advantage, the exterior member includes a shaft extending in the cross-track direction and a carrier for the shaft, said carrier having two lugs, in which the ends of the shaft are held.

To permit adjustment of the grip of the fixed external hook around the shaft, the shaft suitably has end portions that are eccentric in relation to a main portion of the shaft, so that the position of the main portion can be adjusted by rotating the shaft.

Preferably, the pivotal internal hook and its cooperating internal member are located diametrically opposed to the fixed external hook and its cooperating external member. In this way, a secure locking of the rail ends to each other is achieved. A simple and reliable mechanism comprises a screw, which is provided with a handle that is located outside of the tubular rail. When the handle is rotated, it will rotate the screw and thereby pivot the pivotal internal hook.

The design of the mechanism preferably is such, that the pivotal internal hook has a central pivotal shaft, and said screw extends from outside of the track at a position adjacent the fixed external hook and its cooperating exterior member, through a clearance opening . provided in a wall of the track and diametrically through the interior of the track and through a threaded bore in a free end of the pivotal internal hook, the screw being in threaded engagement with the threads of the bore and having a screw end supported at least indirectly by the interior wall of the tubular track.

Further, the pivotal internal hook advantageously is mounted on a hook carrier fixed to the interior of the tubular track, said hook carrier carrying a pivotal shaft that is parallel to the pivotal shaft of the pivotal internal hook, and a pair of links interconnect the ends of the hook carrier pivotal shaft with the ends of the internal hook pivotal shaft. In this way, it is easy for the pivotal internal hook to get a safe grip in the cooperating internal member.

To facilitate the joining of the two track parts to form a long straight track, it is preferred that the pivotal internal hook is spring biased, and the links, the pivotal shafts and the spring are designed to provide a snap action between the pivotal hook and its cooperating internal member when the two track parts are folded outward to form straight track.

Further, the object of the invention is achieved by a tubular track having two track parts connected by means of the dismountable joint described above, wherein the track parts have a maximum length on the order of 1.1 m.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments and the appended drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a dismountable joint in accordance with the invention for a tubular track for a wall sawing device, said track including a first and a second track part, that are about to be connected.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the dismountable joint of Fig. 1 as viewed from another angle, after the two track parts are hooked together to form an open V. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the dismountable joint of Figs. 1 and 2 as viewed from still another angle, after opening the V-shape of the two track parts to form a straight track.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dismountable joint as shown in Fig. 3.

MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The drawings show a preferred embodiment of a dismountable joint in accordance with the invention for a tubular track for a wall sawing device, wherein the track includes a first and a second track part, which in Fig. 1 are about to be connected. However, even though all of the drawings show one single embodiment of the present invention, other embodiments are possible within the scope of the claims, as will be obvious from the description below.

The track may be mounted vertically or horizontally or in any position therebetween on a wall, but may also be mounted horizontally on a ceiling or a floor when an opening is to be sawed therein. The saw usually is driven by at least one electric or hydraulic motor, but also an internal combustion engine may be used. The engine/motor is mounted on a carriage running on the track, and in addition to moving the saw along the track it drives a circular blade, wire or chain, all of which are diamond equipped. As all of the main components of the saw, except for the new dismountable joint of the present invention, are well known and do not cooperate with one another in some new way, they are not shown in the drawings.

As in prior art designs, the track for the saw comprises a first track part 1 and a second track part 2, both of which are tubular and have a basically rectangular cross-section. In a first pair of opposing tube sides, each side is provided with a central longitudinal groove. One of these sides has smaller width than the other side, and a toothed rack 3 for the movement of the saw carriage is mounted in the groove of the side of smaller width. The sides of the other opposing pair are symmetrically identical to each other, and each of them has two parallel longitudinal guide surfaces 4 for the saw carriage forming an angle to each other and extending along the side carrying the toothed rack. As the side carrying the toothed rack is narrower than the opposite side, the sides of the other pair will converge, and thereby offer a good grip for a clamping mounting bracket for fixing the track to a wall, for example. In accordance with the present invention, the dismountable joint comprises:

- a hook 10 fixed exteriorly to one end of said first track part 1;

- a cooperating external member 14 mounted on an adjacent end of said second track part 2 for gripping by said hook 10, so as to help holding said first and second track parts 1 and

2 in an end to end relationship;

- a pivotal internal hook 19 mounted at one end in one of said track parts;

- a cooperating internal member 24 mounted at the adjacent end in the other one of said track parts, said internal member 24 offering a grip 25 for the pivotal hook 19 to secure the mounting of the track parts 1 and 2 in a straight line; and

- a mechanism 27 operable for pivoting the pivotal hook 19 into and out of engagement with the internal member 24 in order to lock and unlock the joint, respectively, when the track parts 1 and 2 are in the end to end relationship.

In the shown embodiment, the fixed external hook 10 has a base plate 12, on which the actual hook member 11 is fixed, e.g. by means of welding or by screws. Screws are used for mounting the base plate 12 to the first track part 1 and extend through the base plate 12, the wall of the tubular track, and into a counter plate 31 for the hook 10 / base plate 12. The hook member 11 has a curved portion 13 that projects axially from the end of the first track part 1 and curves outward from the side that is opposite to the track side carrying the toothed rack 3. The curved portion 13, which grips the cooperating exterior member 14, extends over an angle on the order of 90°, so that the two track parts 1 and 2 form that angle on being hooked together.

Further, the cooperating external member 14, which is mounted to the end of the second track part 2 for gripping by the curved portion 13, so as to hold said first and second track parts 1 and 2 in an end to end relationship when the track parts form a straight line, includes a carrier 15, a pair of lugs 17 carried by the carrier, and a shaft 16 held by and extending in the cross-track direction between the lugs 17. The curved portion 13 of the hook is adapted to grip around the shaft 16 to form a hinge-like connection, and the curved portion is of a width corresponding to the length of the shaft portion that is located between the lugs 17, so as to form a lateral guide for the track part ends. Also, the cooperating external member 14 is mounted by screws, which extend through the wall of the second track portion 2 and into a counter plate 32.

Preferably, the shaft 16 has end portions that are eccentric in relation to a main portion of the shaft, so that the position of the main portion can be adjusted by rotating the shaft. For rotating the shaft, at least one of the end surfaces of the shaft 16 may be provided with a slot 18 for the tip of a screwdriver or with some other recess or projection for grip by a tool. Suitably, the two lugs have set screws, not shown, for locking the shaft 16 in a desired position.

The pivotal internal hook 19 and its cooperating internal member 24 are located inside the 5 respective tubular track parts 2 and 1 diametrically opposite to the fixed external hook 10 and its cooperating external member 14. To be simple and reliable, the mechanism 27 for maneuvering the pivotal hook 19 preferably comprises a screw 28, which is provided with a grip or handle/knob 29 that is located outside the tubular track 1, 2. Upon rotation of the grip/handle 29, the screw 28 pivots the pivotal internal hook 19. The grip shown in fig 1 is0 suitable for rotating with a wrench, while the handle in the other figures is for rotating by hand, preferably for smaller models of tracks and wall saws.

As is best shown in Fig. 4, the design of the mechanism 27 is such, that the pivotal internal hook 19 has a central pivotal shaft 20. The screw 28 extends from outside of the track at a5 position adjacent the fixed external hook 10 and its cooperating exterior member 14, through a clearance opening 33 provided in the shaft carrier 15 and the underlying wall of the track, and diametrically through the interior of the track and through a threaded bore 34 in a free end of the pivotal internal hook 19. The screw 28 is in threaded engagement with the threads of the bore 34 and has a screw end supported at least indirectly by the interior 0 wall of the tubular track. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the end of screw 28 is supported in a recess provided in a carrier 21 for the pivotal internal hook 19.

The pivotal internal hook 19 advantageously is mounted on the hook carrier 21, which is fixed to the interior of the tubular track by means of screws, for example. The hook carrier 5 21 carries a pivotal shaft 22 that is parallel to the pivotal shaft 20 of the pivotal internal hook 19, and a pair of links 23, best shown in Fig. 1, connects the ends of the pivotal shaft 22 of the hook carrier 21 with the ends of the pivotal shaft 20 of the internal hook 19. The pivotal hook 19 projects out of the end of track part 2. The pivotal shaft 20 of the pivotal hook 19 is shown as located just inside of the end of track part 2, while the pivotal shaft 22 0 of hook carrier 21 is shown as located somewhat further inwards. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the links 23 (shown in Fig. 1) will extend at an angle on the order of 45°

- ^' to the horizontal plane. In this way, it is easy for the pivotal internal hook 19 to get a safe grip in the cooperating internal member 24, which likewise is fixed to the interior of the tubular track by means of screws, for example. 5

To facilitate the joining of the two track parts 1 and 2 to form a long straight track, it is preferred that the pivotal internal hook 19 is biased by a spring 30. The links 23, the pivotal shafts 20 and 22 and the spring 30 are designed to together provide a snap action between the pivotal hook 20 and its cooperating internal member 24, when the two track parts 1 and 2 are turned up to form straight track, best shown in Fig. 3. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the spring is a helical compression spring 30 that is seated in a recess in the counter plate 32 for the cooperating external member 14 and located to act on the pivotal hook 19 at a position between the pivotal shafts 20 and 22. To accomplish the snap action, the cooperating internal member 24 has a sloping guide surface 26 for a nose of the pivotal hook 19 and inside thereof a shoulder 25 to be gripped by the hook 19 as shown in Fig. 4. In view of the sloping guide surface 26 and the shoulder 25, the cooperating internal member 24 may be termed a catch. The grip of the pivotal hook 19 against the shoulder 25 of catch 24 is secured by tightening the screw 28 to stop by means of the handle 29. When the screw 28 is being tightened, the pivotal hook 19 endeavors to drag the catch 24 along and simultaneously press it against the interior wall of the track part 1, so that the two track parts 1 and 2 are both pulled against each other and centered in a cross-track direction. The fixed exterior hook 10 eventually will stop against the carrier 15 for the eccentric shaft 16. As the base plate 12 for the hook member 11 is of the same thickness as the carrier 15 for the eccentric shaft 16, and the lateral side surfaces of the curved portion 13 of hook member 11 are slightly tapered to permit an easy insertion of the hook member 13 between the two lugs 17 for the eccentric shaft 16 but a snug fit between the components when the hook member 11 has reached its final position between the lugs 17, this will result in that the track parts 1 and 2 are correctly centered.

To dismount the track joint, the screw 28 is unscrewed about six turns, depending on the pitch of the screw thread, and the screw 28 is pushed aside in the clearance opening 33, in a direction away from the end of the track portion, whereby the pivotal hook 19 looses its grip against the catch 24. Now, the two track parts 1 and 2 can be folded toward each other, and when they form an angle on the order of 90°, they can be taken apart from each other.

Further, the object of the invention is achieved by a tubular track having two track parts 1 and 2 connected by means of the dismountable joint described above, wherein the track parts 1 and 2 have a maximum length on the order of 1.1 m.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Even though the invention is disclosed above as applied to wall saws, it may as well be applied in other machinery used in construction industry. Further, if desired, it is of course also possible that the tubular track includes three or more track parts joined by means of the dismountable joint described above. In such a case, the intermediate track part/parts preferably have one end designed as the end of track part 1 and the other end designed as the end of track part 2 as shown in the drawings.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A dismountable joint for securing a first (1) and a second tubular track part (2) end to end to each other to form a track for a wall sawing device, for example, said dismountable joint comprising:

- a hook (10) fixed exteriorly to one end of said first track part (1);

- a cooperating exterior member (14) mounted on an adjacent end of said second track part (2) for gripping by said hook (10), so as to help holding said first and second track parts (1 and 2) in an end to end relationship; — a pivotal internal hook (19) mounted at one end in one of said track parts;

- a cooperating internal member (24) mounted at the adjacent end in the other one of said track parts, said internal member (24) offering a grip (25) for the pivotal hook (19) to secure the mounting of the track parts (1 and 2) in a straight line; and

- a mechanism (27) operable for pivoting the pivotal hook (19) into and out of engagement with the internal member (24) in order to lock and unlock the joint, respectively, when the track parts (1 and 2) are in the end to end relationship.

2. A dismountable joint as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed external hook (10) has a curved portion (13) gripping the cooperating external member (14), the curved portion (13) and the external member (14) gripped thereby forming a hinge-like connection.

3. A dismountable joint as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the external member (14) includes a shaft (16) extending in the cross-track direction and a carrier (15) for the shaft (16), said carrier (15) having two lugs (17) in which the ends of the shaft (16) are held.

4. A dismountable joint as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shaft (16) has end portions that are eccentric in relation to a main portion of the shaft.

5. A dismountable joint as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the pivotal internal hook (19) and its cooperating internal member (24) are located diametrically opposed to the fixed external hook (10) and its cooperating exterior member (14).

6. A dismountable joint as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, wherein said mechanism (27) comprises a screw (28), which is provided with a grip or handle (29) that is located outside the tubular track (1, 2), said screw (28) upon rotation of the grip / handle (29) pivoting the pivotal internal hook (19).

7. A dismountable joint as claimed in claim 6, wherein the pivotal internal hook (19) has a central pivotal shaft (20), and said screw (28) extends from outside of the track at a position adjacent the fixed external hook (10) and its cooperating exterior member (14), through a clearance opening (33) provided in a wall of the track and diametrically through the interior of the track and through a threaded bore (34) in a free end of the pivotal internal hook (19), the screw (28) being in threaded engagement with the threads of the bore (34) and having a screw end supported at least indirectly by the interior wall of the tubular track.

8. A dismountable joint as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pivotal internal hook (19) is mounted on a hook carrier (21) fixed to the interior of the tubular track, said hook carrier (21) carrying a pivotal shaft (22) that is parallel to the pivotal shaft (20) of the pivotal internal hook (19), and a pair of links (23) connects the ends of the hook carrier pivotal shaft (22) with the ends of the internal hook pivotal shaft (20).

9. A dismountable joint as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pivotal internal hook (19) is spring biased, and the links (23), the pivotal shafts (20 and 22) and the spring (30) are designed to provide a snap action between the pivotal hook (19) and its cooperating internal member (24) when the two track parts (1 and 2) are folded outward to form straight track.

10. A tubular track having two track parts (1 and 2) connected by means of the dismountable joint as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the track parts (1 and 2) have a maximum length on the order of 1.1 m.