Multi-Function Material Moving Assembly and Method

Abstract

A multi-function apparatus and method for material moving, including excavation and movement of dirt, gravel and other material, as well as other functions. The apparatus is mobile, and comprises a bucket assembly which also has a clamping device, with the bucket being able to rotate about a transverse axis and also have continued rotation about a longitudinally forward to rear axis of rotation. In one embodiment the apparatus travels on ground engaging tracks, and in another embodiment the apparatus is able to travel either over the ground or on rail track engaging wheels, with the same apparatus being able to operate in either mode.

1 . A bucket assembly adapted to be mounted to an operating support member at a connecting location of the operating support member for movement about a bucket pivot axis and for rotational movement for different bucket orientations, said apparatus comprising:
 a) a bucket section having a longitudinal bucket axis, a transverse bucket axis, and a vertical bucket axis generally perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse bucket axes, said bucket section comprising:
 i) a bucket comprising a bucket structure which in turn comprises front, rear, side and bottom wall portions defining a containing area and having an upwardly facing open region; 
 ii) a clamping section which is mounted to said bucket and which comprises a hydraulic actuating section which is mounted in the bucket assembly and which moves the clamping section between an open position and a closed position; 
   b) an intermediate connecting section comprising:
 i) a structural support section which comprises a bucket connected support section and an operating support member connected support section connected to, or adapted to be connected to, said operating support member, said two support sections being rotatably connected to one another in load bearing relationship and for rotation relative to one another about a generally longitudinally aligned bucket axis of rotation, said bucket connected support section being connected to said bucket section so as to be rotatable therewith, and said operating support member connected section not being rotatably connected to said bucket section; 
 ii) a fluid supply and distribution section arranged to deliver hydraulic fluid to and from said hydraulic actuating section of said clamping section, said fluid supply and distribution section comprising a first fluid carrying section which comprises a bucket related fluid carrying section having a first rotary fluid connecting section which is located in alignment with the bucket axis of rotation, is associated with the bucket assembly so as to be rotatable therewith, and which has fluid connections between the bucket rotary fluid connecting portion and the hydraulic actuating section of the clamping section; and a second fluid carrying section which is an operating support member connected support section related fluid carrying section which has a second rotary fluid connecting section that is also in alignment with the bucket axis of rotation, and that is not rotatably associated with said bucket assembly, said first and second rotary fluid connecting sections being in operative engagement with one another so that the first and second rotary fluid connecting portions are able to rotate about the bucket axis of rotation relative to one another as said bucket assembly is rotated to various orientations and fluid is able to pass to and from said first and second fluid carrying sections; 
   c) a drive section to rotate said bucket section and said bucket connected support section relative to said operating support member connected support section about said bucket axis of rotation.   
   
   
       2 . The bucket assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein, said bucket structure has an upper edge portion defining at least in part said upwardly facing region, and said clamping section comprises two side members and a front member having a closed position adjacent to upper edges of said bucket structure. 
   
   
       3 . The assembly as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said clamping section is mounted to said bucket section for rotation about a generally transverse pivot axis and said hydraulic actuating section is positioned rearwardly of said bucket structure. 
   
   
       4 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bucket axis of rotation is coincident with the longitudinal axis of said bucket section. 
   
   
       5 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said structural support section comprises a rotary bearing section having inner and outer bearing races, one of said bearing races being connected to the bucket connected support section, and the other of said bearing races being connected to the operating support member connected support section. 
   
   
       6 . The assembly as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said outer race bucket section is connected to said bucket support section. 
   
   
       7 . The assembly as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said rotary bearing section has a load bearing plane which is substantially perpendicular to said bucket axis of rotation and is located at a region of load bearing contact of an intermediate bearing member portion located between the outer and inner bearing races, and loads transmitted between said bucket connected support section and the operating support member connected support section are substantially isolated from said fluid supply and distribution section. 
   
   
       8 . The assembly as recited as  claim 7 , wherein said drive section comprises a rotary drive section operatively connected between said bucket connected support section and said operating support member connected support section, and said rotary drive section comprises a circumferential drive gear which is connected to the bucket connected support section and a worm drive which is connected to the primary arm member connected support section. 
   
   
       9 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bucket connected support section and said operating support member connected support section have aligned openings substantially coincident with the bucket axis of rotation and at least a part of said fluid carrying section is located in at least some of said openings. 
   
   
       10 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said fluid carrying section comprises a fluid distribution member which has at least two longitudinally aligned supply passages which extend through the fluid distribution member and are adapted to be connected to a hydraulic drive source, a forward portion of said fluid distribution member comprising a rotary fluid connection by which fluid is directed to and from said fluid distribution member and to and from said hydraulic actuating section. 
   
   
       11 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of one of said rotary fluid connecting sections surrounds at least a portion of the other of said rotary fluid connecting sections, and a fluid connection comprises at least a pair of circumferential spaced distribution grooves connecting to fluid ports. 
   
   
       12 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said structural support section comprises a rotary bearing section having inner and outer bearing races and a bearing portion positioned between said inner and outer races, one of said bearing races being connected to the bucket connected support section, and the other of said bearing races being connected to the operating support member connected support section, and there is a rotary drive section which comprises a drive gear that is connected to the bearing race which is connected to the bucket connected support section, and a worm gear drive that is connected to the operating support member connected support section. 
   
   
       13 . The assembly as recited in  claim 12 , wherein said operating support member connected support section comprises at least two operating support member connecting locations which are spaced from one another and adapted to be connected to said operating support member to enable said bucket assembly to be moved angularly about said bucket pivot axis to various operating positions, and to enable a force to be applied from said operating support member to enable said rotation about said bucket pivot axis. 
   
   
       14 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said operating support member connected support section comprises at least two operating support member connecting locations which are spaced from one another and adapted to be connected to said operating support member to enable said bucket assembly to be moved angularly about said bucket pivot axis to various operating positions, and to enable a force to be applied from said operating support member to enable said rotation about said bucket pivot axis. 
   
   
       15 . The assembly as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said bucket connected support section comprises a substantial unitary rigid bucket structure and said operating member connected support section comprises a substantially rigid structure, said structural support section being arranged so that loads from the bucket section are transmitted primarily through the bucket connected support section to a rotary load bearing structural connection, and into the operating support member connected support section which is able to transmit these loads directly into load bearing members of an operating support member. 
   
   
       16 . The assembly as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bucket connected support section comprises a substantial unitary rigid bucket structure and said operating member connected support section comprises a substantially rigid structure, said structural support section being arranged so that loads from the bucket section are transmitted primarily through the bucket connected support section to a rotary load bearing structural connection, and into the operating support member connected support section which is able to transmit these loads directly into load bearing members of an operating support member. 
   
   
       17 . A method of providing and using a multi function bucket assembly, said method comprising:
 a) providing a bucket section having a longitudinal bucket axis, a transverse bucket axis, and a vertical bucket axis generally perpendicular to the longitudinal and transverse bucket axes, where said bucket section comprises:
 i) a bucket comprising a bucket structure which in turn comprises front, rear, side and bottom wall portions defining a containing area and having an upwardly facing open region; 
 ii) a clamping section which is mounted to said bucket and which comprises a hydraulic actuating section which is mounted in the bucket assembly and which moves the bucket between an open position and a closed position; 
   b) providing a structural support section which comprises a bucket connected support section and an operating support member connected support section and connecting said two support sections rotatably to one another in load bearing relationship and for rotation relative to one another about a generally longitudinally aligned bucket axis of rotation;   c) connecting bucket assembly connected support section being said bucket section so as to be rotatable therewith;   d) connecting said operating support member connected section to an operating support member at a connecting location of the operating support member for movement about a bucket pivot axis;   e) providing a fluid supply and distribution section to deliver hydraulic fluid to said hydraulic actuating section, where said fluid supply distribution section comprises a fluid carrying section positioned in said structural support section, with at least a portion of said fluid carrying section being centered on said axis of rotation in the bucket assembly connected support section and not being rotatable therewith;   f) providing a rotary fluid connection with a fluid connection portion of the hydraulic actuating section of the clamping section so that there are hydraulic fluid flow paths between the operating support member connected section and the hydraulic actuating section of the bucket connected support section;   g) providing a drive section to rotate said bucket section relative to said operating arm member connected support section and operating said drive connection to cause movement of said bucket assembly about said bucket pivot axis; and   h) providing a hydraulic fluid supply source and selectively directing hydraulic fluid through said fluid supply and distribution section to the hydraulic operating system to operate the clamping member.   
   
   
       18 . A mobile material moving machine comprising:
 a) a base structure having a longitudinal, transverse and vertical axis;   b) a cab mounted to said base structure for rotation about a vertical cab axis of rotation;   c) an operating support section mounted to said cab;   d) a bucket assembly mounted to, or capable of being mounted to, said operating support section;   e) a locomotion section connected to said base section and comprising;
 i) a ground engaging track locomotion section; 
 ii) a rail engaging wheel locomotion section; 
 iii) a height adjustment section which adjusts relative height locations of the two locomotion sections so that one or the other of the locomotion section is positioned in an operative ground or rail engaging position whereby said machine is capable of performing mobile operations from either a ground or a rail location. 
   
   
   
       19 . The machine as recited in  claim 18 , further comprising a locomotion hydraulic drive system, said system comprising:
 a) left and right track drive members, each of which is driven in forward and reverse by left and right track drive motors respectively;   b) left and right rail wheels, each of which is driven in forward and reverse by left and right wheel motors respectively;   c) left and right track drive power supply sections to provide hydraulic power to the left and right track drive motors, respectively, either in a forward drive mode or a reverse drive mode; and   d) left and right rail wheel power supply sections to provide hydraulic power to the left and right rail wheel drive motors, respectively, in either a forward drive mode or a reverse drive mode.   
   
   
       20 . The machine as recited in  claim 19 , further comprising a locomotion power control and distribution system, said system comprising:
 a) an operator control section comprising left and right control members, each having forward, reverse and neutral positions;   b) left and right distribution valve sections, each of which is responsive to said operator control section to direct hydraulic fluid either in a forward flow direction, reverse flow direction or bypass flow; and   c) left and right mode selecting valve sections for selection of either a ground engaging track locomotion mode or a rail engaging wheel locomotion mode, each of which is arranged to direct flow from the left and right distribution valve sections, respectively, to either the rail wheel motors or the track drive motors,   
     whereby the same locomotion power control and distribution system with a common operating control section can be utilized for the operation of the machine in either its ground engaging track locomotion mode or its rail engaging wheel locomotion mode.