Device for opening and closing the engine hood of a construction machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9561826-B2
Application number	US-201114352513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2011
Priority date	Oct 25, 2011
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for opening and closing an engine hood for a construction machine is disclosed that can open an engine hood at an angle desired by an operator. The apparatus for opening and closing an engine hood includes a frame having one side fixed to an upper swing structure and the other side fixed to a cowl frame, a guide rail having a guide groove formed in a length direction and a plurality of seat portions formed to be cut so as to communicate in a downward direction with respect to the guide groove and maintaining an opening angle that is set to open the engine hood in multiple stages, and a stay rod having a free end slidably formed along the guide rail and a fixed end rotatably fixed to the engine hood.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for opening and closing an engine hood for a construction machine, in which an engine room is mounted on an upper swing structure and the engine hood is mounted on a cowl frame that forms the engine room to be opened and closed through a gas spring, comprising:
a frame having a first side fixed to the upper swing structure and a second side fixed to the cowl frame;
a stay rod having a free end slidably positioned along a guide rail, and a fixed end rotatably fixed to the engine hood;
the guide rail fixed to one of the first side or the second side, and having a guide groove formed in a length direction and a plurality of seat portions downwardly formed to be separately situated in the guide groove so as to communicate with the guide groove, thus maintaining the stay rod in a predetermined opening angle that is to be adjusted with the plurality of seat portions, separately;
the plurality of seat portions formed on the guide rail include:
a first seat portion on which the free end of the stay rod is seated to maintain the engine hood at a first predetermined opening angle; and
a second seat portion on which the free end of the stay rod is seated to maintain the engine hood at a second predetermined opening angle, the second seat portion is formed apart from the first seat portion;

the first seat portion and the second seat portion extend from a first side of the guide groove which is opposite to a second side of the guide groove, the first side of the guide groove is further from the engine hood than the second side of the guide groove;
the guide groove formed on the guide rail includes:
a first sliding surface extending in a first plane from an end of the guide groove to the first seat portion, the engine hood being closed at a location where the stay rod is positioned on the end of the guide groove;
a second sliding surface extending in a second plane between the first seat portion and the second seat portion, the second plane is closer to the second side of the guide groove than the first plane; and
a third sliding surface extending in a third plane from the second seat groove to a second end of the guide groove, the engine hood being opened at a location where the stay rod is positioned on the second end of the guide groove at a predetermined maximum angle, and the third plane is closer to the second side of the guide groove than each of the first plane and the second plane.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first set opening angle of the engine hood maintains an angle of 45 degrees when the free end of the stay rod is seated on the first seat portion, and the second set opening angle of the engine hood maintains an angle of 60 degrees when the free end of the stay rod is seated on the second seat portion.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising projections formed to project from boundary portions of a sliding surface of the guide groove, respectively.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a setting hole is formed upwardly with respect to a surface of the guide groove.

5. An apparatus for opening and closing an engine hood for a construction machine having an engine room mounted on an upper swing structure, the engine hood is mounted on a cowl frame that forms the engine room and is moved to an open position with a gas spring, the apparatus comprising:
a frame having a first side fixed to the upper swing structure, and a second side fixed to the cowl frame;
a guide rail fixed to the frame
a guide groove defined by the guide rail, the guide groove extends between a first end and a second end, the first end is distal to a hinge point of the engine hood and the second end is proximate to the hinge point of the engine hood;
a first seat portion and a second seat portion, each one of which is defined by the guide rail to extend from a first side of the guide groove at an angle extending away from the first end of the guide groove, the first seat portion is closer to the first end than the second seat portion, the first side is opposite to a second side of the guide groove, the first side is further from the engine hood than the second side;
a first sliding surface of the guide groove extends in a first plane between the first end of the guide groove and the first seat portion;
a second sliding surface of the guide groove extends in a second plane between the first seat portion and the second seat portion, the second plane is closer to the second side of the guide groove than the first plane;
a third sliding surface of the guide groove extends in a third plane between the second seat portion and the second end of the guide groove, the third plane is closer to the second side of the guide groove than each of the first plane and the second plane; and
a stay rod having a fixed end secured to the engine hood and a second end slidably movable along the guide rail;
wherein:
the second end of the stay rod is seated on the first sliding surface when the engine hood is closed;
the second end of the stay rod is seated within the first seat portion to support the engine hood open at a first angle;
the second end of the stay rod is seated within the second seat portion to support the engine hood open at a second angle that is greater than the first angle; and
the second end of the stay rod is seated on the third sliding surface when the engine hood is opened at a maximum angle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first angle is 45 degrees and the second angle is 60 degrees.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a setting hole defined by the guide rail and extending from the second side of the guide groove towards the first end of the guide rail.

Assignees

• Kim Seok-Won
• Volvo Constr Equip Ab

Inventors

• Kim Seok-Won

Classifications

• E02F9/0891

  Lids or bonnets or doors or details thereof (doors for cabins E02F9/163 takes precedence; for motor vehicles B62D25/10) · CPC title

• E02F3/325

  Backhoes of the miniature type · CPC title

• B62D25/12 Primary

  Parts or details thereof (locks E05B, {E05B83/16; devices for holding open E05C17/00, e.g. while carrying oversize objects E05C17/042}; hinges E05D; counterbalancing means E05F; {checks, stops, buffers E05F5/00; } springs, {e.g. pneumatic springs} F16F) · CPC title

• E05C17/20

  sliding through a guide (E05C17/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D33/0276

  by vertical translation (B62D33/0273 takes precedence) · CPC title