Technical field

The present invention relates to a vibratory screed device comprising a frame with two spacedapart side profiles that are with their lower ends attached to a coupling member, a drive motor, a vibrating body connected to the motor and to the coupling member, and a screed beam releasably connected to the coupling member, the screed beam having upper connector part with a rear groove extending in a length direction of the beam, the coupling member comprising a rounded clamping surface, that can releasably engage with the rear groove.

The invention also relates to an assembly of a vibratory screed device with a first and second screed beam of different dimensions and/or different cross sections.

Background

Such a screed device is known from EP 0995 859. The known screed device comprises a vibrating screed beam for levelling freshly poured concrete surfaces, with an oblique front surface and a concave rear surface. The screed beam can be attached to a frame that comprises handlebars and a vibratory motor, in the desired orientation via a wing nut. During transport of the device to a building site, and for moving the device to various locations on the building site, for instance to different levels of a building that is constructed, the vibratory screed device should be easily placed in a compact configuration. To properly treat diverse types of concrete and to handle surfaces having different dimensions, easy exchangeability of the screed bar is essential.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vibratory screed device that is of a compact construction. It is a further object to provide a screed device that can be rapidly placed in a compact configuration and in which the screed bar is easily exchangeable for another bar or can be easily reoriented on the coupling member. In is again an object to provide a screed device in which the screed bar is securely coupled to the vibratory body.

Summary

A vibratory screed device according to the invention comprises a clamping surface that is connected to a rotation body, the rotation body being movable by a lever that is rotatable around a locking axis between a release position in which the rounded clamping surface is placed at a distance from the rear groove and a locking position in which the rounded clamping surface is pressed into the rear groove.

By using the clamping force of the excentric rotation body, a rapid release and connection of the screed beam is achieved that remains rigidly fixed when subjected to the vibrations that are generated by the motor and the vibrating body and that are passed on to the screed beam via the coupling member. The screed beam can be rapidly detached from the coupling member for transport to the building site, or when moving the screed device on the building site, for instance using a building elevator. Also, during levelling of a concrete surface, the screed beam can be rapidly reoriented on the frame with either a sloping profile part or a concave profile part extending to the front or can be exchanged for a beam with a larger or smaller beam length. It is also possible to rapidly connect two frames with vibratory motors, each frame having a respective coupling member and respective side profiles, to a single screed beam of large dimensions. The locking axis may be situated parallel to the length direction of the screed beam, the lever and the rotation body extending substantially from one side profile to the other, along a rear side of the screed beam, and being operable by foot.

A lever in the form of a foot-operated bracket of large size, allows exchange of the screed beam without bending over of the operating person, which improves working conditions for the operator. The proper positioning and locking of the lever can be easily visually verified. In the transport position of the screed device, the lever does not extend beyond the width of the side profiles.

In an embodiment, an electric motor is mounted on top of the coupling member. Placement of the motor directly on top of the coupling member results in a compact device with an efficient transfer of the vibrations that are generated by the motor. The motor is preferably connected to the vibrating body via a reduction gear. This allows the motor frequency to be set to between 4000 and 8000 rpm.

In an embodiment, the lower ends of the side profiles are connected to the coupling member via a profile section of elastomeric material. This allows effective isolation of the upper frame parts and the handlebars from the vibrations in the screed bar.

The side profiles may at their top ends be attached to handlebars in a pivoting connection. By disconnecting the screed bar and pivoting the handlebars parallel to the side profiles, the screed device can be placed in a compact transport and storage configuration.

The side profiles mays at their upper ends be mutually attached by a transverse gripping bar. The gripping bar can be used to hold the screed device when attaching or releasing the screed bar and forms a protection for the battery and/or the motor drive, for instance when the screed device is laid down during transport.

One of the side profiles may be provided with a parking leg, which is with an upper end hingeably connected to the side profile to be pivotable between a position in which the parking leg is parallel to the side profile and a parking position in which the leg extends at an angle to the side profile. During a pause in the work in progress, the screed device can be parked in the upright position by extending the parking leg. The levelling operation can be resumed by pivoting the parking leg back to its parallel position.

The side profiles can near their upper ends comprise a connector for connecting to a releasable battery unit or to a connector of a power supply. The battery unit may be a rechargeable 12V of 24 V lithium-ion battery. Alternatively, the connected can attach to a power supply that is situated in the workspace of the screed device, or that is comprised of a portable power supply pack carried on the back of the operator.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of a vibratory screed device according to the invention will, by way of non-limiting example, be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a vibratory screed device according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows a rear detail of the screed beam and the coupling member of the device of fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the frame of the device of fig. 1 in the transport position,

Fig. 4 shows a detachable battery pack of the device of fig. 1, Fig. 5 shows a rear view of a parking leg on the device of fig. 1, in the parking position,

Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of an excentric clamping mechanism according to the invention,

Fig. 7 shows a perspective partial view of a preferred embodiment of a screed device according to the invention,

Fig. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the screed device of figure 7, with the coupling member in the release position,

Fig. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the screed device of figure 7, with the coupling member in the locking position, and

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of an assembly of electric motor, reduction gear and vibratory body according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a vibratory screed device 1 according to the invention, comprising a frame 2 having two side profiles 3, 4. The side profiles 3,4 are with their lower ends connected to a coupling member 7, that releasably engages with a screed beam 8. An electric motor 9 is connected to a vibrating body 10 for generating vibrations in the beam 8. At their upper ends, the side profiles 3,4 are interconnected via a transverse bar 12 and support a battery 13 for powering the electric motor 9. Two handlebars 15,16 are connected to the upper parts of the side profiles 3,4 in a hinge connection 17, 18. At the lower ends of the side profiles 3, 4, elastomeric sections 20, 21, isolate the side profiles 3,4 and handlebars 15, 16 from the vibrating beam 8.

Figure 2 shows a rear view of the lower part of the side profiles 3,4 and the coupling member 7. The coupling member 7 has a front plate 22 that is received with a rounded front surface in a front groove of an upper part 24 of the beam 8. The coupling member 7 engages with the top surface 23 of the beam 8 and is provided with a hinging rear part 26 having a rounded edge 27 extending in a length direction L of the beam 8 and received in the rounded rear groove 25 of the beam. A rotatable cam 28 carries a bracket 29 that can be operated by pressing down on it by foot so that it is placed in the locking position which is shown in the figure.

Figure 3 shows the device 1 while it is placed in the transport configuration, with the bream 8 detached and the handlebars 15,16 placed alongside the side profiles 3,4. The coupling member 7 and bracket 29 do not extend beyond the handlebars 15, 16 in a sideways direction, so that a compact transport configuration is obtained and the device can be easily moved to, or from the building site where it is used, or can be moved around the building site.

Figure 4 shows the rechargeable battery 31 that is releasably connected to a connector 30 for providing power to the electric motor 9. Instead of a battery 31, the connector 30 can be coupled to a complementary connector of a power source that may be provided on site, such as a mains connection, a generator or a battery pack carried by a user of the device 1.

Figure 5 shows a parking leg 35 with a support foot 36, that is hingingly connected to the side profile 3, and that can be extended at an angle to provide a parking position in which the device 1 is supported in the upright position. Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of a coupling member having an excentric rotation body 40 that can pivot around axis 41 by operation of a lever 42. Pressing down on the lever 42 engages the rounded clamping surface 43 with the sidewall of the rear groove in the screed beam 8 to lock the beam against the coupling member 7.

Figure 7 shows an embodiment in which the foot-operated bracket 29 drives two levers 50, 51 in rotation about the axis 41. The levers 50, 51 each have a cam surface that engages with pins 54, 55 on the bracket 29. Pressing down on the bracket 29, rotates the rounded clamping bodies 52, 53 via the levers 50, 51 into clamping contact with the rounded rear groove on the screed beam 8. At the same time, the rounded front edge 19 of the coupling member 7 is pulled into the rounded front groove of the screed beam 8, placing the coupling member in the locking position in which the beam 8 is securely coupled to the vibrating motor 9.

Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the screed device 1 with the lever 29 in the upward release position, in which the rounded clamping bodies 52, 53 are placed at a distance from the rounded rear groove 25.

The electric motor 9 is connected via a reduction gear 60 to the drive axis 61 of the vibratory body 62. The housing 65 of the assembly of the electric motor 9, the reduction gear 61 and the vibratory body 62, is mounted directly on top of the coupling member 7 so that vibrations of the body 62 that are induced by the rotation of the motor 9, are efficiently transferred to the screed beam 8.

Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the screed device 1 of figure 8 with the lever 29 in the downward locking position, pressing the rounded clamping bodies 52, 53 into contact with the rear groove 25 in the upper connector part 24 of the beam 8.

Figure 10 shows a perspective view of the electric motor 9, the reduction gear 60, and the vibratory bodies 62, 63. The relative position of the bodies 62,63 can be varied by rotation of one or both bodies about the axis 61 upon release of a wing nut 64, to set the intensity of the vibrations that are generated by the joint rotation of the bodies around the axis 61.