Field of the invention

The object of this invention is the routing of hydraulic lines in a crane boom.

Background of the invention

Nowadays, hydraulic lines are protected in crane booms using separate protectors attached with a screw fastening to the surface of the crane boom, outside the crane boom, whereby the hydraulic lines are protected from outside damage under these detachable and attachable protectors.

A disadvantage of the current detachable protectors is that separate protectors are thin in thickness, and thus the protection provided by them is quite poor, for exam ple, if the crane boom is moved against something fixed, the current thin protectors collapse and the hydraulic lines in the crane boom are broken. A further disad vantage is that the current detachable protectors require setting up fasteners, mak ing the structure complicated and thus expensive to manufacture. The fasteners in clude, among others, screw threads on the crane boom and clamps with holes in them welded for the screws on the separate protectors. Further, the protectors are often made of short pieces, slowing down their installation and adding to the manu facturing and installation costs of the protectors. Detachable protectors must be de tached each time the hydraulic lines are changed.

Summary of the invention

The objective of the invention is to provide a solution for protecting hydraulic lines in a crane boom.

The above objectives are achieved with the routing of hydraulic lines in a crane boom according to the invention, characterized by that which is defined in the char acterizing part of claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are presented in the dependent claims. One of the advantages of the invention is that hydraulic lines can be protected in a crane boom without the use of separate parts. Another advantage of the invention is that the structure provided is simple. A further advantage of the invention is that the hydraulic lines are protected from outside impacts, abrasion and sunlight. An other further advantage of the invention is that it is easy and quick to change the hydraulic lines when necessary - the hydraulic lines are simply pushed into the pas sage in the frame of the boom. Additionally, the invention enables savings in the costs of protecting hydraulic lines.

Brief description of the drawings

Next, the invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying draw ings, in which

FIGURE 1 shows a cross-section view of a crane boom according to an embodi ment of the invention viewed from the end of the crane boom,

FIGURE 2 shows a cross-section view of the crane boom shown in figure 1 viewed from the side.

Detailed description of the invention

Figures 1 and 2 show the routing of hydraulic lines in a crane boom according to an embodiment of the invention. The embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2 is suitable for use in protecting hydraulic lines, for example, in the boom of a loader and/or forestry crane.

A crane boom herein refers also to a boom system with multiple boom frames. Hy draulic lines herein refer to hydraulic hoses and lines with which e.g. hydraulic oil is supplied to enable the hydraulic functions of a crane boom or boom system.

Figure 1 shows a cross-section view of a crane boom according to an embodiment of the invention viewed perpendicularly from the end of the crane boom. In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the boom frame 1 is shown as a tube with a rectan gular shape. The shape of the boom frame 1 may also have a cross-section different from a rectangle. The cross-section of the boom frame 1 may have a square shape, for example. The boom frame may be manufactured from metal, for example steel, high-strength steel or aluminium.

In the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2, the crane boom comprises three nested rectangular boom frames 1. The dimensions of the cross-sections of boom frames 1 vary such that the smallest boom frame cross-section is in the innermost boom frame and the largest boom frame cross-section is in the outermost boom frame. Between these, there is a middle boom frame, the cross-section of which is between the cross-section of the outermost and innermost boom frame cross-sec tions. The nested boom frames are arranged at a distance from one another in the crane boom in the direction of the normal of the longitudinal axis of the crane boom.

Each boom frame 1 has a top la, a bottom lb and opposite sides lc, wherein the top la, bottom lb and sides lc define a rectangular open space inside the boom frame 1. The outermost boom frame, i.e. the boom frame 1 with the largest cross- section, has in its lower part, inside the outermost boom frame 1, a passage Id ex tending between the opposite sides lc of the boom frame and between the ends of the boom frame, and limited by the bottom lb of the boom frame. The passage Id is enclosed on all sides and the opposite ends thereof are open. Four hydraulic lines 2 are arranged in the passage Id. The hydraulic lines 2 may be known hydraulic lines, hydraulic hoses and/or hydraulic tubes. The hydraulic lines 2 are arranged side by side at a distance from each other in the passage. The hydraulic lines 2 may be attached at the ends thereof with fasteners 3. The fastener 3 may be a hydraulic part, onto which the hydraulic lines 2 can be attached, using threads and/or seals, for example. Each hydraulic line 2 may have its own passage Id or portion of the passage Id in the boom frame. The hydraulic lines 2 may be arranged into the pas sage Id and through the passage through the open ends.

The passage Id is separated from the rest of the interior space inside the boom frame 1 by one or more partition walls le inside the boom frame 1, the partition wall extending between the opposite sides lc of the boom frame 1. The partition wall le is an integral part of the boom frame 1. The partition wall le is preferably welded to the inside of the boom frame 1, for example to the opposite sides lc. The welding may be intermittent or continuous depending on the inner dimensions of the boom frame 1. The partition wall le is preferably as long as the boom frame 1.

In figure 1, the passage Id is located in the lower part of the outermost boom frame. The passage Id may be located correspondingly in any of the nested boom frames, in the outermost, middle or innermost boom frame. Each boom frame may have passages. The passage Id may be also in the upper part of the boom frame 1 or in the side of the boom frame 1. The location of the passage Id in the boom frame may depend on, for example, the structure and purpose of use of the crane boom system.

In the embodiment shown in figure 1, there are overlapping passages Id arranged such that a first passage Id is arranged in the lower part of the outermost boom frame 1 in a space separated from the rest of the space within the outermost boom frame by a partition wall le, and a second passage, on top of the first passage Id, is arranged on the opposite side of the partition wall le in the outermost boom frame, in a further space in the boom frame facing the bottom of the middle boom frame, being located between the bottom of the middle boom frame and the parti tion wall le in the outermost boom frame. Further, the innermost boom frame has a passage arranged in the upper part of the innermost boom frame, inside the inner most boom frame.

The cross-sectional diameter of the boom frame 1 may vary such that it decreases towards the lifting head of the boom, rendering the boom light in structure. The width and height of the passage Id inside the boom frame 1 may vary correspond ingly according to the variation of the cross-sectional diameter. If the length of the passage Id extends between the ends of the boom frame 1 in the longitudinal di rection of the boom frame 1, from one end of the boom frame to its other end, it may in such case be as long as the length of the boom frame 1. The passage Id may be arranged such that it extends in the direction of the boom frame, in the lon gitudinal direction of the boom frame along the entire length of the boom frame, as shown in figure 2. In figure 2, the passage Id extends to the bending point of the hydraulic lines 2 (shown as hydraulic hoses in the figure), at which point the hy draulic lines exit the passage Id. The passage Id may also be arranged in the boom frame such that it extends along only a certain portion of the length of the boom frame, in the direction of the boom frame. The extension may be limited such that it ends in the point at which the hydraulic lines are meant to exit the passage Id. The length of the passage Id may extend, for example, to the point at which one or more hydraulic lines 2 separate from the boom frame 1. As the length of the boom frame changes, the length of the passage Id may change correspondingly. The nested boom frames 1 may have passages of varying lengths. The passage Id may have one or more inlets and one or more outlets. The number of inlets and outlets is typically dependent on how many hydraulic lines are ar ranged in the passage. Typically, only hydraulic lines 2 are arranged in the passage Id. However, other lines or cables for using the crane boom may also be arranged into the passage Id.

It should be understood that the above description and the drawings related thereto are intended only to illustrate the present invention. Thus, the invention is not lim- ited to the embodiment presented above or defined in the claims, but it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention may be modified in many ways within the scope of the inventive idea presented in the accompanying claims.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that with further development of technol ogy, the inventive concept may be implemented in many ways. It is further obvious to a person skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be combined with other embodiments in various ways.