Work Machine Vehicle Having Joystick Controls on an Adjustable Suspended Seatbar

• US 20100187859A1
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Doosan Bobcat North America Incorporated (Doosan Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Clark Equipment Company (Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ekren, Jeremy W., Hill, Aaron G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,226,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/190.10
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/773 Longitudinal adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/797 for use as electrical control means, e.g. switches
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/02 Occupant safety arrangements or fittings , e.g. crash pads seat belts with crash pads B60R22/14; removable children's seats having a front guard or barrier B60N2/2839
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/163 Structures to protect drivers, e.g. cabins, doors for cabins; Falling object protection structure [FOPS]; Roll over protection structure [ROPS] for handrails mounted on cabins E02F9/0833 takes precedence; for vehicles in general B60R21/11, B60R21/13, for fork-lift trucks B66F9/07545
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2004 Control mechanisms, e.g. control levers control levers per se G05G

Abstract

Disclosed are work machine vehicles having an adjustable seatbar assembly in the operator protective structure. The adjustable seatbar assembly is suspended from a seat in the operator protective structure. Vehicle controls are integrated with the adjustable seatbar assembly such that the vehicle controls and the operator sitting on the seat are maintained at constant relative positions with respect to each other even as the work machine vehicle moves over rough terrain and the seat moves up and down on a seat suspension.

Claims

1. A work machine vehicle comprising:

an operator protective structure;

a seat positioned in the operator protective structure;

an adjustable seatbar assembly suspended from the seat, the adjustable seatbar assembly including a seatbar positionable in front of an operator sitting on the seat;

vehicle controls integrated with the adjustable seatbar assembly such that the vehicle controls and the operator sitting on the seat are maintained at constant relative positions with respect to each other even as the work machine vehicle moves over rough terrain and the seat moves up and down.

2. The work machine vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle controls comprise joystick vehicle controls, and wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly further comprises a joystick mount supporting the joystick vehicle controls to maintain the constant relative positions between the joystick vehicle controls and the operator with respect to each other as the work machine vehicle moves over rough terrain and the seat moves up and down.

3. The work machine vehicle of claim 1, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly comprises a slide mechanism which selectively allows fore and aft adjustment of the seatbar and of the integrated vehicle controls relative to the operator, and which otherwise prevents fore and aft movement of the adjustable seatbar and of the integrated vehicle controls.

4. The work machine vehicle of claim 3, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly further comprises a pivot mechanism which selectively allows upward and downward rotational movement of the seatbar.

5. The work machine vehicle of claim 4, wherein the pivot mechanism is located on one of a left hand side and a right hand side of the seat at a first end of the seatbar such that a second end of the seatbar is rotatable upward relative to the first end of the seatbar to allow the operator to enter or exit the seat.

6. The work machine vehicle of claim 5, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly further comprises a latch mechanism located on the other of the left hand side and the right hand side of the seat to selectively secure the second end of the seatbar to prevent rotation of the seatbar.

7. The work machine vehicle of claim 6, and further comprising an over-center spring mechanism coupled to the first end of the seatbar to provide bias forces to aid in lifting and lowering the seatbar.

8. The work machine vehicle of claim 4, wherein the pivot mechanism is located on each of a left hand side and a right hand side of the seat such that the seatbar is rotatable upward toward a seatback to allow an operator to enter or exit the seat, and to allow the joystick controls to be vertically adjusted relative to the operator when the operator is seated in the seat.

9. The work machine vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a loader.

10. A work machine vehicle comprising:

an operator protective structure;

a seat positioned in the operator protective structure, the seat having a seatback portion and a seat cushion portion, the seat being allowed to move up and down on a seat suspension as the vehicle moves over rough terrain;

an adjustable seatbar assembly suspended from the seat, the adjustable seatbar assembly including a seatbar positionable in front of an operator sitting on the seat;

joystick vehicle controls coupled to and suspended from the adjustable seatbar assembly such that the joystick vehicle controls and the operator sitting on the seat are maintained at constant relative positions with respect to each other even as the work machine vehicle moves over rough terrain and the seat moves up and down on the seat suspension.

11. The work machine vehicle of claim 10, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly comprises a first slide mechanism which selectively allows fore and aft adjustment of the seatbar and of the joystick vehicle controls relative to the seatback to thereby selectively adjust the joystick vehicle controls for a particular operator, and which otherwise prevents fore and aft movement of the seatbar and of the joystick vehicle controls.

12. The work machine vehicle of claim 11, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly comprises a second slide mechanism, the first and second slide mechanisms being positioned respectively on left and right hand sides of the seat to independently allow fore and aft adjustment of the seatbar and the joystick vehicle controls relative to the seatback.

13. The work machine vehicle of claim 11, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly further comprises a pivot mechanism which selectively allows upward and downward rotational movement of the seatbar.

14. The work machine vehicle of claim 13, wherein the pivot mechanism is located on one of a left hand side and a right hand side of the seat at a first end of the seatbar such that a second end of the seatbar is rotatable upward relative to the first end of the seatbar to allow the operator to enter or exit the seat.

15. The work machine vehicle of claim 14, wherein the adjustable seatbar assembly further comprises a latch mechanism located on the other of the left hand side and the right hand side of the seat to selectively secure the second end of the seatbar to prevent rotation of the seatbar.

16. The work machine vehicle of claim 15, and further comprising an over-center spring mechanism coupled to the first end of the seatbar to provide forces to aid in lifting and lowering the seatbar.

17. The work machine vehicle of claim 13, wherein the pivot mechanism comprises first and second pivot mechanisms positioned respectively on a left hand side and a right hand side of the seat such that the seatbar is rotatable upward toward the seatback to allow an operator to enter or exit the seat, and to allow the joystick controls to be vertically adjusted relative to the operator when the operator is seated in the seat.

18. The work machine vehicle of claim 10, wherein the vehicle comprises a loader.