Motor vehicles – Bodies – Movable cab or operator's station
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-05
2004-11-02
Fleming, Faye M. (Department: 3616)
Motor vehicles
Bodies
Movable cab or operator's station
Reexamination Certificate
active
06810980
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driver protection structure and a device supporting the same which are mounted outside a driver's cabin to enable driver's safety to be secured in case that an object falls toward the driver's cabin from outside or equipment is rolled over, and more particularly to a driver protection structure coupled in one body with the driver's cabin and to a support device overcoming an impact transferred to the driver protection structure.
2. Description of Prior Art
According to the International Standardization Organization(ISO), a driver protection structure mounted outside a driver's cabin of heavy equipment includes a falling-over protective structure(FOPS) preventing falling objects from being invaded within a range of driver's work in order to protect a driver, and a roll-over protective structure protecting a driver in case that equipment is rolled over.
FIG. 1
is a view for schematically showing an upper side of heavy equipment over which a conventional driver protection structure is mounted.
In the convention structure as shown in
FIG. 1
, the upper side of heavy equipment an upper frame
1
mounted over a lower traveling body(not shown) of heavy construction equipment, a driver's cabin
3
mounted on the upper frame
1
, vibration-absorbing devices
6
a
and
6
b
mounted between the upper frame and a bottom plate
5
of the driver's cabin, and driver protection structures
4
a
and
4
b
fixed by fixtures such as welding and the like to brackets
2
a
and
2
b
installed on the front and rear of the upper frame.
However, the above structure requires an upper frame for standard equipment and an upper frame for a driver protection structure, to thereby increase manufacture and management costs.
Further, there exist difficulties in repeatedly removing and mounting the driver protection structure according to work conditions.
In the meantime, in case that the driver protection structures
4
a
and
4
b
is installed in one body with the driver's cabin in order to the above problems, very a large load in a horizontal or vertical direction, upon a collision with a falling object or rollover, is conveyed through the driver protection structures
4
a
and
4
b
, driver's cabin
3
, bottom plate
5
, vibration-absorbing devices
6
a
and
6
b
, and upper frame
1
in order.
However, the vibration-absorbing devices
6
a
and
6
b
do not have the strength enough to absorb such a big load, which causes a problem the driver protection structures
4
a
and
4
b
can not be directly installed over the driver's cabin
3
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a driver protection structure mounted over a driver's cabin and a supporting device capable of overcoming an impact conveyed to the driver's cabin in case that the impact is applied to the driver protection structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a driver protection structure easily detachable to wash front glass of a driver's cabin.
In order to achieve the above objects, in a driver protection structure for heavy equipment and a device supporting the same which have an upper frame mounted over a lower traveling body, a driver's cabin mounted on the upper frame, and a vibration-absorbing device mounted between the upper frame and a bottom plate of the driver's cabin, the driver protection structure and the device supporting the same comprises a driver protection structure mounted over the driver's cabin and having a roof protection structure and a front protection structure; a first stopper allowing the driver's cabin to move in a vertical direction and restricting the same to move in a horizontal direction, when an external impact is applied to the driver protection structure; and a second stopper restricting the movement of the driver's cabin in the vertical direction in a certain range when the external load is applied to the driver protection structure.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the front protection structure is hinged to the roof protection structure fixed to an upper side of the driver's cabin, enabling openings and closings thereof with rotations about a hinge axis, a gas spring is further included between the front protection structure and the driver's cabin to facilitate the openings and closings of the front protection structure.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the first stopper is a protrusion protruded from the bottom plate of the driver's cabin, the protrusion being blocked by a step formed on the upper frame, or the first stopper is a protrusion protruded from the upper frame, the protrusion being blocked by a step formed on the bottom plate of the driver's cabin.
In another embodiment of the present invention, one end of the second stopper passes through a through-hole formed in the upper frame and is fixed in one body to the bottom plate of the driver's cabin, and the other end thereof is a bolt formed with a separation-preventing step, or one end of the second stopper passes through a through-hole formed in the bottom plate of the driver's cabin and is fixed in one body to the upper frame, and the other end thereof is a bolt formed with a separation-preventing step.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the first stopper is mounted in the rear of the bottom plate of the driver's cabin and the second stopper is mounted in the front of the bottom plate of the driver's cabin.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4075788 (1978-02-01), Anderson
patent: 4116483 (1978-09-01), Kramer et al.
patent: 4451079 (1984-05-01), Takahashi
patent: 5921033 (1999-07-01), Molina
patent: 5984036 (1999-11-01), Higuchi et al.
patent: 6374935 (2002-04-01), Kirschenmann et al.
patent: 6439651 (2002-08-01), Johansson et al.
Jo Chun Ho
Yoon Chun Jin
Fleming Faye M.
Volvo Construction Equipment + Holding Sweden AB
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