Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Multiple controlled elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-09
2003-10-14
Joyce, William C. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Multiple controlled elements
C074S473330
Reexamination Certificate
active
06631652
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a monolever operation apparatus for a working vehicle such as a bulldozer, and particularly relates to a monolever operation apparatus for a working vehicle, in which forward and reverse gearshift of a transmission, and a left and right steering operation of the working vehicle are performed by operating a monolever in four of fore-and-aft, and left and right directions, and the monolever is provided with a palm rest for supporting a palm.
BACKGROUND ART
In working vehicles such as a bulldozer, a hydraulic type excavator and a mobile crane, operations are normally performed efficiently by simultaneously operating the working machine while driving a vehicle. For this purpose, an operating lever apparatus, which can easily operate a vehicle and a working machine at the same time, and which can perform the driving operations with stability against vibrations of the vehicle during traveling, have been conventionally developed, and as one measure, a monolever operation apparatus is often adopted.
FIG.
16
A and
FIG. 16B
are views for explaining one example of typical monolever operation apparatus (for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 6-33218) which is conventionally used in a bulldozer (hereinafter called a working vehicle), and show an explanatory plane view and a sectional side view of the monolever operation apparatus. The explanation will be made below based on FIG.
16
A and FIG.
16
B.
A monolever
95
is vertically provided at a rotary shaft
96
for rotating the monolever
95
in a fore-and-aft direction. The monolever
95
is rotatable in a left and right direction (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG.
16
A). By the rotation in the left and right direction, each clutch and brake of each steering device (not illustrated) for controlling the left and right steering directions of the traveling equipment of a vehicle can be engaged and disengaged via a known link mechanism not illustrated. The monolever
95
is also rotatable in a fore-and-aft direction (the left and right direction of the paper surface in FIG.
16
A). By the rotation in the fore-and-aft direction, forward and reverse clutches of a transmission can be engaged and disengaged via a link
97
, and any one of speed gear clutches, for example, from a fist speed to a third speed, of the transmission can be engaged via a link
98
.
As shown in FIG.
16
A and
FIG. 16B
, by operating the monolever
95
from the neutral position to the forward position, a forward first speed gear (F
1
), a forward second speed gear (F
2
) and a forward third speed gear (F
3
) can be operated in succession. By operating the monolever
95
from the neutral position to the reverse position, a reverse first speed gear (R
1
), a reverse second speed gear (R
2
), and a reverse third speed gear (R
3
) are operated in succession. An operator places a portion of his or her arm below the elbow on an arm rest
90
, and operates the monolever
95
in the fore-and-aft, and the left and right directions with the portion below the elbow as a fulcrum of operation P. It should be noted that an axis of rotation H
0
in the left and right direction of the monolever
95
is placed horizontally in the fore-and-aft direction.
The monolever
95
as described above is operated in the left and right direction relative to a traveling direction of the working vehicle, thereby engaging the clutch with corresponding one of the left and right steering devices of the vehicle, and applying the brakes on the other one thereof to thereby enabling the vehicle to turn to the left or the right. Further, the monolever
95
is operated in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the traveling direction of the working vehicle, thereby making it possible to shifting the speed gears of the transmission.
The conventional monolever operation apparatus as described above, however, has the following disadvantages.
In the conventional monolever operation apparatus shown in FIG.
16
A and
FIG. 16B
, the fulcrum of operation (below the elbow) P in a situation in which the elbow of the operator is placed on the arm rest
90
is at the position upper than the axis of rotation HO of the rotational operation of the monolever
95
. Due to this placement, when the vehicle is turned to the left or the right, a distance between P and B, which is from the fulcrum of operation P to a left turn stroke end position B, and a distance between P and C, which is from the fulcrum of operation P to a right turn stroke end position C, change relative to a distance between P and A from the fulcrum of operation P to a center point A (hereinafter, called the neutral position A) of the grip operation in the neutral position of the monolever
95
. Consequently, the operator needs to displace the fulcrum of operation P below the elbow when performing turning operations. Accordingly, the operation of the monolever
95
of the working vehicle for performing construction work lacks accuracy, thereby causing the disadvantage that a fine operation cannot be performed.
Further, since the grip of the monolever
95
is almost a cylindrical shape in a vertical direction, if the gripping force reduces during long hours of operation, the hand sometimes slips downward, therefore making it necessary for the operator to grip it once again, which causes the disadvantage of inconvenience in operation.
The turning of the hand is large at the maximum stroke position in the left and right direction of the monolever
95
which is operated with the operator's elbow being placed on the top surface of the arm rest
90
, and especially at the maximum stroke position to the outer side of the operator's seat, the palm faces upward, which reduces operability, thus causing a great deal of fatigue after long hours of operation.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above conventional disadvantages, an object of the present invention is to provide a monolever operation apparatus for a working vehicle, which carries out the operations for traveling such as steering, and forward and reverse gearshift of a working vehicle by means of a monolever with excellent fine operability, with less fatigue being caused during long hours of operation, and with improved operability.
In order to attain the above object, a monolever operation apparatus for a working vehicle according to the present invention is a monolever operation apparatus for a working vehicle including an arm rest provided at a console placed at least any one of the left and right sides of an operator's seat, and a monolever placed in front of the arm rest and rotatively operated in a fore-and-aft direction and a left and right direction respectively, and is characterized in that when operated in the left and right direction, the monolever is allowed to be operated with a distance from a fulcrum of operation below an operator's elbow placed on the arm rest to a grip of the monolever being almost constant.
According to the above configuration, when the monolever is operated in the left and right direction, the distance from the fulcrum of operation below the operator's elbow to the grip of the monolever is almost constant, and therefore the fulcrum of operation below the elbow is not displaced even when the monolever is operated in the left and right direction. As a result, the fulcrum of operation is fixed and the arm does not swing, therefore improving operability. Further, fine operability is improved, and less fatigue is caused even after long hours of operation, thus improving workability.
Further, an axis of a first rotary shaft for rotating the monolever in the left and right direction may pass through the vicinity of the fulcrum of operation.
According to the above configuration, the axis of the rotary shaft in the left and right direction passes through the fulcrum of operation below the operator's elbow placed on the arm rest. As a result, the locus of the line connecting the fulcrum of operation and the grip becomes a cone surface with the fulcrum of operatio
Fuse Rikio
Inamaru Akifumi
Kawano Toshihiro
Nishida Harushige
Okazawa Koji
Joyce William C.
Komatsu Ltd.
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