Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-07
2001-12-04
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S190030, C296S210000, C296S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325450
ABSTRACT:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The disclosures of the following priority applications are herein incorporated by reference:
Japanese Patent Application No. 9-334463 filed Dec. 4, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operator's cab (room) in a construction machine such as a hydraulic shovel, a wheel loader or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Safety in construction machines has been pursued with increasing vigor in recent years, and various standards have been set forth in order to protect operators or passengers inside the operator's cab by hypothesizing various conditions that may occur during operation at a construction site, such as, for instance, an object falling from above, an object flying from the front, or the machine tipping over. One of such standards, the TOPS (tipping over protective structure) specifies that when the machine body tips over and the tipping load is placed on the upper portion of the side surfaces of the operator's cab of a hydraulic shovel resulting in the frame that constitutes the operator's cab becoming deformed, the deformed member be prevented from entering the vicinity of the operator's seat provided inside the operator's cab from the viewpoint of operator or passenger protection.
The structures adopted for operator's cabs of hydraulic shovels in the prior art include one that is constituted by bonding an inner panel provided toward the operator's cab and an outer panel provided on the outside of the inner panel, and further distending a portion of the inner panel and a portion of the outer panel inward and outward respectively relative to the operator's cab to form hollow pillar portions. In order to satisfy the need for improving the strength of the operator's cab in an operator's cab structure such as this provided with pillar portions, reinforcement member constituted of steel pipe or steel bar may be inserted inside the hollow pillar portions to improve the strength against a tipping load, as disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. Heisei-9-25648.
However, when a commercially available product such as a steel pipe or a steel bar is used as a reinforcement member to be inserted inside a hollow pillar portion, the size of the steel pipe or the steel bar to be used is subject to restriction imposed by the shape of the pillar if the reinforcement member is to be inserted while maintaining the existing pillar shape, and thus, it is difficult to achieve an optimal shape for the pillar portion in terms of strength. In addition, if the pillar shape is changed to accommodate the steel pipe or the steel bar, it will lead to a major design modification and an increase in the production cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an operator's cab in a construction machine whose strength can be improved effectively without having to greatly change the shape of pillars in an existing operator's cab.
In order to attain the-above object, an operator's cab in a construction machine according to the present invention in which hollow pillar portions are formed each with an outer panel and an inner panel bonded to each other and the hollow pillar portions constitute an operator's cab frame, comprises: at least one reinforcement member constituted of thin plate that is bonded to the outer panel and/or the inner panel to divide an internal space of each of the hollow pillar portions.
In this operator's cab in a construction machine, preferably, a modulus of section in each of the hollow pillar portions is gradually increased toward a bottom surface of the operator's cab frame to lessen bending stress at the hollow pillar portion.
Also, preferably, the reinforcement member is bonded to a base plate constituting a bottom portion of the operator's cab.
Also, the reinforcement member can be distanced from a base plate constituting a bottom portion of the operator's cab.
Also, preferably, the hollow pillar portions are each constituted of elongated space and the reinforcement member is provided along a direction of length of the elongated space.
Also, preferably, the hollow pillar portions are provided at, at least, one set of left and right ends among left and right ends at a front surface of the operator's cab, left and right ends at a rear surface of the operator's cab and left and right ends in a middle area located between the left and right ends at the front surface and the left and right ends at the rear surface of the operator's cab.
Also, preferably, a cross sectional shape of the reinforcement member has a roughly square bracket shape.
Another operator's cab in a construction machine according to the present invention in which hollow pillar portions are formed each with an outer panel and an inner panel bonded to each other and the hollow pillar portions constitute an operator's cab frame, comprises: at least one reinforcement member constituted of thin plate that is bonded to an outer side of each hollow pillar portion to form a hollow portion outside the internal space of the hollow pillar portion.
In this operator's cab in a construction machine, preferably, a cross sectional shape of the reinforcement member has a roughly square bracket shape, too.
Another operator's cab in a construction machine according to the present invention in which hollow pillar portions are formed each with an outer panel and an inner panel bonded to each other and the hollow pillar portions constitute an operator's cab frame, comprises: mid hollow pillar portions that are provided at left and right ends in a middle area located between a front surface and a rear surface of the operator's cab; and a reinforcement member that is provided at each of the mid hollow pillar portions.
In this operator's cab in a construction machine, preferably, the reinforcement member is constituted of thin plate and furthermore a cross sectional shape of the reinforcement member has a roughly square bracket shape, too.
Another operator's cab in a construction machine according to the present invention in which hollow pillar portions are formed each with an outer panel and an inner panel bonded to each other and the hollow pillar portions and a roof which is provided above the hollow pillar portions constitute an operator's cab frame, comprises: a roof reinforcement member that extends left and right in the operator's cab and is bonded to the roof to form a hollow portion between the roof reinforcement member and the roof.
This operator's cab in a construction machine, preferably, further comprises a pillar reinforcement member at the hollow pillar portion. Furthermore, preferably, the pillar reinforcement member and the roof reinforcement member are bonded to form an integrated structure.
In this operator's cab in a construction machine, preferably, the roof reinforcement member is constituted of thin plate and furthermore a cross sectional shape of the roof reinforcement member has a roughly square bracket shape, too. Also, preferably, the hollow pillar portions are provided at, at least, one set of left and right ends among left and right ends at a front surface, left and right ends at a rear surface and left and right ends in a middle area located between the left and right ends at the front surface and the left and right ends at the rear surface of the operator's cab and the roof reinforcement member is mounted laterally between upper ends of a pair of the hollow pillar portions. Further, preferably, this operator's cab in a construction machine comprises a pillar reinforcement member at the hollow pillar portion. Also, preferably, the pillar reinforcement member and the roof reinforcement member are bonded to form an integrated structure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4135756 (1979-01-01), Hausmann
patent: 4311744 (1982-01-01), Watanabe
patent: 4550948 (1985-11-01), Hamada et al.
patent: 46
Hirata Toichi
Nakagawa Takashi
Sakyo Tsuyoshi
Sonoda Jun
Tamura Kazuhisa
Engle Patricia
Gordon Stephen T.
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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