Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-18
2001-02-20
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S190010, C296S190030, C296S190100, C296S102000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189955
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a operator enclosure for an agricultural tractor and specifically to an enclosure having a rollover protective structure (ROPS) with a front upper cross member that is raised relative to the left and right side upper members to improve operator visibility when using a front-end loader.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many modern agricultural tractors have an operator station with a flat floor forward of the operator's seat. This provides greater ease of ingress and egress and improved operator comfort compared to many older designs in which the floor has a raised center portion with lowered foot rests on each side of the raised center portion. To provide the flat floor, the operator station is raised to a higher position relative to the tractor frame than in earlier designs. This results in an overall increase in the height of an operator enclosure, i.e. cab. However, it is generally desired to keep the overall height of the tractor as low as possible, to maximize clearance when entering a building.
Also important in the design of the operator enclosure is the operator visibility. When the tractor is equipped with a front-end loader, it is also important to have upward visibility to view the loader bucket in a raised position. While upward visibility can be improved by raising the height of the enclosure roof, there are practical limits to the height of the tractor as mentioned above. One solution to provide greater upward visibility for a raised loader bucket, without increasing the roof height, is to add a viewing window in the roof of the enclosure. While a viewing window enables the bucket to be seen in a raised position, as the loader bucket is being raised, it must pass through a region where visibility is blocked by the front upper cross member of the enclosure frame. Furthermore, the addition of a viewing window in the roof can decrease the packaging space in the roof area for ventilation ducts, radios, etc. and add significant cost to the tractor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an operator enclosure that includes a rollover protective structure (ROPS) in which the front side of the ROPS extends above the left, right and rear sides of the ROPS. The front side is defined by a front upper cross member and left and right upright corner members. A roof pan is placed at the top of the ROPS that has a generally horizontal top panel at about the same height as the upper front cross member. The top panel of the roof is curved downward to form left, right and rear side panels extending downwardly from the top panel to the height of the upper members of the ROPS, along the left, right and rear sides. This roof pan replaces prior roof designs that have a generally horizontal top panel with downwardly depending side panels on all four sides.
By eliminating the downwardly depending front panel of the roof pan and extending the ROPS and the front windshield further upward, a larger front windshield is provided. The windshield has greater upward visibility, enabling viewing of a loader bucket in the raised position through the windshield. A separate viewing window in the roof is not needed, thereby avoiding the zone where the upper front member of the ROPS blocks visibility of the loader bucket. The added cost of a viewing window is also avoided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4135591 (1979-01-01), Eberle
patent: 5094500 (1992-03-01), Maypole et al.
patent: 5174622 (1992-12-01), Gutta
patent: 5280955 (1994-01-01), Nelson et al.
patent: 5820199 (1998-10-01), Camplin et al.
patent: 5842732 (1998-12-01), Daggett et al.
patent: 5961175 (1999-10-01), Clardy, Jr.
Renault, “Die Kompakten von Renault”cover page, back page Oct. 1999.
Fryk Bruce Kevin
Jurek Ronald Lee
Kaczmarczyk Edward Ted
Vaughn Bennie Joe
Coletta Lori L.
Dayoan D. Glenn
Deere & Company
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