GB2350593A

GB2350593A - A safety device for an excavator

Info

Publication number: GB2350593A
Application number: GB9913045A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles Mitchell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-06-05
Filing date: 1999-06-05
Publication date: 2000-12-06
Also published as: GB9913045D0

Abstract

A pivotable track driven digger (10) comprises a travel portion (12) and a body portion (14). The two portions (12, 14) can pivot relative to each other on a swing bearing (16). In order to indicate when the body portion (14) is facing towards a forward direction of the travel portion (12) upper and lower sensor portions (18, 20) respectively are located on upper and lower portions (16a, 16b) of the swing bearing (16). When the sensor portions are in proximity to each other indicators (22) and drive levers (24) in the body portion (14) are illuminated to indicate that the body portion (14) is facing in a forward direction of the travel portion (12).

Description

2350593 VEHICLE SAFETY DEVICE This invention relates to a vehicle safety

device, particularly, but not limited to, a vehicle safety device for a vehicle having a body portion pivotally mounted on a travel portion.

A previous vehicle having a body portion pivotally mounted on a travel portion comprise s continuous belt tracks driven by wheels that intermesh with the tracks. The body portion includes-1k digging arm for use in construction, road building and the like. The vehicle is controlled by levers mounted in a cabin of the body portion. A lef t hand lever controls a left-hand track and a right hand lever controls a right hand track. Forward movement of the levers results in a forward movement of the tracks.

Problems arise with this type of arrangement when the operator cannot determine whether the body portion is facing forwards or backwards on the travel portion. If an operator pushes the levers forwards then the vehicle may move in a direction opposite to that in which the levers were pushed if the body portion is facing to the rear of the travel portion. obvious disadvantages can arise if the vehicle is located close to a drop or other vehicles.

It is an object of the present invention to address the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to one aspect of the present invention a vehicle comprises a body portion which is rotationally mounted relative to a travel portion of the vehicle, the vehicle including sensor means and indicator means, which are operable to sense when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion and to indicate to an operator when the body portion is facing generally in said predetermined direction relative to the travel portion.

2 The predetermined direction may be a forward direction of the travel portion, or may be a rearward direction of the travel portion.

The vehicle may be a digging vehicle. The vehicle may be for use in construction, road building and similar activities. The travel portion may travel by means of continuous belt tracks.

The sensor means may include at least one, preferably two, sensor portions. One sensor portion may be fixed relative to either the body portion or the travel portion. Where two sensor portions are provided a first sensor portion may be fixed relative to the body portion or travel is portion whilst a second sensor portion may be fixed relative to the travel/body portion to which the first portion is not attached.

The first sensor portion may be elongate. Said sensor portion may be located towards a front section of either the body portion or the travel portion. Said sensor portion may be shaped to conform to the shape of a bearing of the rotational mounting between the body and travel portions. The second sensor portion may be considerably smaller than the first sensor portion.

The sensor portion may be operable to detect when the body portion is less than about 900 to either side of alignment with a forward direction of the travel portion. The sensor portions may be operable to detect when the body portion is less than between 400 and 900 to either side of alignment with a forward direction of the travel portion.

The indicator means may be mounted on at least one control means of the vehicle. The control means may be a control lever. The indicator means may be located on an upper end of the control lever. The indicator means may be illuminatable. The indicator means may be arrow- shaped to indicate a forward direction.

3 The sensor means may be electrical sensor means. Alternatively the sensor means may be magnetic or optical sensor means.

According to another aspect of the invention a direction indication means for a vehicle having a body portion rotatably mounted on a travel portion comprises sensor means and indicator means, which sensor means are operable to sense when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion and which indicator means are operable to indicate to an operator when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to said predetermined direction of the travel portion.

is The predetermined direction may be a forward direction.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of indicating when the body portion of a vehicle having a body portion rotatably mounted on a travel portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion comprises sensing with sensing means when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to the predetermined direction of the travel portion and indicating with indicating means to an operator that the sensing means have sensed that the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to the predetermined direction of the travel portion.

All of the above aspects can be combined with any of the features disclosed herein, in any combination.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an partial exploded schematic side view of a travel portion and an upper portion of a pivotable track driven digger; 4 Figure 2 is a schematic partial view from above of a travel portion of a pivotable track driven digger; and Figure 3 is a schematic view of two levers of the pivotable track driven digger.

A pivotable track driven digger 10 comprises a travel portion 12 and a body portion 14. The two portions 12 and 14 can pivot relative to one another on a swing bearing 16. In order to indicate when the body portion 14 is facing towards a forward direction of the travel portion 12 (shown by arrow A in f igure 1) upper and lower sensor portions 18 and 20 respectively are located on upper and lower portions 16a and 16b of the swing bearing 16. When the sensor portions are in proximity to one another indicators 22 on drive levers 24 in the body portion 14 are illuminated to indicate that the body portion 14 is facing in a forward direction of the travel portion 12. 20 In more detail, the lower sensor portion 20 has an elongate shape which extends around the lower part 16b of the swing bearing which is closest to the front of the travel portion 12. The lower sensor portion 20 follows the shape of the lower part 16b of the swing bearing 16. The lower part 16b of the swing bearing 16 has an electrical supply (not shown) The lower sensor portion 20 is fixed relative to the travel portion 12 of the digger 10.

The upper sensor portion 18 is secured to the upper portion 16a of the swing bearing 16. Thus the upper sensor portion 18 is fixed relative to the body portion 14. The upper sensor portion 18 may have a shape similar to that of the lower sensor portion 20 shown in figure 1. Alternatively, the upper sensor portion 18 may be shorter than the lower sensor portion 20. The upper sensor portion 18 is located towards a portion of the upper part 16a of the swing bearing which is closest to the front of the body portion 14. The upper sensor portion 18 also has an electrical supply (not shown).

The drive levers 24 which are located within a control cabin 26 of the body portion 14 haveilluminatable indicators 22 on upper ends thereof. The indicators 22 may suitably be in the shape of arrows to indicate a direction of forward movement of the travel portion 12.

The upper and lower sensor portions 18 and 20 and indicators 22 maybe retrofitted to existing pivotable track driven diggers 10 or similar vehicles which have a body portion which is pivotable relative to a travel portion.

is The remaining constructional details of the digger 10 are the same as those already widely available on the market. Consequently, no further details of the construction of the digger will be given.

In use, the sensor portions 18 and 20 are used as a safety device to indicate when the body portion 14 of the digger 10 is facing in a forward direction of the travel portion 12.

The sensor portions 18 and 20 function by providing an electrical signal when the two sensor portions 18 and 20 are in proximity to one another. The proximity may be when the two sensor portions overlap, or may, alternatively, be a more general proximity in that the electric field emanating from one sensor portion can be detected by the other sensor portion.

When the proximity of the two sensor portions 18 and 20 is detected, then an electrical signal is sent to the indicators 22 and the drive levers 24 to illuminate the indicators 22 and thereby indicate to an operator that the body portion 14 is facing generally in a forward direction of the travel portion 12.

6 It is not necessary for the body portion 14 to be perfectly aligned with the forward direction of the travel portion 12; it suffices that the body portion 14 is facing generally forwards in relation to the travel portion 12.

This feature results from the length of at least the lower sensor portion 20, which provides for a range of angles to either side of strict alignment of the travel and body portions, in which the indicators 22 will still show that the body portion 14 is facing generally forwards. The indicators 22 may indicate that the body portion 14 is facing generally forwards in relation to the travel portion when the body portion 14 is approximately 450 to 900 or less from alignment with the forward direction of the travel portion 12.

other types of sensor, such as magnetic sensors or optical sensors can easily replace the sensor described above and still function in much the same way as the sensor and indicators described above.

The arrangement of sensor and indicators described above has significant safety advantages for vehicles having body portions which are pivotable relative to a travel portion because indicators are provided which show a forward direction of travel of the travel portion when it is unclear whether the body portion is facing in that forward direction. The system described herein is also advantageous, because it can be retro fitted to existing vehicles.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or 7 process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extend to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

8

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A vehicle comprises a body portion which is rotationally mounted relative to a travel portion of the vehicle, the vehicle including sensor means and indicator means, which are operable to sense when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion and to indicate to an operator when the body portion is facing generally in said predetermined direction relative to the travel portion.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the predetermined direction is a forward direction of the travel portion or a rearward direction of the travel portion.

3. A vehicle as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 which is a digging vehicle.

4. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the sensor means include two sensor portions, one sensor portion being fixed relative to either the body portion or the travel portion.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4, in which the first sensor portion is elongate.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5, in which the sensor portion is shaped to conform to a shape of a bearing of the rotational mounting means between the body and travel portions.

7. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, in which the sensor portion is operable to detect when the body portion is less than about 900to either side of alignment with a forward direction of the travel portion.

9

8. A vehicle as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the indicating means are mounted on at least one control means of the vehicle, in which the control means is a control lever.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, in which the indicating means are located on an upper end of the control lever.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 9, in which the indicator means are arrow shaped to indicate a forward direction.

11. A direction indicating means for a vehicle having a body portion rotatably mounted on a travel portion comprises sensor means and indicator means, which sensor means are operable to sense when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion and which indicator means are operable to indicate to an operator when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to said predetermined direction of the travel portion.

12. A method of indicating when a body portion of a vehicle having a body portion rotatably mounted on a travel portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion comprises sensing with sensing means when the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to the predetermined direction of the travel portion and indicating with indicating means to an operator that the sensing means have sensed that the body portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to the predetermined direction of the travel portion.

13. A vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A directional indication means substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of indicating when a body portion of a vehicle having a body portion rotatably mounted on the travel portion is facing generally in the same direction relative to a predetermined direction of the travel portion substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.