JPH07223461A - Instrument panel structure of industrial vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an instrument panel structure of an industrial vehicle that can protect an operator from arm, elbow or shoulder fatigue that could result from long-hour operations. CONSTITUTION:This instrument panel structure of an industrial vehicle includes an instrument panel 12 located in front of the driver's seat 13 and a plurality of operating levers 11 extending upwards through the instrument panel. An armrest 12a extending from near the operating levers 11 toward the driver' seat is formed into a V-shape and attached to the instrument panel 12 by hinges. The plurality of operating levers are the horizontally moving type, arranged in a vertical line and having their inverted L-shaped ends located almost equal distances away from the curved part of the armrest 12a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an industrial vehicle such as a forklift, and more particularly to improvement of the structure around an instrument panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in industrial vehicles such as forklifts, as shown in FIG.
Lie side by side and extend upward through the instrument panel 2 or in the vicinity thereof. With the operator sitting on the driver's seat 3 with his elbows lifted, the operator pushes the cargo handling levers 1 back and forth according to the work content. The required work is performed by rotating the direction. Reference numeral 4 is a mast on which a fork 5 operated via the cargo handling lever 1 described above is mounted.

When the work is performed with the elbow lifted as described above, there is no problem when the work time is relatively short, but sometimes the same operator has to operate the forklift all day long, and the work amount is large. The condition may last for many days, in which case the operator's arms, elbows, shoulders, etc. will concentrate and accumulate fatigue. Therefore, improvement has been desired from the viewpoint of preventing a decrease in work efficiency and also from the viewpoint of health management.

[0004]

Conventionally, as concrete improvement measures, the design of the operating system is changed so that the operating force of the cargo handling lever is reduced, or the length of the cargo handling lever is shortened to reduce the amount of movement. The problem was dealt with by making it smaller, but this was not enough, and the operator often complained of fatigue of the arm and the like. Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide an instrument panel structure for an industrial vehicle that can protect an operator from fatigue of arms, elbows, shoulders, etc. due to long-term work.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention of claim 1, an instrument panel structure for an industrial vehicle comprises an instrument panel arranged in front of a driver's seat and the instrument panel. The operation panel includes one or a plurality of operation levers extending upward through the instrument panel, and the instrument panel is provided with an armrest portion extending in the driver's seat direction from the vicinity of the operation lever. In the invention of claim 2, the plurality of operation levers are
The armrest portion is arranged so as to follow the extending direction and moves so as to intersect with the direction. In the invention of claim 3, the armrest portion has an inverted "he" shape having a bent portion. The plurality of operation levers are formed in an inverted "L" shape, and when the plurality of operation levers are in the neutral position, the tips of the operation levers are separated from the bent portion. The armrests are substantially equidistant from each other, and the armrests are hinged to the instrument panel.

[0006]

According to the present invention of claim 1, when the operator operates the operation lever, the operator places the elbow on the armrest and operates the operation lever. Since the armrest extends from the instrument panel toward the driver's seat, it does not impair the operability of the operating lever that extends through the instrument panel, and it also increases the design margin and provides a relatively large size. It is possible to use the operation lever even if the operator rests his arm on the armrest for a long time.
No more fatigue. According to the present invention of claim 2, since the operation lever is arranged following the direction in which the armrest portion extends and moves so as to intersect with the direction, the elbow is placed on the armrest portion to operate the operation lever. In doing so, the operator in the driver's seat can operate in the direction in which his or her arm is extended as it is. Furthermore, since the operating lever can be operated by moving the extended arm laterally, the operating lever can be operated without moving the elbow. As a result, the operability when the elbow is placed on the armrest portion and the operation lever is operated can be significantly improved. Further, according to the present invention of claim 3, since the tip of each operation lever in the neutral position is substantially equidistant from the bent portion of the armrest, the movement of the arm for operating each operation lever is simplified, Operability is further improved. Further, it is possible to increase the margin of arrangement of the operation levers. Furthermore, if the armrest is hinged to the instrument panel, the armrest can be hung down when not in use, even if the armrest is made large, so the armrest interferes with getting on and off the operator's seat. Never.

[0007]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a forklift truck as an example of an industrial vehicle in which a head guard, pillars and the like are omitted in order to clearly show a structure around an instrument panel configured according to the present invention, and is provided on an engine hood. In front of the driver's seat 13, there is a steering wheel 16 mounted on the instrument panel 12, and in front of it, a mast 14 having a fork 15 is normally provided.

Although not shown, a long hole is formed in the instrument panel 12 in the front-rear direction, and a cargo handling lever 11 as an operating lever penetrates through the hole to extend upward.
It extends toward the 3 side. The instrument panel 12 is also provided with various meters that may be combination meters, but this is not shown because it is not part of the present invention. In this embodiment, three cargo handling levers are provided, one for tilting the mast 14, one for raising and lowering the forks 15, and one for operating a side shift attachment (not shown). The type is not limited.

The instrument panel 12 inclines downward from the front side (mast 14 side) toward the rear side (driver's seat 13 side) and has an armrest portion 12a on the right side as viewed from the driver's seat 13 to the mast 14. Have. The armrest portion 12a located at the rear of the cargo handling lever 11 largely extends in a substantially inverted "F" shape toward the driver's seat 13 side with respect to the instrument panel body, and its upper surface has
A pad 12c, which is preferably made of a relatively soft material for use in the seating portion of a normal chair, is provided by means such as sticking, and the pad 12c also bends the arm in the elbow portion during operation. Reverse "to" to adapt to the angle
It has a V shape, and the driver's seat side extends upward along the armrest 12a. Also, the armrest portion 12a
With respect to the lateral direction, that is, the width direction, in the preferred embodiment, extends from the lower right portion of the steering wheel 16 to the right end of the instrument panel 12.

The armrest 12a may be formed integrally with the instrument panel body, but it may be formed of another member made of an appropriate material so that it does not hinder the operator from getting on and off the driver's seat 13. The front edge 12b of the armrest 12a is attached to the instrument panel body.
It is preferable that it is hinged along the line and can be bent downward from the state shown. Instead of providing the armrest portion 12a on the upper surface of the instrument panel 12, the armrest portion 12 is provided so as to extend outward from the instrument panel 12.
When a is provided, the presence of the cargo handling lever and the combination meter is not restricted, so the armrest 12a
It is possible to set a large size in the lateral direction and the front-rear direction, and the operator can change the position of the elbow during the operation of the cargo handling lever 11. In addition, it is preferable that the armrest part is relatively small so as to match the shape of the elbow, because if the cargo handling lever is operated for a short time, the position of the elbow can be fixed and the cargo handling lever can be stably operated. Since the angle and posture of the elbow are almost fixed, in the case of a cargo handling lever for a long time, on the contrary, inconvenience may be felt.

FIG. 2 shows an essential part of another embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the armrest 22a is substantially flat and descends toward the driver's seat 23. As described above, a relatively small pad 22c is provided only in a portion where the elbow is normally placed, which is integrated with the instrument panel 22 that is inclined. Further, the cargo handling levers 21 (three in FIG. 2) as the operation levers are arranged in a row along the direction in which the armrest portion 22a extends, and the left and right moving in a manner intersecting the direction. It is of a dynamic type (a type in which a cargo handling device such as a mast can be operated by moving the cargo handling lever 21 left and right). Further, the length of the cargo handling lever 21 itself is formed to be short so that the operation feeling of the cargo handling lever 21 is lightened. Therefore, the operator can operate the cargo handling lever 21 by merely moving the arm left and right with the arm extended to the pad 22c and the arm extended as it is and placed on the inclined armrest 22a. As a result, even if the operator continues to work for a long time, he / she is less likely to feel tired than before.

FIG. 3 shows the essential parts of still another embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention. The main difference of this embodiment from the previous two is that each of them is arranged in series. The cargo handling levers 31a, 31b, 31c are formed in an inverted L shape, and the operation knobs 33a, 33 are provided at the tips thereof.
The lengths of the arms of the respective cargo handling levers are changed so that the centers of b and 33c are located at substantially the same distance from the bent portion 34 of the arm portion 32a having the inverted "H" shape. When the cargo handling levers 31a to 31c are configured in this manner, the position from the bent portion 34 to each operation knob is substantially constant, so that the operator does not move the elbow without placing the elbow on the pad 32c.
The cargo handling levers 31a, 31 can be moved by simply moving the arms and hands slightly.
Each of b and 31c can be operated. As a result, even if the operator operates a plurality of levers such as the cargo handling levers 31a, 31b, and 31c for a long time,
Because of the excellent operability of the lever, it also has the effect of making it less likely to feel tired compared to conventional products.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the cargo handling levers 11, 21 and the like have been described as an example of the operation lever, but the invention is not limited to this. The operating lever may be a traveling lever or a shift lever for shifting. However, in the case of a cargo handling lever of an industrial vehicle such as a forklift, it is used more frequently than a lever used for other purposes and quick operation is required. The effects of the present invention will be further enjoyed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of an instrument panel structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an outline of a normal forklift.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... cargo handling lever, 12 ... instrument panel, 1
2a ... armrest, 13 ... driver's seat, 21 ... cargo handling lever, 2
2 ... Instrument panel, 22a ... Armrest part, 31
a-31c ... cargo handling lever, 32 ... instrument panel, 32a ... armrest, 33a-33c ... operating knob,
34 ... Bent portion.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An instrument panel disposed in front of a driver's seat, and one or a plurality of operation levers extending upward through the instrument panel, the instrument panel including the operation lever. An instrument panel structure for an industrial vehicle in which an armrest portion extending from the vicinity of the vehicle toward the driver's seat is formed. 2. The instrument panel structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of operation levers are arranged following the direction in which the armrest portion extends and move so as to intersect with the direction. 3. The armrest portion is formed in an inverted “H” shape having a bent portion, and the plurality of operation levers are formed in an inverted “L” shape, and the plurality of operation levers are formed in the same shape. The instrument panel structure according to claim 2, wherein when the operation levers are in the neutral position, the tips of the operation levers are arranged so as to be located at substantially the same distance from the bent portion. 4. The instrument panel structure according to claim 1, wherein the armrest portion is hinged to the instrument panel.