WO1996015009A1

WO1996015009A1 - Safety arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO1996015009A1
Application number: PCT/GB1995/002625
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven Brown; Desmond Mills; Malcolm Mills
Original assignee: Steven Brown; Desmond Mills; Malcolm Mills
Priority date: 1994-11-11
Filing date: 1995-11-10
Publication date: 1996-05-23
Also published as: GB9422797D0; AU3850095A

Abstract

A lens (10) and its mounting arrangement (12) for providing the operator of a construction vehicle (32) with an enhanced view of an area (34) invaded by a swinging boom or other hazardous machinery mounted on the vehicle. The lens (10) is a combination of a prism and a concave lens. The prism diverts the operator's view downwards, and the concave lens covers a wider area than otherwise. The mounting arrangement (12) enables the lens (10) to be mounted on a standard preexisting part (30) of the vehicle (32) without modification other than providing screw holes. The operator can easily see to avoid colliding with persons or other hazards within the operating area.

Description

"Safety Arrangement"

This invention is relates to a safety arrangement for self-propelled machinery, and relates more particularly but not exclusively to arrangements for improving the safety of use of constructional vehicles such as diggers (self-propelled excavators) and earth-moving vehicles.

A common form of constructional vehicle is the backhoe loader, in which a backhoe is used for digging. It is common for these to be used for digging in situations where the operator's view of the excavation is severely restricted because of the relative positions of the operator's seat and the excavation, the view being further restricted by the intervening digging boom and mechanism. This has led to a poor safety record, and there is a need to improve upon this.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a safety arrangement for self- propelled portable or mobile machinery, which machinery comprises a main body and a powered operating member extendable outwardly and downwardly relative to the main body, the safety arrangement comprising a viewing device mounted on the main body at a height of the same order as the height of the operator's head and adapted to divert the path of vision from the operator towards ground level in the region of operation of the operating member.

Preferably, the viewing device is mounted externally of the operator's cabin.

Preferably, the viewing device is a viewing device according to the second aspect of the present invention.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a viewing device for use with self- propelled portable or mobile machinery, the viewing device comprising a lens member secured to a bracket, the bracket being adapted to be secured at a predetermined position on predetermined machinery such that the lens member affords a downwardly deflected view to an operator of the machinery.

The lens member preferably comprises an optically transparent prismatic lens shaped and disposed such that when the lens member is secured by the bracket at said predetermined position, a generally horizontal parallel beam of incident light is diverged and deflected by the lens downwardly relative to the incident beam. For dimensional compactness, the lens is preferably realised as a Fresnel lens.

The invention further resides in a viewing device for use with a constructional vehicle, the viewing device comprising a lens member secured to a bracket adapted for attachment to the vehicle, the lens member comprising a Fresnel lens having a plane face and a prismatic face, a transparent cover arranged over said prismatic face, and means sealing the edge of said prismatic face to said cover.

Said prismatic face is preferably also a concave face.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

Fig. 1 is an end view of a viewing device forming one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the device in use on a backhoe loader; and

Figs. 4 to 9 respectively illustrate further embodiments of the present invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a viewing device 10 comprises an optical member (detailed below) secured to a bracket 12.

The optical member of the viewing device 10 comprises a Fresnel lens member 14 having a plane surface 16 and a Fresnel surface 18 which is both prismatic and concave. The surface 18 is covered by a plane transparent cover 20. A sealing strip or gasket 22 is provided between the edges of the prismatic/concave surface 18 and the cover 20. Conveniently, the lens member 14, the cover 20 and the gasket 22 are of plastics materials and are glued together.

The cover 20 extends at its top beyond the lens member 14 to provide an area which is secured to a first portion 12A of the bracket 12, suitably by an adhesive.

The bracket 12 has a second portion 12B arranged at an angle, in this example 25°, to the first portion 12A. The bracket 12 may suitably be of steel strip which is protected against corrosion by being painted or plastic-coated. The second bracket portion 12B is provided with fixing holes 24 for mounting the device to a support by means of bolts or the like.

As seen in Fig. 3, the viewing device 10 of Figs 1 and 2 is secured to an existing strut 30 at the rear of a backhoe loader 32 such that the lens 14 is in a vertical plane. The angle between the bracket portions 12A and 12B is chosen for this purpose. In this position, the viewing device 10 affords the vehicle operator a view downwardly towards the excavation 34, without the operator having to leave his or her seated position at the vehicle controls.

It is known to use prismatic/concave Fresnel lens devices as an aid to rear vision in road vehicles, especially when parking. In that application, however, the rear view aid is secured internally to the rear window of the vehicle, and such devices have not hitherto been used externally of vehicles, or in non- driving vehicle operations such as digging.

Although described above specifically with reference to backhoe loaders, the present invention may also be used with other constructional vehicles such as tracked diggers. Moreover, the viewing device may be used at the front, instead of or in addition to the rear, of a constructional vehicle, for example to allow an improved view of a loading shovel in use at ground level.

Other forms of vehicle generally employed in the constructional industry and on which the present invention may be employed include:-

Excavators (wheeled & tracked) ; Teleporters/uploaders; Skid-steered loaders/mini-excavators; Loaders & shovels (wheeled & tracked) ; Bulldozers; Graders; Mobile cranes; Mobile drilling machines; Road-laying & grading machines.

In the context of the quarry industry, vehicles and other machinery on which the present invention may be employed comprise:-

dump trucks (fixed & articulated) ; excavators (wheeled & tracked) ; Crushers & recyclers.

In respect of agricultural vehicles, the present invention may be employed upon tractors, teleporters and harvesters.

In the most general terms, the present invention can be employed as a safety arrangement on any applicable form of self-propelled portable or mobile machinery. For example, besides the vehicles mentioned above, the invention can be applied to aircraft-handling machines and warehouse handling machines.

In maritime applications, the viewing safety arrangement of the present invention can be employed in place of or as a supplement to cameras for security and/or safety applications in ferries, ships, and oil/gas rigs.

In vehicular applications, the viewing safety arrangement of the present invention is particularly but not exclusively suited to extending/enhancing/ improving operators' vision to the rear and/or sides of vehicles, and (in both vehicular and non-vehicular applications) in any other situation that requires an improved view for safe working.

Figs. 1 and 2 have detailed one embodiment of the present invention suited for circumstances such as those depicted in Fig. 3. For other circumstances, such as additional or alternative viewing areas, or use on different vehicles, the further embodiments illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9 may be employed as appropriate. Details of these further embodiments will now be given.

Fig. 4 shows a viewing device 40 adapted for base mounting by the provision of a lower edge flange 42.

Fig. 5 shows a viewing device 50 adapted for side mounting by the provision of a side mounting bracket 52.

Fig. 6 shows a viewing device 60 adapted to be arm mounted by the provision of a side arm 62.

Fig. 7 shows a viewing device 70 adapted to be arm mounted by the provision of a top arm 72. (It is to be noted that the top arm 72 is untwisted, in contrast to the arrangement shown in Figs 1 and 2) . Fig 8. shows a viewing device 80 adapted for high-level mounting by the provision of a relatively tall mounting bracket 82 secured in use to a vehicle (not shown in Fig. 8) by means of a lower edge flange 84. In the viewing device 80, the concave/prismatic Fresnel lens 86 is somewhat larger than in the preceding embodiments of Figs. 4 to 7. (Fig. 8 is on a somewhat smaller scale than the scale of Figs. 4-7) .

Fig. 9 shows a viewing device 90 having a concave/prismatic Fresnel lens 92 similar in scale to the lens 86 in Fig. 8. The viewing device 90 is adapted for base mounting by the provision of a lower edge flange 94. The viewing device 90 is thus a large- scale version of the viewing device 40 shown in Fig. 4.

In each of Figs. 4 to 9 , screw holes in the respective mounting brackets/flanges/arms are omitted for the sake of clarity. (The embodiments of Figs. 4 to 9 may optionally be supplied without mounting holes, in order that these can be formed by the end user or vehicle manufacturer) .

While certain modifications and variations have been described above, the invention is not restricted thereto and other modification?and variations can be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended Claims.

Claims

1. A safety arrangement for self-propelled portable or mobile machinery, which machinery comprises a main body and a powered operating member extendable outwardly and downwardly relative to the main body, characterised in that the safety arrangement comprises a viewing device mounted on the main body at a height of the same order as the height of the operator's head and adapted to divert the path of vision from the operator towards ground level in the region of operation of the operating member.

2. A safety arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the viewing device is mounted externally of the operator's cabin.

3. A safety arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised in that the viewing device is mounted on a pre-existing part of the machinery.

4. A safety arrangement as claimed in any preceding Claim, characterised in that the machinery is a vehicular excavator.

5. A safety arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 , characterised in that the machinery is a vehicular load carrier.

6. A viewing device for use with self-propelled portable or mobile machinery, characterised in that the viewing device comprises a lens member secured to a bracket, the bracket being adapted to be secured at a predetermined position on predetermined machinery such that the lens member affords a downwardly deflected view to an operator of the machinery.

7. A viewing device as claimed in Claim 6, characterised in that the lens member comprises an optically transparent prismatic/concave lens shaped and disposed such that when the lens member is secured by the bracket at said predetermined position, a generally horizontal parallel beam of incident light is diverged and deflected by the lens downwardly relative to the incident beam.

8. A viewing device as claim in Claim 7, characterised in that the lens is realised as a Fresnel lens.

9. A viewing device for use with a constructional vehicle, characterised in that the viewing device comprises a lens member secured to a bracket adapted for attachment to the vehicle, the lens member comprising a Fresnel lens having a plane face and a prismatic face, a transparent cover arranged over said prismatic face, and means sealing the edge of said prismatic face to said cover.

10. A viewing device as claimed in Claim 9, characterised in that said prismatic face is also a concave face.