Control and steering device for a crawler vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857826-B2
Application number	US-201113881105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2011
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A control device for a crawler vehicle comprises a control lever activated by an operator about a fulcrum and having a free end, the control lever being displaceable along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle between a proximal position closer to the operator and a distal position further from the operator in order to control a main clutch of the vehicle, the control device further comprising a support element suitable for being fixed to a body of the vehicle in order to support an operator's hand when the hand acts on the control lever, the control lever having an intermediate portion interposed between the free end and the fulcrum, the intermediate portion being so shaped as to partially embrace the support element in the proximal position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device for a crawler vehicle, comprising:
a control lever positioned at least partially in a control console, the control lever activated by an operator about a fulcrum and having a free end, the control lever being displaceable along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle between a proximal position closer to a seat for the operator and a distal position further from the seat for the operator in order to control a main clutch of the vehicle, the control device further comprising
a support element fixed to the control console of the vehicle, the support element including a lower portion having a pair of anchoring appendages and an upper portion opposite the lower portion, each anchoring appendage unmovably fastened at one end to opposite sides of an operator-facing portion of the control console, the upper portion of the support element including a handrail connected to each free end of each anchoring appendage and extending across the control console, the handrail including an arc-shaped central region projecting outward relative to first and second adjacent side regions of the handrail such that the arc-shaped central region is curved outwardly away from the lower portion of the handrail between the adjacent side, the first adjacent side region extending outwardly from one of the anchoring appendages and connecting directly to one end of the arc-shaped central region, the second adjacent side region extending outwardly from another of the anchoring appendages and connecting directly to an opposed end of the arc-shaped central region;

wherein the control lever has an intermediate portion interposed between the free end and the fulcrum, the intermediate portion being positioned between the arc-shaped central region of the handrail and the control console, the intermediate portion including a lower branch and an upper branch joined to one another so as to define a bend that partially surrounds a portion of the arc-shaped central region of the handrail when the control lever is positioned in the proximal position.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein, at the arc-shaped central region, the handrail has an approximately elliptical cross-section, the cross-section having a major axis inclined by an angle of less than 45° with respect to a horizontal direction.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of anchoring appendages further comprise a right anchoring appendage and a left anchoring appendage which extend in substantially vertical directions.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control lever extends along a longitudinal axis which, in the intermediate portion, has a curved geometry with a concavity facing towards the support element.

5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control lever extends along a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis being shaped along the lower branch of the intermediate portion of the control lever so as to follow an arc of circumference centered in the fulcrum.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein a modulating portion is interposed between the free end and the intermediate portion of the control lever, the modulating portion being operable for performing a controlled skating of the main clutch, the modulating portion extending preferably along a substantially straight line.

7. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the free end of the control lever is inclined in a forward direction with respect to the modulating portion.

8. The control device according to claim 7 , wherein the distal position corresponds to a configuration in which the main clutch is engaged.

9. The control device according to claim 8 , wherein said proximal position corresponds to a configuration in which a gearing mechanism of the vehicle gearbox is braked in order to easily engage a gear.

10. The control device according to claim 9 , wherein a stable neutral intermediate position is provided between the proximal position and the distal position, and the control lever moves into the stable neutral intermediate position when the control lever is released in the proximal position or in a position interposed between the proximal position and the distal position.

11. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the handrail extends directly between the pair of anchoring appendages.

12. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the arc-shaped central region is positioned between the upper branch and the lower branch when the control lever is positioned in the proximal position.

13. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first adjacent side region extends upwardly and transversely from one of the anchoring appendages to connect directly to one end of the arc-shaped central region and the second adjacent side region extends upwardly and transversely from another of the anchoring appendages to connect directly to the opposed end of the arc-shaped central region.

Assignees

• Conti Enrico
• Magrini Sergio
• Pertusi Franco
• Sghedoni Lorenzo
• Resca Ivano
• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Conti Enrico
• Magrini Sergio
• Pertusi Franco
• Sghedoni Lorenzo
• Resca Ivano

Classifications

• Y10T74/20612

  Hand · CPC title

• E02F9/2004

  Control mechanisms, e.g. control levers (control levers per se G05G) · CPC title

• B62D1/14

  Tillers, i.e. hand levers operating on steering columns · CPC title

• G05G1/04 Primary

  Controlling members for hand actuation by pivoting movement, e.g. levers · CPC title