Work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a work vehicle which can prevent an operator from kicking and braking a lower louver with their heels, in a constitution in which the lower louver is installed at the position of the height of feet below a seat.SOLUTION: A work vehicle 1 includes: a travel device 10; work devices 12, 13, 14 actuating by a hydraulic oil pressure; and an operation chamber 16 for performing operation of travel and work. The operation chamber 16 includes: a seat 15 where an operator is seated; and an upper louver 19 and a lower louver 20 for feeding at least one of warm air and cool air into the chamber. The lower louver 20 is constituted using a harder material than that of the upper louver 19, and is disposed at the height of the operator's feet below the seat 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle equipped with a hydraulically operated working device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally known examples of work vehicles include hydraulic excavators and track loaders, each of which has a lower body to which tires or crawlers for running are attached, an upper body disposed on the lower body, and a working device attached to the lower body or upper body and operated by hydraulic pressure (i.e., hydraulic oil at a predetermined pressure).

[0003] For example, in a work vehicle having a sealed driver's cab, a configuration is known in which a heater unit is provided to blow warm air into the cabin, and a configuration is also known in which an air conditioning unit is provided to blow cool air into the cabin (see Patent Document 1: JP 2006-132134 A). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-132134 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-044877 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In conventional work vehicles, a mechanism for blowing warm or cold air into the cab is known that includes upper louvers installed in the upper part of the cabin and blowing air mainly toward the operator's hands or the windshield, and lower louvers installed in the lower part of the cabin and blowing air mainly toward the operator's feet, etc. (See Patent Document 2: JP 2020-044877 A).

[0006] Here, when attempting to install the lower louvers below the seat at a position where the operator's feet are located (more specifically, at foot height), as in the work vehicle exemplified in Patent Document 2, it may be necessary to configure the lower louvers to be located behind the foot switch, for example. However, it has become clear that this configuration poses a problem in that the operator kicks the lower louvers with his heel when stepping on the foot switch, causing the lower louvers to be damaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a work vehicle in which the lower louvers are installed at foot height below the seat, and which can prevent the operator from kicking the lower louvers with their heels and damaging them.

[0008] The present invention solves the above problems by the solution means described below as one embodiment.

[0009] (1) In one embodiment, a work vehicle is provided with a traveling device, a hydraulically operated working device, and a driver's cab in which the vehicle is driven and operated for work. The driver's cab has a seat for an operator, and upper and lower louvers for blowing at least one of warm air and cool air into the cabin. The lower louvers are constructed using a harder material than the upper louvers and are positioned below the seat at the height of the operator's feet.

[0010] According to the above configuration, even if an operator kicks the lower louver with his heel, the lower louver can be prevented from being damaged.

[0011] (2) In the work vehicle of the above aspect (1), it is preferable that the lower louvers be thinner overall than the upper louvers. For example, known upper louvers installed at a position close to the operator's hands have a certain thickness, and if this configuration is applied directly to lower louvers installed at the height of the operator's feet, there is a problem that the foot space in the cab is narrowed. The above configuration can solve this problem.

[0012] (3) In the work vehicle according to the above aspect (1) or (2), the lower louvers preferably have a slide shutter type opening and closing structure. This allows for a thin lower louver overall, thereby solving the problem of narrowing the foot space in the driver's cab.

[0013] (4) In the work vehicle of the above aspect (1) or (2), the lower louvers preferably have a rotating blade opening / closing structure. This makes it easier to form the louvers than when a sliding shutter type structure is used, since there is no need to provide a moving mechanism for sliding movement.

[0014] (5) In the work vehicle of aspect (3) above, it is preferable that the lower louver has a bracket in which a first ventilation hole is formed, and a shutter in which a second ventilation hole is formed at a position corresponding to the first ventilation hole and slidably attached to the back side of the bracket, and that a biasing member is provided so that the shutter is fixed in a state pressed against the bracket. This makes it possible to prevent the shutter from opening and closing unintentionally due to vibrations or the like, or from easily coming off.

[0015] (6) The work vehicle according to the above aspect (5) further includes a duct that guides the cool air or the warm air to the lower louver. The duct is disposed in contact with or adjacent to the bracket so that the first ventilation hole of the bracket is located inside the tip opening when viewed from the front. The lower louver is preferably disposed on at least one of the right and left sides of the seat. The shutter preferably has a guide plate extending into the duct to guide the blown air toward the other side of the seat. For example, when installing an air conditioning unit or duct in a seat box to which the seat is fixed, equipment layout constraints may force the lower louver to be positioned offset to the right or left side of the seat. However, such an arrangement can result in uneven heating and cooling effects in the cab. The above configuration can solve this problem.

[0016] (7) In the work vehicle of aspect (6) above, it is preferable that the shutter is arranged so that the operation knob is located outside the tip opening of the duct when viewed from the front in the open state. By locating the part of the shutter where the operation knob is fixed outside the tip opening of the duct, the area of ​​the second ventilation hole of the shutter can be made larger, and the amount of ventilation can be increased.

[0017] (8) In the work vehicle according to any one of the above aspects (1) to (7), the lower louvers are preferably made of a metal material. This allows the lower louvers to be made of a harder material than the upper louvers, which are generally made of a resin material. Therefore, even if the operator kicks the lower louvers with his heel, the lower louvers can be prevented from being damaged.

[0018] (9) In the work vehicle according to any one of the above aspects (1) to (8), it is preferable that the blower and evaporator constituting the air conditioning unit are disposed in a seat box in which the seat is secured in the driver's cab. This allows the space in the seat box to be effectively utilized as an installation space for the devices constituting the air conditioning unit. In addition, the evaporator can be disposed closer to the lower louver, thereby improving cooling efficiency. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to one embodiment of the work vehicle, the lower louvers are configured to be installed below the seat at foot height, which prevents the operator from kicking the lower louvers with their heels and damaging them. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a driver's cab of the work vehicle of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration inside the seat box of the driver's cab in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the lower louvers and ducts of the cab of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of a lower louver of the driver's cab of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a lower louver of the driver's cab of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the driver's cab of the work vehicle of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram (perspective view from above the left front) showing an example of a work vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. For ease of explanation, arrows may be used in the drawings to indicate up / down, left / right, and front / rear directions. In addition, in all drawings used to explain the embodiment, members having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations may be omitted.

[0022] First, a description will be given of the overall configuration of the work vehicle 1. A hydraulic excavator will be used as an example of the work vehicle 1. However, the work vehicle 1 is not limited to a hydraulic excavator.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, a work vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body including an underbody 2 and an upper body 3 disposed on top of the underbody 2.

[0024] The work vehicle 1 is equipped with working devices 12, 13, and 14 that are attached to the underbody 2 and upper body 3 and are operated by hydraulic pressure (hydraulic oil at a predetermined pressure). The underbody 2 is equipped with a traveling device 10 that enables travel. The upper body 3 is equipped with a seat 15 for an operator and a cab 16 that is equipped with various operating devices. The cab 16 in this embodiment is an enclosed cabin.

[0025] An example of the traveling device 10 is provided with four traveling wheels 11 arranged on the left and right sides of the front and the left and right sides of the rear. The traveling wheels 11 have tires 11B fitted around the outer periphery of wheels 11A (there are both single and double types). However, the traveling device 10 is not limited to the traveling wheels 11. As a modified example, the work vehicle 1 may be configured to have caterpillars (crawlers) instead of the traveling wheels 11 (not shown). The traveling wheels 11 are driven (traveled) by a traveling hydraulic motor (not shown).

[0026] An example of the working device 12 is a blade 40. The blade 40 is attached to the lower body 2 so as to be swingable up and down (including forward and backward). The blade 40 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (blade cylinder) 50.

[0027] An example of the working device 13 is provided with outriggers 60. The outriggers 60 are attached to the lower body 2 so that they can extend out to the left and right and touch the ground. The outriggers 60 are driven by hydraulic cylinders (not shown). Note that when crawlers are used for the traveling device 10, the configuration is usually such that no outriggers are provided (not shown).

[0028] Examples of the working device 14 include a boom 42, an arm 44, and an attachment 46 (e.g., a bucket). The boom 42 is attached to the upper body 3 so as to be swingable up and down (including a front-to-rear component). In this embodiment, a boom bracket 48 is provided between the upper body 3 and the boom 42. The boom bracket 48 allows the boom 42 to swing left and right (including a front-to-rear component) relative to the upper body 3. Note that the boom bracket 48 may be omitted. The arm 44 is attached to the boom 42 so as to be swingable up and down (including a front-to-rear component). The attachment 46 is attached to the arm 44 so as to be swingable up and down (including a front-to-rear component). The boom 42 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (boom cylinder) 52. The arm 44 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (arm cylinder) 54. The attachment 46 is driven by a hydraulic cylinder (bucket cylinder) 56. However, the attachment 46 is not limited to a bucket, and various attachments such as a breaker or an auger may be used (not shown). Also, a quick hitch (not shown) may be interposed between the arm 44 and the attachment 46.

[0029] The drive mechanism for driving the traveling hydraulic motor and each hydraulic cylinder is composed of, for example, a hydraulic pump (main hydraulic pump, etc.) driven by a drive source, a control valve, etc. (not shown). An operator operates a predetermined operating device to actuate the control valve, which controls the supply of hydraulic oil at a predetermined pressure delivered from the hydraulic pump to the traveling hydraulic motor and each hydraulic cylinder. This allows the traveling device 10 to travel and the working devices 12, 13, and 14 to perform work. One or more hydraulic pumps may be provided as components of the drive mechanism, depending on the configuration and load of the traveling device 10 and the working devices 12, 13, and 14.

[0030] The work vehicle 1 is equipped with an engine (an internal combustion engine that burns fuel) as the drive source. As another example of the drive source, instead of or together with the engine, an electric motor (one or more depending on the number of hydraulic pumps, rated output, etc.) may be provided (not shown).

[0031] It should be noted that other mechanisms for travel and work in the work vehicle 1 according to this embodiment are similar to those of known work vehicles (hydraulic excavators), and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0032] Next, the configuration of the cab 16 will be described. Here, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the interior of the cab 16 (a perspective view from above the left front). The cab 16 is provided with various operating devices 61 to 65 (representative ones are numbered) for operating the traveling device 10, the work devices 12, 13, 14, etc. Note that the operating device 65 in the figure is a "foot switch" that the operator operates by stepping on it with their foot. As a specific operation example, operating the operating device (e.g., the right lever) without stepping on the foot switch 65 can move the blade 40 up and down. On the other hand, operating the operating device (e.g., the right lever) while stepping on the foot switch 65 can, for example, operate an attachment (not shown) connected to a service circuit in the case of the work vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, or, as another example, change the spacing between the left and right crawlers (i.e., the width in the lateral direction) in the case of a work vehicle (not shown) equipped with crawlers.

[0033] As described above, the cab 16 according to this embodiment is an enclosed cabin and is equipped with both a heater unit capable of blowing hot air into the cabin and an air conditioning unit capable of blowing cold air into the cabin. However, the configuration is not limited to the above, and the cab 16 may be configured to include only one of the units.

[0034] Here, within the cab 16, a seat box 17 serving as a base is attached to the floor plate 4, and a seat 15 is fixed on top of the seat box 17. Here, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration within the seat box 17 (the arrangement of equipment when viewed from the front) (the front panel of the seat box 17 is not shown so that the interior can be seen). In this embodiment, a fan 28 and an evaporator 29, which are equipment that constitute an air conditioning unit, are arranged within the seat box 17. Note that one fan 28 that blows air is provided common to both the air conditioning unit and the heater unit.

[0035] According to the above configuration, the space inside the seat box 17 to which the seat 15 is fixed can be effectively used as an installation space for the devices that make up the air conditioning unit. Also, since the evaporator 29 can be positioned closer to the lower louver 20 (described later), cooling efficiency can be improved.

[0036] The cab 16 also has, as a mechanism for blowing hot and cold air into the cabin, a plurality of upper louvers 19 (or one) installed in the upper part of the cabin and blowing air mainly toward the operator's hands, the windshield 18, etc., and one (or more) lower louvers 20 installed in the lower part of the cabin and blowing air mainly toward the operator's feet, etc. Furthermore, a duct (not shown) is provided to guide the cold or hot air blown by a fan 28 arranged in the seat box 17 to the upper louvers 19, and a duct 24 is provided to guide the cold or hot air to the lower louvers 20. Here, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the lower louvers 20 and duct 24 in a plan view.

[0037] Here, the lower louvers 20 are made of a harder material compared to the upper louvers 19, and are disposed at the height of the operator's feet below the seat 15. Note that "the height of the operator's feet" refers to the height range from the floor surface (the upper surface of the floor plate 4 or the upper surface of a mat (not shown) laid on the floor plate 4) to around the ankles of the operator (approximately 20 cm).

[0038] As mentioned above, in conventional work vehicles, if the lower louvers were to be installed at foot height, they would be located behind the foot switch, which could result in the operator kicking the lower louvers with his heel when stepping on the foot switch and damaging them. In contrast, with the above-described configuration of this embodiment, even when the same arrangement as in the past is adopted, the lower louvers 20 are made of a hard material, so damage caused by the operator kicking the lower louvers 20 with his heel when stepping on the foot switch 65 can be prevented.

[0039] As an example, the lower louvers 20 are formed from a metal material (for example, a stainless steel alloy, an aluminum alloy, etc.). With this configuration, the lower louvers 20 can be formed from a harder material compared to the upper louvers 19, which are generally formed from a resin material. Note that, other than a metal material, a resin material that is relatively harder than the material forming the upper louvers 19 may also be used.

[0040] Furthermore, the lower louvers 20 are configured to be thinner overall than the upper louvers 19. With this configuration, for example, the known upper louvers 19 installed at a position close to the operator's hands have a certain thickness, and if this configuration is applied as is to the lower louvers 20 installed at the operator's feet, the problem of narrowing the foot space in the cab 16 occurs, but this problem can be solved.

[0041] As an example, the lower louver 20 has a sliding shutter-type opening / closing structure. Fig. 5 is a front view showing the configuration of the lower louver 20, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view from below the left rear portion. Specifically, the lower louver 20 includes a bracket 21 having first ventilation holes 31 formed therein, and a shutter 22 having second ventilation holes 32 formed at positions corresponding to the first ventilation holes 31 and slidably attached to the rear surface of the bracket 21. The "second ventilation holes 32 formed at positions corresponding to the first ventilation holes 31" configuration refers to a configuration in which, depending on the sliding position of the shutter 22, when the second ventilation holes 32 are aligned with the first ventilation holes 31, the shutter 22 is in an open (open) state allowing air to pass through (the open area varies depending on the degree of alignment), and when the second ventilation holes 32 are not aligned with the first ventilation holes 31, the shutter 22 is in a closed (blocked) state preventing air from passing through. In addition, an operation knob 35 that the operator pinches and operates when sliding the shutter 22 left and right is erected on the front of the shutter 22, and the bracket 21 at the corresponding position has a long knob insertion hole 33 through which the operation knob 35 is inserted, causing it to protrude toward the front side of the bracket 21 and allowing left and right movement.

[0042] According to the above configuration, as described above, a large foot space, i.e., a space to place one's feet, can be secured in the cab 16, thereby improving the comfort of the operator. Also, compared to the case where a rotating blade opening / closing structure is employed, a larger opening area (i.e., the area of ​​the first ventilation holes 31 and the second ventilation holes 32) can be secured, thereby increasing the air volume. Furthermore, because the operation knob 35 protrudes forward, the operator seated on the seat 15 can operate the operation knob 35 (moving it left and right) by pinching it without visually checking it, that is, can slide the shutter 22 to open and close the ventilation holes (switching between the open state and the blocked state).

[0043] The lower louver 20 is also provided with a biasing member 38, and the shutter 22 is fixed in a state where it is pressed against the bracket 21. In this embodiment, a configuration is provided in which the biasing member 38 (for example, a disc spring is used) is fitted onto a bolt 37 that passes through the bracket 21 and the shutter 22, and the bolt 37 is fastened with a nut 39 (for example, a double nut is used to prevent rotation), and the shutter 22 is fixed in a state where it is pressed against the bracket 21 (however, the present invention is not limited to this configuration).

[0044] The above configuration can prevent the shutter 22 from opening and closing unintentionally due to vibrations, etc., and from coming off easily. In addition, by changing the fixing position of the nut 39, it is possible to adjust the pressing force of the biasing member (disc spring) 38.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the duct 24 is arranged so that it abuts or is close to the bracket 21, so that the first ventilation hole 31 of the bracket 21 is located inside the tip opening 24a of the duct 24 when viewed from the front (the position of the duct 24 is shown by a dashed line in Figure 5).

[0046] The lower louver 20 is disposed at a position (in this embodiment, the right position) on either the right or left side (or both) of the seat 15, i.e., the center line in the left-right direction of the seat 15. Here, as shown in Fig. 4, the shutter 22 is provided with a guide plate 34 extending into the duct 24 to guide the blown air to the other position (in this embodiment, the left position) of the seat 15.

[0047] When attempting to install an air conditioning unit and duct 24 inside the seat box 17 to which the seat 15 is fixed, as in this embodiment, restrictions on equipment layout necessitate locating the lower louver 20 in a position offset to the right or left of the seat 15. However, such an arrangement poses a problem in that the effectiveness of heating and cooling in the cab 16 becomes uneven on the left and right sides. However, the above-described configuration can solve this problem.

[0048] 5, in the present embodiment, the shutter 22 is disposed so that, in the open state, the operation knob 35 is located outside the tip opening 24a of the duct 24 as viewed from the front. According to this configuration, by disposing the part of the shutter 22 where the operation knob 35 is fixed outside the tip opening 24a of the duct 24, the area of ​​the second ventilation hole 32 of the shutter 22 can be made larger (wider), thereby increasing the amount of ventilation.

[0049] Next, another example of the lower louver 20 will be described. Here, Fig. 7 is a perspective view (a perspective view from above the left front) of the interior of the cab 16. The lower louver 20 according to this example has a structure with a rotating blade opening and closing structure. With this structure, compared to a sliding shutter type structure, there is no need to provide a moving mechanism (rails, guides, grooves, etc.) for sliding movement, and therefore it can be easily formed.

[0050] As described above, with the above-mentioned work vehicle, when the lower louvers are installed below the seat at foot height, it is possible to prevent the operator from kicking the lower louvers with their heels and damaging them.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment (hydraulic excavator), but can also be applied to a work vehicle (such as a track loader) in which the upper body does not rotate relative to the lower body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1. Work vehicles 10 Running gear 12, 13, 14 Work equipment 15 sheets 16 Driver's cab 19 Upper louver 20 Lower louver 21 Bracket 22 Shutter

Claims

1. A work vehicle comprising a traveling device, a hydraulically operated working device, and a driver's cab for operating the vehicle and working, the operator's cab has a seat for an operator, and upper and lower louvers for blowing at least one of cool air and warm air into the cab; The lower louvers are made of a harder material than the upper louvers and are disposed below the seat at the height of the operator's feet. A work vehicle characterized by:

2. The lower louver is configured to be thinner overall than the upper louver.

2. The work vehicle according to claim 1,

3. The lower louver has a slide shutter type opening and closing structure.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

4. The lower louver has a rotating blade opening and closing structure.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

5. The lower louver has a bracket in which a first ventilation hole is formed, and a shutter in which a second ventilation hole is formed at a position corresponding to the first ventilation hole and which is slidably attached to the rear side of the bracket, and is provided with a biasing member so that the shutter is fixed in a state in which it is pressed against the bracket.

4. The work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein:

6. Further provided is a duct for guiding the cold air or the hot air to the lower louver, the duct is disposed in contact with or adjacent to the bracket so that the first ventilation hole of the bracket is located inside the tip opening in a front view, The lower louver is disposed at least on one of the right and left sides of the seat, and the shutter is provided with a guide plate extending into the duct to guide the blown air to the other side of the seat.

6. The work vehicle according to claim 5,

7. The shutter is arranged so that an operation knob is located outside the tip opening of the duct when viewed from the front in an open state.

7. The work vehicle according to claim 6,

8. The lower louver is made of a metal material.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

9. The driver's cab has a seat box in which the seat is fixed, and a fan and an evaporator constituting an air conditioning unit are disposed in the seat box.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

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