Extractable Side Ladder for Industrial Vehicle Cabin Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial vehicles with large cabin heights pose a challenge for easy access due to the distance of the side access edge from the vehicle's supporting plane, requiring additional structures like stairs or retractable stairways for effective entry and exit.
Innovation Solution
An extractable side ladder system with a top step acting as a landing, housed in a seat within the cabin, which extends from the side wall to facilitate access, combined with a rototranslating door mechanism for enhanced accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the cabin height is increased for large industrial vehicles, then the cabin provides better visibility and protection, but the side access edge becomes very far from the supporting plane making access difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The ladder is designed to be extractable and movable between a retracted position inside the cabin and an extended position outside, allowing dynamic adjustment to bridge the height gap. This dynamic structure enables easy access when extended and maintains a compact profile when retracted, resolving the contradiction between cabin height and access ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The ladder acts as an intermediary element between the supporting plane and the side opening. By introducing this intermediate structure, the patent enables safe and easy access to the elevated side opening without compromising the cabin's height and protective function.
2Ease of operation
If a retractable stairway assembly is installed to allow access to the raised cabin, then access is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access system is segmented into a ladder portion and a separate top step. The ladder can be extracted and positioned, while the top step remains fixed or is minimally movable. This segmentation simplifies the overall structure compared to a complete retractable stairway, reducing device complexity while maintaining ease of access.
Solution Approach 2:
The ladder is extracted from the cabin interior and positioned externally when needed for access. This extraction allows the main cabin structure to remain simple while providing access functionality only when required, reducing overall device complexity.
3Device complexity
If the door is hinged to move only about a vertical axis, then the hinge mechanism is simple, but the door cannot move away from the side wall to prevent contact with the ladder
Solution Approach 1:
The door hinge mechanism is made dynamic by adding a translation capability along the vertical hinge axis. The door can rotate about the axis and also translate vertically, allowing it to move away from the side wall when the ladder is extended. This dynamic movement prevents contact between the door and ladder, improving reliability while maintaining reasonable mechanism complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
An industrial vehicle, wherein a cabin (1) is provided with at least one side opening (7) to allow access to the inside of the cabin, and with a door (5) moving with respect to the cabin about a substantially vertical hinge axis A arranged, in use, between a closing position, in which the door (5) closes said side opening (7), and an opening position allowing access to the cabin through said side opening (7). An extractable ladder (12) comprises a plurality of steps (14) moving between a retracted rest position, in which the steps (14) are housed in a seat (16) provided in the cabin, and an extracted operating position, in which the steps (14) project from a side wall of the cabin.