Earth Working Machine Panel Arrangement Lifted With Canopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Earth working machines, such as road milling machines, face increased vandalism risks when unattended, as unauthorized individuals can access the operator's platform, putting the panel arrangements and other components at risk due to their exposure during transport positions.
Innovation Solution
The panel arrangement is designed to be liftable and lowerable together with the protective canopy, incorporating translational motion to move closer to the operator's platform floor in the transport position, thereby concealing it and making it inaccessible or harder to attack, while also being connected to the protective canopy and a connecting base via a linear guidance system for enhanced protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the protective canopy is lowered to the transport position, then the vertical dimension of the machine is decreased for compliant transport, but the panel arrangement becomes exposed and accessible to vandals
Solution Approach 1:
The panel arrangement is nested within the operator's platform floor structure. When the protective canopy is lowered to the transport position, the panel arrangement is simultaneously lowered and concealed within the platform floor, making it inaccessible to vandals while maintaining the compact vertical dimension required for transport compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The panel arrangement is moved from a fixed position to a movable position along the vertical dimension. By coupling the panel arrangement's motion to the protective canopy's lowering action, the panel arrangement transitions to a concealed position within the operator's platform floor, changing its vertical position to resolve the contradiction between compact transport dimension and vandalism protection
2Ease of operation
If the panel arrangement is pivoted with the connecting frame around the machine frame pivot axis, then the protective canopy can be lowered for transport, but the panel arrangement remains exposed at regions not near the pivot axis
Solution Approach 1:
The motion of the panel arrangement is merged with the motion of the protective canopy. Both components are coupled to move together along the same translational path, ensuring that when the protective canopy is lowered for transport, the panel arrangement is simultaneously lowered and concealed, eliminating the exposure problem that occurs with independent pivoting motion
Solution Approach 2:
A linear guidance system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the protective canopy and the panel arrangement. This guidance system couples their motions, ensuring that the panel arrangement follows the protective canopy's translational path and becomes concealed within the operator's platform floor, preventing vandalism while maintaining operational ease
Data Source
AI summary
An earth working machine (10), for example a road milling machine (10), recycler, stabilizer, or surface miner, having a propelling unit (22) and a machine frame (12); the earth working machine (10) comprising a working apparatus (32) for earth working; and an operator's platform (24), having an operator's platform floor (64) and having at least one operating device (26), being provided on the machine frame (12); the earth working machine (10) comprising a protective canopy (44) liftable and lowerable relative to the operator's platform floor (64) between a lifted operating position and a lowered transport position; the earth working machine (10) comprising a panel arrangement (46) having an upper edge (46a) located closer to the protective canopy (44), having a lower edge (46b) located farther from the protective canopy (44) at a distance from the upper edge (46a), and having two side edges (46c, 46d) spanning the distance between the upper And the lower edge (46a, 46b); the panel arrangement (46) being connected in an upper connecting region (58), located closer to its upper edge (46a) than to its lower edge (46b), to the protective canopy (44) and being connected in a lower connecting region (60), located closer to its lower edge (46b) than to its upper edge (46a), to the machine frame (12) and/or to the operator's platform floor (64) constituting a connecting base. Provision is made according to the present invention that the panel arrangement (46) is liftable and lowerable together with the protective canopy (44), the panel arrangement (46) being received on the earth working machine (10) with its lower edge (46b) movably toward and away from the operator's platform floor (64).