Switchbox Guide for Work Vehicle Operator Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of work vehicles, such as wheel loaders, face difficulties in accurately operating switches due to vehicle shaking, leading to potential mistakes in switch operation.
Innovation Solution
The placement of an operating lever between pillars and a switchbox installed on a pillar with its operating surface oriented perpendicular to the driver's seat backrest and center line, featuring a guide for stable finger placement and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the work operation panel is installed on the front pillar to allow easy visual recognition and operation, then the operator can easily see and access the switches, but the vehicle shaking makes it hard for the operator to position his or her finger on the desired switch
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the switch and the operator's finger. The guide extends from the switch housing toward the operator, providing a physical path that directs the finger to the correct switch position. This intermediary structure compensates for the effects of vehicle shaking by maintaining proper finger-switch alignment even when the vehicle moves.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the spatial parameters of the switch interface by extending a guide structure that alters the effective position and orientation of the switch relative to the operator's hand. This parameter change creates a more stable interaction geometry that is less sensitive to vehicle vibrations and shaking movements.
2Ease of operation
If the switchbox is installed on the pillar with operating surface oriented perpendicular to the driver's seat, then the switches are easily visible and accessible, but the operator cannot accurately position the finger on the switch during vehicle shaking
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure serves as a mediator that bridges the gap between the switchbox position and the operator's finger. It provides a physical reference that enhances positioning precision without requiring the operator to visually locate and manually position the finger on the switch, thereby solving the precision problem while maintaining accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure performs the preliminary action of pre-positioning and pre-aligning the operator's finger with the correct switch before actual contact is made. This preliminary guidance ensures that even during vehicle shaking, the finger is already in the correct position or trajectory to accurately activate the intended switch.
Data Source
AI summary
This invention provides a work vehicle in which operating switches are easy to operate even in a situation where the vehicle is shaken. In a wheel loader 1 including a working device 2 and a cab 3, wherein the cab 3 is provided with a driver's seat 51, a pair of front pillars 331L, 331R, an operating lever 54 for operating the working device 2, and a switchbox 55 having an operating surface 550 in which multiple operating switches S are arranged, the operating lever 54 is placed between a right front pillar 331R and the driver's seat 51, the switchbox 55 is installed to the right front pillar 331R with its long side direction being along the pillar extension direction, the operating surface 550 is oriented toward a direction along an imaginary line IL that passes through the center in its short side direction and extends perpendicular to the surface, the imaginary line intersecting a backrest of the driver's seat 51 and a center line C with respect to the left and right direction of the cab 3, and one side of the switchbox 55 in a short side direction has a guide 553 formed to overhang out along its long side direction.