Tractor Cabin Rear Window Wiper Interlock for Pivot Position Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

The positioning of rear window wipers on agricultural machinery cabs, particularly tractors, can cause misalignment and damage due to the wiper's location and the swiveling of the rear window, leading to potential harm to the window, frame structure, and mechanical components.

Innovation Solution

A cabin design with a pivotable rear window and a handle equipped with a sensor device that interacts with actuating elements to enable or disable the windshield wiper based on the rear window's position, ensuring it is closed or slightly open, preventing misalignment and damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the rear window is made pivotable to improve cable routing and visibility, then adaptability and visibility are improved, but the windshield wiper can become misaligned and cause damage to the window, frame structure, and mechanical components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable routing capabilityVSAvoidwiper misalignment damage
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor device detects the rear window position in advance before the wiper operates. The control unit receives the position signal and determines whether wiper operation is safe, preventing misalignment damage by ensuring the window is in a safe position before activation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor device provides continuous feedback about the rear window position to the control unit. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor the window position and only enable wiper operation when the sensor detects a safe position, preventing harmful misalignment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If a sensor device is added to the handle to detect window position, then reliability is improved by preventing damage, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamage preventionVSAvoidsensor and control system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor device serves multiple functions: it detects the rear window position for both safety control (preventing wiper operation when misaligned) and enabling the wiper function when the window is in a safe position. The control unit integrates position detection and wiper control in a single system, reducing overall complexity despite adding the sensor

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4424958B1Cabin for an agricultural machine
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 CLAAS TRACTOR
  • EP4424958B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4424958B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP4424958B1 patent drawingFigure 2C

AI summary

The present invention relates to a cabin (3) for an agricultural machine (1), in particular a tractor (2), comprising a frame structure (4) on which a rear window (12) is pivotably mounted. The rear window (12) is pivotable between a closed position (S), a first open position (O1), and a second open position (O2) and can be locked in each of these positions. A handle (13) is provided for operating and locking the rear window (12), comprising an actuating element (15) attached to the rear window (12) and a retaining element (16) attached to the frame structure (4). The cabin (3) further includes a windshield wiper (14) for cleaning the rear window (12).The cabin (3) is characterized in that the handle (13) includes a sensor device (17), wherein the sensor device (17) interacts with the actuating element (15) in the closed position (S) and the first open position (O1) of the rear window (12) and operation of the windscreen wiper (14) is only enabled then.