ACCESS DOOR FOR OPERATOR'S CAB

Abstract: An operator's cab (12) such as for a self-propelled crop harvesting machine (10) is disclosed wherein the access door (35) is pivotally mounted on a forwardly inclined support post (26) The hinge axis (40) for the access door (35) is inclined in both a forward direction and in an inward direction toward an operator's station (20) to permit the bottom frame member (38) of the access door (35) to swing in a substantially horizontal plane. The access door (35) is pivotally movable between a closed position and a fully opened position which is approximately 90° of rotation apart. The hinge axis (40) casts a vertical projection relative to the access door (35) when the access door (35) is rotated midway between the closed and fully opened positions so that the bottom frame member (38) can be horizontally positioned in both the closed and fully opened positions without dropping below a horizontal plane.

Description: The present invention relates generally to operator's cabs such as mounted on self-propelled crop harvesting machines, such as combines, and, more particularly, to a means for pivotally mounting a cab access door about a non-vertical support post, yet permitting the access door to swing in a substantially horizontal plane. Modern self-propelled crop harvesting machines are generally equipped with an enclosed operator's cab in which the operator is seated to control the harvesting operation of the machine. Such operator's cabs are generally provided with environmental controls, such as air conditioning and sound absorbing materials, to improve the quality of the work environment for the operator. Operator cabs are generally mounted at an elevated position on the crop harvesting machine to afford the operator a field of view of the harvesting operation relative to the gathering of crop material from the field in which he is operating. To permit this field of view, the cab enclosure is provided with a number of transparent panels, normally glass, supported from vertical posts extending between the floor member and the roof member of the cab. To permit access into the cab, the cab enclosure is provided with an access door mounted for pivotal movement about a hinge axis supported by one of the vertical support posts. Alternatively and as is illustrated in WO-A-81/00.541, the access door may be mounted for pivotal movement about a hinge axis supported by both the roof and floor members of the cab. An inclination of support posts in forward and/or outward directions permits the transparent panels to be angled in such a manner as to reduce glare problems and provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Providing a forwardly inclined hinge axis for an access door such as can be obtained either by mounting this axis on a forwardly inclined support post or by mounting this axis in the manner as disclosed in WO-A-81/00.541, may present a problem for the opening of the access door under conditions where the cab and/or access ladder structural components present a constraint on vertical movements of the access door. For example, such a forwardly inclined hinge axis could dictate movement of the bottom frame member of an access door through a non-horizontal plane that results in the bottom frame member being in a lower position when the door is opened than when it is closed. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a mounting configuration for an access door which nevertheless enables this door to be hingeable around a forwardly inclined hinge such as can be obtained by hingeably mounting said door to a forwardly inclined support post and which yet also enables this door to swing about a substantially horizontal plane wherein the bottom frame member of the door is horizontal in both the closed and fully opened positions and does not drop below the horizontal plane when the door is pivoted between said closed and fully opened positions. Starting from WO-A-81/00.541, the present invention provides an operator's cab having a roof member and an enclosure for peripherally extending around an operator's station on a floor member; said enclosure comprising an access door hingeably supported for pivotal movement between closed and fully opened positions by a hinge assembly to permit access to and from the operator's station and said hinge assembly defining a hinge axis which, in a side elevational view of the operator's station, is inclined forwardly from the vertical from the floor member up to the roof member; said operator's cab being characterized in that the hinge axis additionally also is inclined inwardly in transverse direction from the floor member up to the roof member in a manner so that, as the door is pivoted between the closed and fully opened positions, it rotates in a substantially horizontal plane. The access door is pivotally movable between closed and fully opened positions which are approximately 90° of rotation apart. The hinge axis casts a vertical projection relative to the access door when the access door is rotated midway between the closed and fully opened positions so that the bottom frame member can be horizontally positioned in both the closed and fully opened positions without dropping below a horizontal plane defined by said horizontal positions of said bottom frame member. Preferably, the cab enclosure also comprises a support post between the floor member and the roof member which, in said side elevational view, equally is inclined forwardly from the vertical from said floor member up to said roof member and which hingeably supports said access door via said hinge assembly. As seen in said side elevational view, the support post preferably is inclined forwardly from the vertical at a different angle than the hinge axis. Also, the support post may be disposed within a generally fore-and-aft extending, generally vertical plane. The present invention thus overcomes the disadvantages discussed above by providing a door mounting structure for pivoting a door about a non-vertical hinge axis and in which the door, on the one hand, will be in a horizontal orientation in both a closed and a fully opened position and, on the other hand, will rotate in a substantially horizontal plane when pivoted between the closed and fully opened positions. The bottom frame member of the access door preferably travels through a slightly elevated arcuate path relative to this horizontal plane when the door is moved between said closed and fully opened positions. The high point of the elevated arcuate path of the bottom door frame member corresponds to the mid point between the closed and fully opened positions. It is a further advantage of this invention that the operator's cab can be utilized in a universal application on a plurality of machines, such as e.g. a plurality of crop harvesting machines. The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an operator's cab mounted on a crop harvesting machine and incorporating the principles of the instant invention, the crop harvesting machine being fragmentarily shown; Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken through the operator's compartment; Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the operator's cab taken through the access door and showing the inward inclination of the hinge axis, the fully opened position of the access door being shown in phantom; Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of Fig. 1 through the support post mounting the access door to show the upper and lower hinge members, the access door being shown in its closed position with the fully opened position being shown in phantom; and Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view corresponding to lines 5-5 of Fig. 1 taken through the support posts mounting the access door to show the lower hinge member, the access door being shown in its closed position with the fully opened position being shown in phantom. Referring now to the drawings and, particularly, to Fig. 1, a side elevational view of the operator's cab mounted on a self-propelled crop harvesting machine, commonly referred to as a combine, can be seen. Any left and right references are used as a matter of convenience and are determined by standing at the rear of the machine, facing the forward end in the direction of travel. The self-propelled crop harvesting machine 10 is fragmentarily shown and represents a conventional combine harvester; however, one skilled in the art will readily realize that the principles of the instant invention will not be limited to the type of machine in which the operator's cab is mounted. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the structural details of the operator's cab 12 can best be seen. The cab 12 includes a floor member 14, a roof member 16 vertically spaced above the floor member 14 and an enclosure 18 extending around and encompassing an operator's station 20 located in the interior of the cab 12. Supporting the roof member 16 above the floor member 14 and at least partially supporting the enclosure 18, the operator's cab 12 is provided with a plurality of support posts; namely, a right rear support post 22, a right side post 24, two front support posts 25, a left side post 26 and a left rear support post 28, spaced around the periphery of the enclosure 18. As best seen in Fig. 2, the operator 30 positioned at the operator's station 20 is provided with a field of vision extending radially from the right rear support post 22 to the left rear support post 28. To permit the operator 30 to observe the crop harvesting operation conventionally occurring in front of him, the enclosure 18 includes a plurality of transparent panels, normally of glass, supported by the various support posts 22,24,25,26,28. To gain access to the interior of the cab 12, the left side of the enclosure 18 is provided with an access door 35 pivotally connected to the left side post 26 and movable about a hinge axis 40. Referring now to Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5, it can be seen that the access door 35 is mounted to the left side post 26 by an upper hinge member 41 and a lower hinge member 46. Each hinge member 41,46 includes a first hinge strap 42,47, respectively, interconnecting a hinge joint 43,48, respectively, and the left side post 26. Each hinge member 41,46 is also provided with a second hinge strap 44,49, respectively, interconnecting the corresponding hinge joint 43,48 and the side frame member 36 of the access door 35. As is best seen in Fig. 3, the second hinge strap 49 of the lower hinge member 46 is longer than either of the strap members 42,44 of the upper hinge member 41. As a result, a large gap 51 is created between the bottom frame member 38 and the left side support post 26 when the access door 35 is moved into the fully opened position as seen in phantom in Fig. 3. The side frame member 36 of the access door 35 is provided with a glazing element 70 supporting and retaining a transparent panel 72 to permit visibility through the door 35. The side frame member 36 engages a seal 75 affixed to the left side support post 26 to seal the door opening when the access door 35 is in the closed position. It should be realized by one skilled in the art that the access door 35 is provided with a frame member extending around the periphery of the door 35, as best seen in Fig. 1, and is engageable with the seal 75 which also extends around the door opening to sealingly engage the door 35 as part of the enclosure 18. The hinge joints 43,48 are aligned to form a hinge axis 40 which is inclined both forwardly relative to the vertical as seen in Fig. 1 and inwardly toward the operator's station 20 as seen in Fig. 3. Since the door 35 pivots about this inclined hinge axis 40, the bottom frame member 38 of the door 35 travels in an elevated arcuate path schematically indicated by the arrow 55 in Fig. 3. The bottom frame member 38 is substantially horizontal when the access door 35 is in the closed position as shown in Fig. 1. Likewise, the bottom frame member 38 is also in a substantially horizontal position when in the fully opened position shown in phantom in Fig. 3. Although the arcuate path 55 of the bottom frame member 38 is not truly horizontal, the angle of inclination of the hinge axis 40 is sufficiently small so that the lower outside corner 39 of the access door 35 rises only slightly during the path of travel between the closed and fully opened positions and, therefore, is substantially horizontal. As can be seen in Figs. 1 and 3, the inclination of the hinge axis 40 is different than the forward inclination angle 29 of the side support post 26. The hinge strap arrangement inclines the hinge axis 40, relative to vertical, forwardly, as seen in Fig. 1, approximately the same as the hinge axis 40 is inclined inwardly, as seen in Fig. 3. The hinge members 41,46 are arranged to define the hinge axis 40 in such a manner that when viewed from the reference of the access door 35 during its pivotal movement from the closed position to the fully opened position, the hinge axis 40 casts a vertical projection when the access door 35 is midway between the closed and fully opened positions. As a result, the lower outside corner 39 of the access door 35 will rise the same distance from the closed position to the midway position as it falls from the midway position to the fully opened position. With this configuration, the bottom frame member 38 of the access door 35 can be horizontally positioned in both the closed and fully opened positions while travelling through a slight upward arc therebetween. Accordingly, the access ladder 60 can be constructed to have a platform 65 close to the level of the bottom frame member 38 of the access door 35 to eliminate the need for a step to enter the cab 12, as the access door 35 will not engage the platform 65 during its path of travel from the closed to the fully opened position, which amounts to approximately 90° of rotation. Also, the roof member 16 will not be engaged by the access door 35 during this slightly elevating path of travel. It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention, will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. As an example, it will be clear that the operator's cab according to the invention does not necessarily comprises a floor member 14. As a matter of fact, the operator's cab preferably consists basically of only a roof member and an enclosure extending at least partially peripherally around the operator's station; the floor member forming an integral structural part of the machine upon which the operator's cab can be mounted and which supports the operator's station 20. This floor member is adapted to receive the cab thereon. Other structural parts of the machine may complete the enclosure in case this enclosure does not extend a full 360° around the operator's station. It further also will be apparent to anyone skilled in the art that the operator's cab subject of the invention may be used on all sorts of machines inclusive on all sorts of harvesting machines. The operator's station on a variety of machines may be designed such as to be able to receive a single standardized operator's cab, which thus can be utilized in a universal application on a plurality of machines. Such a cab thus may be offered on the market as an independent structure for mounting on any machine designed to receive such a cab.

Claims: An operator's cab (12) having a roof member (16) and an enclosure (18) for peripherally extending around an operator's station (20) on a floor member (14); said enclosure (18) comprising an access door (35) hingeably supported for pivotal movement between closed and fully opened positions by a hinge assembly (41, 46) to permit access to and from the operator's station (20) and said hinge assembly (41, 46) defining a hinge axis (40) which, in a side elevational view of the operator's station (20), is inclined forwardly from the vertical from the floor member (14) up to the roof member (16); said operator's cab (12) being characterized in that the hinge axis (40) additionally also is inclined inwardly in transverse direction from the floor member (14) up to the roof member (16) in a manner so that, as the door (35) is pivoted between the closed and fully opened positions, it rotates in a substantially horizontal plane. An operator's cab (12) according to claim 2 characterized in that the cab enclosure (18) comprises a support post (26) between the floor member (14) and the roof member (16) which, in said side elevational view, equally is inclined forwardly from the vertical from said floor member (14) up to said roof member (16) and which hingeably supports said access door (35) via said hinge assembly (41, 46). An operator's cab (12) according to claim 2 characterized in that, as seen in said side elevational view, the support post (26) is inclined forwardly from the vertical at a different angle than the hinge axis (40). An operator's cab (12) according to claim 2 or 3 characterized in that the support post is disposed within a generally fore-and-aft extending generally vertical plane. An operator's cab (12) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the hinge axis (40) casts a vertical projection when viewed from the reference of the access door (35) when this door (35) is pivotally positioned inbetween the closed and fully opened positions. An operator's cab (12) according to claim 5 characterized in that the hinge axis (40) casts said vertical projection when said access door (35) is positioned substantially midway inbetween the closed and fully opened positions. An operator's cab (12) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that, in the closed position, the access door (35) extends generally parallel to the generally fore-and-aft direction of the operator's station (20) and the fully opened position of this access door (35) is approximately 90° of rotation apart from the closed position thereof. An operator's cab (12) according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the access door (35) comprises a bottom door frame member (38) which travels through an elevated arcuate path (55) when the door (35) moves from the closed position to the fully opened position and which is positioned substantially horizontally in both said closed and fully opened positions of said door (35). An operator's cab (12) according to claim 8 when appended to claim 6, characterized in that the bottom door frame member (38) is in the highest point along the arcuate path (55) when the door (35) is in said substantially midway position. An operator's cab (12) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that : the hinge assembly (41, 46) includes an upper hinge member (41) and a lower hinge member (46); and each hinge member (41, 46) comprises first and second hinge straps (42, 47 resp. 44, 49) pivotally connected at a hinge joint (43, 48); each first hinge strap (42, 47) being connected to the inclined support post (26); each second hinge strap (44, 49) being connected to the access door (35) and the lower second hinge strap (49) being longer than either of the upper hinge straps (42, 44). An operator's cab (12) according to anyone of the preceding claims characterized in that a plurality of support posts (22, 24, 25, 26, 28) are spaced around the periphery of the enclosure (18) for supporting the roof member (16) above the floor member (14) and further also for at least partially supporting the enclosure (18).

Inventors: HURLBURT, JOSEPH C.
Applicants: FORD NEW HOLLAND, INC. (A DELAWARE CORP.)
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B62D33
IPC codes: B60J5, B62D33