Patent Publication Number: US-2022219573-A1

Title: Control platform with a seat console for a construction machine

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) to European patent application number EP 21151352.8, filed Jan. 13, 2021, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a control platform for a construction machine which can in particular be a road finishing machine or a feeder vehicle with an adjustable seat. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Construction machines, in particular road making machines, such as road finishing machines or feeder vehicles, usually have a control platform on which a control panel for controlling the construction machine and at least one driver seat are arranged and on which one or more operators or drivers stay during the operation. For a better overview and coordination, the control platform is often embodied to be open, that means not like a cabin, but has a roof for weather protection which spans the control platform. The control platform is often located at an elevated position on the construction machine, and railings, grids or combined elements with a safety glass are usually attached at the sides of the control platform as a fall protection. For an operator who is located on the control platform, it can make sense to take different locations or sitting positions during the respective different operating modes during the working operation to have an optimal overview of the happenings in each case. It may thus be helpful, for example, to have a good view to the front during the material transfer from a truck to the road finishing machine, and in the installation of the road pavement with changing edge sections, a good view to the side onto the installation edge can be advantageous. 
     Former adjusting mechanisms of a driver seat only have restricted adjusting possibilities so that the driver often had to get out of the seat and even had to lean laterally over the fall protection. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an object of the disclosure to provide a control platform with a seat with improved adjusting possibilities. 
     A control platform according to the disclosure for a construction machine, in particular for a road finishing machine or a feeder vehicle, comprises a structural element and a seat console which includes a console bottom and a seat. The seat console includes a rotary mechanism by which the seat is mounted to be rotatable relative to the console bottom. The seat console includes a first and a second linear shifting mechanism by which the seat is mounted on the console bottom to be shiftable into a first and a second direction. The seat console is hinged to the structural element by means of a swivel mechanism to be swivable relative to the structural element. 
     The structural element can be, for example, a front or lateral wall of the control platform, or the bottom or a part of the bottom of the control platform. Equally, the structural element can be an additional part which in particular serves as a reinforcement which is embodied, for example, at an inner wall of the control platform or at the bottom. An essentially vertical component, such as, for example, an angular or circular cylindrical column which is connected with the bottom or a wall of the control platform, may also be provided as a structural element. 
     The seat can now be shifted in a plane in parallel to the bottom of the control platform in the X and Y directions and thus be optimally positioned corresponding to a respective activity of the operator. Thus, in particular by the movability of the seat, the sitting position may be adjusted in response to the height of the operator such that e.g., a control panel or further operational controls can be easily reached. The rotating means permits the rotation of the seat about the vertical axis whereby in particular a view and communication towards the rear side of the finishing machine are facilitated. By the swiveling capacity of the seat console, in particular the view to the front can be adapted and thus be improved. 
     In an advantageous embodiment, the first linear shifting mechanism comprises a first rail system, and the second linear shifting mechanism comprises a second rail system, the first and the second rail systems being arranged perpendicularly with respect to each other. Such an arrangement is mechanically stable, and all points within the maximum shifting distances can be reached. Usually, the rail systems are arranged one upon the other. 
     Suitably, the first rail system is arranged to be parallel to a longitudinal axis of the control platform and thus to a direction of travel of the construction machine when the swivable seat console is in a first position. The “first position” can be, for example, referred to as a position not swiveled to the outside. Thus, by the first rail system, the longitudinal position of the seat can be adjusted and, for example, the distance to a control panel which is firmly arranged at a front inner side of the control platform can be adjusted. Additionally, the second rail system can adjust a position of the seat in the lateral position to easily reach certain elements of the control panel which are important for a respective activity. The adjustment here referred to as second rail system also serves to move the seat as close as possible to the lateral fall protection (railing, safety glass, etc.), so that the driver can easily lean over it and can view the front region of the finishing machine and the construction site (directional indicator, material transfer, etc.). 
     Ideally, one axis of rotation of the rotary mechanism and one swiveling axis of the swivel mechanism are arranged offset with respect to each other. In this way, the seat console can be swiveled as a whole and the driver seat, and thus the viewing direction of the operator, can be adjusted independent of the position of the seat console. Thus, for example, the viewing direction in the direction of travel can be maintained. 
     Suitably, the first and/or the second shifting mechanism and/or the rotary mechanism and/or the swivel mechanism can each be arrested in at least one position. To this end, an arresting mechanism can be provided which can be released manually, for example, by means of a lever. 
     In a preferred variant, the seat console is swivable relative to the structural element within a range of 0 to 45 degrees. A lateral swiveling to the outside by up to 90 degrees would also be conceivable. 
     In a further variant, the rotary mechanism is arranged such that its axis of rotation is located offset from the center of the seat so that it is mounted to be eccentrically rotatable. In this way, lateral elements of a control panel can be easily reached. In addition, the control panel could be arranged in a bow around the seat. Moreover, sitting onto the seat and getting off the seat can still be easily possible since a sufficient distance to the lateral elements of the control panel can be maintained. 
     In an advantageous variant, the seat console comprises a control panel. Thus, the seat console can be swiveled including the control panel, and the operator on the seat can still easily reach the operational controls to control the machine. However, it is conceivable that the control panel is firmly arranged at an element of the control platform or separately from the seat console to be rotatable at an element of the control platform. The control panel can equally be rotatably arranged at the seat console. 
     In a suitable variant, the console bottom includes two or more levels which are arranged at different heights with respect to each other. For example, the seat including the first and second shifting mechanisms and the rotary mechanism can be arranged at an elevation of the console bottom. Thus, sufficient freedom is provided for the operator&#39;s legs to the bottom if he can rest his feet on a lower level. 
     In another embodiment, the console bottom has a shape tapering at least on one side from a rear end of the seat console to the swivel mechanism. So, the dimensions of the console bottom can be limited to a minimum required for mechanical stability. Thus, on the one hand, material is saved and the region of the bottom of the control platform which is covered by the console bottom or over which the same passes during the swiveling process, is minimized. Thus, the free regions can be provided for other function elements of the control platform. Moreover, persons located on the control platform are less disturbed during a swiveling process. 
     Ideally, the seat console is embodied to be freely suspended in a rear half. That means, in a rear region, no rollers, slide rails or the like are provided as bearings. In particular, the seat console can be exclusively mounted in the swivel mechanism. Thus, material is saved, and the manufacturing efforts are reduced. In addition, a risk of injury during the swiveling process is reduced. 
     Preferably, the swivel mechanism is arranged such that the seat console can be swiveled at least partially to the outside over an outer edge of a bottom of the control platform. Thus, the operator&#39;s view to the front, to the back and also to the side onto the installation edge can be clearly improved. In particular the view to the front, past the vehicle body parts, is improved. In particular, the driver does no longer have to stand up and lean to the outside out of the control platform. 
     In a preferred embodiment, an essentially vertical wall structure is embodied at the seat console which is provided as a lateral delimitation of the control platform. This wall structure which serves as a fall protection is swivable with the seat console. The wall structure is ideally designed and arranged such that it represents a part of the rest of the fall protection of the control platform when the seat console is not swiveled to the outside, that means when it is aligned to be flush with the fall protection. Even if the seat console is swiveled to the outside, the wall structure still fulfills the purpose of the fall protection. The wall structure can be a grid, a railing, a safety glass pane, a plastic element or the like, or combinations thereof. It is conceivable that the wall structure is additionally hinged to a structural element of the control platform. 
     In a suitable variant, a motor drive is provided at least for one of the first or second shifting mechanism, the rotary mechanism, or the swivel mechanism. Thus, the respective setting can be comfortably effected without any expenditure of force. To this end, corresponding operational controls, such as buttons or keys, can be provided at the seat, at the control panel, or at another point. 
     In a preferred variant, at least one of the settings of the first or second shifting mechanism or of the rotary mechanism or the swivel mechanism can be automatically adjusted. A position of an individual adjusting mechanism can be selected, for example, by pressing a button once or several times, or by adjustment at a display or the like. Equally, a combination of positions of several adjusting mechanisms can be adjusted by the press of a button or a selection in an operating menu. For example, that the seat console is maximally swiveled to the outside and the seat is maximally shifted to the outside can be stored as a selectable presetting. 
     The disclosure moreover relates to a construction machine, in particular a road finishing machine or feeder vehicle, comprising a control platform according to one of the preceding embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the following, exemplified embodiments of the disclosure are described more in detail with reference to the figures. 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a control platform with a seat console with a control panel swiveled to the outside; 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic plan view onto a seat console without control panel of a second embodiment of a control platform; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective side view onto a seat of a third embodiment of a control platform; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective side view onto a seat console of a fourth embodiment of a control platform. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding components are always provided with the same reference numerals in the figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a schematic plan view of a first embodiment of a control platform  1  of a construction machine  3 , for example a road finishing machine, with a seat console  5  which is swiveled to the outside. The control platform  1  is covered by a roof  7  which is represented in the left half of the picture. The control platform  1  includes a bottom  9  and lateral delimitations  11  in the form of a grid, a wall, a railing or the like as a fall protection. In a rear region of the control platform  1 , steps  13  for entering the control platform  1  are usually provided. The seat console  5  includes a seat  15 , a console bottom  17  and, in this embodiment, a control panel  19  for controlling the machine functions, whereas in other embodiments, the control panel  19  can also be firmly installed at a front side  21  of the control platform  1 , so that the control panel  19  does not swivel along with the seat console  5 . Equally, the control panel  19  could be arranged at an element of the control platform  1  separately from the seat console  5  in a rotating manner. The seat console  5  in this embodiment comprises a wall structure  23  which serves as a fall protection just as the lateral delimitations  11  both in the shown state swiveled to the outside and when the seat console  5  is not in a swiveled state, that means when it is essentially parallel to the direction of travel F or a longitudinal axis L of the control platform  1 . 
     In this embodiment, the seat console  5  is hinged to a structural element of the control platform  1  laterally by means of a swivel mechanism  25  in such a way that it can be swiveled to the outside over an outer edge  27  of the bottom  9  of the control platform  1 . By the rotatability of the seat  15 , however, the driver can sit laterally offset, but in parallel to the direction of travel and look to the front unhindered by front vehicle body parts in order to monitor a loading operation, for example. In this representation, the seat console is swiveled to the outside by about 40 degrees, and the seat  15  is rotated such that it is rotated about 20 degrees with respect to the direction of travel F. Suitably, the seat console  5  is designed such that its wall structure  23  is flush with the rest of the lateral delimitation  11  when the seat console  5  is in the non-swiveled position, that means parallel to the direction of travel F or swiveled by 0 degrees, respectively. 
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic plan view onto a seat console  5  without control panel  19  in a second embodiment of a control platform  1 . The console bottom  17  is embodied at a right side of the seat console  5  in a manner tapering from a rear end E of the seat console  5 , seen in the direction of travel F, to the front to the swivel mechanism  25 . The wall structure  23  can include different regions, for example, a front region  23   a  which is embodied as a stable pane of safety glass or plastic, and a rear region  23   b  which is embodied as a steel railing. The different elements can also be combined in a different arrangement, as is shown, for example, in  FIG. 4 . The seat console can be swiveled about a swivel axis S by means of the swivel mechanism  25 . The seat  15  can be rotated about an axis of rotation D and be shifted into a first direction X and a second direction Y by first and second linear shifting mechanisms. The axis of rotation D is offset from a center M of the seat  15 . If the seat console  5  is, as in the shown illustration, in a non-swiveled, first position, the first direction X is essentially parallel to the direction of travel F or the longitudinal axis L of the control platform  1 , and the second direction Y is essentially perpendicular thereto. If the shiftings or the rotation of the seat  15  are not each effected by a motor drive, for example an electric motor, one or more levers  29  can be provided by which the operator can release a respective arrest of the shifting or rotary mechanisms to then change the sitting position. Equally, however, a rotation can, for example, also always be possible without having to release an arrest. 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective side view as an exploded view onto a seat  15  of a third embodiment of a control platform  1 . On the console bottom  17 , a first linear shifting mechanism  31  is arranged in the form of a first rail system  31   a . A second shifting mechanism  33  is connected thereto in the form of a second rail system  33   a . A rotary mechanism  35  permits the rotation of the seat  15 . To this end, a motor drive  36  can be provided which is arranged to rotate the seat  15  relative to the console bottom  17  when it is correspondingly activated. To combine the adjusting mechanisms  31 ,  33 ,  35  with each other as represented, an intermediate plate  37  can be provided. The rail systems  31   a  and  33   a  can be mounted directly one upon the other, however, a further intermediate plate can also be provided. The shifting mechanisms  31 ,  33  each comprise a rail system  31   a ,  33   a  which each in turn comprise two lower rail parts and two upper rail parts. For a better overview, here, only two linear elements per shifting mechanism  31 ,  33  are shown. 
       FIG. 4  shows a perspective side view onto a seat console  5  of a fourth embodiment of a control platform  1 . In this embodiment, the console bottom  17  includes a first level  39  and a second level  41  which are arranged at different heights. The seat  15  is arranged on the elevated level  39  via the first rail system  31   a . As can be seen, two linear elements each of the rail system  31   a  are firmly mounted on the level  39 , and two linear elements are mounted at the rest of the seat assembly, the elements being mounted to be shiftable with respect to each other. The wall structure  23  is designed as a pane with an upper border. The swivel mechanism  25  is hinged to a structural element  43  so that the seat console  5  can be swiveled relative to the same. The structural element  43  can be a front wall of the control platform  1  or a comparable, essentially vertical structure. Equally, the structural element  43  can be a part of the bottom  9  of the control platform  1 , so that the swivel mechanism  25  is directly mounted to the bottom  9 . Equally, however, other arrangements could also be provided. In this embodiment, one can see that a rear half H of the seat console  5  is freely suspended. The elevated level  39  of the console bottom  17  is in this example connected to the wall structure  23  in the rear section. The mounting of the seat console  5  and thus the introduction of the gravitational force of the seat console  5  and an operator located thereon into the rest of the structure of the control platform  1 , however, is effected only by the swivel mechanism  25  in this example. 
     Starting from the above represented embodiments of a control platform  1  with a seat console  5 , many modifications thereof are possible. For example, it would be conceivable to attach a fold-out, extendable or swivable bracing to the rear end E of the seat console  5 , so that there, too, a fall protection is provided. This bracing, for example a telescopic rod, could here be connected to the lateral delimitation  11  of the control platform  1  and the wall structure  23  of the seat console  5 . It would furthermore be possible, if the rotary mechanism  35  and the swivel mechanism  25  are motor-driven, to automatically track, during a swiveling-out of the seat console  5 , the seat  15 , so that it is always oriented in parallel to the longitudinal axis L, that means that the viewing direction of the driver points to the front. In addition, a height adjustment of the seat  15  and further high-convenience elements, such as a suspension, an adjustment of the hardness of the upholstery, a seat heater and the like can be provided for the seat  15 .