Patent Document

TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates generally to a mounting system, and more particularly, to the mounting system for mounting a cab on a machine. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Construction machines, such as trucks, include an operator cab. The cab may have an operator interface therein to allow an operator seated within the cab to maneuver the machine and/or perform an operation using a work implement of the machine. 
         [0003]    During maintenance, the cab may need to be removed or tilted in order to access components present below the cab. Accordingly, in some machines, the cabs are pivotally mounted to a frame of the machine, via a mount structure. However, the design of the mount structure is such that during machine operation, the cab may experience fore and aft movements about the pivot connection to the frame of the machine. Additional movements, such as side to side or up and down movements may also be experienced. This may affect an overall experience of the operator, impacting the operator ride and perception. 
         [0004]    U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0104699 to Damhuis (hereinafter the &#39;699 patent) discloses a support comprising a locking hook and a permanent blocking mechanism, for example, a retaining pin, is fitted on the underside of the cab. The top end of the piston rod is provided with a projection and is positioned in such a way that said projection can be brought into engagement with the locking hook. 
         [0005]    The fitting of the piston rod on the cab then takes place automatically when the cab is moved in the direction of the chassis, by the fact that the projection and the locking hook engage with each other and the retaining pin subsequently fixes the locking hook in a specific position relative to the support, as a result of which a permanent coupling between the top end of the piston rod and the cab is produced. However the cab in the &#39;699 patent may still experience fore and aft movements or other movements such as side to side or up and down movements. 
         [0006]    The system and method of the present disclosure solves one or more problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a cab frame mounting system including a cab mount configured to be mounted to a cab of a machine, and comprising a first ball and socket device. The cab frame mounting system can also include a frame mount configured to be mounted to a frame of the machine, and comprising a second ball and socket device different than the first ball and socket device. The first ball and socket device and the second ball and socket device are configured to cooperate with each other to secure the cab to the frame while allowing rotational movement of the cab relative to the frame. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a cab frame mounting system including a frame mount configured to be mounted to a frame of a machine, and comprising a ball. The cab frame mounting system can also include a cab mount configured to be mounted to a cab of the machine, and comprising a first socket defining element and a second socket defining element. The first socket defining element and the second socket defining element are configured to be secured to each other to form a socket. The ball and the socket are configured to cooperate with each other as a ball and socket joint to secure the cab to the frame while allowing rotational movement of the cab relative to the frame. 
         [0009]    In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a machine including a frame, a cab, and a cab frame mounting system coupled between the cab and the frame. The cab frame mounting system can include a cab mount coupled to the cab, and comprising a first ball and socket device. The cab frame mounting system can also include a frame mount coupled to the frame, and comprising a second ball and socket device different than the first ball and socket device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  depicts a machine according to an embodiment; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  depicts a cab, a frame, and a cab frame mounting system according to an embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is partial view of a cab, a frame, a cab mount, and a frame mount according to an embodiment; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a partial view of a cab mount according to an embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a top view of socket defining elements according to an embodiment; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a partial view of a cab, a frame, a cab mount, and a frame mount according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary machine  100 . In an embodiment, the machine  100  may comprise an articulated truck. Alternatively, the machine  100  may include a track-type tractor, a hydraulic excavator, a wheel loader, a haul truck, a large mining truck, an off-highway truck, and the like. It should be understood that the machine  100  may comprise any wheeled or tracked machine associated with mining, agriculture, forestry, construction, and other industrial applications. 
         [0017]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the exemplary machine  100  includes at least one or more of the following: a frame  102 , ground engaging elements  104 , an engine compartment  106 , and a payload carrier  108 . The machine  100  may further include an engine positioned in the engine compartment  106  and supported on the frame  102 . The engine may be an internal combustion engine such as, for example, a reciprocating piston engine or a gas turbine engine. In an embodiment, the engine includes a spark ignition engine or a compression ignition engine such as, a diesel engine, a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine, or a reactivity controlled compression ignition engine, or other compression ignition engine known in the art. The engine may be fueled by gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, dimethyl ether, alcohol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, combinations thereof, or any other combustion fuel known in the art. 
         [0018]    In the illustrated embodiment, a cab  112  is mounted on a front end  110  of the frame  102  of the machine  100 . The cab  112  may be disposed above the engine and extends rearward beyond the engine. In some embodiments, the cab  112  may enclose the engine by forming a portion of the engine compartment  106 . The cab  112  may include a suitable station for a machine operator, and may house various controls, displays, and interface equipment for machine operation. In addition, the cab  112  may be structured in such a way as to provide roll-over protection for the machine operator, and also to mitigate potential damage to the machine operator in the event of roll-over. 
         [0019]    In an embodiment, the cab  112  may be tilted, which will be described in more detail later. Tilting the cab  112  can provide access to components of the machine  100  underneath, adjacent, or enclosed by the cab  112 . The access can be, for example, maintenance of the components. As previously described, the components can include the engine. However, in an embodiment the components can include a transmission, a hydraulic system, a drive system, or any other component that may be covered by the cab  112 . 
         [0020]    As seen in  FIG. 2 , the cab  112  comprises a cab frame mounting system  114  to mount the cab  112  to a frame  118 . The cab frame mounting system  114  can include one or more mounts  144 , such as a mount  144   a  and a mount  144   b . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the cab frame mounting system  114  comprises two mounts  144   a  and two mounts  144   b . In an embodiment, manipulation of the two mounts  144   b  can permit rotational movement of the cab  112  relative to a frame  118  along a pivot axis defined between the two mounts  144   a . The rotational movement can be seen, for example, in arrow  116   
         [0021]    Although the rotational movement of the cab  112  is in the direction indicated by the arrow  116 , the direction can vary based on the location of the mounts  144   a ,  144   b , or any combination thereof, which will be described in more detail below. Furthermore, rotational movement of the cab can comprise tilting the cab  112 . 
         [0022]    For example, each of the mount  144   b  comprises a cab mount  120  and a frame mount  122 . The cab mount  120  can include two substantially parallel plates, while the frame mount  122  can include a single parallel plate, or vice versa. A bolt  124  can be inserted through aligning bores formed into the cab mount  120  and the frame mount  122  to secure the cab mount  120  to the frame mount  122  and the cab  112  to the frame  118 . Once the bolt  124  is removed, the cab mount  120  is released from the frame mount  122 , and rotational movement of the cab  112  relative to a frame  118  along a pivot axis  154  defined between the two mounts  144   a  is permitted. 
         [0023]    In  FIG. 3 , the mount  144   a  is shown in greater detail. As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the mount  144   a  can include a cab mount  146  and a frame mount  148  configured to cooperatively permit relative movement between the cab and the frame. The cab mount  146  and the frame mount  148  can each comprise a ball and socket device. For example, in  FIG. 3 , the cab mount  146  includes socket defining elements  126  such as socket defining element  126   a  and socket defining element  126   b . The socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  are configured to be secured to each other to form a socket  150 . 
         [0024]    In an embodiment, each of the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can include a base portion  156  and an end portion  162  located opposite the base portion  156 . The base portion  156  can include a planar surface  158  configured to contact the cab  112 . In an embodiment, each of the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can also include an inner surface  164 , and an outer surface  166  spaced apart from the inner surface  164 . The inner surface  164  can aid in defining or partially defining the socket  150 . In an embodiment, the outer surface  166  can be configured to be tapered from the base portion  156  to the end portion  162 . However, in an embodiment, the outer surface  166  can have alternate configurations aside from being tapered. In addition, the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can rectangular, circular, or semi-circular. 
         [0025]    The socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can be coupled to one another in a secure fashion. For example, in  FIG. 4 , the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can be releasably secured to each other using fasteners  138 . The fasteners  138  can include nuts, bolts, screws, or other devices which can extend laterally to secure to downwardly depending body portions of the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  to each other. The fasteners  138  can extend through bores  168  located on the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b . However, in an embodiment, the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can also be secured to each other using welding, adhesives, or other means which can sufficiently secure the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  to each other. In an embodiment, the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  form a unitary element. 
         [0026]    Referring back to  FIG. 3 , the frame mount  148  includes a ball  128 . The socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  are configured to secure the ball  128 . In an embodiment, the ball  128  can be configured to rotate within the socket  150  as a ball and socket joint. In  FIG. 3 , the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  and the ball  128  comprise ball and socket devices. Furthermore, although only two socket-defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  are shown, more or less socket defining elements  126  may be utilized. In addition, to aid in rotation of the ball  128  within the socket  150 , lubricant can be located between the ball  128  and the socket  150 . Alternately, to aid in rotation of the ball  128 , a liner composed of a low friction material such as polytetrafluoroethylene may be inserted between the ball  128  and the socket  150 . In an embodiment, the polytetrafluoroethylene may comprise Teflon® manufactured by Dupont Co. The liner can be a permanent or semi-permanent liner. In addition, a coating of low friction material may be plated, laminated, glued, or otherwise applied to either one or both of the ball  128  and the socket  150 . The coating may be a permanent or semi-permanent coating. 
         [0027]    In an embodiment, the frame mount  148  can include a platform  152  disposed underneath the ball  128 . Furthermore, the frame mount  148  can include a neck  170  located between the ball  128  and the platform  152 , and a body  172  extending from the platform  152  through a bore  182  in the frame  118 . The body  172  can also include a tip section  176  located opposite the ball  128 . The tip section  176  can include a threaded section  174  to allow the frame mount  148  to be secured to the frame  118  using a nut  178  and a washer  180 . 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cab frame mounting system  114  can also include an isolation mount  130  located between the ball  128  and the frame  118 . In an embodiment, the isolation mount  130  can be located between the frame mount  148  and the frame  118 . The isolation mount  130  can be captured between a lower surface of the platform  152  and an upper surface of the frame  118 . In an embodiment, the isolation mount  130  can include a shock absorber, such as a rubber mount, a viscous mount, a magneto-rheological (“MR”) semi-active mount, or any combination thereof. The shock absorber can reduce vibrations and improve a comfort of an operator in the cab  112 . 
         [0029]    In an embodiment, the isolation mount  130  can also include steel or metal. In yet another embodiment, the isolation mount  130  is optional. Instead, there can be a direct bolt or weld connection between the frame mount  148  and the frame  118 . For example, the platform  152  can directly contact or be directly connected to the frame  118 . Thus, the platform  152  can be welded to the frame  118 , or one or more bolts can be utilized to connect the platform  152  to the frame  118 . In an embodiment, there can also be an adhesive connection between the frame mount  148  and the frame  118 . In such a case, the platform  152  can be adhered to the frame  118  using an adhesive, such as epoxy. 
         [0030]    The cab mount  146  can be coupled to the cab  112  in a secure fashion. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the cab mount  146  can be releasably coupled to the cab  112  using fasteners  132 . The fasteners  132  can include an elongated section  134  extending from a head section  136 . The fasteners  132  can be fitted through a bore  160  located in the base portion  156 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  depicts an overhead view of the cab mount  146 . As can be seen, each of the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  includes one or more channels  140  formed therein. The channels  140  are configured to allow the cab mount with the fasteners  132  to be adjusted relative to the cab to move in multiple directions, represented by arrows  142 . In an embodiment, the directions represented by the arrows  142  is substantially perpendicular to the elongated section  134 . This can, for example, allow the cab mount  146  to have a better fit when mounted to the cab  112  due to misalignment of holes and tolerances for creation of holes during manufacturing. Furthermore, although the directions indicated by the arrows  142  are shown in  FIG. 5 , the channels  140  can also allow movement in other directions instead of or in addition to the directions indicated by the arrows  142 . In an embodiment, such an arrangement may also be reversed with the socket defining elements  126   a  and  126   b  can comprise the channels  140 , while the cab  112  comprises the bore  160 . Depending on the arrangement, as described in more detail below, the frame  118  may comprise the bore  160  instead of the cab  112 . 
         [0032]    As previously noted, the cab mount  146  and the frame mount  148  can each comprise a ball and socket device. Thus, the type of each of the ball and socket devices can be reversed. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , where like reference numerals of  FIGS. 1-5  are used, the cab mount  146  can comprise the ball  128  and the platform  152  while the frame mount  148  can comprise the socket defining elements  126 . 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the number, location, and type of the mounts  144  may be changed. For example, the mounts  144   a  may be utilized towards a first side of the cab  112 , and the mounts  144   b  can be utilized towards a second side of the cab opposite the first side of the cab  112 . The first side of the cab  112  can be a location of a desired pivot axis for rotational movement of the cab  112 . In an embodiment, only the mounts  144   a  are utilized when no rotational movement of the cab  112  about a pivot axis is desired. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0034]    The use of the mounts  144   a  can allow better rotational movement of the cab  112 . For example, the formation of the pivot axis  154  utilizing two ball and socket joints can increase surface contact between the cab mount  146  and the frame mount  148 , which can reduce an amount of gap between the cab mount  146  and the frame mount  148 . That is, the ball  128  and the socket  150  can have a larger surface contact between each other relative to other connection devices, such as the plates and bolts utilized in the mount  144   b . The surface contact need not be direct surface-to-surface contact as lubricant may be located between the surface of the ball  128  and the surface of the socket  150 . The result is that during movement of the machine  100 , the cab  112  may be less prone to fore and aft movements about the mounts  144   a . The cab  112  may also be less prone to side to side or up and down movements about the mounts  144   a . This can improve an overall experience of the operator of the machine  100 . The isolation mount  130  can also reduce vibrations felt by the operator in the cab  112 . 
         [0035]    Furthermore, the ball and socket joints formed by the mounts  144   a  can allow rotational movement of the cab  112  for accessing components of the machine  100 . This can maintain serviceability of the machine  100  and in some instances reduce a size of the machine  100 . 
         [0036]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed system and method. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed system and method. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims.

Technology Category: 7