MATERIAL TRANSFER VEHICLE WITH MOVABLE OPERATOR'S PLATFORM

Abstract

A material transfer vehicle has a frame, a front end including an asphalt paving material receiving device, and rear end including a discharge conveyor which is adapted to convey asphalt paving material to the receiving hopper of an asphalt paving machine. An operator's station includes an operator's platform on which is mounted an operator's seat. The operator's platform is moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position that locates the operator's seat at least partially outside the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle.

Claims

1. A material transfer vehicle comprising: (a) a frame; (b) a front end; (c) a rear end; (d) an asphalt paving material receiving device at the front end; (e) a discharge conveyor at the rear end, said discharge conveyor being adapted to convey asphalt paving material to the receiving hopper of an asphalt paving machine; (f) an operator's station comprising an operator's platform on which is mounted an operator's seat, said operator's platform being moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position that locates the operator's seat at least partially outside the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle.

2. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1 wherein the operator's platform is moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position that locates the operator's seat substantially outside the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle.

3. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1: (a) which includes a longitudinal centerline and a width that is measured transverse to the longitudinal centerline; (b) the operator's seat is mounted on the operator's platform so as to be capable of rotation about a substantially vertical rotational axis; (c) movement of the operator's platform to the operating position locates the rotational axis a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width.

4. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1 wherein the operator's platform is mounted in the operator's station by means of a platform moving assembly including a slewing bearing that is moveable by the action of a linear actuator.

5. The material transfer vehicle of claim 4: (a) wherein the operator's station has a bottom with a fixed point thereon; (b) which includes a bracket on the bottom of the slewing bearing; (c) wherein the linear actuator is attached between the bracket on the bottom of the slewing bearing and the fixed point on the bottom of the operator's station, said linear actuator having a rod that may be moved between an extended position which locates the operator's platform in the travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle, and a retracted position which locates the operator's platform in the operating position that places the operator's seat at least partially outside the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle.

6. The material transfer vehicle of claim 5 wherein extension and retraction of the rod of the linear actuator causes the bracket to rotate the slewing bearing about a substantially vertical axis.

7. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1: (a) which material transfer vehicle includes: (i) a longitudinal centerline; (ii) a width that is measured transverse to the longitudinal centerline; (b) wherein the operator's station includes a right operator's platform on which is mounted a right operator's seat, said right operator's platform being moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position that locates the right operator's seat a distance that is greater than one-half of the width of the vehicle to the right from the centerline; (c) wherein the operator's station includes a left operator's platform on which is mounted a left operator's seat, said left operator's platform being moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position that locates the left operator's seat a distance that is greater than one-half of the width of the vehicle to the left from the centerline.

8. The material transfer vehicle of claim 7, wherein: (a) the right operator's seat is mounted on the right operator's platform so as to be capable of rotation about a substantially vertical right rotational axis; (b) movement of the right operator's platform to the operating position locates the right rotational axis a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width; (c) the left operator's seat is mounted on the left operator's platform so as to be capable of rotation about a substantially vertical left rotational axis; (d) movement of the left operator's platform to the operating position locates the left rotational axis a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width.

9. A material transfer vehicle comprising: (a) a frame; (b) a front end; (c) a rear end; (d) an asphalt paving material receiving device at the front end; (e) a discharge conveyor at the rear end, said discharge conveyor being adapted to convey asphalt paving material to the receiving hopper of an asphalt paving machine; (f) an operator's station comprising an operator's platform on which is mounted an operator's seat, said operator's platform being moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the operator's station and an operating position that locates the operator's seat at least partially outside the outer periphery of the operator's station.

10. The material transfer vehicle of claim 9 wherein the operator's platform is moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the operator's station and an operating position that locates the operator's seat substantially outside the outer periphery of the operator's station.

11. The material transfer vehicle of claim 9 wherein the operator's platform is mounted in the operator's station by means of a platform moving assembly including a slewing bearing that is moveable by the action of a linear actuator.

12. The material transfer vehicle of claim 11: (a) wherein the operator's station has a bottom with a fixed point thereon; (b) which includes a bracket on the bottom of the slewing bearing; (c) wherein the linear actuator is attached between the bracket on the bottom of the slewing bearing and the fixed point on the bottom of the operator's station, said linear actuator having a rod that may be moved between an extended position which causes the bracket to rotate the slewing bearing about a substantially vertical axis to move the operator's platform to the travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the operator's station, and a retracted position which causes the bracket to rotate the slewing bearing about a substantially vertical axis to move the operator's platform to the operating position that places the operator's seat at least partially outside the outer periphery of the operator's station.

13. The material transfer vehicle of claim 9: (a) which material transfer vehicle includes: (i) a longitudinal centerline; (ii) a width that is measured transverse to the longitudinal centerline; (b) wherein the operator's station includes a left operator's platform on which is mounted a left operator's seat, said left operator's platform being moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the operator's station and an operating position that locates the left operator's seat a distance that is greater than one-half of the width of the vehicle to the left from the centerline; (c) wherein the operator's station includes a right operator's platform on which is mounted a right operator's seat, said right operator's platform being moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the operator's station and an operating position that locates the right operator's seat a distance that is greater than one-half of the width of the vehicle to the right from the centerline.

14. The material transfer vehicle of claim 13, wherein: (a) the right operator's seat is mounted on the right operator's platform so as to be capable of rotation about a substantially vertical right rotational axis; (b) movement of the right operator's platform to the operating position locates the right rotational axis a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width; (c) the left operator's seat is mounted on the left operator's platform so as to be capable of rotation about a substantially vertical left rotational axis; (d) movement of the left operator's platform to the operating position locates the left rotational axis a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and wherein:

[0030] FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a conventional material transfer vehicle of a type that may be constructed according to the invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a conventional material transfer vehicle of a type that may be constructed according to the invention.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a side view of a material transfer vehicle similar to that shown in FIG. 1 that has been constructed according to the invention.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a top view of a portion of the material transfer vehicle shown in FIG. 3, illustrating the right operator's platform in a travel position.

[0034] FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the right operator's platform in the travel position illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0035] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the right operator's platform shown in FIG. 5, illustrating a portion of a preferred slewing bearing of the platform moving assembly that is employed to move the operator's platform between the travel position and the operating position.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a portion of the material transfer vehicle shown in FIGS. 3-6, illustrating the preferred platform moving assembly in the travel position.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a top view of a portion of the material transfer vehicle shown in FIG. 3, illustrating the operator's platform in an operating position.

[0038] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the material transfer vehicle shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, illustrating the operator's platform in the operating position.

[0039] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a portion of the material transfer vehicle shown in FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, illustrating the preferred platform moving assembly in the operating position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0040] This description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional self-propelled material transfer vehicle 11 includes a frame 12 that is supported on the roadway surface by front and rear ground-engaging drive assemblies including right front drive wheel 14 and right rear drive wheel 16. Material transfer vehicle 11 also includes a left front drive wheel (not shown but substantially similar to right front drive wheel 14) and a left rear drive wheel (not shown but substantially similar to right rear drive wheel 16). Each of the drive wheels is driven by a hydraulic motor (not shown) that is supplied with fluid under pressure by one or more hydraulic pumps (also not shown). In the alternative, the frame of the vehicle may be supported on the roadway surface by ground-engaging drive assemblies comprising one or more left side track-drive assemblies (not shown), and one or more right side track-drive assemblies (also not shown), as is known to those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention relates.

[0042] Vehicle 11 includes an asphalt paving material receiving device comprising a truck-receiving hopper 18. Truck-receiving hopper 18 is adapted to receive asphalt paving material from a delivery truck (not shown). In the alternative, vehicle 11 could be equipped with an asphalt paving material receiving device comprising a windrow pick-up head (not shown). An auger (not shown) is mounted in truck-receiving hopper 18 and is adapted to assist in conveying asphalt paving material from truck-receiving hopper 18 into loading conveyor 20, which in turn conveys the asphalt paving material off of its output end 22 and into surge bin 24. The surge bin includes transverse auger 26 that is employed to mix the asphalt paving material in the surge bin in order to minimize segregation or separation of the aggregate portion of the asphalt paving material by size. Also located in the surge bin is surge conveyor 28, which is adapted to convey asphalt paving material upwardly out of the surge bin so that it may fall through chute 30 which is located over input end 32 of discharge conveyor 34. Asphalt paving material conveyed out of the surge bin by surge conveyor 28 falls through chute 30 and onto input end 32 of discharge conveyor 34. Discharge conveyor 34 is mounted for vertical pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal pivot axis at its input end that is perpendicular to the page of FIG. 1, as raised and lowered by a linear actuator (not shown). Discharge conveyor 34 is also adapted for side-to-side movement about a substantially vertical axis by operation of one or more additional actuators (also not shown). Asphalt paving material that falls through chute 30 onto discharge conveyor 34 is discharged through chute 36 at conveyor output end 38 into an asphalt receiving hopper of an asphalt paving machine (not shown).

[0043] Hydraulic drive systems including hydraulic pumps and hydraulic motors are provided to drive the various augers and conveyors. An engine (not shown) is located within engine compartment 40 adjacent to operator's station 42 and provides the motive force for the hydraulic pumps that drive the hydraulic motors for the drive wheels, the augers and the various conveyors and other components of the vehicle. Operator's station 42 includes an operator's seat 44 that is mounted on pedestal 46 so that the operator may turn the seat between a position that allows the operator to face forwardly and a position that allows him to face rearwardly. In many such material transfer vehicles, two operator's stations are provided, one on the left side of the vehicle and another on the right side. This allows an operator to move to the side of the machine that provides the best view, depending on the side of the roadway on which the machine is operating. In some embodiments of this material transfer vehicle, operator's seat 44 is fixed in place within operator's station 42. In other embodiments, operator's seat 44 may slide transversely by a limited amount; however, any such transverse movement is constrained by rail assembly 48 so that the operator's seat cannot extend outside the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle. Consequently, the operator's view from either side of the machine is partially obstructed, regardless of the position of operator's seat 44.

[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative conventional material transfer vehicle 50 which includes a frame that is supported on the roadway surface by front and rear ground-engaging drive assemblies comprising left front drive wheel 52 and left rear drive wheel 54. Material transfer vehicle 50 also includes right front drive wheel 55 and a right rear drive wheel (not shown but substantially similar to left rear drive wheel 54). Each of the drive wheels is driven by a hydraulic motor (not shown) that is supplied with fluid under pressure by one or more hydraulic pumps (also not shown). In the alternative, the frame of the vehicle may be supported on the roadway surface by ground-engaging drive assemblies comprising one or more left side track-drive assemblies (not shown), and one or more right side track-drive assemblies (also not shown).

[0045] Vehicle 50 includes an asphalt paving material receiving device comprising a truck-receiving hopper 56. Truck-receiving hopper 56 is adapted to receive asphalt paving material from a delivery truck (not shown). In the alternative, vehicle 50 could be equipped with an asphalt paving material receiving device comprising a windrow pick-up head (not shown). Auger 58 in truck-receiving hopper 56 is adapted to urge asphalt paving material into loading conveyor 60. Loading conveyor 60 is operatively attached to the truck-receiving hopper and is adapted to convey asphalt paving material from truck-receiving hopper 56 upwardly to its output end 62, from which it will fall through chute 64 onto the lower input end of a discharge conveyor (not shown, but substantially similar to discharge conveyor 34). Material transfer vehicle 50 also includes operator's station 66 from which all operating functions of the vehicle may be controlled via control panel 68. Operator's station 66 includes left operator's seat 70, which is adapted to rotate on pedestal 72, and right operator's seat 74, which is adapted to rotate on pedestal 76.

[0046] Control panel 68 is mounted on pedestal 78 and is adapted to rotate between a left-facing position and a right-facing position. However, since operator's station 66 is fixed within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle, and since the pedestals 72 and 76 do not move laterally, the operator's view from either side of the vehicle is nevertheless partially obstructed.

[0047] Material transfer vehicle 50 includes various hydraulic pumps and hydraulic motors, which are provided to drive the various augers and conveyors. An engine (not shown, but located in engine compartment 80) provides the motive force for the hydraulic pumps that drive the hydraulic motors for the drive wheels, the augers and conveyors and other components of the vehicle. Material transfer vehicle 50 has a longitudinal centerline “C” and a width “W” of operator's station 66 that is measured transverse to the longitudinal centerline “C”. Thus, width “W” defines the extent of the “outer periphery” of the vehicle. In other words, the outer periphery on one side of the vehicle is measured to be (0.5)W from the centerline.

[0048] FIGS. 3-10 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown therein, material transfer vehicle 100 includes a frame 102 that is supported on the roadway surface by front and rear ground-engaging drive assemblies comprising right front drive wheel 104 and right rear drive wheel 106. Material transfer vehicle 100 also includes a left front drive wheel (not shown, but substantially similar to right front drive wheel 104) and a left rear drive wheel (not shown, but substantially similar to right rear drive wheel 106). Each of the drive wheels is driven by one or more conventional hydraulic motors (not shown) that are supplied with fluid under pressure by one or more conventional hydraulic pumps (also not shown). In the alternative, the frame of the vehicle may be supported on the roadway surface by ground-engaging drive assemblies comprising left and right side track-drive assemblies (not shown).

[0049] Material transfer vehicle 100 includes an asphalt paving material receiving device comprising a truck-receiving hopper 108. Truck-receiving hopper 108 is adapted to receive asphalt paving material from a delivery truck (not shown). In the alternative, vehicle 100 could be equipped with an asphalt paving material receiving device comprising a windrow pick-up head (not shown). An auger (not shown) is mounted in the truck-receiving hopper and is adapted to assist in conveying asphalt paving material from the truck-receiving hopper into loading conveyor 110, which in turn conveys the asphalt paving material off its output end 112 and into surge bin 114. The surge bin includes transverse auger 116 that is employed to mix the asphalt paving material in the surge bin in order to minimize segregation or separation of the aggregate portion of the asphalt paving material by size. Also located in the surge bin is surge conveyor 118, which is adapted to convey asphalt paving material upwardly out of the surge bin so that it may fall through chute 120 which is located over the input end of discharge conveyor 122. Discharge conveyor 122 is mounted for vertical pivotal movement about a substantially horizontal pivot axis at its input end that is perpendicular to the plane of the page of FIG. 3, as raised and lowered by linear actuator 124. Discharge conveyor 122 is also adapted for side-to-side movement about a substantially vertical axis by operation of one or more additional actuators (also not shown). Asphalt paving material that falls through chute 120 onto discharge conveyor 122 is discharged through chute 126 at conveyor output end 128 into an asphalt receiving hopper of an asphalt paving machine (not shown). Hydraulic drive systems including hydraulic pumps and hydraulic motors are provided to drive the various augers and conveyors. An engine (not shown but contained within engine compartment 130) provides the motive force for the hydraulic pumps that drive the hydraulic motors for the drive wheels, the augers and the various conveyors and other components of the vehicle.

[0050] Operator's station 132 is accessible by means of ladder 134, and includes right operator's platform 136 and a left operator's platform that is a mirror image of right operator's platform 136. Right operator's platform 136 includes right operator's seat 138, which is mounted for rotational movement about right rotational axis A.sub.138 on right seat base 140 (best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6), first control panel 142 and second control panel 144. Left operator's platform also contains an operator's seat (not shown, but substantially identical to right operator's seat 138) that is mounted for rotational movement about a left rotational axis, a first control panel (not shown, but substantially identical to first control panel 142) and a second control panel (not shown, but substantially identical to second control panel 144). Both right operator's platform 136 and the left operator's platform are moveable between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of material transfer vehicle 100 and an operating position that locates the operator's seat at least partially (and preferably substantially) outside the outer periphery of the vehicle. With reference to FIG. 2, it can be appreciated that material transfer vehicle 100 has a longitudinal centerline (not shown, but substantially the same as longitudinal centerline “C” of material transfer vehicle 50) and a width (also not shown, but substantially similar to width “W” of material transfer vehicle 50), which width is measured transverse to the longitudinal centerline. Thus, the width of material transfer vehicle 100 defines the extent of the “outer periphery”. Furthermore, the outer periphery on one side of the vehicle is measured to be one-half of the width from the centerline. Consequently, movement of right operator's platform 136 to the operating position according to the invention locates right operator's seat 138 a distance that is greater than one-half of the width of the vehicle to the right from the centerline. More particularly, movement of right operator's platform 136 to the operating position locates right rotational axis A.sub.138 a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width. Similarly, movement of the left operator's platform to the operating position according to the invention locates the left operator's seat a distance that is greater than one-half of the width of the vehicle to the left from the centerline, and more particularly, it locates the left rotational axis a distance from the centerline that is greater than one-half of the width.

[0051] FIGS. 4-10 provide a detailed view of right operator's platform 136. Right operator's platform 136 is mounted in operator's station 132 by means of a right platform moving assembly including slewing bearing 146. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, linear actuator 148 is attached between bracket 150 on the bottom of the slewing bearing and fixed point 152 on the bottom of operator's station 132. In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, linear actuator 148 comprises a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder having a rod 154 that may be moved between the extended position shown in FIG. 7, which locates right operator's platform 136 in the travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle 100, and the retracted position shown in FIG. 10, which locates right operator's platform 136 in the operating position that places right operator's seat 138 substantially outside the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle. Extension and retraction of rod 154 moves bracket 150 to rotate slewing bearing 146 about substantially vertical axis 156 (that is perpendicular to the plane of the pages on which FIGS. 7 and 10 are shown).

[0052] The invention thus provides a material transfer vehicle, such as vehicle 100, which is provided with an operator's station comprising a right operator's platform 136 which is moveable between a travel position (shown in FIGS. 4 and 7) that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position (shown in FIGS. 8-10) that locates right operator's seat 138 substantially outside the periphery of the material transfer vehicle. In this embodiment of the invention, right operator's station platform 136 is mounted on a platform moving assembly comprising slewing bearing 146, which is moveable by the action of linear actuator 148. A similar arrangement is provided to move the left operator's platform between a travel position that is entirely within the outer periphery of the material transfer vehicle and an operating position that locates the left operator's seat substantially outside the periphery of the material transfer vehicle.

[0053] Although this description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of the presently preferred embodiment thereof, as well as the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention. The invention, as described herein, is susceptible to various modifications and adaptations, as would be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention relates.