SELF-PROPELLED GROUND MILLING MACHINE

Abstract

A self-propelled ground milling machine, in particular a road milling machine, a stabilizer or a recycler, comprising a machine frame borne by traveling devices, a ground milling device mounted on the machine frame having a milling drum box and a milling drum which can be rotated within the milling drum box about a rotation axis running transverse to a main working direction of the ground milling machine, and an operator platform from which the ground milling machine is operated by an operator, having an operator platform floor on which the operator can stand while operating the ground milling machine, having a main floor plate. What is now essential according to the invention is that, in addition to the main floor plate, a side floor plate is provided which can be pivoted about a vertical axis or can be adjusted along a horizontal adjustment axis, and by means of which the standing area of the operator platform can be varied.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A self-propelled ground milling machine, comprising: a machine frame borne by traveling devices; a ground milling device mounted on the machine frame and having a milling drum box and a milling drum which can be rotated within the milling drum box about a rotation axis running transverse to a main working direction of the ground milling machine; and an operator platform from which the ground milling machine is operated by an operator, having an operator platform floor on which the operator can stand during operation of the ground milling machine, with a main floor plate, wherein: in addition to the main floor plate, the operator platform floor has at least one side floor plate which is adjustable relative to the main floor plate about a vertical pivot axis or along a horizontal adjustment axis between a stowed position and a deployed position, wherein the side floor plate is either arranged pivotably in such a manner that it pivots out horizontally from the stowed position into the deployed position and widens the operator platform floor transversely to the main working direction of the ground milling machine or is arranged so as to be displaceable such that it extends horizontally from the stowed position into the deployed position and widens the operator platform floor transversely to the main working direction of the ground milling machine.

17. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein the ground milling machine has at least one vertically extending sidewall, and that the side floor plate: at least partially projects horizontally beyond the sidewall transversely to the main working direction when in the deployed position; and/or does not project horizontally beyond the sidewall transversely to the main working direction when in the stowed position.

18. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein the ground milling machine has a zero side on which the ground milling device is essentially flush with a sidewall of the machine frame of the ground milling machine, and that the side floor plate is arranged on the zero side of the ground milling machine.

19. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein the pivot axis of the side floor plate is located in the rear region of the side floor plate in the main working direction of the ground milling machine, or is offset rearward relative to the side floor plate.

20. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein the operator platform has a respective side floor plate on both sides of the operator platform, wherein the two side floor plates pivot out from the stowed position into the deployed position in opposite directions of rotation or adjustment.

21. The ground milling machine according claim 16, wherein the side floor plate is arranged vertically below the main floor plate at least in the stowed position.

22. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein a fall protection device is provided which is adjustable between the deployed position and the stowed position together with the side floor plate also about the rotation axis of the side floor plate.

23. The ground milling machine according to claim 22, wherein the fall protection device is stationary relative to the side floor plate.

24. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein the side floor plate is essentially planar and is slanted relative to the vertical pivot axis at an angle of less than 10 with respect to its standing area.

25. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein a trip protection device is provided which compensates or reduces a vertical offset between the side floor plate and the main floor plate, wherein the trip protection device is configured: as a compensation lip which is arranged on the main floor plate and at least partially overlaps the side floor plate in a horizontal direction; and/or to cause a displacement of the side floor plate along its rotation axis during an adjustment of the side floor plate between its stowed position and its deployed position; and/or such that the side floor plate has several plate segments which are arranged in a fan-like manner, offset to one another in the vertical direction and adjustable relative to one another about the rotation axis.

26. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein a spiral guide is provided between the side floor plate and the main floor plate, such that the side floor plate is displaced at least partially in the vertical direction along the rotation axis during a movement between the stowed position and the deployed position.

27. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein the pivoting angle () of the side floor plate between a maximally deployed position and the stowed position is less than 90.

28. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein a locking device is provided which is configured such that it locks the side floor plate in at least one defined stowed position and/or in at least one defined deployed position, wherein the locking device is configured such that it allows stepless or incremental locking of the side floor plate relative to the main floor plate at least within a defined adjustment range and over the entire adjustment range between the stowed position and the maximally deployed position.

29. The ground milling machine according to claim 28, wherein the locking device is configured such that it allows stepless or incremental locking of the side floor plate relative to the main floor plate at least within a defined adjustment range between the stowed position and the maximally deployed position.

30. The ground milling machine according to claim 16, wherein it includes at least one of the following features: a transport lock is provided which locks the side floor plate in the stowed position; a drive device is provided which drives the adjustment of the side floor plate from the stowed position towards the deployed position and/or from the deployed position into the stowed position at least in addition to a manual operation; a step-up aid is provided to facilitate access from the ground to the operator platform, wherein the step-up aid is arranged in front of or behind the side floor plate as seen in the main working direction of the ground milling machine; at least one operating device and/or a driver's seat are arranged on the operator platform, wherein the operating device and/or the driver's seat are adjustable between at least two positions, wherein the adjustment of the operating device and/or the driver's seat between said at least two positions is at least partially coupled to the adjusting movement of the side floor plate between the stowed position and the deployed position via a coupling device; and/or at least one operating device and/or a driver's seat are arranged on the operator platform, wherein the operating device and/or the driver's seat are adjustable such that they can be adjusted from a normal position in which they are positioned in the vertical direction completely above the main floor plate to a lateral operating position in which they project at least partially into the region located in the vertical direction above the side floor plate in the pivoted-out position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION ON THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention will be explained in more detail below by reference to the embodiment examples shown in the figures. In the schematic figures:

[0032] FIG. 1: is a side view of a ground milling machine;

[0033] FIG. 2A: is a top view of a part of a main floor plate and a side floor plate in the deployed position and in the stowed position;

[0034] FIG. 2B: is a side view of a part of the main floor plate and the side floor plate in the deployed position and in the pivoted-in position of FIG. 2A;

[0035] FIG. 3A: is a top view of a ground milling machine with side floor plates in the deployed position;

[0036] FIG. 3B: is a top view of a ground milling machine with side floor plates in the stowed position;

[0037] FIG. 4A: is a front view of the ground milling machine of FIG. 3A;

[0038] FIG. 4B: is a front view of the ground milling machine of FIG. 3B;

[0039] FIG. 5: is a perspective oblique view of the ground milling machine of FIGS. 3A and 4A; and

[0040] FIG. 6: is a side view of a part of a ground milling machine according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Like components are designated by like reference numerals in the figures, although not every recurring component is necessarily designated separately throughout the figures.

[0042] Essential components of a ground milling machine 1 include a machine frame 3 borne by traveling devices 2, more specifically crawler tracks or wheels, a ground milling device 4, an operator platform 5, and a drive motor 6. The present embodiment example further comprises lifting columns 7 connecting the machine frame 3 to the traveling devices 2 in a height-adjustable manner, as well as a loading conveyor 8, which can be used to load milled material onto a transport vehicle, for example (the loading conveyor 8 is not shown in the embodiment example shown in FIGS. 3A to 5 for reasons of clarity). In working operation, the ground milling machine 1 moves in the working direction A over the underlying ground and mills it to a desired milling depth. The ground milling machine 1 is self-propelled. The energy required for the traveling and working operation is provided by the drive motor 6, usually a diesel combustion engine. The ground milling device 4 comprises a milling drum box 9 and a milling drum 10 (indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1) which can be rotated within the milling drum box 9 about a rotation axis R running transverse to the main working direction A of the ground milling machine 1, said milling drum being a hollow-cylindrical support tube having a plurality of milling tools arranged on its outer jacket surface, as known per se.

[0043] The operator platform 5 may have an operator platform roof 12 held by struts 11. The operator platform 5 further comprises an operator platform floor 13 with a main floor plate 14 and a side floor plate 15, as will be explained in more detail in the following figures. Further, a driver's seat 16 and an operating panel 17 are arranged on the operator platform 15. The operator platform 5 is accessed from the ground using a laterally arranged step-up aid 18, in this case a ladder.

[0044] What is now essential is that, with the aid of the side floor plate 15, the operator platform floor 13 provides a variable standing area for the operator on the operator platform 5. For further explanation, reference is first made to FIG. 2A. Said figure shows a top view of the operator platform floor 13 comprising the main floor plate 14 (only a portion of which is shown in FIG. 2A) as well as the side floor plate 15, which can pivot about a vertical pivot axis S. FIG. 2A first illustrates that the side floor plate 15 is adjustable relative to the main floor plate 14 about the pivot axis S, the deployed position of the side floor plate 15 in FIG. 2A being indicated by a solid line and the stowed position of the side floor plate 15 by a dotted line. This variant, which is based on a pivot movement, thus involves a pivoted-out position. It can be seen that the side floor plate 15 protrudes in a horizontal direction beyond the lateral outer edge 19 of the main floor plate 14 and projects beyond the latter in a horizontal direction by the distance A1. In the stowed position, on the other hand, the main floor plate 14 is positioned above the side floor plate 15 and completely overlaps the side floor plate 15. This is illustrated further in FIG. 2B, which shows a side view along arrow I of FIG. 2A. The viewing direction of FIG. 2A is illustrated by arrow II in FIG. 2B. In FIG. 2B, the side floor plate 15 is again illustrated by solid lines in the deployed position and by dotted lines in the pivoted-in position. In the deployed position, the side floor plate 15 protrudes horizontally beyond the main floor plate 14 by the distance A1. In FIG. 2B, the driver on the operator platform 5 thus stands on the main floor plate 14 and, if possible, on the side floor plate 15. The combination of the two FIGS. 2A and 2B thus shows that this standing area can be increased by the side floor plate 15 when in the deployed position. On the other hand, the operator platform 4, or its standing area for the operator on the operator platform, widens horizontally and transversely to the longitudinal center line M (FIGS. 3A and 3B) of the machine by the distance A1 when the side floor plate 15 is pivoted out. In the stowed position, however, the side floor plate 15 completely disappears below the main floor plate 14, so that the standing area of the operator platform 4 is not widened in this case.

[0045] FIG. 2A further shows the respective end positions of the side floor plate 15 in the deployed position and in the stowed position. The pivoting angle between these two positions is indicated in FIG. 2A by the angle . In the present embodiment example, this angle is about 45.

[0046] FIG. 2B also shows a trip protection device 20 in the form of a rubber lip 21 projecting from the outer edge 19 of the main floor plate 14 in a horizontal direction and, coming from above, partially resting on the side floor plate 15. It comprises a compensation slope 22 which compensates the vertical offset between the standing area formed by the side floor plate 15 and the main floor plate 14 in a uniformly sloping manner. This reduces the risk of tripping in the step-over region between the main floor plate 14 and the side floor plate 15. The rubber lip 21 further comprises a marking bump 23 projecting or protruding vertically upwards from the standing area of the main floor plate 14. This enables the driver on the operator platform 4 to sense the step-over zone between the main floor plate 14 and the side floor plate 15 with his foot early on, which also reduces the risk of tripping.

[0047] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B and 5 now show a ground milling machine 1 comparable to that of FIG. 1, with the loading conveyor 8 and the operator platform roof 12 removed. Both on the right-hand side with respect to the main working direction A, where the milling device, which is not visible in FIGS. 3A and 3B, is essentially flush with the machine side, so that this side is also referred to as the zero side, and also on the left side, the ground milling machine 1 comprises in each case a respective side floor plate 15 which is adjustable between the deployed position shown in FIG. 3A/4A/5 and the stowed position shown in FIG. 3B/4B. By way of example, the pivot angle for the left side floor plate 15 is indicated by in FIG. 3A. FIGS. 3A and 3B are top views of the machine, FIGS. 4A and 4B are front views against the working direction A, and FIG. 5 is an oblique perspective view from the upper right.

[0048] FIGS. 3A to 5 illustrate in particular that the pivoted-out side floor plates 15 widen the machine width transversely to the working direction A in the horizontal plane and increase the standing area of the operator platform 5 especially in this direction. For further illustration, FIGS. 3A and 4A indicate the distance A1, which denotes the widening of the floor standing area in the horizontal plane and transverse to the working direction A, which is achieved by pivoting the respective side floor plate 15 from the pivoted-in position to the pivoted-out position. This provides a larger standing area for the operator on the operator platform 5. The pivot axes S of the two side floor plates 15 are further arranged in the rear region of the respective side floor plate 15 as seen in the main working direction A. As a result, the space gained by the pivoted-out side floor plate 15 in the main working direction A at the front is particularly large for the operator on the operator platform 5. This enables him, for example, to look along the side of the machine in the main working direction A in particular from this region.

[0049] A comparison of FIGS. 3A and 3B or 4A and 4B further shows that the operator platform 5 partially protrudes laterally beyond the rest of the respective machine side when the side floor plates 15 are in the deployed position. In FIG. 4A, this is further illustrated by an indication of the lateral machine frame wall W, which constitutes the maximum horizontal extension of the machine to this side (the further provided step-up aid 18 can be folded in and is thus not considered for the machine width in this region). If, on the other hand, the side floor plates 15 are in the stowed position, as is shown in FIG. 3B, the operator platform 5 terminates essentially flush with the rest of the rear sidewall of the ground milling machine 1 at the level W (FIG. 4B). In other words, when the side floor plates 15 are in the stowed position, the width of the operator platform 5 is within the maximum width of the rest of the ground milling machine. This is particularly advantageous during the transport of the ground milling machine 1. For further clarification, FIG. 4A shows the maximum machine width Bmax with side floor plates on both sides in pivoted-out position, while FIG. 4B shows the considerably smaller minimum machine width Bmin with side floor plates on both sides in pivoted-in position (again, the separately foldable step-up aid 18 is not included).

[0050] FIGS. 3A, 3B and 5 further show that on the operator platform 5 there are, arranged in respective pairs, a right pair of an operating device 17 and a driver's seat 16 and a right pair of an operating device 17 and a driver's seat 16. In the present embodiment example, these are adjustable in the horizontal direction, in particular adjustable horizontally from the position shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B towards the outside of the ground milling machine. The adjustment may be to such an extent that the respective driver's seat 16 and/or the respective operating device 17 can be adjusted so as to at least partially overlap the respective side floor plate 15 in the vertical direction.

[0051] In the embodiment example according to FIGS. 3A/4A, 3B/4B and 5, a fall protection device is further provided in the form of a railing protruding vertically upwards from the side floor plate 15. Said railing is connected to the side floor plate 15 in a stationary manner and pivots together with the latter between the stowed position and the deployed position. From the operator platform 5, the operator can thus simultaneously move the side floor plate 15 between the stowed position and the deployed position by displacing the fall protection device 23. Part of the fall protection device 23 is also a compensation member 24 which variably compensates the free space relative to the rest of the machine created by the movement of the fixed railing part from the stowed position into the deployed position. Said compensation member may be, for example, a chain or a telescopic intermediate railing member.

[0052] FIG. 5 in particular illustrates that the visibility from the operator platform to the ground region ahead of the milling drum, which is particularly relevant for the operation of the machine, is improved due to the side floor plate 15 in the deployed position. The side floor plates 15 are positioned vertically above the milling device. In the deployed position, the operator on the operator platform thus obtains a balcony-like structure above the milling device from which he can look directly to the ground region lying in the working direction A ahead of the respective edge of the milling drum.

[0053] FIG. 6 finally illustrates further modifications of the basic idea of the invention. FIG. 6 shows a portion of the machine of FIG. 1. As is shown, the ground milling machine 1 of FIG. 6 comprises a transport lock 25 which in the present case is arranged approximately at the level of the operator platform floor 13 for operation from outside the ground milling machine 1. With the aid of the transport lock 25, the side floor plate 15 can be locked in its stowed position.

[0054] Furthermore, additionally or alternatively, a drive device 26 is provided which, at least in addition to purely manual operation, drives the adjustment of the side floor plate between the stowed position and the deployed position. This may be a mechanically acting drive device 26, such as a gas pressure spring or a mechanical spring, or also a drive motor. It may be actuated by an operator on the operator platform 5 from an actuating device 27, which is connected to the drive device 26 via a signal line 28, to adjust the side floor plate 15. Furthermore, a locking device 29 may be provided, in the present case in the form of a foot pedal operated from the operator platform 5, by means of which the side floor plate 15 can be locked in the deployed position and/or the stowed position from the operator platform 5. This is in particular a suitable positive locking device which blocks the pivot movement of the side floor plate 15 about its pivot axis S in its respective locking position. The locking device 29 may in this case be configured such that it locks the side floor plate 15 only in the stowed position and/or in a single deployed position, usually the maximally deployed position. It is, however, also possible to configure the locking device 29 such that it enables the side floor plate 15 to be locked in a stepped manner with several intermediate steps or steplessly between the stowed position and a maximally deployed position.

[0055] According to an alternative and/or supplement to the pivot variant described above, the side floor plate is displaceable along a horizontal axis, in particular transversely and more particularly perpendicularly to the working direction A, in particular linearly, between the stowed position and the deployed position. This is illustrated as an example in FIG. 3A with the side floor plate 15 shown in the deployed position using dashed lines. In this case, the side floor plate 15 is thus displaced linearly in the horizontal plane. To reach the stowed position, the side floor plate 15 is displaced linearly along the horizontal axis H towards the rest of the machine until it has reached the stowed position already described above.

[0056] Reference is made in this regard to the above disclosure. Combinations between pivot and displacement movements along one axis are also possible.