PROTECTIVE BARRIER FOR A CONTROL PANEL

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile elevating work platform comprising a control panel, said control panel (6) comprising a protective barrier (13) on an outer surface thereof, wherein the protective barrier comprises an elastomer. The present invention also relates to a method for providing a control panel with a protective barrier (13), which comprises the steps of obtaining a three-dimensional profile of an outer surface of a control panel, creating a mould from the three-dimensional profile, providing an elastomer and shaping the elastomer in the mould, curing the elastomer to form the protective barrier and fitting the protective barrier to the control panel. The present invention also relates to a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) comprising a control panel (6) and a rigid shell (26) for protecting the control panel.

Claims

1. A mobile elevating work platform comprising a control panel, said control panel comprising a protective barrier on an outer surface thereof, wherein the protective barrier comprises an elastomer.

2. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer is a thermoset elastomer.

3. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer is a silicone elastomer.

4. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer is substantially transparent.

5. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer is hydrophobic.

6. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the operating temperature of the elastomer is from 55 C. to 300 C.

7. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the electrical resistance of the elastomer is from 1T.Math.m to 100T.Math.m.

8. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer has an elongation at break of at least 100%.

9. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the elastomer has a shore hardness of at least 00-20.

10. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 1, wherein the control panel comprises a further protective barrier.

11. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 10, wherein the further protective barrier is in the form of a patch.

12. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 10, wherein the further protective barrier comprises a rigid shell.

13. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 12, wherein the rigid shell comprises a thermoplastic material.

14. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 12, wherein the rigid shell comprises an insulating material.

15. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 14, wherein the insulating material is disposed between a first thermoplastic material layer and a second thermoplastic material layer.

16. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a polyester.

17. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 14, wherein the insulating material comprises a phenolic foam.

18. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 12, wherein the rigid shell is pivotally connected at one end to the control panel and is moveable between open and closed positions.

19. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 12, wherein the rigid shell comprises fastening means for securing the rigid shell to the control panel.

21-30. (canceled)

31. Mobile elevating work platform according to claim 12, wherein the rigid shell is configured to fit around a plurality of controllers extending from the control panel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] In order that the invention may be more clearly understood embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a mobile elevated work platform

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a mobile elevated work platform control panel.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a protective barrier according to the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of a control panel provided with a protective barrier and with a protective shell.

[0038] With reference to FIG. 1 there is shown a mobile elevated work platform (MWEP) 1. The MWEP 1 has a drivable vehicle body 2 having wheels 3 and an extendable boom 4 mounted at one end to the vehicle body 3. A basket 5 is mounted onto the free end of the boom 4 away from the vehicle body 3. The basket 5 is provided with a set of controls (not shown) in the form of a control panel 6 so that, in use, an operator standing in the basket 5 can raise, lower, extend or rotate the boom 4 so as to move the basket 5 to the desired location.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a control panel 6 commonly found in a basket of a diesel boom type MWEP 1. The general movement of the basket 5 is controlled by a ball-and-stick controller 7. The base of the ball 8 and stick 9 controller 7 is protected by a flexible casing which extends partly along the stick 9 in the direction of the ball 8. The control panel 6 also comprises a plurality of toggle switches 10 which enables the operator to switch between different operating modes, e.g. between raising and extending modes when optimising the position of the basket 5. The control panel 6 additionally comprises a plurality of indicator lights 11 that are important for hazard identification as well as for control identification.

[0040] A manually operable stop button 12 is also provided on the control panel 6 so that the operator may cut the power supply to the MWEP 1 when pressed, for instance in the event of an accident or if the operator loses control of the MWEP 1.

[0041] In accordance with the present invention the control panel of the diesel boom (or any other MWEP) is provided with a protective barrier 13. The protective barrier 13 is manufactured by first mapping the contours of the control panel 6 surface using computer-aided design (CAD) software so as to obtain a three-dimensional profile of the control panel 6. The three-dimensional profile is then used to produce a mould, typically made of steel or aluminium.

[0042] The protective barrier is formed using an injection moulding process. The injection moulding process comprises the steps of providing a first amount of a silicone compound into a first vessel and providing a first amount of a liquid catalyst into a second vessel. Metering units are then used to pump the silicone compound and the liquid catalyst into a mixing section at where they are mixed to form a homogeneous mixture. The silicone compound and the liquid catalyst are pumped at a pressure of 5000 psi. Additives such as corrosion inhibitors provided in a third vessel may optionally be pumped into the mixing section before pumping the silicone compound and the liquid catalyst into the same. A cooling jacket surrounds the mixing section in order to retard the curing process, which begins as soon as the silicone compound and the liquid catalyst come into contact. The homogeneous mixture is then pumped into a cooled injection unit which is used to pump the homogenous mixture under pressure through a cooled sprue and into a mould having a temperature between 180 C. and 200 C. The heated mould promotes the cross-linking reaction between silicone polymer chains, which causes the silicone compound to solidify and results in the formation of the protective barrier once cooled. The protective barrier is then removed from the mould and the cycle is repeated so as to produce multiple protective barriers.

[0043] A protective barrier 13 according to the present invention is best shown in FIG. 3. The protective barrier 13 is substantially rectangular in shape and has a thickness of between 1 and 2 mm, with the protective barrier 13 being thicker at the edges 14 corner points 15 relative to the thickness of the front face 16. The front face 16 of the protective barrier is substantially transparent or translucent so as to enable safety and control decals and the like to be easily viewed by an operator. The front face 16 of the protective barrier 13 follows the contours of the control panel 6 and therefore the protective barrier 6 comprises a plurality of hollow protrusions capable of at least partly housing the controls of the control panel.

[0044] In this embodiment the protective barrier 13 comprises a series of first hollow protrusions 17 capable of at least partly covering the ball 8 and stick 9 controller 7. The first hollow protrusions 17 comprise a substantially square hollow base 18 and a plurality of first hollow tiers 19 provided thereon. The first hollow tiers 19 being annular in shape and reducing in cross-sectional area from the lowermost tier to the uppermost tier. The uppermost tier comprises an aperture 20 in an upper surface thereof so as to allow the ball 8 and at least part of the stick 9 to pass therethrough as the protective barrier 13 is provided on the control panel 6. The protective barrier 6 also comprises a series of second hollow protrusions 21 for covering the toggle switches 10 on the control panel 6. The second hollow protrusions 21 also comprise a second hollow tier arrangement 22 with the cross-sectional areas reducing from the lowermost tier adjacent the front face 16 to the uppermost tier. The protective barrier 13 further comprises a plurality of third hollow protrusions 23 that are capable of covering indicator lights 11 and a fourth hollow 24 protrusion for covering the emergency stop button 12. The third and fourth hollow protrusions (23, 24) comprise a substantially cylindrical cross-section, and in the case of the fourth hollow protrusion 24, it additionally comprises a beaded rim 25 which allows free movement of the emergency stop switch 12.

[0045] As best shown in FIG. 4, the control panel is provided with a protective shell 26. The protective shell 26 comprises a first inner protective shell component 27, a second outer protective shell component 28 and a 5 mm thick thermally insulating material 29 provided therebetween. In this embodiment the thermally insulating material is a phenolic foam. The thickness of the first and second protective shell components (27, 28) is 2-3 mm. In use, the protective shell 26 is placed over the control panel 6 and is secured to the control panel 6 by means of a strap 30 and a buckle snap fastener 31. The strap 30 is fixedly connected to a lip 32 which surrounds the perimeter of the control panel 6 and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the control panel's 6 upper surface. The buckle snap fastener 31 is also secured to the lip 32 at a location opposite the fixedly connected strap 30. To secure the protective shell 26 to the control panel 6, the free end of the strap 30 is passed around the underside of the control panel 6 and then secured to the buckle snap fastener 32.

[0046] The first and second shell components (27, 28) each comprise a thermoplastic material such as polyester and are formed using a vacuum forming process. A mould made of steel, aluminium or wood is placed onto an upper surface of a platen. A sheet of thermoplastic material having a surface area greater than that of the mould is then secured to the vacuum forming apparatus, above the mould, by suitable clamping means. The thermoplastic sheet material is then softened using suitable heating means provided above and parallel to the thermoplastic sheet. The platen comprises a plurality of apertures which allows air to be removed from below the thermoplastic sheet using suitable vacuum means such as a vacuum pump. Atmospheric pressure then pushes the softened thermoplastic sheet onto the mould to form the protective shell component (27 or 28 as appropriate).

[0047] The above embodiment is described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.