JP7765375B2 - Cab mount structure for construction machinery - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a structure for mounting a cab to a vehicle body in a construction machine.

Figure 7 shows a crawler carrier as an example of construction machinery. The frame 2 that constitutes the body of the crawler carrier 1 is rotatably attached via slewing rings 4 to crawlers 3, which serve as the traveling device, and a cab 5 is installed at the front of the frame 2. A loading platform 6 is attached behind the cab 5 so that it can be raised and lowered.

The frame 2 is composed of two side members arranged along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle body, and multiple cross members arranged along the left-to-right direction so as to intersect with the two side members, and the cab 5 and cargo bed 6 are supported on these.

Prior art documents disclosing technology related to the frame structure of this type of construction machinery include, for example, Patent Document 1 below.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-343638

In the case of construction machinery such as those described above, there is generally a demand to keep the vehicle height as low as possible. Construction machinery such as the crawler carrier 1 is often loaded onto a transport vehicle and transported on public roads, and in such cases, the higher the vehicle height of the loaded construction machinery, the higher the overall vehicle height becomes, increasing the possibility that the vehicle height restrictions will not be met on some roads. Furthermore, even at construction sites where construction machinery is in operation, there are likely to be situations where it would be effective to lower the vehicle height of the construction machinery in order to avoid various obstacles.

On the other hand, in construction machinery 1, it is necessary to avoid interference between the frame 2 and the various equipment and structures attached to the frame 2 and the traveling gear (crawler) 3. To achieve this, it is effective to support the frame 2 above the traveling gear 3 and place the cab 5 and bed 6 on the frame 2, but doing so inevitably increases the vehicle height of the construction machinery 1 to a certain extent. In particular, in the case of a slewing construction machinery equipped with slewing wheels 4 as described above, it is necessary to avoid interference between the frame 2 and the traveling gear 3 while taking into consideration the rotation of the frame 2 relative to the traveling gear 3. In other words, even if attempts are made to lower the vehicle height of construction machinery, there is a natural limit, given the need to avoid interference between the frame and the traveling gear.

In light of this situation, the present invention aims to provide a cab mount structure for construction machinery that can keep the vehicle height of the construction machinery low while avoiding interference between the frame and traveling gear.

The present invention relates to a cab mounting structure for construction machinery, which comprises a frame that constitutes the vehicle body, a front mounting section connected to the frame and on which the front of the cab is mounted, and a rear mounting section connected to the frame and on which the rear of the cab is mounted, and which is configured so that the front mounting section and the rear mounting section support the cab at a height such that the underside of the cab is positioned below the upper surface of the frame.

In the construction machinery cab mounting structure of the present invention, the front mounting portion can be located forward of the front end of the traveling device located below the frame, at a height lower than the frame.

In the construction machine cab mounting structure of the present invention, the rear mounting portion can be configured to mount a tether provided on the rear surface of the cab.

In the cab mounting structure for construction machinery of the present invention, the rear mounting section includes a rear mounting frame configured to mount a tether provided on the rear surface of the cab at a position higher than the upper surface of the frame, and the rear mounting frame may also include through holes that pass through the rear mounting frame from front to rear.

The cab mount structure for construction machinery of the present invention has the excellent effect of keeping the vehicle height of the construction machinery low while avoiding interference between the frame and the traveling gear.

1 is a plan view showing an example of a configuration of a frame of a construction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the frame of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a side view of the frame of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the front part of the construction machine equipped with the frame of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view particularly showing the state in which a tether is attached to the cab of the construction machine of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a plan view particularly showing the configuration of the tether provided on the rear surface of the cab in the construction machine of FIG. 4 . 1 is a side view showing a simplified example of a configuration of a crawler carrier as a construction machine.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 to 3 show an example of the frame configuration of a construction machine to which the cab mount structure of the present invention is applied, and Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of a crawler carrier as a construction machine equipped with such a frame structure. As shown in Figure 4, the frame 12 that constitutes the body of the crawler carrier 10 is rotatably attached via slewing wheels 14 to the crawlers 13 that serve as the traveling device, and a cab 15 is installed at the front of the frame 12. Behind the cab 15, a loading platform 16 is attached so that it can be raised and lowered by a cylinder mechanism.

As shown in Figure 1, the frame 12 is composed of three side members 20 (first side member 20a to third side member 20c) arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and multiple cross members 21 (first cross member 21a to fifth cross member 21e) arranged along the transverse direction so as to intersect with the three side members 20.

Of the side members 20a-20c, the first side member 20a and the second side member 20b correspond to the left side member in a typical construction machine body frame, while the third side member 20c corresponds to the right side member. The first side member 20a constitutes the front portion of the left side member, and the second side member 20b constitutes the remaining portion (rear and middle portion) of the left side member. The second side member 20b, which constitutes part of the left side member, and the third side member 20c, which constitutes the right side member, are located equidistant from the center of rotation (indicated by the symbol C in FIG. 1) of the slewing ring 14 (see FIG. 4) in the left-right direction of the vehicle. However, the first side member 20a, which constitutes the front portion of the left side member, is located slightly inward (to the right) of the second side member 20b in the left-right direction of the vehicle. This is because the cab 15 is located on the front left side of the vehicle in the crawler carrier 10 (see FIG. 4) of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the cab 15 is supported relative to the frame 12 so that the lower part of the cab 15 is positioned below the upper surface of the frame 12, as described below. However, when arranging the cab in this manner, depending on the position of the side members, the side members may interfere with the placement of the cab 15. Therefore, of the side members that form the front of the frame 12, the portion that constitutes the side member on which the cab 15 is located (in this embodiment, the first side member 20a that forms the front part of the left side member) is positioned closer to the center (right) in the left-right direction of the vehicle. In the case of construction machinery in which the cab is located on the right front of the vehicle, the front part of the right side member can be positioned closer to the left as necessary. The relationship between the cab placement and the structure of the side members will be described in detail later.

The first and second side members 20a, 20b that constitute the left side member and the third side member 20c that constitutes the right side member are connected to each other, in order from the front, by first to fifth cross members 21a to 21e. The first and second side members 20a, 20b and the third side member 20c extend parallel to each other, but the first side member 20a extends further forward than the front end of the third side member 20c. The longitudinal middle portion of the first side member 20a is connected to the front end of the third side member 20c by the first cross member 21a. One end (left end) of the first cross member 21a is connected to the middle portion of the first side member 20a, the middle portion is connected to the front end of the third side member 20c, and the other end (right end) extends to the right of the third side member 20c. The rear end of the first side member 20a is connected by the second cross member 21b to the front end of the second side member 20b and to a forward position in the intermediate portion of the third side member 20c. One end (left end) of the second cross member 21b is connected to the front end of the second side member 20b, its intermediate portion is connected to the rear end of the first side member 20a, and the other end (right end) is connected to the third side member 20c.

The third and fourth cross members 21c and 21d are connected at their ends to the middle portions of the second and third side members 20b and 21c, respectively. The turning center C is located between the third and fourth cross members 21c and 21d, to which the upper part of the turning ring 14 (see Figure 4) is connected from below. The fifth cross member 21e is connected at its ends to the rear ends of the second and third side members 20b and 21c, respectively.

Support members are connected to the front end of the first side member 20a, the rear end of the first side member 20a, and the middle portion of the second side member 20b (between the third cross member 21c and the fourth cross member 21d) so as to extend to the left from the first and second side members 20a, 20b, respectively, forming a left-side bracket 22 that supports the cab 15 (see Figure 4) and accessories (not shown). Similarly, a support member is connected to the front portion of the third side member 20c so as to extend to the right from the third side member 20c, and together with a part of the first cross member 21a extending to the right from the front end of the third side member 20c, form a right-side bracket 23 that supports a battery, accessories (not shown), and the like.

Of the support members that make up the left bracket 22, the support member provided at the front end of the first side member 20a constitutes a front mount 24 that supports the front portion of the cab 15 (see Figure 4), and the support member provided at the rear end of the first side member 20a constitutes a rear mount 25 that supports the rear portion of the cab 15. As mentioned above, the position of the front mount 24 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is the same as the position of the front end of the first side member 20a, but this position is forward of the front end of the traveling device (crawler) 13. Furthermore, the position of the rear mount 25 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is rearward of the front end of the traveling device (crawler) 13 and forward of the turning center C.

We will now particularly explain the front mounting section 24 and rear mounting section 25.

The front mounting portion 24 is composed of a beam 24a extending to the left from the front end of the first side member 20a, and a tether portion 24b extending rearward from the beam 24a. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the beam 24a is supported by the first side member 20a with the upper surface of its right end positioned below the lower surface of the front end of the first side member 20a. As a result, it is positioned one level lower than the side members 20 and cross member 21 that make up the frame 12.

The right end of the beam 24a is fixed to the first side member 20a via a hanging bracket 24c connected to the front end face of the first side member 20a, suspended from the front end of the first side member 20a. With this structure, the front mount 24 is supported by the first side member 20a in a cantilevered configuration, and a reinforcing member 24d is also connected to the right end of the beam 24a. The reinforcing member 24d is an elongated plate-shaped member with one end connected to the right end of the beam 24a and the other end connected to the middle of the first cross member 21a, thereby diagonally connecting the right end of the beam 24a to the middle of the first cross member 21a. This reinforces the cantilevered structure of the beam 24a, maintaining the support strength and rigidity of the front mount 24.

The mooring portion 24b is configured with a flange 24e that forms a horizontal surface and has two mooring holes 24f that penetrate the flange 24e from top to bottom (see Figure 1). The flange 24e is a plate-shaped member that extends rearward from the upper rear end of the beam 24a and forms a horizontal surface at the same height as the upper surface of the beam 24a. The flange 24e extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle in the same direction as the beam 24a, and the two mooring holes 24f are aligned in that direction.

Meanwhile, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a mooring portion 15a is provided on the front underside of the cab 15 in a position corresponding to the mooring portion 24b of the front mount portion 24. This mooring portion 15a has a mooring hole provided in a position corresponding to the mooring hole 24f provided in the flange 24e of the front mount portion 24. With the front of the cab 15 mounted on the front mount portion 24, the mooring holes are aligned and a mooring device 28 such as an anchor or bolt is attached, thereby mooring the front of the cab 15 to the front mount portion 24.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a rear mount frame 27 is connected to the upper surface of the rear mount portion 25. The rear mount frame 27 is a member that protrudes above the frame 12 at the position of the rear mount portion 25. The rear mount frame 27 is composed of a main surface portion 27a, which is a member that forms a surface perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a tether portion 27b that is provided on the upper edge of the main surface portion 27a.

The mooring portion 27b is configured with a flange 27c that forms a horizontal surface and two mooring holes 27d that penetrate the flange 27c vertically (see Figure 1). The flange 27c is a plate-shaped member that protrudes forward and backward from the upper edge of the main surface portion 27a, and forms a horizontal surface at the same height as the upper edge of the main surface portion 27a. The flange 27c extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle in the direction of the rear mount portion 25 and the main surface portion 27a, and the two mooring holes 27d are aligned in that direction.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, a mooring portion 15b is provided in the vertically middle portion of the rear of the cab 15, at a position corresponding to the mooring portion 27b of the rear mount frame 27 attached to the rear mount portion 25. The mooring portion 15b is provided to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the cab 15 and is a structure for mounting and mooring the rear of the cab 15 to the rear mount frame 27. Typically, the cab-side structure for mounting and mooring the cab to the frame is often provided on the underside of the cab at both the front and rear, but in this embodiment, the mooring portion 15b is provided on the rear surface of the cab 15 rather than the underside.

The mooring portion 15b has a mooring hole at a position corresponding to the mooring hole 27d provided in the flange 27c of the rear mounting frame 27. With the mooring portion 15b of the cab 15 mounted on the rear mounting frame 27, the mooring holes are aligned and a mooring device 28 such as an anchor or bolt is attached, thereby mooring the rear of the cab 15 to the rear mounting frame 27.

In addition, as shown in Figure 3, a through-hole 27e that penetrates the main surface 27a of the rear mount frame 27 from front to rear is provided in the center of the main surface 27a, allowing piping, wiring, etc. to be installed through this through-hole 27e as needed.

As shown in Figure 4, the cab 15 is tethered to the frame 12 with its front mounted to the front mount 24 and its rear mounted to the rear mount frame 27. Here, the underside of the cab 15 is parallel to the plane of the frame 12, but the height at which the underside of the cab 15 is supported is the height of the flange 24e of the front mount 24, which is lower than the upper surface of the frame 12 by dimension d (see Figure 2).

In a typical construction machine, such as a conventional crawler carrier 1 as shown in Figure 7, the cab 5 is mounted so that its underside is supported against the upper surface of the frame 2. That is, the height of the underside of the cab 5 is at the same height as the upper surface of the frame 2 or higher. In contrast, in the crawler carrier 10 of this embodiment shown in Figure 4, the underside of the cab 15 is lower by dimension d compared to the underside of the cab 5 shown in Figure 7. That is, the vehicle height of the crawler carrier 10 of this embodiment is lower by dimension d compared to the conventional crawler carrier 1. Whereas conventionally the cab would be mounted on the upper surface of the frame, in this embodiment a front mount 24 is provided at a lower height than the frame 12, and the cab 15 is mounted at the height of this front mount 24, thereby supporting the cab 15 at a lower position and lowering the vehicle height of the crawler carrier 10.

Here, if the cab 15 is supported too low, the cab 15 will interfere with the crawler 13, so the position of the cab 15 cannot be lowered indefinitely. However, in a construction machine (crawler carrier) 10 in which the frame 12 is arranged above the traveling device (crawler) 13, as in this embodiment, there is no risk of objects at the same height as the underside of the frame 12 interfering with the frame 12. Therefore, the cab 15 can be lowered to the point where its underside is at approximately the same height as the underside of the frame 12. In other words, dimension d is approximately the thickness of the frame 12, which is made up of the side members 20 and cross members 21.

As such, in this embodiment, the cab 15 is not supported on the upper surface of the frame 12. In this case, a separate structure is required to support the cab 15 relative to the frame 12. In this embodiment, this is the front mount portion 24, rear mount portion 25, and rear mount frame 27.

The front mount 24 is positioned below the frame 12 and supports the front of the cab 15 from below. The front mount 24 is positioned lower than the underside of the frame 12, but because it is positioned forward of the front end of the crawler 13, there is no risk of the front mount 24 interfering with the crawler 13. In this embodiment, the frame 12 is configured to rotate relative to the crawler 13 via the slewing ring 14. Taking this rotational movement into consideration, the front mount 24 is positioned so that it does not interfere with the slewing ring 14 even when the frame 12 rotates. In other words, in a plan view (see Figure 1), the minimum distance from the rotation center C to the front mount 24 is set longer than the maximum distance from the rotation center C to the end of the crawler 13.

On the other hand, the rear mount 25 is located rearward of the front end of the crawler 13. Therefore, if it were to be located lower than the underside of the frame 12 like the front mount 24, there is a possibility that it would interfere with the crawler 13. Therefore, a tether 15b is provided on the rear surface of the cab 15 so as to protrude from the rear surface, and the tether 15b is mounted to the rear mount frame 27 at a height above the top surface of the frame 12. Here, the height at which the tether 15b is provided (i.e., the height at which the tether 15b is mounted on the frame 12) may be the same as the height of the top surface of the frame 12. However, in this embodiment, the rear mount frame 27 is provided above the rear mount 25, and the height at which the tether 15b is mounted is set higher than the top surface of the frame 12. This is because various devices, piping, and wiring may be installed below the rear of the cab 15 in the crawler carrier 10, which is a construction machine. The structure for mounting and tethering the cab 15 (tethering portions 15b, 27b and tethering device 28) requires a certain amount of volume, and if it were located at the same height as the top surface of the frame 12, it could get in the way of the aforementioned devices, piping, and wiring that are located at the same height. Therefore, as in this embodiment, by installing a rear mounting frame 27 and locating tethering portions 15b, 27b at a height above the frame 12 and providing a through-hole 27e at a height between tethering portions 15b, 27b and the frame 12, piping and wiring can be passed through the through-hole 27e, preventing interference with the layout of devices in the limited space above the frame 12.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first side member 20a, which forms the front portion of the left side member, is positioned more inward (to the right) in the left-right direction of the vehicle than the second side member 20b, which forms the remainder of the left side member. This structure prevents the left side member from interfering with the placement of the cab 15 when supporting the cab 15 at a position lower than the frame 12. The side member on which the cab 15 is placed (left side member 20) wraps around inward in the left-right direction of the vehicle, allowing the cab 15 to be placed in an appropriate position without any difficulty.

A ladder-shaped step 29 for getting in and out of the cab 15 is provided at the left end of the beam 24a that forms the front mounting section 24. In this embodiment, the cab 15 is positioned lower than in conventional examples, which also has the advantage of making it easier to get in and out of the cab 15 via the step 29.

In this embodiment, the front mount 24 and tether 24b are located lower than the frame 12 and support the front of the cab 15 from below. However, it is theoretically possible to locate the front mount and tether on the frame 12 in front of the cab 15, and also provide a corresponding tether on the front of the cab 15, and mount this to the frame 12 at the same height as the frame 12 or higher. In other words, the same structure as the rear mount 25 in this embodiment is used for the front mount, but reversed. However, doing so has the disadvantage that the front end of the vehicle protrudes from the front of the cab 15, increasing the turning radius in front of the vehicle body.

As described above, the cab mounting structure for the construction machine of this embodiment comprises the frame 12 that constitutes the vehicle body, a front mounting section 24 that is connected to the frame 12 and to which the front of the cab 15 is mounted, and a rear mounting section 25 that is connected to the frame 12 and to which the rear of the cab 15 is mounted. The front mounting section 24 and rear mounting section 25 are configured to support the cab 15 at a height such that the underside of the cab 15 is positioned below the upper surface of the frame 12. In this way, the cab 15 can be supported at a low position, and the vehicle height of the construction machine 10 can be lowered.

In this embodiment, the front mount 24 is located forward of the front end of the traveling device 13, which is mounted below the frame 12, and at a height lower than the frame 12. In this way, the front mount 24 can support the front of the cab 15 from below while avoiding interference between the front mount 24 and the traveling device 13.

In this embodiment, the rear mount 25 is configured to mount the tether 15b provided on the rear surface of the cab 15. In this way, the rear mount 25 can support the rear of the cab 15 while avoiding interference between the rear mount 25 and the traveling device 13.

In this embodiment, the rear mounting section 25 includes a rear mounting frame 27 configured to mount the tether 15b provided on the rear surface of the cab 15 at a position higher than the top surface of the frame 12, and the rear mounting frame 27 includes a through-hole 27e that penetrates the rear mounting frame 27 from front to rear. In this way, piping and wiring can be passed through the through-hole 27e, preventing them from interfering with the layout on the frame 12.

Therefore, according to each of the above embodiments, it is possible to keep the vehicle height of the construction machine low while avoiding interference between the frame and the traveling gear.

The cab mount structure for construction machinery of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the construction machinery to which it is applicable is not limited to swivel-type crawler carriers, and it can be applied to a variety of vehicles as long as the construction machinery has a cab mounted on the vehicle body. Naturally, various modifications can be made to the implementation of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

12 Frame 15 Cab 15b Mooring portion 24 Front mount portion 25 Rear mount portion 27 Rear mount frame 27e Through hole

Claims (3)

A frame that constitutes the vehicle body;
a front mount portion connected to the frame and on which a front portion of a cab is mounted;
a rear mount portion connected to the frame and on which a rear portion of the cab is mounted,
The front mount portion and the rear mount portion are configured to support the cab at a height where a lower surface of the cab is positioned below an upper surface of the frame,
the front mounting portion is provided at a height lower than the lower surface of the frame,
The rear mount portion includes a rear mount frame configured to mount a tether portion provided on a rear surface of the cab at a position higher than an upper surface of the frame,
The rear mounting frame has a through-hole that penetrates the mounting frame from front to rear at a height between the anchoring portion and the upper surface of the frame.
A cab mount structure for a construction machine. 2. The cab mount structure for a construction machine according to claim 1, wherein the front mount portion is provided at a position forward of a front end of a traveling device provided below the frame. the front mount portion is connected to the frame via a connecting member extending downward from the frame, and further includes a reinforcing member for reinforcing the connection made by the connecting member,
A cab mounting structure for a construction machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base end of the reinforcing member is configured to connect to one end of the front mounting portion in the left-right direction, and the tip end is configured to connect to the middle portion of the frame in the left- right direction.