Vehicles having a moveable control console
AssigneeVermeer Manufacturing Company
InventorsDaniel Ray Erickson, Tenny Lynn Hinshaw, David Joseph Hackman, Edward Darrin Hastings
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Vehicles having a control console that may be moved between a plurality of locations relative to the body of the vehicle are disclosed. The control console may include a direction control device for controlling movement of the vehicle that is adaptive such that movement of the vehicle is based on both the direction at which the direction control device is actuated and the sensed position of the control console.
Claims26
A vehicle having a front, rear, first and second sides, and a central longitudinal axis that passes through the front and rear, the vehicle comprising:
- a ground drive system;
- a console moveable between first and second positions disposed opposite each other across the central longitudinal axis;
- a direction control device supported by the console, the direction control device configured to selectively control movement of the vehicle in a forward direction and a rearward direction, the direction control device being moveable by a user along a control axis;
- a sensor system that senses when the console is in the first position or in the second position;
- and
- a control unit communicatively connected to the sensor system, the control unit being configured to cause the ground drive system to move the vehicle in the forward direction when the direction control device is moved along the control axis toward the front of the vehicle in both the first and second positions of the console and to move the vehicle in the rearward direction when the direction control device is moved along the control axis toward the rear of the vehicle in both the first and second positions of the console.
A vehicle having a front, rear, first and second sides, and a central longitudinal axis that passes through the front and rear, the vehicle comprising:
- a ground drive system;
- a console moveable between first and second positions disposed opposite each other across the central longitudinal axis, the console having a console front disposed laterally outward from a console rear when the console is in the first and second positions, the console having a console first side and a console second side, the console first side being disposed forward of the console second side relative to the central longitudinal axis when the console is in the first position and the console first side being disposed rearward of the console second side relative to the central longitudinal axis when the console is in the second position;
- a direction control device supported by the console, the direction control device configured to selectively control movement of the vehicle in a forward direction and a rearward direction;
- a sensor system that senses when the console is in the first position or in the second position;
- and
- a control unit communicatively connected to the sensor system, the control unit controlling the direction at which the ground drive system moves the vehicle based at least in part on the sensor system detecting the console in the first position or in the second position,
- wherein the control unit is configured to cause the ground drive system to move the vehicle in a direction toward the first side of the vehicle when the direction control device is moved toward the first side of the vehicle in both the first and second positions of the console and to move the vehicle in a direction toward the second side of the vehicle when the direction control device is moved toward the second side of the vehicle in both the first and second positions of the console.
A vehicle having a front, rear, first and second sides, and a central longitudinal axis that passes through the front and rear, the vehicle comprising:
- a powered system for moving at least a portion of the vehicle;
- a control console configured to be operated by a user standing alongside the control console to control the powered system, the control console being moveable between first and second positions disposed opposite each other across the central longitudinal axis;
- a control device supported by the control console, the control device configured to selectively control movement of the powered system in a first direction or a second direction by moving a portion of the control device relative to the control console;
- a sensor system that senses the position of the control console relative to the vehicle;
- and
- a control unit communicatively connected to the sensor system, the control unit controlling the direction at which the powered system moves at least part of the vehicle based at least in part on the sensor system detecting the position of the control console relative to the vehicle and a direction at which the control device is moved such that the direction of movement of at least part of the vehicle matches the direction the control device is moved relative to the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.