Skid loader door protection apparatus and method
AssigneeSteven J Wherley
InventorSteven J. Wherley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An access door condition sensing system is provided for skid-steer equipment where a door open condition is intended to disable either or both travel or implement hydraulic lifting arms commonly used for lifting a loader bucket so as to diminish the potential for damage to an open door or injury to an operator or bystander opening the door.
Claims3
A field adaptable safety protection system for a skid-steer machine including a loader having a pair of hydraulically operable lifting arms capable of raising and lowering an implement, and wherein the skid-deer loader includes an access door for entering a cabin, and includes a machine wiring harness having first and second machine mating connector plugs for electrically connecting a first group of electrical conductors from one electrical controller at one location to travel/loader electromechanical control components at another location, the field adaptable safety protection system comprising:
- a field mountable door sensing switch means having at least first and second terminals electrically connected to a pair of contacts, said field mountable door sensing switch means being arranged such that said pair of contacts may be in a first state with said door being in an open condition, and are in a second state with said door being in a closed condition;
- a wiring harness having first and second harness connector plugs where said first harness connector plug is adapted to mate with said first and second connector plugs of said machine wiring harness, respectively, and capable of,
- (i) correspondingly connecting a selected group of said first group of conductors from said first machine wiring harness mating conductor to said second machine wiring harness mating conductor, and
- (ii) connecting at least a selected one electrical conductor from said first group of conductors coupled to said first harness connector plug from said first machine wiring harness connector plug to a first electrical conductor having a terminating end adapted to be electrically connected to said first terminal of said field mountable door sensing switch means, and
- (iii) connecting at least a selected one electrical conductor from said first group of conductors coupled to said second harness connector plug from said second machine wiring harness connector plug to a second electrical conductor having a terminating end adapted to be electrically connected to said second terminal of said field mountable door sensing switch means;
- and
- where said field mountable door sensing switch means is operable to disable operation of said skid-steer loader lifting arm control functions with said access door being an open condition.
A door safety protection system for a skid-steer machine including a loader having a pair of hydraulically operable lifting arms capable of raising and lowering an implement, and wherein the skid-deer loader includes an access door for entering a cabin, includes a group of electrical conductors for electrically connecting one electrical controller at one location to travel/loader electromechanical control components at another location, the door safety protection system comprising:
- a door sensing switch means having at least first and second terminals electrically connected to a pair of contacts, said field mountable door sensing switch means being arranged such that said pair of contacts may be in a first state with said door being in an open condition, and are in a second state with said door being in a closed condition;
- an operator safety switch means having first and second terminals electrically connected to a pair of contacts, where said operator safety switch means being arranged such that said pair of contacts are in a first state upon a first safe operator condition, and are in a second state upon a second un-safe operator condition;
- where said operator safety switch means is operable to disable operation of said skid-steer loader lifting arms and travel when operator safety switch means is in an unsafe condition;
- and
- where said door sensing switch means is operable to disable operation of said skid-steer loader lifting arms with said access door being an open condition.
A method of operating a skid-steer loader having a pair of lifting operable arms capable of raising and lowering an implement, and wherein the skid-deer loader includes an access door for entering a cabin, and includes a group of electrical conductors for electrically connecting one electrical controller, at one location to travel/loader electromechanical control components at another location, the method comprising the steps of:
- sensing the condition of said access door by way of a field mountable door sensing switch means having first and second terminals electrically connected to a pair of contacts, where said field mountable door sensing switch means is arranged such that said pair of contacts are open with said door being in an open condition, and are closed with said door being in a closed condition;
- sensing the condition an operator safety condition by way of an operator safety switch means having first and second terminals electrically connected to a pair of contacts, where said operator safety switch means is arranged such that said pair of contacts are open upon a first safe operator condition, and are closed upon a second un-safe operator condition, and
- where said pair of contacts of said field mountable door sensing switch means are electrically connected in series with said pair of contacts of said operator safety switch means;
- and
- where said field mountable door sensing switch means is operable to disable operation of said skid-steer loader lifting arms with said access door being an open condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.