Multi-position stair assembly for work vehicles
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorKendall L. Giesmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stair assembly for a work vehicle includes a stepped support and an actuator. The stepped support has one or more steps mountable to a side of the work vehicle. The stepped support is moveable by the actuator between a retracted orientation, in which the stepped support has a first length between first and second ends, and an extended orientation, in which the support structure has a greater length. When mounted to the work vehicle, the second end of the stepped support is at an outward lowered position in the extended orientation with respect to the work vehicle relative to an inward raised position of the second end of the stepped support in the retracted orientation.
Claims20
A stair assembly for a work vehicle, comprising:
- a stepped support having a first step and configured to be mounted at a first end to a side of the work vehicle, the stepped support being moveable between a retracted orientation, in which the stepped support has a first length between the first end and a second end, and an extended orientation, in which the stepped support has a second length between the first and second ends that is greater than the first length;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the stepped support and configured to move the stepped support between the retracted and extended orientations;
- wherein, when the stepped support is mounted to the work vehicle, the second end of the stepped support is at an outward lowered position in the extended orientation with respect to the work vehicle relative to an inward raised position of the second end of the stepped support in the retracted orientation.
A stair assembly for a work vehicle, comprising:
- a stepped support having a plurality of steps and configured to be mounted at a first end to a side of the work vehicle, the stepped support being moveable between a retracted orientation, in which the stepped support has a first length between the first end and a second end, and an extended orientation, in which the stepped support has a second length between the first and second ends that is greater than the first length;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the stepped support and configured to move the stepped support between the retracted and extended orientations;
- wherein, when the stepped support is mounted to the work vehicle, the second end of the stepped support is at an outward lowered position in the extended orientation with respect to the work vehicle relative to an inward raised position of the second end of the stepped support in the retracted orientation;
- and
- wherein the steps are mounted to the stepped support such that consecutive steps are separated by substantially (i) a first step rise when the stepped support is in the retracted orientation, (ii) a second step rise that is larger than the first step rise when the stepped support is in the extended orientation.
A work vehicle, comprising:
- a chassis supported by ground-engaging wheels or tracks;
- an operator cabin supported by the chassis;
- and
- a stair assembly for operator ingress and egress to the operator cabin, the stair assembly including:
- a stepped support having a first step and pivotally mounted at a first end to a side of the work vehicle, the stepped support being moveable between a retracted orientation, in which the stepped support has a first length between the first end and a second end, and an extended orientation, in which the stepped support has a second length between the first and second ends that is greater than the first length;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the stepped support and the work vehicle and configured to pivot and translate the stepped support between the retracted and extended orientations;
- wherein the second end of the stepped support is at an outward lowered position in the extended orientation with respect to the work vehicle relative to an inward raised position of the second end of the stepped support in the retracted orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.