Personnel carrying vehicle

A steering control for a personnel carrying vehicle comprising

• a fixed grip arranged generally horizontally for receiving a hand of an operator with the operator's fingers extending over the top of the grip and the operator's thumb placed below said grip,
• a rocker mechanism having a width approximately the width of the operator's fingers and being mounted in said grip for rotation about a pivot and within a generally horizontal plane, said rocker mechanism being pivoted by the operator's fingers from a center position toward either a first position or a second position,
• biasing means for urging said rocker mechanism to said center position, and
• means responsive to the position of said rocker mechanism for providing an electrical control signal to control direction of steering of said vehicle.

A personnel carrying vehicle comprising

• a body including a first pair of wheels and a second pair of wheels,
• means for individually powering said first pair of wheels,
• an operator's compartment mounted on said body,
• a pair of handles mounted in said compartment, said handles being positioned at approximately waist height and oriented generally horizontally, with one handle placed for grasping by the operator's right hand and the other handle placed for grasping by the operator's left hand,
• one of said handles being rotatable about a generally horizontal axis for controlling the speed of the vehicle in the forward and reverse direction, and
• the other of said handles being rotatable about a pivot and within a generally horizontal plane by the operator's fingers for controlling the steering of the vehicle.

A control system for a personnel carrying vehicle which includes

• an operator's compartment provided with a floor, and a pair of handles positioned at approximately waist height and oriented generally horizontally, with a first handle placed for grasping by one of the operator's hands and a second handle placed for grasping by the other hand,
• means for moving and steering the vehicle,
• means for lifting and lowering said operator's compartment relative to the remainder of said vehicle,
• said first handle being rotatable for controlling the speed of the vehicle in the forward and reverse direction, and said second handle provided with means operated by the operator's fingers for controlling the steering of the vehicle,
• sensing means for detecting the presence of the operator's hands on said handles, said sensing means includes infrared light sources and detectors located adjacent said right and left hand handles,
• a pair of spaced-apart switches mounted in the floor of the compartment,
• circuit means responsive to said sensing means for inhibiting raising, lowering, steering or movement of said vehicle if the operator's hands are not on both handles and on both said floor switches.

A steering control for a personnel carrying vehicle comprising

• a fixed grip for receiving a hand of an operator,
• a rocker mechanism mounted in said grip for rotation about a pivot and within a generally horizontal plane from a center position toward either a first position or a second position,
• a spring coupled to said rocker mechanism to urge said rocker mechanism to said center position, and
• a potentiometer responsive to the position of said rocker mechanism to generate an electrical control signal indicating direction of steering.

A steering control for a personnel carrying vehicle comprising

• a fixed grip arranged generally horizontally for receiving a hand of an operator with the operator's fingers extending over the top of said grip and the operator's thumb placed below said grip,
• a rocker mechanism having a width approximately the width of the operator's fingers and being mounted in said grip for rotation about a pivot and within a generally horizontal plane, said rocker mechanism being pivoted by the operator's fingers from a center position toward either a first position or a second position,
• a spring coupled to said rocker mechanism to urge said rocker mechanism to said center position, and
• a potentiometer coupled to said rocker mechanism and responsive to the position of said rocker mechanism for providing an electrical control signal to control direction of steering of said vehicle.

A control system for a personnel carrying vehicle which includes

• an operator's compartment provided with a floor, and a pair of handles positioned at approximately waist height and oriented generally horizontally, with a first handle placed for grasping by one of the operator's hands and a second handle placed for grasping by the other hand,
• means for moving and steering the vehicle,
• means for lifting and lowering said operator's compartment relative to the remainder of said vehicle,
• said first handle being rotatable for controlling the speed of the vehicle in the forward and reverse direction, and said second handle being rotatable by the operator's fingers for controlling the steering of the vehicle,
• sensors located adjacent said right and left hand handles to detect the presence of the operator's hands on said handles,
• a pair of spaced-apart switches mounted in the floor of the compartment,
• circuitry responsive to said sensing means to inhibit raising, lowering, steering or movement of said vehicle if the operator's hands are not on both handles and on both said floor switches.