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US 9,995,069 B2Granted
Operator cab for machine having door with swing controlling hinge mechanism
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsEmile Ghantous, Dale Higdon, Pedro Urias Castro, Brent Frazier, Kevin Stremlau, Aaron Dunaway, Jason Stibs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An operator cab for a machine such as a motor grader includes an access door coupled to a frame by way of a hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism has abutting cam and follower surfaces with geometry to control the swinging of the access door such as under the force of gravity. The cam surface has a double-sloped profile of rotation about the pivot axis of the hinge mechanism so that the access door swing is controlled in either of a first or a second swing direction toward a dwell location of the access door.
Claims18
An operator cab for a machine, the operator cab comprising:
- a frame including a roof, a floor positioned vertically below the roof, sides extending between the roof and the floor, and at least one of the sides having an access opening formed therein;
- an access door coupled to the frame and being pivotable in a swing range from a closed position blocking the access opening, to an open position;
- a hinge mechanism defining a pivot axis, the hinge mechanism including a first hinge element mounted to the frame and a second hinge element mounted to the access door to guide pivoting of the access door;
- the pivot axis being oriented diagonally relative to a vertical axis extending between the roof and the floor;
- the hinge mechanism further including a cam surface and a follower surface abutting the cam surface and rotatable relative to the cam surface during the pivoting of the access door;
- and
- the cam surface including an opening ramp surface contacted by the follower surface in a first portion of the swing range to control the pivoting of the access door between the closed position and a dwell position, and a closing ramp surface contacted by the follower surface in a second portion of the swing range to control the pivoting of the access door between the open position and the dwell position.
4 more elements
A hinge mechanism for coupling an access door to a frame of an operator cab in a machine, the hinge mechanism comprising:
- a first hinge element including a first hinge leaf having a first plurality of peripheral edges defining a first hinge leaf footprint, and a first hinge hub protruding from one of the first plurality of peripheral edges, such that the first hinge hub is positioned at least partially outside of the first hinge leaf footprint, and the first hinge hub including a follower surface;
- a second hinge element including a second hinge leaf having a second plurality of peripheral edges defining a second hinge leaf footprint, and a second hinge hub protruding from one of the second plurality of peripheral edges such that the second hinge hub is positioned at least partially outside of the second hinge leaf footprint, and the second hinge hub including a cam surface abutting the follower surface;
- the first hinge hub and the second hinge hub being pivotable relative to one another in a swing range, such that the cam surface and the follower surface rotate relative to one another about a pivot axis;
- and
- the cam surface having a double-sloped profile formed by an opening ramp surface contacted by the follower surface in a first portion of the swing range corresponding to swinging the access door between a closed position and a dwell position, and a closing ramp surface contacted by the follower surface in a second portion of the swing range corresponding to swinging the access door between an open position and the dwell position,
- wherein one of the first hinge hub or the second hinge hub forms a cup, and
- wherein the corresponding cam surface or follower surface of the other one of the first hinge hub or the second hinge hub is recessed within the cup.
4 more elements
A method of controlling swinging of a door to an access opening in an operator cab of a machine, the method comprising:
- pivoting the door about a hinge mechanism in a first portion of a swing range between a closed position where the door closes the access opening, and a dwell position;
- pivoting the door about the hinge mechanism in a second portion of the swing range between an open position and the dwell position,
- wherein the pivoting of the door in the first portion of the swing range and the pivoting of the door in the second portion of the swing range each include, reducing a tendency of the door to fall under the force of gravity toward the dwell position, and pivoting the door about a pivot axis that is oriented diagonally relative to a vertical axis extending between a roof and a floor of the operator cab;
- contacting a follower surface in a first hinge element of the hinge mechanism with a first ramp surface of a cam surface in a second hinge element of the hinge mechanism, during pivoting the door in the first portion of the swing range;
- and
- contacting the follower surface with a second ramp surface of the cam surface during pivoting the door in the second portion of the swing range.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.