Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Description
An Adjustable Control Console
Technical Field
This invention relates ~o adjustable control
consoles and more particularly to the mounting of an
actuating means which is utilized to lock the console
in an infinite number of operating positions.
Background Art
It has been common practice in vehicles to
enhance operator comfort by providing adjustment of the
vehicle controls with respect to the operator's seat.
In some designs the entire control console, which
includes the steering wheel and a plurality of control
levers, pivots fore and aft at its connection with the
vehicle. These designs are usually provided with a
mechanical latching mechanism to allow the console a
specific number of incremental adjustments. While this
has been acceptable, it does present some drawbacks.
One problem resides in the number of incremental
positionings. The available space and the structural
requirements dictate the number of allowable
adjustments~. Quite often they are not sufficient to
accommodate every operator comfortably.
Another problem ~xists in the latching
componentry itself.~ As previously mentîoned, the
latching mechanism~must be of sufficient structural
size to accommodate~some fairly heavy loading. ~Since
an operator is virtually always in contact with the
steering wheel, he is~often;leaning on it with
considerable weight.~f This can be compounded if he is ;-
operating a vehicle~in rough terrain~at which time he
will hang on to the steering wheel as the vehicle
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bounces around. At other times an operator may use the
steering wheel, as though it were a grab iron, as he
enters the vehicle from the ground. In all of these
instances, very high loading may be applied to the
console, particularly around the latching mechanism.
As a result, the size of the latching components are
often very large and cumbersome. This can lead to
added cost in a structure as well as cluttering the
appearance of an unenclosed structure. A typical
design is disclosed in U.S. Patent 3,737,003, issued to
Duane E. Beals et al on June 5, 1973, and is assignad
to the assignee of this invention.
Other designs utilize a fluid actuated
cylinder in place of a mechanical latching mechanism to
provide an infinitely variable number of positions that
the console may assume. U.S. Patent ~,209,074, issued
to Lyle E. York on June 24, 1980 and assigned to the
assignee of the present invention, is one such design.
It provides a console head which supports the steering
wheel and the control levers, all of which are
connected to the base by hydraulic cylinders. This
allows the height as well as the fore and aft position
of the steering wheel to be adjusted with respect to
the base. It also allows the steering wheel to be
positioned anywhere between the maximum extended and
retracted limits of the hydraulic cylinders by
controlling the ~low of hydraulic fluid to one o~ the
mounting cylinders which serves as a master cylinder.
All other cylinders move in response to the master
cylinder. Controlling an arrangement of this type
requires fairly sophisticated hydraulic valving and
plumbing aIl of which adds to the expense of the
i arrangement.
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U.S. Patent 4,392,670, iss~ed to Donald L.
Schultz on July 12, 1983, discloses a pivoting steering
column that utilizes a pre-pressurized gas cylinder to
continuously urge the column in one direction and a
second cylinder that mechanically locks the position of
the column. The actuating mec:hanism for the locking
cylinder utilizes a plurality of cable actuated levers
that serve to unlock the second cylinder. This design
only provides two positions for the steering column.
It employs a fairly extensive unlatching mechanism as
well as needing one cylinder to urge the steering
column to one position and a second cylinder to lock
the steering column in another position.
The present invention is directed to
overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth
above.
Disclosure of the Invention
In one aspect of the present invention an
adjustable control member is provided that includes a
base member and a support memher that is mounted to the
base member by a bracket means. The bracket means is
connected to the base and support members by a
plurali~ty of pivo~t shafts in a manner that allows the
support member to be~moved relative to the base in a
predetermined path of movement. A means for locking
the position of the support member at any point along
the path of movement and a means for actuating the
locking means is provided with the actuating means
being mounted on one of~the pivot shafts.
Also di~sclosed is mechanism for use with an
adjustable control member which comprises a mo~nting
; member having a~pair of flat~portions with one flat
portion being formed on the first side of the
mounting member and the
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( other flat portion being formed on a second side of the
mounting member, the mounting member having a bore
extending axially through it. A shaft is also provided
that has a pair of flat portions with one flat portion
being formed on a first side of the shaft and the other
flat portion being formed on the second side of the
shaft with a bore extending transversely through the
shaft between the flat portions. The shaft is
positioned within the bore for relative rotation with
respect to the mounting member in a manner wherein the
flat portions of the shaft are in coplanar relation to
the flat portions on the mounting member. A first
plate having an aperture formed therein is positioned
to engage the flat portion on the first side of the
lS mounting member and the flat portion on the first side
of the shaft. A second plate having an aperture formed
; therein is positioned to engage the flat portion on the
second side of the mounting member and the flat portion
on the second side of the shaft. A biasing means is
positioned to bias the first and second plates toward
engagement with each of the mounting member and the
shaft.
Utilizing the improvements described above, an
adjustable control console is provided that has the
actuating mechanism positioned about one of the pivot
shafts that is normally used in the mounting of the
console. In doing so, the cumbersome latching
mechanism of past designs may be totally eliminated, as
will the expense. Also by using a pre-pressurized gas~
spring as a position locking device, the console may be
~ infinitely adjustable. Further, since the centering
;~ mechanism is also positioned about the same pivot shaft
as the actuating mechanism, the visual appearance of an
- unenclosed structure is very neatly maintained.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view
of a control console having a portion broken away to
illustrate an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig~ 2 is a diagra~matic, fragmentary
sectional view taken along lines II-II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic, enlarged sectional
view taken along lines III-III of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic enlarged sectional
view of the area as indicated at IV in Fiy. 1.
Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic, enlarged sectional
view taken along lines V-V of E'ig. 2; and
Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are diagrammatic, enlarged
sectional views illustrating the area along lines VI-VI
of E'ig. 5 in two modes of operation.
Best Mode for Carryinq Out the Invention
Referring to the drawings, a control console
lO for a vehicle is shown extending upwards from a
vehicle frame 12 being mounted to the frame by a base
member or bracket 14. The console includes a support
member 16 which is mounted to the base by a bracket
means 17 that consists of a pair of U-shaped channels
18 and 20 that are disposed forwardly and rearwardly
with respect to the frame. The support member in turn
serves as a mounting structure ~or a steering wheel 22
and a plurality of control levers 24 as well as the
vehicle's instrument panel 26, all of which control the
operation of the vehicle.
AS best shown in Figs~ 2 and 3, each of the
channels 18 and 20 has a basewall portion 28 and a pair
of outwardly extending sidewall portions 30 and 32. A
lower extremity 34 of each of the channels is mounted
` to the base 14 by a pair of pivot shafts 36 and 38.Each
; 35 pivot shaft extends through the base 14 and through the
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sidewall portions 30 and 32 of each channel to allow
relative pivotal movement between the channels and the
base 14. An upper extremity 40 of the channels is
mounted in similar fashion to the support member 16 by
a pair of pivot shafts 42 and 44. The pivot shafts 36,
38, 42 and 44 are arranged to substantially form a
parallelogram. Thus, the steering wheel 22 and control
levers 24 may be moved in a path that lies in a fore
and aft direction with respect to the vehicle frame 12.
A positioning locking device 46 is provided in
the form of a gas spring 47 that is filled with a
pre-pressurized fluid P. I'he gas spring is connected
to channel 20 at a generally central location 4B and
extends upwardly and forwardly to engage the pivot
shaft 44. The gas spring has a cylinder portion 50 and
a rod portion 52 that is extensible therefrom in
response to a preselected pressure in the cylinder
portion. The gas spring 46 also includes a valve means
54 that is positioned in a piston member 55 and opens
onto a first side 57 thereof. The valve means is
positioned over a pair of passageways 59 and 61 that
selectively communicate fluid from one side of piston
55 to the other. An actuator rod or plunger 56 is
positioned coaxially within the rod portion 52 and has
a first end portion 58 that extends through piston 55
and is engaged with the valve means 54O A second end
60 of the plunger 56 terminates just past a distal end
62 of the rod portion. The plunger 56 is reciprocally
movable with respect to the rod portion and serves as
an actuating means 64 for valve 54 to place the gas
spring in a first condition wherein the rod portion 52
is permitted to selectively extend and retract, and a
second condition wherein the rod portion 52 is locked
in any selected extended position. The structure oE
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the gas spring 47 is conventional and they are
commercially available, for example, from Stabilus
G.M.B.H. under its trademark '~Bloc-o-Lift~l.
Pivot shaft 44, which is shown best in Figs. 2
and 5, extends through a pair of bores 66 and 68 in
support member 16. A pair of sleeve bearings 70 are
positioned in each bore 66 and 68 between the pivot
shaft 44 and the support member 16 to accommodate
relative rotation therebetween. Inwardly of the
support me~ber 16, the pivot shaft also passes through
a pair of bearing support brackets 72 and 74. Each
bearing support bracket also has a bore 76 extending
axially through .it. Each bore 76 also mounts a sleeve
bearing 78 to accommodate rel.ative rotation of the
pivot shaft 44 with respect to the bearing support
brackets 72 and 74. The brackets also have a plurality
of threaded mounting holes 80 which are positioned on a
lower portion 82 of the brackets 72 and 74. The
mounting holes 80 align with a complimentary number of
20 holes 84 in channel 18. A suitable fastener 86, such
as a bolt, is positioned through each of the aligned
`~ pairs of holes and secures the brackets 72 and 74 to
channel 18 thus effectively supporting pivot shaft 44.
Centrally disposed about the pivot shaft 44 is
a bi~urcated mounting member 88 which is best shown in
Figs. 2 and 3. The mounting member 88 has a yoke
portion 89 which consists of a pair of spaced apart
mounting sleeves 90 and 92. Each sleeve has a bore 94
~ extending axially therethrough and a pair of axially
- 30 extending lugs 95. The bore 94 is of sufficient
diameter to receive the pivot shaft 44 within each
sleeve with the lugs 95 being positioned to partially
encompass the pivot shaft at diametrically opposed
locations (Figs. 6 and 7). A pair of bearings 96 are
disposed between the bores 94 and the pivot shaft 44 to
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allow relative rotation of the pivot shaft with respect
to the mounting member 88 7 I'urning to ~ig. 3, the
mountins member also includes a connecting portion 98
that extends from each of the mounting sleeves 90 and
92 at a central location between them. The connecting
portion 98 has a threaded aperture lO0 formed therein
that extends internally along the length of the
connectiny portion 98 and terminates at an enlarged
actuating chamber 102. The chamber lies adjacent the
juncture between the connecting portion 98 and the
mounting sleeves 90 and 92 anci opens onto a space 104
formed between the mounting sleeves. The distal end 62
of rod portion 52 of the gas spring 46 is threadably
received within the threaded aperture 100 and is
positioned relative to the connecting portion 98 such
that the second end 60 of the plunger is located within
the actuating chamber 102.
An enlarged cylindrical member 106 is also
positioned about the pivot shaft 44. The cylindrical
member is secured to the pivot shaft, for rotation with
the shaft, by any suitable means such as a set screw
108. The cylindrical member is generally centrally
located along the pivot shaft and is positioned within
the space 104 between the mounting sleeves 90 and 92.
In the illustrated embodiment the cylindrical member
serves as a detent mechanism having an indentation 110
formed on its outer periphery 112. The indentation is
oriented on the periphery 112 such that it faces the
actuating chamber 102. A spherical member or ball ll~
is placed in the actuating chamber and is in contact
~ith the secc>nd end 60 of the plunger 56 on one surface
and is nested within the indentation 110 on the
cylindrical member 106 on an opposing surface. While
-~ the cylindrical member has been illustrated as a detent
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mechanism, it should be pointed out that the
cylindrical member could include a camming device to
act against the spherical member in a like manner.
An actuating lever 116 is mounted on each end
118 of the pivot shaft 44 (Fig. 2). Each mounting
lever has a mounting bore 120 extending through one end
122. An axially extending keyway 124 is formed in the
lever with the keyway opening onto the mounting bore
120 and extending along the length of the bore. The
lever 116 is mounted such that the end 113 of the pivot
shaft 44 is positioned within the bore 120. A key 126
is nested within a curvilinear slot 128 that is formed
in the outer surface of the pivot shaft. The key 126
engages the keyway 124 in the lever to nonrotatably
secure the lever to the pivot shaft. The lever 116 is
held fronl axial movement with respect to the pivot
shaft by a fastener such as a bolt 130.
I~rning now to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a pair of
centering mechanisms 134 are disclosed which are
engaged between each mounting sleeve 90 and 92 and the
pivot shaft 44 at spaced locations. Since each of the
centering mechanism 134 is identical in structure, only
one will be described hereinafter with reference
numerals being applicable to both devices. ~ach of the
mounting sleeves 90 and 92 has a pair of generally
vertically extending flat portions 136 and 138, one of
which is formed on a first side 140 of the lug portion
9S of mounting member 88 and the other of which is
formed on a second side 142 of the lug 95. A second
pair of vertically extending flat portions 144 and 146
are formed on;the pivot shaft 44, one being located on
a corresponding first side 148 o~ the pivot shaft and
the other of which is positioned on a corresponding
second side 150 of the pivot shaft. A bore 152 extends
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transversely through the pivot shaft with opposing ends
154 and 156 (Fig. 5) thereof opening onto each of the
opposed flat portions 144 and 146. The flat portions
136 and 138 of the ~ounting member 88 are positioned in
coplanar relation to the flat portions 144 and 146 of
the pivot shaft 44 respectively. A first, U-shaped
spacer plate 158 is engaged with the flat portion 136
on the first side 140 of lug 95 and also the flat
portion 14~ on the first side 148 of the pivot shaft
44. A second, U-shaped spacer plate 160 is engaged
with the flat portion 138 on the second side 142 of lug
9S and also the flat portion 146 on the second side 150
of the pivot shaft 44. Both the first and second
plates 158,160 have an aperture 162 and 164 (Fig. 7),
respectively, centrally disposed therethrough. The
apertures 162,164 in the plate are placed in registry
with the transverse bore 152 that extends transversely
through the pivot shaft 44. A biasing means 166 is
positioned within the aligned apertures 162,164 in the
20 first and second plates 158,160 and the bore 152 in the
pivot shaft.
The biasing means 166 includes an elongated
member 168 such as a bolt which has an enlarged first
end portion 170 such as a bolt head, and a threaded
25 second end portion 172. The bolt head 170 is arranged
to engage the second plate 160. A U-shaped retainer
; 174 having a centrally disposed mounting bore 176
~` extending through it is positioned about the bolt 168
in opposing relation to the first plate 158. A
fastener, such as a nut 178, is threadably engaged with
the threaded end portion 172 of the bolt to butt up
against the retainer 174 to limit its outward travel
with respect to the bolt. A coil spring 180 is
~! captured between the first plate 158 and the retainer
35 174 having a first end 182, engaged with the first
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plate 158, and a second end 184 engaged with retainer
174 to urge them resiliently apartO In doing so, the
force of the spring acts against the retainer 174 and
the nut 178 and thus urges the bolt leftwardly as
viewed in Figs. 6 and 7. This in turn urges the bolt
head 170 and the se~ond plate 160 into engagement with
the respective flat portions 138,146 on the second side
142 and 150 of lug 95 and the pivot shaft 44
respectively. Likewise, since the spring 180 abuts the
first plate 158, it in turn is urged against the
respective flat portions 136,144 on the first sides 140
and 148 of lug 95 and the pivot shaft 44 respectively.
As a result, the first and second plates tend to
maintain the relative rotational positioning between
the shaft 44 and the mounting member 38 by their
respective engagement with the coplanar flat portions
136,144,138,146 on the two components, in absence of
any movement of the actuating lever 116 in either
direction.
Industrial Applicability
In operation, the actuating lever 116 may be
moved in either direction, to release the position
locking device 46 which in turn, allows the entire
~ 25 control console 10 to be moved in a fore and aft
; direction with respect to the vehicle frame 12.
As is best shown in Figs. 3 and 7, rotation of
lever 116 causes rotation of the pivot shaft 44. The
cylindrical member 106 which rotates with the pivot
30 shaft 44, will displace the ball 114 from its
engagement with the indentation 110 as the rotation
occurs. As the ball is dispIaced from the indentation,
it is moved inwardly with respect to the actuating
chamber 102 in the mounting member 88 into engagement
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plunger is moved inwardly towards the piston 55, this
actuates the valve means 5~ into its open condition, as
shown in phantom lines in Fig. 4. With the gas spring
in this condition, the transfer of fluid from one side
of piston 55 to the other occurs through passageways 59
and 61 as the operator moves t:he console 10 fore or aft
to selectively position the support member 16, steering
wheel 22 and implement levers 24, with respect to the
frame 12. Since the side 57 of the piston 55 has a
larger cross-sectional area than that of the opposite
side to which the piston rod 52 is connected, the
pressure P in the cylinder automatically tends to bias
the piston in an upwardly direction as viewed in
Fig. 4. This biasing force is easily countered by an
operator as he moves the console 10 rearwardly.
While the pivot shaft 44 is rotated to the
previously described position, it is positioned
relative to the mounting member 88 in a manner shown in
Fig. 7. As shown, the transverse bore 152 in the pivot
shaft 44 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the
bolt 168. When the actuating lever 116 is rotated to
place the position locking device 46 and the support
member 16 in their first condition, the actuating lever
; may be moved until the ends 154,156 of the bore 152
contact the bolt 168. This provides a mechanical stop
for the actuating lever when moved in either
direction. ~lso, when the pivot shaf~ 44 is so
positioned, the flat portions 144,146 of the pivot
shaft are moved out of surface engagement with the
first and second plates 158,160. At this point only an
edge of each flat portion will be in contact with the
respective plates 158,160, thus moving the plates
against the resiliency of the spring 180. Upon release
of the actuating lever 116, the resiliency of the
spring will tend to bias the plates back to their
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original position of surface enyagement with the
respective flat portions 136,144,138,146. This causes
the actuating lever 116 to always be returned to its
original position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1.
Upon return of the actuating lever 116 to its
original position, the pivot shaft 44 as previously
described also returns to the position illustrated in
Fig. 6. Likewise, the ball 114 is again nested within
the indentation 110 of the cy]indrical member 106. As
a result, the plunger 56 is then moved upwardly and the
valve means 54 is once against closed. Once the valve
is closed, the transfer of pressurized fluid from one
side of piston 55 to the other is blocked, thus the rod
portion 52 of the gas spring 46 is locked from movement
with respect to the cylinder portion 50. When in its
locked condition, the gas spring prevents movement of
the support member 16 with respect to the vehicle frame
12.
Thus it may be seen from the foregoing
description that the actuating means 64 and the
centering mechanism 134 provided for use with the
adjustable control console 10, utilize relatively few
components that are contained in a very compact
design. This is made possible because the actuating
25 means 64 and the centering mechanism 134 are both
supported about the pivot shaft 44. The pivot shaft is
a necessary structural component that is normally used
in an adjustable console design that is pivotally
supported by a parallelogram-type linkage. By
incorporating a pre-pressurized gas spring 47 into the
design, infinite adjustability of the console 10 is
achieved while the actuating means and the centering
mechanism of the present invention remain very compact
in size and very efficient in design. A design of this
type obviates the need for the very costly mechanical
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latch mechanisms that require a great deal more space
within the console structure and only provide a
selected number of positions for the control console
between its maximum travel lirnits. It also eliminates
the very costly hydraulic componentry that has been
associated with previous designs that allow infinite
adjustability, while remaining extremely simple in
design.
Other aspectsl objects and advantages of this
invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings,
the disclosure and the appended claims.
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