AU2008202219A1

AU2008202219A1 - A vehicle

Info

Publication number: AU2008202219A1
Application number: AU2008202219A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Siegfried Westerfeld
Original assignee: Westerfeld Eng Pty Ltd
Current assignee: WESTERFELD ENGINEERING Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2007-07-06
Filing date: 2008-05-20
Publication date: 2009-01-22

Description

S&F Ref: 860628

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT 0 O oO

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00 0~ Name and Address of Applicant Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Westerfeld Engineering Pty Ltd, an Australian company, ACN 009 368 218, of Lot 48, Cutler Road, Jandakot, Western Australia, 6164, Australia Siegfried Westerfeld Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) A vehicle Associated Provisional Application Details: [33] Country: [31] Appl'n No(s): [32] Application Date: 2007903671 06 Jul 2007 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 5845c(1243804_1) 00 SA VEHICLE Technical Field The present invention relates to vehicles and more particularly but not N, exclusively to vehicles employed in the mining industry, and including remote controlled vehicles.

N Background of the Invention SIn the mining industry cleaning around infrastructure is often difficult and time 00 consuming, with the additional problem that it is often necessary to shut down operating plant (such as conveyors) to enable mining staff to approach the equipment in a safe io manner.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially at least one of the abovementioned disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention Is There is disclosed herein a vehicle for movement in a forward and a reverse direction of travel, the vehicle including: a chassis; a plurality of wheels supporting the chassis to provide for movement of the vehicle over a supporting surface, the wheels having rotational axes generally transverse of said direction, with at least one of the wheels being driven to propel the vehicle, and with the wheels including at least one forward wheel and at least one rear wheel, the rear wheel being spaced rearwardly from the forward wheel; an arm pivotally supported by the chassis for angular movement about a pivot axis extending generally transverse of said direction, the arm having a pivot end adjacent said chassis, and from which the arm extends forwardly to a remote end to be spaced from the chassis; an implement mounted at said remote end; and a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder extending operatively between the chassis and arm to cause pivoting movement of the arm about said pivot axis, said cylinder having a 1232451 I:HXA 00 0 longitudinal axis that has a direction of extension with an upward component so that the cylinder in use is inclined to said surface, with said cylinder being located between the forward and the rearward wheel.

Preferably, said cylinder extends upwardly forward.

Preferably, said cylinder has a lower portion attached to said chassis, which lower portion is located between the forward wheel and the rear wheel.

I Preferably, said pivot axis is located between said forward and said rear wheel.

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Preferably, said pivot axis is located closer to said rear wheel and is at a lower 00 location relative to the axes about which the wheels rotate.

1, 0 Preferably, the rotational axes are located in a plane, and said pivot axis is located at a height not greater than said plane.

Preferably, said arm is of an configuration so as to have a first portion having said pivot end, and a second portion to which said cylinder is attached, with said second portion extending from said first portion by an angle of between 900 and 1800.

Is Preferably, said cylinder whether extended or retracted does not extend longitudinally beyond said wheels.

Preferably, said vehicle is a remote controlled vehicle.

Preferably, said implement is a bucket.

Preferably, said vehicle has two forward wheels and two rear wheels, the forward wheels being rotatable about a transverse rotational axis, and the rear wheels being rotatable about a transverse rotational axis with the rotational axes being generally parallel.

Preferably, said vehicle is a skid steer vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic isometric view of a remote controlled vehicle to be employed in the mining industry; Figure 2 is a schematic side elevation of the vehicle of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged schematic side elevation of an arm and bucket employed in the vehicle of Figure 2; 1232451 I:tiXA 00 Figure 4 is a schematic top plan view of the vehicle as shown in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a schematic end elevation of the vehicle as shown in Figure 4.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment r In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a remote controlled vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 has a chassis 11 that is supported by four wheels 12 and 13, the wheels 12 having a common transverse rotational axis 14, while the rear N wheels 13 have a common transverse rotational axis 15. The vehicle 10 has an intended 0 forward and rearward direction of travel 16, with the axes 14 and 15 extending generally 00 Stransverse to the direction 16.

0 Pivotally supported on the chassis 11 is an arm 17. The arm 17 is movable angularly about a generally transverse pivot axis 18 through an acute angle. The axis 18 is generally parallel to the axes 14 and 15, with the axes 14, 15 and 18 being generally horizontal when the vehicle 10 is resting on a generally horizontal surface 32. The axis 18 is no higher than a plane passing through the axes 14 and The wheels 12 are forwardly spaced from the wheels 13.

The arm 17 has a pivot end 19 that is pivotally attached to the chassis 11 by means of a shaft 20. The arm 17 extends from the axis 18 to a remote end 20 to which there is attached an implement 21. In this embodiment, the implement 21 is a bucket 22.

The bucket 22 is pivotally attached as an assembly to the end 20 for angular movement about a generally transverse axis 23, the axis 23 being generally parallel to the axes 14, and 18. The orientation of the bucket 22 is altered by operation of a hydraulic cylinder 24 that causes pivoting through an acute angle The arm 17 is movable angularly about the axis 18 by means of at least one hydraulic cylinder 26. The hydraulic cylinder 26 is located between the axes 14 and (and preferably between the pair of wheels 12 and the pair of wheels 13) and is upwardly inclined. In this embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder 26 has a longitudinal axis 27 that is forwardly upwardly inclined by an acute angle so that the cylinder 26 has a lower end portion pivotally attached to the chassis 11 adjacent the rear wheels 13, with an upper end portion 29 being attached to the arm 17. The cylinder 26 does not extend forward or rearward beyond the wheels 12 and 13, whether the cylinder 26 is extended or retracted.

1232451 I:XA 00 Preferably the bucket 22 has a height 38 less than the overall height 30 of the vehicle Preferably the vehicle 10 has a motor 31 positioned above but adjacent the rear wheels 13, which motor 31 drives a hydraulic pump that delivers hydraulic fluid under pressure to two hydraulic motors, each motor being drivingly associated with a respective one of the wheels 12. The wheels 13 being driven by chains driven by the drive CI mechanisms of wheels 12. The motors are controlled so that the vehicle 10 is a skid steer vehicle.

oO The abovementioned hydraulic pump could also deliver hydraulic fluid under S 10 pressure to the cylinder 26 via a control system.

Preferably the arm 17 would include a further hydraulic cylinder 33 that causes pivoting disengagement of the bucket floor 34 with respect to the bucket base 36. The cylinder 33 would also receive hydraulic fluid from the abovementioned control system.

Preferably the arm 17 will consist of a pair of arm plates 35 that are generally parallel and co-extensive but transversely spaced, with each arm plate 35 being pivotally attached to the bucket 22.

The bucket 22 in the lowered positioned is displaced forwardly of the forward wheels 12.

The arm 17 is of an configuration so as to have a first portion 37 having the pivot end 19, and a second portion 38 having an end extremity 39 attached to the end portions 29 of the cylinder 26. The portion 38 extends from the portion 37 by an angle the angle 40 being between 900 and 1800.

The vehicle 10 is preferably remote controlled and accordingly would be provided with a control module that could be used by an operator at a location spaced from the vehicle 1232451 I:HXA

Claims

1. A vehicle for movement in a forward and a reverse direction of travel, the vehicle including: a chassis; a plurality of wheels supporting the chassis to provide for movement of the vehicle over a supporting surface, the wheels having rotational axes generally transverse I of said direction, with at least one of the wheels being driven to propel the vehicle, and (N Swith the wheels including at least one forward wheel and at least one rear wheel, the rear 0 wheel being spaced rearwardly from the forward wheel; S 10 an arm pivotally supported by the chassis for angular movement about a pivot axis extending generally transverse of said direction, the arm having a pivot end adjacent said chassis, and from which the arm extends forwardly to a remote end to be spaced from the chassis; an implement mounted at said remote end; and Is a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder extending operatively between the chassis and arm to cause pivoting movement of the arm about said pivot axis, said cylinder having a longitudinal axis that has a direction of extension with an upward component so that the cylinder in use is inclined to said surface, with said cylinder being located between the forward and the rearward wheel.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said cylinder extends upwardly forward.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said cylinder has a lower portion attached to said chassis, which lower portion is located between the forward wheel and the rear wheel.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said pivot axis is located between said forward and said rear wheel.

The vehicle of anyone of claims 1 to 4, wherein said pivot axis is located closer to said rear wheel and is at a lower location relative to the axes about which the wheels rotate.

6. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotational axes are located in a plane, and said pivot axis is located at a height not greater than said plane. 1232451 I:HXA 00

7. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said arm is of an "L" configuration so as to have a first portion having said pivot end, and a second portion to which said cylinder is attached, with said second portion extending from said first portion by an angle of between 90° and 180°.

8. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said cylinder whether extended or retracted does not extend longitudinally beyond said wheels. C

9. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said vehicle is a remote (N Scontrolled vehicle. (N 0 0

10. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said implement is a 10 bucket.

11. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said vehicle has two forward wheels and two rear wheels, the forward wheels being rotatable about a transverse rotational axis, and the rear wheels being rotatable about a transverse rotational axis with the rotational axes being generally parallel.

12. The vehicle of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said vehicle is a skid steer vehicle. Dated 20 May, 2008 Westerfeld Engineering Pty Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON 1232451 I:IIXA