BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a left perspective exploded view of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 2 is a right perspective exploded view of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 3 is a left side assembled view of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 4 is a front assembled view of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged left perspective exploded view of the lower mechanism of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged right perspective exploded view of the lower mechanism of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged left perspective exploded view of the upper mechanism of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged right perspective exploded view of the upper mechanism of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 9 is a partially exploded side view of the idler bracket assembly of an embodiment of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles.
FIG. 10 is a side view of the personnel lift for agricultural vehicles installed on an agricultural vehicle.
FIG. 11 is a front view of the personnel lift for agricultural vehicles installed on an agricultural vehicle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of a personnel lift for agricultural vehicles are shown and described. Generally, personnel lift includes a main column with a top end, a bottom end, an open interior space and having two opposing interior surfaces and a front exterior surface and left and right exterior surfaces. A motor mounting bracket is coupled to the top end of the main column. An electric motor is coupled to the motor mounting bracket and has an output shaft coupled to a first sprocket. An idler bracket is coupled to the bottom end of the main column, said idler bracket having a second sprocket. A roller box assembly is disposed in the open interior space of the main column, said roller box assembly having a generally rectangular body with an open interior, an upper exterior surface and a lower exterior surface, wherein said upper exterior surface has an upper chain attachment point and said lower exterior surface has a lower chain attachment point, and wherein the roller box assembly has a first roller disposed in the open interior thereof. A roller chain is disposed on the first and second sprockets, said roller chain connected to the upper and lower chain attachment points on the roller box assembly, said roller chain being in a continuous loop. An upper mounting bracket is connected to the main column, wherein said upper mounting bracket connects the main column to an agricultural vehicle, and wherein said upper mounting bracket is adapted to mount the personnel lift to a specific make and model of agricultural vehicle. A lower mounting bracket is connected to the main column, wherein said lower mounting bracket connects the main column to an agricultural vehicle, and wherein said lower mounting bracket is adapted to mount the personnel lift to a specific make and model of agricultural vehicle. A lifting platform is provided with a support column attached thereto. Two intermediate supports couple the support column of the lifting platform to the roller box assembly, said intermediate supports having guides which ride against the left and right exterior surfaces of the main column, wherein said intermediate supports have a second roller attached thereto; and wherein the first roller contacts the opposing interior surfaces of the main column and the second roller contacts the front exterior surface of the main column.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show left and right perspective exploded views of an embodiment of the personnel lift 100 for agricultural vehicles and the like. Like numerals will be used to identify elements common to all figures. Thus, in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the motor 101 is shown. Motor 101 may take the form of a 12 VDC gear reduction motor such as the IronSide 2 motor manufactured by Shur-Co, LLC. It should be appreciated that any motor with the necessary torque to operate the lifting mechanism may be used as the motor 101. The motor 101 is fastened to a motor mounting bracket 102 at the top of the main column 103 by fasteners 104. Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the output of the motor 101 is coupled to a 15-tooth sprocket 800 by a hex-shaft 801. In operation, the motor 101 turns the sprocket 800 which is in turn engaged with a roller chain 802. The motor 101 may be powered by a battery (not shown) which is dedicated for use in the personnel lift 100, or it may be powered by the electrical system of the associated agricultural vehicle.
As previously discussed, and still referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the motor 101 is coupled to the top of the main column 103. The main column 103 may be formed from square tubes 132 spaced apart by spacer 105 to form an open interior space 106 with interior surfaces 107a and 107b. As will discussed below, a roller assembly is disposed in the open interior space 106. Also provided in the interior space is a roller chain 802. The roller chain 802 may, for example, be a #60 standard roller chain. It should be appreciated that the roller chain 802 is formed in one continuous loop and is engaged with the sprocket 800 at the top, as previously described, and another sprocket (element 500) at the bottom, as will be described below. Thus, when the motor 101 rotates the connected top sprocket 800 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, a selected point on the chain will translate vertically up or down.
Also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is the upper mounting bracket 108. The upper mounting bracket 108 is secured by fasteners (not shown) into holes 109 in the main column 103. The upper mounting bracket 108 is designed to mount the personnel lift 100 to a specific make and model of agricultural vehicle. Examples of specific agricultural vehicles that may be equipped with the personnel lift are John Deere or Case IH combines. The shape and pattern of bolt holes on the upper mounting bracket 108 will differ depending on the specific make and model of agricultural vehicle the personnel lift is installed on. Additionally, FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 show a lower mount bracket 110. As with the upper mounting bracket 108, the lower mounting bracket 110 may be designed to mount the personnel lift 100 to a specific make and model of agricultural vehicle. The shape and pattern of bolt holes on the lower mounting bracket 110 will differ depending on the specific make a model of agricultural vehicle the personnel lift is installed on. In operation, the user may be provided with a plurality of different upper and lower mounting brackets 108, 110 and may select and mount the appropriate brackets for his/her specific application.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assembly is provided with a lifting platform 111. The lifting platform 111 is comprised of the support column 112, the platform area 113, and the railing 114, with a moveable safety rail 133. The support column 112 may be fabricated from, for example, square tube, and it attaches to the intermediate supports, as disclosed below. The platform area 113 may be made of any suitable material, for example, metal grating. The platform area 113 may, for example, be approximately 18 inches by 18 inches, to allow a person to comfortably stand on the platform area 113 while the personnel lift 100 is in operation. The railing 114 is provided to prevent falls off the personnel lift 100 while it is in operation and may be formed from any suitable material, for example, metal tubing. An optional safety strap (not shown) may be provided to provide additional protection from falls during operation of the personnel lift 100. The moveable safety rail 133 may provide additional fall protection. The moveable safety rail 133 may be hingedly connected to the railing 114 and be rotated out of position to allow a user to step onto the platform 113, and then rotated into position to prevent the user from falling off the platform 113 during operation of the lift.
FIGS. 1 and 2 and 5 and 6 show the intermediate supports 115a,b which couple the lifting platform 111 to the roller assembly disposed inside the main column 103. The intermediate supports 115a,b have a generally vertical portion 116 and an angled portion 117. The assembly is provided with left and right intermediate supports 115a, b. Disposed on the interior surface of each of the intermediate supports 115 and specifically on the angled portion 117 thereof are Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene guides 118 which act as a smooth bearing surface between the intermediate supports 115a,b and the left and right side surfaces of the main column 103 that the intermediate supports 115a,b ride against as they move up and down during the operation of the personnel lift 100. As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, the left side intermediate support 115a further comprises an up/down switch 119. An additional switch 120 is mounted near the upper mounting bracket 108. The support column 112 of the lifting platform 111 is coupled to the generally vertical portion 116 of the intermediate supports 115. The intermediate supports 115 are provided with an elongated slot 121 which allows for the adjustment of the lifting platform 111 relative to the intermediate supports 115. In this way, the lifting platform 111 can be made generally level, in relation to the ground, even if the main column 103 is not perpendicular to the ground surface.
Captured between the intermediate supports 115, and in the open interior space 106 of the main column 103, is a roller box assembly 122. The roller box assembly 122 comprises a generally rectangular box 123 with open front and rear sides and a roller 124 disposed therein. A bolt 125 may pass through the right and left intermediate supports 115a, b, through holes in the left and right sides of the roller box assembly (not shown) and act as an axle for the roller 124 to rotate on. The roller 124 contacts the interior surfaces 107a,b of the main column 103, and provides a low friction bearing surface against the interior surfaces 107a,b, as the assembly moves up and down during operation of the personnel lift 100. The roller box assembly 122 is also provided with chain attachment points 126a, b on the upper and lower exterior surfaces of the roller box assembly 122. The roller chain 802 is connected to these attachment points 126a, b and, as discussed above, the roller box assembly 122 translates vertically up and down, when the chain is driven by motor 101 at the top of the assembly.
A second roller 127 is also provided in engagement with the intermediate supports 115a,b. As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second roller 127 may be disposed between the intermediate supports 115a,b and in engagement with the front outer surface 128 of the main column 103. A bolt 129, passing through the intermediate supports 115, spacers 130 and the bore 131 of second roller 127 acts as an axle for second roller 127 to rotate about. The second roller 127 contacts the outer surface 128 of the main column 103, and provides a low friction bearing surface against the outer surface 128, as the assembly moves up and down during operation of the personnel lift 100.
As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, an idler bracket 900 may also be provided in the assembly. The idler bracket 900 has a slot (discussed below) and a sprocket 500 shown in FIG. 5 interior to the idler bracket 900 and engaged with the roller chain 802. In operation, the vertical location of the sprocket can be varied by adjusting the location of the axle of sprocket 500 in the slot, so that the tension of the roller chain 802 may be varied by making such adjustments.
FIG. 9 shows a partially exploded side view of the idler bracket 900 previously identified. Like numerals will be used to identify elements already identified in previous figures. Thus, FIG. 9 shows the main column 103, with lower mounting bracket 110, the intermediate support 115 connected to roller box assembly 122 and the switch box 120. The idler bracket assembly 900 is composed of left and right idler brackets 900a and 900b. Disposed between the idler brackets 900a, b is the lower sprocket 500, around which the roller chain 802 is positioned. The lower sprocket 500 has an axle 901, which, when assembled, rides in slot 902. It should be appreciated that a similar slot is provided on bracket 900b, but is not visible in FIG. 9. Tensioner 903 may be adjusted by means of bolt 904, which adjusts the position of axle 901 in slot 902 on the idler bracket 900. In this way, the vertical position of the lower sprocket 500 can be adjusted up and down, and thereby, the tension of the roller chain 802 can be adjusted.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show left side and front assembled views of an embodiment of the personnel lift respectively. Like numerals will be used to designate elements already identified. Thus, the motor 101 is shown fastened to the motor mounting bracket 102 at the top of the main column 103. The main column 103 is formed from square tubes spaced apart by spacer to form an open interior space 106. The roller chain 802 can be seen in the open interior space 106 in FIG. 3. Visible in FIG. 3 is the upper mounting bracket 108. Also visible in FIG. 3 is the lower mounting bracket 110. Both FIGS. 3 and 4 show the lifting platform 111 with the support column 112, the platform area 113, and the railing 114. The switch 120 is visible in both FIGS. 3 and 4. The intermediate support 115a is clearly visible in FIG. 3 connecting the support column 112 of the lifting platform 110 to the roller box assembly 122. The idler bracket 900 is also clearly visible in FIG. 3.
FIGS. 10 and 11 are side and front views, respectively, of the personnel lift 100 mounted to an agricultural vehicle 1000. When fully assembled, the personnel lift 100 is mounted to an agricultural vehicle 1000 or the like, via the upper mounting bracket 108 and the lower mounting bracket 110. These brackets are specifically designed for a particular vehicle, based on the shape of the vehicle and options for mounting the lift to the vehicle. It should be appreciated that the personnel lift 100 must be securely fastened to the vehicle 100; otherwise, if the lift were to become separated from the vehicle during operation, the user could suffer substantial personal injuries in the consequent fall from the lift.
In a further embodiment of the personnel lift, a remote control (not shown) for operating the lift may be provided. The remote control may be a hardware device, e.g. a device specifically designed and made to control the lift or it may be a software implementation, as for example, software on a smartphone or similar device that controls the operation of the lift. The remote control may communicate with a receiver on the personnel lift by any means known in the art, for example, by Bluetooth, infrared or RF signals. In operation, the user will select either lifting or descending on the remote and a signal sent from the remote to a receiver on the personnel lift will communicate that command to the receiver. The receiver will then actuate the lift according to that command. The remote control and associated receiver may be programmed with parameters for the control of the lift. For example the remote control and the receiver may have pre-programmed lower and upper limits of travel for the lift. The remote control may be used in addition to, or instead of switches 119 and 120.
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that, while the forgoing disclosure has been set forth in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the disclosure is not intended to be necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses described herein are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. Various features of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.
Patent Grant
12195312
