EP0050203A2 - Control lever, in particular for preselecting the travel speed in self-propelled agricultural machines - Google Patents

Abstract

Self-propelled agricultural machines, such as combine harvesters, have a stiff lever for preselecting the driving speed, which means that they hold every setting. The regulating lever is equipped with a handle for lever actuation. For additional configuration as a combination switch, this regulating lever now has a hollow handle which is designed to be non-displaceable in the axial direction, which can be rotated about its axis and has a push rod (5) which can be displaced in the axial direction against spring pressure, the rotary position of the handle and the shift position of the push rod is sensed by switch sensors and converted into control commands (FIG. 2).

Description

The invention relates to a regulating lever, in particular lever for preselecting the driving speed on self-propelled agricultural machines, such as combine harvesters, with a handle for lever actuation.

Such regulating levers are usually attached to a rod in the ergonomically favorable grip area of the driver, which rod can be pivoted about a horizontal axis. As a rule, the rod can only be adjusted with difficulty, so that every position set on the regulating lever is automatically maintained. In this way, a specific function is selected. With self-propelled agricultural machines, such as combine harvesters, the position of the regulating lever also determines for example the driving speed.

In today's relatively complex and complex harvesters, such as self-propelled combine harvesters and self-propelled forage harvesters, the driver must operate numerous other implement functions in addition to the preselection of the driving speed and the steering of the vehicle. In the case of a self-propelled forage harvester, for example, the work tools must be lowered or raised. In addition, it may be necessary to shutdown or even reverse the feed elements. So far, separate switches or operating levers have been used to control these numerous coexisting functions. The driver is often overwhelmed by the need to control several functions at the same time during operation (e.g. reducing the driving speed, lifting the work tool and stopping the feed elements), i.e. the need to operate several switches or levers at the same time.

The object of the invention is therefore to equip a regulating lever, in particular the regulating lever provided for preselecting the driving speed of the hydrostatic drive, with switching devices for further functions, in particular for lifting or lowering and also reversing the direction of rotation of the front attachment and also reversing the pull-in members which on the regulating lever can be controlled simultaneously in one-hand operation.

This object is achieved in that the regulating lever is designed as a combination switch, for which the handle of the regulating lever is designed as a hollow handle, Non-displaceable in the axial direction, but rotatable about its axis, inside the handle there is a push rod that is displaceable in the axial direction against spring pressure, the actuating end of which protrudes from the handle, and finally the rotary position of the handle and the displaced position of the push rod are sensed by switch sensors and in control commands are feasible.

The handle is used in the usual way for adjusting the regulating lever. However, another control function can be carried out by turning the handle. The rotation of the handle can also operate different control functions depending on the direction of rotation and / or enable several control functions depending on the angle of rotation. At the same time, for example, the end of the push rod can be actuated with the thumb, the displacement position of which in turn permits one, two or even three different switching functions. When gripping the handle, the regulating lever can thus be adjusted by pushing or pulling on the handle, but at the same time the handle can also be turned in one or the other direction of rotation and the push rod can be pressed in against spring pressure. In this way, at least three, but advantageously also five or more functions can be controlled in one-handed operation on one and the same control element. A considerable simplification of operation and operational safety is achieved in this way.

Suitably, a cylindrical sleeve is connected to the control lever, on which also the handle is rotatably ^g e-layered and is displaceably guided in the inside the push rod. The sleeve separates the rotatable handle and the movable push rod and also serves as a clean guide for both. This simplifies operation with the simplest structure.

The push rod, which is displaceable against spring pressure, forms a type of pushbutton switch which assumes its zero position automatically without actuation. Of course, the handle could also be provided with a spring return. However, since it is a rotary handle, this would make it difficult to operate. It is therefore expedient to give the handle a locked neutral position. For this purpose, for example, the handle can have a radially engaging catch on its circumference, which is assigned a catch bolt that is movable in the radial direction and spring-loaded in the direction of the axis of the handle. This is provided with a rounded head in such a way that it can be pressed out of the catch by turning the handle and then no longer stands in the way of turning the handle. On the other hand, the locking pin enables the neutral position to be found again without special attention. It also shows the driver the passage through the neutral position when changing from one control command to another when several different functions can be controlled by turning in different directions from the neutral position.

Switch sensors of various types can be used to sense the rotational position of the handle and the shift position of the push rod, as long as they are only suitable for converting the control movements into control commands. The embodiments of the switching sensors described below are particularly simple, but at the same time robust and practical embodiments.

For example, the outer circumference of the handle can have one or two cutouts, each of which is sensed by one end of a radially movable spring-loaded switching plunger of a switch. If the groove depth changes in the circumferential direction Milled out, the switch plunger can move out of the switch more or less depending on the rotary position and actuate the switch at a certain point. If two such cut-outs are arranged next to one another, then these are expediently offset against one another in the circumferential direction in such a way that one limit switch takes effect in a certain rotational position and the other limit switch takes effect in another specific rotational position. Appropriately, these two rotational positions are in different directions, starting from the neutral position, so that they can be selected directly from the neutral position.

Of course, several different control functions can also be controlled in succession on the circumference. For example, it is conceivable to first actuate a switching function also starting from the neutral position, but, if the rotation continues in the same direction of rotation, an additional or a different one. However, the control must not be too complicated, since then operating errors are inevitable again. It is therefore particularly expedient if a switching function is actuated with the rotatable handle starting from its neutral position in every direction of rotation.

The push rod is able to actuate such switching tappets. If you use an axially parallel flattening of its surface, which merges into the cylindrical push rod surface, for example, via an inclined ramp, all limit switches with parallel: - Direction of action of their switching plungers. be combined into a massive block. They are all in one plane, which contains all the switching plunger axes on the one hand and the axis of the push rod on the other. This saves space and enables easy encapsulation of the switching sensors, which increases in rough field operation that leads to operational safety. Of course, the locking bolt can also be included in the block in such a way that its axis also lies in the plane that contains the axes of all the switching plunger and the push rod.

Instead of switches with an on-off function, potentiometers or other organs with a continuous change in the control command amplitude proportional to the deflection amplitude of the handle or the push rod can be used.

• Fig. 1 eine Rückansicht des Regulierhebels, wie er sich dem in Fahrtrichtung blickenden Fhhrer zeigt,
• Fig. 2 einen Längsschnitt des in Fig. 1 oben liegenden Teils in einer Ebene, die die Achse von Handgriff und Druckstange einerseits, sowie die Trag- bzw. Steuerstange enthält, und
• Fig. 3 einen Schnitt bei Linie III-III von ,Fig. 2.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing, to which express reference is made to the disclosure of all the details not explained in more detail below. All features are essential to the invention. It shows

• 1 is a rear view of the control lever, as it shows the driver looking in the direction of travel,
• FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the part lying at the top in FIG. 1 in a plane which contains the axis of the handle and push rod on the one hand and the carrying or control rod, and
• 3 shows a section on line III-III of FIG. 2nd

Fig. 1 shows schematically a control lever 1, as it is shown in the direction of travel. The regulating lever 1 can be pivoted about a horizontal axis (not shown) via a handle 2. The axis lies in the plane of the paper and parallel to the axis of the handle 2. The pivoting movement can - based on the direction of travel - to the front and also to the rear, in FIG. 1 thus away from the viewer from the figure level downwards or towards the viewer from the figure level upwards. The swiveling movement allows the travel speed on the hydrostatic travel drive of a self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine, such as a combine harvester or a forage harvester, to be continuously selected. The driving speed selected by the regulating lever 1 is maintained until the regulating lever is adjusted again. The adjustment elements necessary for influencing the driving speed through the regulating lever position are generally known. A detailed description is therefore not necessary at this point.

Fig. 2 shows the design of the regulating lever as a combination switch in detail. A sleeve 3 is fixedly connected to the support rod 4 of the regulating lever 1 which extends downward from the handle 2. The sleeve 3 has a cylindrical outer circumference on which the handle 2 is rotatably placed. This is supported on one side on the support rod 4, on the other side is releasably and removably held by a retaining ring. The handle 2 is thus immovable in the axial direction, but freely rotatable on the outer circumference of the sleeve 3. For this purpose, the cylindrical inner bore of the handle 2 designed as a hollow handle has a play relative to the cylindrical outer circumference of the sleeve 3.

The interior of the sleeve 3 is also hollow and receives a push rod 5. This consists of an actuating end 5 'protruding from the hollow handle 2 on one side with an actuating recess 5 "in the end face for the thumb of the driver's hand that grips the handle 2, and a control end 5""on the other Side of the sleeve from this emerges and passes through an opening in the housing. At the outermost end of the control end 5 '", a stop ring 5""is placed thereon. The control end 5 ¹ " is cylindrical and passes through a corresponding guide opening in the central region of the sleeve. On the part of the protruding actuating end 5 ¹ , the sleeve has an inner bore of an enlarged diameter, to which the diameter of the actuating end 5 ¹ adapts. The push rod is therefore a step rod. The reduction in diameter from the actuating end 5 'to the control end 5'"takes place in such a way that a spring 11 can be inserted into the bearing bore, which comprises the control end 5"'and is supported on the one hand on the bottom of the bearing bore and on the other hand on the diameter step of the push rod 5. As a result, the push rod 5 is forced into a rest position, in which the stop ring 5 "" rests in a stop trough provided for this purpose on the housing or on the opposite end of the sleeve 3 and thus defines the stop position.

Suitable measures also ensure that the push rod 5 cannot rotate about its own axis. For this purpose, for example, the actuating end 5 ^{1 can have} a non-circular cross section. Instead, it is also possible to provide an axially parallel nose on the push rod 5, which corresponds to a corresponding groove in the inner wall of the sleeve 3.

On the left side of the wire rod 4 in the drawing, a first group of limit switches 6, 7 is attached. With the same fastener 8, a bearing plate 9 is also pulled down on the support rod 4, which supports a locking pin 10. The locking pin 10 is spring-loaded radially in the direction of the axis of the push rod 5 or the handle 2. Br has a rounded head and reaches into new tralstellung (see. Fig. 3) in a detent 16 on the circumference of the handle 2. The shallow catch 16, the shape of the head of the catch bolt 10 and the strength of its spring loading ensure that when the handle 2 is actuated the neutral position can be left on the one hand without any particular effort, but on the other hand it can be visited again at any time with a clear registration of the catch without special attention can be. This applies to both possible directions of rotation.

Switch plungers 12, 13 of limit switches 6, 7 are in the neutral position in cutouts 14, 15 of the circumference of handle 2. In this position, limit switches 6, 7 are not actuated by switch plungers 12, 13. The millings have a depth that decreases in the circumferential direction. In this case, however, the depth of the cutout 14 is reduced from the neutral position in the clockwise direction (FIG. 3), while here the cutout 15 remains undiminished. On the other hand, the depth of the cutout 15 is reduced, starting from the neutral position in the counterclockwise direction, while the cutout 14 keeps its depth undiminished. It is thus selectively pressed in when the handle 2 is rotated forward (in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 3) and the limit switch 6 is actuated, when the handle 2 is rotated backwards (in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3) the switching plunger 13 is pressed in and so that the limit switch 7 is actuated. The other limit switch remains unactuated.

On the right side of the support rod 4 in FIG. 2, a further group of limit switches 17, 18 is fastened to the support rod 4 with the aid of a fastening means 19. In the zero or rest position of the push rod 5 shown in the figure, switching plungers 20, 21 of the limit switches 17, 18 are out drive, so the limit switches are not actuated. This is made possible by a one-sided flattening 22 of the push rod 5 in the area of its control end 5 "". The flattening 22 merges into the full outer circumference of the control end 5 "" in an inclined ramp. If the push rod 5 is pressed to the right by thumb pressure in the area of the actuating depression 5 ″ in FIG. 2, then the switching plunger 20 is first pressed into the limit switch 17 and this is actuated, in addition to actuating the limit switch 17 when the push rod is pressed in further the limit switch 18 is actuated, and when the push rod 5 is released, it automatically returns to the position shown in FIG.

The electrical connecting lines 23 for the limit switches 6, 7 and 24 for the limit switches 17, 18 are guided encapsulated within a channel 25 provided on the support rod 4. This channel is formed by the support rod 4 on the one hand and a cover plate 26 on the other. A cover 27, which can be fastened to the bearing plate 9 or the support rod 4 with the aid of fastening screws 28, covers all limit switches. A particularly simple, less bulky and handsome form of the cover 27 results when the various limit switches, as shown in FIG. 2, are arranged so that the axes of their switching plungers are all parallel to one another in one and the same plane. The axis of the locking pin 10 is expediently in the same plane.

• Der Fahrer ergreift den Handgriff 2 mit der rechten Hand und legt den Daumen in die Betätigungsmulde 5" der Druckstange 5.

The regulating lever, designed as a corporation switch, is operated as follows:

• The driver grips the handle 2 with his right hand and places his thumb in the actuating recess 5 "of the push rod 5.

By pushing forward, the entire regulating lever 1 can be pivoted about its horizontal axis explained at the beginning and the driving speed can thus be increased. On the other hand, a pull on the handle 2 causes the regulating lever 1 to pivot toward the driver and thus reduces the driving speed.

In addition, either the limit switch 6 or the limit switch 7 can be actuated by rotating the handle 2. The electrical control commands triggered in this way are fed to electromagnetically actuated control valves for the hydraulic lifting mechanism of the attachment of the agricultural harvesting machine. Dad happens preferably, because it makes sense, in such a way that the "lower" function is switched by turning the handle 2 forwards (counterclockwise in FIG. 3), that is to say by actuating the limit switch 6, and vice versa by turning the handle 2 backwards (In Fig. 3 clockwise) the "lift" function is switched, which is done via the limit switch 7. The neutral position between these two functions can easily be found by a clearly perceptible catch, which is achieved with the aid of the catch bolt 10.

Additional functions can be controlled by pressing the push rod 5 with your thumb. If, for example, the limit switch 17 is actuated by pushing in the push rod 5, the rotating parts of the front device are reversed. This can be, for example, a feed auger that brings the harvested crop together towards the center and transfers it to the feed elements of the chopper. If the push rod 5 is pushed in completely, it also actuates the limit switch 18 as well, so there only the rotating parts of the front attachment are reversed, but the rotating intake elements of the chopper are also reversed. The intake elements are to be understood here as the rotating rollers of the chopper, which are upstream of the chopper drum. Of course, these functions are only to be provided, for example. Other functions can be controlled on other machines.

But it is clearly recognizable that with the explained design of the regulating lever as a combination switch in a simple and obviously different manner for the operator numerous different control functions can be selected starting from a single handle.

Reference symbol list

• 1 regulating lever
• 2 handles
• 3 sleeve
• 4 support rod
• 5 push rod
• 5 'operating recess
• 5 "operating recess
• 5 '"steering end
• 5 "" stop ring
• 6 limit switches
• 7 limit switches
• 8 fasteners
• 9 bearing plate
• 10 remaining bolts
• 11 spring
• 12 switch plungers (from 6)
• 13 switch plunger (from 7)
• 14 Carrion milling
• 15 milling
• 16 rest
• 17 limit switches
• 18 limit switches
• 19 fastening means
• 20 switching plungers
• 21 switching plungers
• 22 flattening
• 23 connecting line
• 24 connecting line
• 25 channel
• 26 cover plate
• 27 cover
• 28 fastening screw

Claims (10)

1. regulating lever, in particular lever for preselecting the driving speed on self-propelled agricultural machines, such as combine harvesters, with a handle for lever actuation, characterized in that, for additional configuration of the regulating lever as a connection switch, the hollow handle, which is designed to be non-displaceable in the axial direction, about its axis It is rotatable that a push rod (5) which is displaceable in the axial direction against spring pressure is arranged in the interior of the handle, and that the rotational position of the handle and the shift position of the push rod are sensed by switch sensors and converted into control commands. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that with the regulating lever (1) a cylindrical sleeve (3) is connected, on the outside of the handle (2) is rotatably mounted and in the inside of the push rod (5) is slidably guided. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the handle (2) has a locked neutral position. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the handle (2) has a radially recessed recess (16) which is associated with a locking bolt movable in the radial direction and spring-loaded in the direction of the axis (10). 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least on the outer circumference of the handle A milling (14, 15) is provided, which has a groove depth that changes in the circumferential direction and the bottom of which can be sensed by the end of a radially spring-loaded switching plunger (12, 1.3) of a limit switch (6, 7) and converted into a control command. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that two cutouts (14, 15) on the outer circumference of the handle (2) are offset from each other and each of a switching plunger (12, 13) can be sensed that starting from the neutral position when rotating in a direction of rotation of the handle from one limit switch (6), a control command is received when rotating in the other direction of rotation from the other limit switch (7). 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the push rod (5) is provided with switching plungers (20, 21) at least one limit switch (17, 18) sensed control surfaces. 8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that a flattened portion (22) on the outer circumference of the push rod (5) serves as the control surface with the circumferential surface adjoining the flattened portion and by a switching plunger (20, 21) spring-loaded in the radial direction, at least one limit switch (17, 18) is sensed. 9. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that an axially facing surface of the push rod (5) is sensed by an axially or axially parallel moving plunger at least one limit switch. 10. The device according to claim 6 and 8, characterized net that all limit switches (6, 7, 17, 18) with the parallel direction of action of their switching plunger (12, 13, 20, 21) are combined to form a block.

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