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EP-4538124-B1 - WORK VEHICLE WITH A ROOF SAFETY ASSEMBLY

EP4538124B1EP 4538124 B1EP4538124 B1EP 4538124B1EP-4538124-B1

Inventors

  • Monacelli, Gennaro
  • CORDUA, GIUSEPPE

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241009

Claims (18)

  1. Work vehicle comprising a cabin (5), wherein the cabin (5) comprises a plurality of pillars (12) and a roof (14), a roof safety assembly (31) being interposed between the pillars (12) and the roof (14); said roof safety assembly (31) further comprising a support structure (41) connected to the cabin (5) and impact-absorbing means (42) configured to absorb energy in case of impact of the vehicle (1) with ground (G), wherein the impact-absorbing means (42) are carried by the support structure (41) and surround at least a portion of a perimeter of the support structure (41), and wherein the impact-absorbing means (42) comprise two deformable elements (91), each deformable element (91) being connected to the support structure (41), said work vehicle being characterized in that each deformable element (91) comprises an accordion-shaped element (92).
  2. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support structure (41) defines a region (R) and the impact-absorbing means (42) extend externally to said region (R).
  3. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the support structure (41) defines a longitudinal axis (B) and comprises a front portion (51) intersecting the longitudinal axis (B) and two side portions (52) extending from opposite sides with respect to the longitudinal axis (B), wherein the front portion (51) is connected to a front portion (61) of the cabin (5) and the two side portions (52) are connected to respective side portions (62) of the cabin (5), the impact-absorbing means (42) surround at least one of the two side portions (52) of the support structure (41).
  4. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein the support structure (41) comprises a frame (71) substantially shaped as a quadrilateral, the front portion (51) of the support structure (41) substantially corresponding to a front edge of the quadrilateral and the two side portions (52) of the support structure (41) substantially corresponding to side edges of the quadrilateral connected to the front edge.
  5. Work vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claim, wherein the impact-absorbing means (42) comprise connecting means (93) to connect the two deformable elements (91), the connecting means (93) being more rigid than the deformable elements (91).
  6. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the connecting means (93) comprise a bar (94).
  7. Work vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claim, wherein the impact-absorbing means (42) comprise two impact-absorbing structures (101), each impact-absorbing structure (101) comprising two of said deformable elements (91).
  8. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 7 when dependent on claim 3 or 4, wherein the two impact-absorbing structures (101) surround, respectively, the two side portions (52) of the support structure (41).
  9. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 8 when dependent on claim 8, wherein each impact-absorbing structure (101) comprises said bar (94), the bar (94) of each impact-absorbing structure (101) extending substantially parallel to the respective side portion (52) of the support structure (41).
  10. Work vehicle as claimed in any of claims 7 to 11 when dependent on claim 4, wherein each impact-absorbing structure (101) comprises two coupling elements (111) corresponding to respective corners of said quadrilateral and connected to respective ends of the respective side portion (52) of the support structure (41).
  11. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein each impact-absorbing structure (101) comprises two intermediate elements (121), each intermediate element (121) being interposed between one of said coupling elements (111) and one of said deformable elements (91).
  12. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein each intermediate element (121) extends substantially parallel to the front portion (51) of the support structure (41).
  13. Work vehicle as claimed in any of claims 10 to 12, wherein each coupling element (111) is connected to a respective pillar (12) of the cabin (5).
  14. Work vehicle as claimed in any of claims 7 to 13, wherein each impact-absorbing structure (101) is detachable from the support structure (41).
  15. Work vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a subframe (131) carried by the support structure (41), and one or more airbags (141) carried by the subframe (131).
  16. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 15 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the subframe (131) extends internally to said region (R).
  17. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the subframe (131) comprises two brackets (151) to carry, respectively, two of said airbags (141).
  18. Work vehicle as claimed in claim 17 when dependent on claim 3 or 4, wherein the two brackets (151) are convergent towards the front portion (51) of the support structure (41).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention concerns a work vehicle comprising a roof safety assembly. The present invention finds its preferred, although not exclusive, application in an agricultural vehicle, such as a tractor. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is known, an agricultural vehicle, such as a tractor, is subject to the risk of rollover. Documents JP 2005 145182 A and US 2019/225176 A1 disclose each a work vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1. In particular, it is estimated that at least one in ten operators will overturn a tractor in their lifetime. Tractor rollovers are the main cause of fatal accidents on several farms. The probability of the operator dying in case of a tractor rollover increases if the operator is unbelted. Eighty per cent of tractor rollover fatalities also involve experienced operators. Furthermore, even when the operator survives, the tractor cabin is severely damaged after a rollover. Therefore, the need is felt to improve safety and robustness of known work vehicles. An aim of the present invention is to satisfy the aforementioned need in a cost-effective and optimised manner. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned aim is reached by a work vehicle as claimed in the appended set of claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment is described in the following, by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings wherein: figure 1 is a side view of a work vehicle according to the invention;figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cabin of the work vehicle of figure 1, with parts removed for the sake of clarity;figure 3 is a perspective view of the cabin of figure 2, with parts removed for the sake of clarity;figure 4 is a perspective view of the roof safety assembly andfigure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the roof safety assembly of figure 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 illustrates a work vehicle 1 according to the present invention. Preferably, the vehicle 1 is an agricultural vehicle, such as a tractor. The vehicle 1 is of known type, extends along a longitudinal axis A and comprises a front portion 3, a rear portion 4, and a cabin 5 longitudinally interposed between the front portion 3 and the rear portion 4. Conveniently, the vehicle 1 comprises a pair of front wheels 6 arranged in the front portion 3 and a pair of rear wheels 7 arranged in the rear portion 4. The cabin 5 comprises a floor 11, a plurality of pillars 12 and a roof assembly 13 carried by the plurality of pillars 12. In particular, the plurality of pillars 12 comprises two front pillars 12a, connected to the front portion 3 of the vehicle 1, and two rear pillars 12b, connected to the rear portion 4 of the vehicle 1. The floor 11 extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A, while the two front pillars 12a and the two rear pillars 12b are inclined, e.g. orthogonal, with respect to the longitudinal axis A. The roof assembly 13 comprises a roof 14 configured to cover the cabin 5 and a plurality of elements 15 arranged on the side of the roof 14 facing the floor 11. In particular, the roof 14 extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A, and is substantially parallel to the floor 11. The plurality of elements 15 may comprise roller blinds. Conveniently, the cabin 5 is configured to house a seat 21 for an occupant O of the cabin, and comprises a plurality of windowed areas 22 allowing the occupant O to see outside the cabin 5. In particular, the seat 21 is carried by the floor 11, and the plurality of windowed areas 22 comprise a front windowed area 22a, arranged between the two front pillars 12a, and two side windowed areas 22b, each arranged between a respective front pillar 12a and a respective rear pillar 12b. The vehicle 1 comprises a roof safety assembly 31, as described in detail hereinafter. The roof safety assembly 31 is interposed between the pillars 12 and the roof 14. In particular, the roof safety assembly 31 is arranged on the side of the roof 14 facing the floor 11, and preferably near the elements 15 of the roof assembly 13. Conveniently, the roof safety assembly 31 is configured to be carried by the pillars 12. Preferably, the roof safety assembly 31 is detachably connected to, i.e. detachable from, the pillars 12. In particular, the roof safety assembly 31 is configured to be connected to the pillars 12 via a detachable connection, preferably via threaded elements such as screws. The roof safety assembly 31 (figures 4 and 5) comprises a support structure 41 configured to be connected to the cabin 5 and impact-absorbing means 42 configured to absorb energy in case of impact of the vehicle 1 with ground G. The impact-absorbing means 42 are configured to be carried by the support structure 41 and surround at least a portion of a perimeter of the support structure 41. In particular, the impact-absorbing means 42 are connected to the support struc