Telehandler with improved cab
Described is a telehandler having a cab ( 1 ) equipped with a roof ( 10 ) defined by a transparent or semi-transparent protective cover ( 11 ) which comprises one or more materials designed to withstand the falling of hazardous material for the safety of an operator onboard the cab ( 1 ). The cover includes a plurality of layers of which at least one layer made of glass and a layer made of polymeric material.
1. A telehandler comprising:
an operating arm having gripping equipment at an end thereof, the gripping equipment being configured to receive an object thereon;
a cab equipped with a roof, a windscreen, a rear spaced from and disposed opposite the windscreen, and a pair of side uprights, said roof and said windscreen being integrated in a single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover which comprises one or more materials designed to withstand the falling of hazardous material for the safety of an operator onboard the cab, said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover including:
two glass layers which define an outermost surface and an innermost surface of the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover, respectively;
three inner layers made of polyurethane; and
two inner layers made of polycarbonate,
wherein the three inner layers made of polyurethane and the two inner layers made of polycarbonate are disposed between the two glass layers and alternate with each other,
wherein the operating arm is movable with respect to the cab so as to position the object above the cab, and wherein the roof is configured to protect an operator if said object falls on the cab,
wherein said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover extends laterally from a first side upright of the pair of side uprights to a second side upright of the pair of side uprights to provide an unobstructed and continuous view in front of the cab and above the cab,
wherein said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover has an edge at the roof that extends between the first side upright and the second side upright of the pair of side uprights, and the edge at the roof is a rearmost edge of the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover, and said edge of said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover is spaced from said rear of said cab such that said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover can deform or breakdown upon impact of said object but does not allow said object to pass through said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover, and
wherein the outermost surface and the innermost surface of the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover are each directly exposed to an ambient environment.
2. The telehandler according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two glass layers has a thickness of between two and four millimetres.
3. The telehandler according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two inner layers made of polycarbonate has a thickness of between twelve and eighteen millimetres.
4. The telehandler according to claim 1 , wherein each of the three inner layers made of polyurethane has a thickness of between 0.5 millimetres and one millimetre.
5. The telehandler according to claim 1 , wherein the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover consists of the following succession of layers: a 3 mm glass layer, a 0.76 mm polyurethane layer, a 15 mm polycarbonate layer, a 0.76 mm polyurethane layer, a 15 mm polycarbonate layer, a 0.76 mm polyurethane layer and a 3 mm glass layer.
6. The telehandler according to claim 1 , wherein said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover is designed to withstand an impact of said object which has a kinetic energy of greater than 11000 Joules.
7. The telehandler according to claim 6 , wherein said kinetic energy is substantially equal to 11600 Joules.
8. The telehandler according to claim 1 , wherein the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover is designed to withstand an impact of said object weighing at least 230 kg falling from a height of at least 4 metres.
9. The telehandler according to claim 8 , wherein said object weighs substantially 238 kg and the height of falling is substantially 5 metres.
10. A telehandler comprising:
an operating arm having gripping equipment at an end thereof, the gripping equipment being configured to receive an object thereon;
a cab equipped with a roof, a windscreen, a rear spaced from and disposed opposite the windscreen, and a pair of side uprights, said roof and said windscreen being integrated in a single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover which comprises one or more materials designed to withstand the falling of hazardous material for the safety of an operator onboard the cab, said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover including:
two glass layers which define an outermost surface and an innermost surface of the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover, respectively, wherein each of the two glass layers has a thickness of between two and four millimetres;
three inner layers made of polyurethane; and
two inner layers made of polycarbonate,
wherein the three inner layers made of polyurethane and the two inner layers made of polycarbonate are disposed between the two glass layers and alternate with each other,
wherein the operating arm is movable with respect to the cab so as to position the object above the cab, and the roof is configured to protect an operator if said object falls on the cab, wherein the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover is designed to withstand an impact of said object weighing at least 230 kg falling from a height of at least 4 metres,
wherein said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover extends laterally from a first side upright of the pair of side uprights to a second side upright of the pair of side uprights to provide an unobstructed and continuous view in front of the cab and above the cab,
wherein said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover has an edge at the roof that extends between the first side upright and the second side upright of the pair of side uprights, and the edge at the roof is a rearmost edge of the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover, and said edge of said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover is spaced from said rear of said cab such that said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover can deform or breakdown upon impact of said object but does not allow said object to pass through said single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover, and
wherein the outermost surface and the innermost surface of the single and continuous transparent or semi-transparent protective cover are each directly exposed to an ambient environment.