Adjustable control console for vehicles

Claim 2

An adjustable control console for a vehicle comprising: a console support bracket means having means for fixed attachment to said vehicle adjacent the operator''s station thereof, a pivotable pedestal having a lower end attached to said bracket means and extending substantially upward therefrom, said pedestal having first and second upwardly extending link members each having a lower end pivoted to said bracket means for oscillation about spaced apart parallel axes, said pedestal further having a third platform link extending between the upper ends of said first and second links and being pivoted to each thereof to maintain said third link in a substantially fixed orientation relative to said bracket means as said pedestal is pivoted relative thereto, A first manually manipulatable control element for said vehicle situated adjacent said platform link and supported thereby for movement therewith, and latching means for locking said pedestal against pivoting movement relative to said bracket means at any of a plurality of inclinations relative thereto said latching means having a manually operable element for selectively releasing said latching means to enable pivoting of said pedestal relative to said bracket means.

Claim 3

An adjustable control console as defined in claim 1 wherein said first manually manipulatable control element for said vehicle is the steering wheel thereof.

Claim 4

An adjustable control console for vehicle as defined in claim 2 further comprising a steering wheel support having said steering wheel rotatably attached thereto, said steering wheel support being pivoted to said platform link whereby the orientation of said steering wheel relative to said platform link may be selectively changed by pivoting of said steering wheel support thereon, and clamp means for locking said steering wheel support at a selected orientation relative to said platform link

Claim 5

An adjustable control console for a vehicle as defined in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of additional controls for said vehicle mounted on said pedestal at the upper end thereof, said additional controls including a first series of additional controls situated at a first side of said pedestal in a column extending outward therefrom parallel to the pivot axes of said links and a second series of additional controls disposed at the other side of said pedestal and extending outward therefrom in a column colinear with said first series of controls.

Claim 6

An adjustable control console for a vehicle as defined in claim 4 wherein said vehicle has control valves with actuator arms, wherein said additional controls are pivotable angled levers having first arms adapted for manual manipulation by the operator and having second arms extending radially from the axis of said columns of control elements and further comprising a plurality of Link means each extending from an individual one of said second arms of said control elements towards said support base for operating said actuator arms of said control valves.

Claim 7

An adjustable control console for a vehicle as defined in claim 5 wherein said first arms of alternate ones of said additional control levers extend from the axis of the column thereof at a different angular orientation than said first arms of the intervening ones of said additional control levers whereby said first arms of said additional control levers are separated into two distinct spaced apart rows thereof.

Claim 8

An adjustable control console for vehicle as defined in claim 4 wherein said additional controls are electrical switches.

Claim 9

An adjustable control console for a vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for latching said pedestal against pivoting movement relative to said bracket means comprises an arm pivoted to one of said links and having means for engaging another of said links at any of a plurality of relative angular orientations of said links, and wherein said manually operable element extends upward from said arm and is coupled thereto whereby motion of said element away from said operator''s station disengages said arm and pivots said pedestal away from said operator''s station.

Claim 10

An adjustable control console for vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said first link is closer to said operator''s station than said second link, and wherein said means for latching said pedestal against pivoting movement relative to said bracket means comprises: a first arm pivoted to said first link and extending towards said second link and having a plurality of spaced apart notches and having a slot extending therealong, a member disposed adjacent said first arm and having a slot oriented substantially at right angles to said slot of said first arm, a first rod extending transversely from said member into said slot of said first arm, a second rod extending transversely from said first arm to overlap said member, a third rod extending from said second link adjacent said notches of said first arm and through said slot of said member and proportioned to be received in a selected one of said notches of said first arm, and said manually operable element being latch operating means extending from said member and positioned to be grasped by the operator of said vehicle, whereby both pulling and pushing motion on said latch operating means by said operator acts to disengage said third rod from a notch of said first arm and said pedestal may be pivoted away from said operator''s station or towards said operator''s station by the same motion which disengages said third rod from said first arm.

Claim 11

An adjustable control console for a vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said first and second links are channel members and further comprising a pair of overlapping side plates disposed at each side of said pedestal one of said pair of side plates at each side of said pedestal being secured to said first link and the other being secured to the second link whereby the region between said links is substantially enclosed.

Claim 12

An adjustable control console for a vehicle as defined in claim 1 wherein said first link is closest to said operator''s station and is of greater length than said second link with the lower end of said first link being pivoted to said bracket means at a level below the pivotable attachment of the lower end of said second link thereto and wherein the pivot attachments of said platform link to the top end of said first and second links are more closely spaced than the pivot attachments of the lower end of said links to said bracket means.