TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a cabin for industrial vehicle comprising vision sensors.

BACKGROUND ART

Cabins for industrial vehicles comprising vision sensors (normally TV cameras) carried by the cabin to film the space surrounding the industrial vehicle are already known. The video signal produced by the TV cameras being supplied to a monitor, housed in the cabin and showing the video signal produced by the TV cameras. The data shown by the monitor facilitate and improve driving the vehicle, especially during manoeuvres such as the reverse.

For example, the Italian patent application MI2014A001114 describes a rear-view system for driving a vehicle in which three TV cameras arranged behind the vehicle include a left side TV camera, a central TV camera and a right rear TV camera. A longitudinally shaped display shows three horizontally adjacent projection areas corresponding to respective cameras shootings.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a cabin comprising a vision system, which as fully as possible shows the space surrounding the vehicle. This object is achieved by the present invention as it relates to a cabin for industrial vehicle comprising a pair of side walls provided with doors, a base wall, an upper wall, a rear wall and a front wall housing a windscreen delimited by a lower edge and by an upper edge near the upper wall, a plurality of TV cameras carried by the cabin and filming the space surrounding the industrial vehicle and a monitor, housed in the cabin and electronically communicating with the TV cameras to show the video signal produced by the TV cameras, characterized in that the monitor has an elongated shape whose longer sides extend parallel to the upper edge of the windscreen near the upper wall; said monitor comprising a plurality of adjacent display units including: a central display unit; a first and a second side display units, arranged on opposite sides of the central display unit; a first and a second end display units, respectively arranged at the sides of the first and second side display units at the opposite ends of said monitor; said TV cameras comprising: a first front TV camera oriented with respect to said cabin so as to film a first portion of space arranged in front of a central portion of said front wall; the video signal of said first front TV camera being sent to the central display unit; a second front TV camera oriented with respect to said cabin so as to film a second portion of space arranged in front of a first side of said front wall; the video signal of said second front TV camera being supplied to the first side display unit; a third front TV camera oriented with respect to said cabin so as to film a third portion of space arranged in front of a second side of said front wall; the video signal of said third front TV camera being supplied to the second side display unit; a first rear TV camera oriented with respect to said cabin so as to film a fourth portion of space arranged behind the second side of said front wall; the video signal of said first rear TV camera being supplied to the first end display unit; and a second rear TV camera oriented with respect to said cabin so as to film a fifth portion of space arranged behind the second side of said front wall; the video signal of said second rear TV camera being supplied to the second end display unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, which schematically represent an example of the present invention, wherein:

- Figure 1 schematically shows a cabin comprising vision sensors according to the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the inside of the cabin. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figure 1 indicates with the reference number 1 as a whole a cabin for industrial vehicle comprising a pair of side walls 2,3 provided with doors (not shown), a base wall 4, an upper wall 5, a rear wall 6 and a front wall 7 housing a windscreen 8 delimited by a lower edge 8-a (Figure 2) and by an upper edge 8-b near the upper wall 5, a plurality of TV cameras 11 carried by the cabin 1 and filming the space surrounding the industrial vehicle and a first monitor 12 housed in the cabin 1 and electronically communicating with the TV cameras 11 to show the video signal produced by the TV cameras 11.

The monitor 12 has an elongated rectangular shape with longer straight sides extending parallel to the upper edge 8-b of the windscreen 8 (Figure 2) near the upper wall 5. The monitor 12 is connected to the upper wall 5 by means of support brackets of a known type that are not shown for simplicity's sake. Conveniently, the monitor 12 is a LED flat monitor.

The monitor 12 comprises five adjacent rectangular display units 13 comprising:

· a central display unit 13-c;

• a first and a second side display units 13-11, 13-12 arranged on opposite sides of the central display unit 13- c;

• a first and a second end display unit 13-el, 13-e2, respectively arranged at the sides of the first and second side displays 13-11, 13-12 at opposite ends of the first monitor 12.

The TV cameras 11 are preferably digital and include:

• a first front TV camera 11-fl oriented with respect to the cabin 1 so as to film a first portion of space 14 arranged in front of a central portion of the front wall 7 ; the video signal of said first front TV camera 11-f being supplied to the central display 13-c;

• a second front TV camera ll-f2 oriented with respect to the cabin 1 so as to film a second portion of space 15 arranged in front of a first side of the front wall 7; the video signal of the second front TV camera ll-f2 being supplied to the first side display unit 13-11;

or a third front TV camera ll-f3 oriented with respect to the cabin 1 so as to film a third portion of space 16 arranged in front of a second side of the front wall 7; the video signal of the third front TV camera 11-f3 being supplied to the second side display unit 13-12;

• a first rear TV camera 11-pl oriented with respect to the cabin 1 so as to film a fourth portion of space 17 arranged behind the second side of the front wall 7; the video signal of the first rear TV camera 11-pl being supplied to the first end display unit 13-el;

or a second rear TV camera ll-p2 oriented with respect to the cabin 1 so as to film a fifth portion of space 18 arranged behind the second side of the front wall 7 ; the video signal of the second rear TV camera ll-p2 being supplied to the second end display unit 13-e2. In this way, while driving the vehicle, the industrial vehicle's driver sitting in the cabin 1 (the driver's seat is indicated by S in Figure 1) can see in a single display unit (monitor 12) the portion of space in front of the vehicle taken from three different positions (TV cameras 11-fl, ll-f2, ll-f3 with spaced axes) and the portion of space behind the vehicle taken from two different positions (TV cameras 11-pl and 11-p with spaced axes) . Therefore, the driver has a complete view of the space around the vehicle; this information facilitates and improves driving the vehicle, especially during manoeuvres.

In the example shown, the axes hi, h2, h3 of the TV cameras 11-fl, ll-f2, ll-f3 are parallel to each other and evenly distributed along a horizontal plane and the axes h4, h5 of the TV cameras 11-pl, ll-p2 are parallel to each other and evenly distributed along a horizontal plane.

Alternatively, the use of digital TV cameras allows varying the mutual spacing of the axes and the angle of inclination of the axes with respect to the horizontal based on the layout of the vehicle, of the trailer, the cabin configuration, etc.

The second front TV camera ll-f2 and the first rear TV camera 11-pl are carried by the support 20 of a front outer rear-view mirror, which extends towards the outside of the cabin 1 from a first side wall (wall 2) .

The third front TV camera ll-f3 and the second rear TV camera ll-p2 are carried by a support 21 of a second outer rear-view mirror, which extends towards the outside of the cabin from a second side wall (wall 3) .

According to a further feature of the invention, it is provided a second monitor 24 and a third monitor 25, which extend in the cabin, one towards the other, from first and second sides (walls 2 and 3) of the cabin 1 near the lower edge 8-a of the windscreen 8. The TV cameras 11 further comprise a third rear TV camera llp-3 carried by the rear wall 6 of the cabin 1 so as to film a sixth space portion 27 arranged behind the rear wall 6 and a fourth rear TV camera llp-4 carried by the wall 6 so as to film a seventh portion 28 of the space arranged behind the rear wall 6. In the shown example, the axes h6, h7 of the TV cameras 11- p3, ll-p4 are parallel to each other and evenly distributed along a horizontal plane.

Alternatively, the use of digital TV cameras allows varying the mutual spacing of the axes and the angle of inclination of the axes with respect to the horizontal based on the layout of the vehicle, of the trailer, the cabin configuration, etc. In particular, the angle between the axle and the vehicle can be modified to include longer or shorter trailers.

In this way, while driving the vehicle, the industrial vehicle's driver sitting in the cabin 1 can see in a pair of monitors arranged on opposite sides in the cabin the portion of space behind the vehicle taken from two different positions (TV cameras ll-p3 and ll-p4 with spaced axes) . Therefore, the driver has a complete view of the space behind the vehicle; this information facilitates and improves driving the vehicle, especially during manoeuvres.