Working vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11399454-B2
Application number	US-202016932981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2020
Priority date	Jan 23, 2018
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

A working vehicle includes a vehicle body to travel, a steering handle to be turned to steer the vehicle body, and a steering switch to steer the vehicle body separately from the steering handle. The steering switch may be a switch to be operated in a pressing manner or in a sliding manner to steer the vehicle body. In addition, the steering switch may be arranged around the steering handle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A working vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body to travel, the vehicle body including front wheels and rear wheels;
a steering handle to be turned to steer the vehicle body;
a steering shaft rotatably supporting the steering handle;
a steering mechanism including a steering motor to rotate the steering shaft;
a steering switch to steer the front wheels of the vehicle body separately from the steering handle and to operate the steering motor of the steering mechanism; and
a controller to control the steering mechanism based on an order from the steering switch; wherein
the steering switch issues, when the vehicle body is traveling based on a scheduled traveling line, the order to correct a position of the vehicle body to one side or the other side in a width direction of the vehicle body; and
the controller controls the steering mechanism based on the order from the steering switch to shift the vehicle body along the width direction of the vehicle body with respect to the scheduled traveling line.

2. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the steering switch is operable in a pressing manner or in a sliding manner to steer the vehicle body.

3. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the steering switch is arranged around the steering handle.

4. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the steering switch includes:
a first steering portion to steer the vehicle body in one direction; and
a second steering portion to steer the vehicle body in the other direction.

5. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a position detector to detect a position of the vehicle body based on a signal from a navigation satellite, the position detector being provided on the vehicle body; wherein
the steering mechanism is an auto steering mechanism to automatically steer the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector;
the steering switch issues the order to correct the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector when being pressed or being slid; and
the controller controls the auto steering mechanism to automatically steer the vehicle body based on the scheduled traveling line and a corrected vehicle position that is another position of the vehicle body corrected through operation of the steering switch in a pressing manner or in a sliding manner.

6. A working vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body to travel;
a steering handle to be turned to steer the vehicle body;
a position detector to detect a vehicle body position which is a position of the vehicle body based on a signal from a navigation satellite, the position detector being provided on the vehicle body;
an auto steering mechanism to automatically steer the vehicle body based on the vehicle body position detected by the position detector and a scheduled traveling line;
a corrector switch to issue an order to correct the vehicle body position detected by the position detector along a width direction of the vehicle body; and
a controller to set, based on the order from the corrector switch, a correction amount which is an amount of correction of the vehicle body position to the one side or the other side in the width direction of the vehicle body and to correct the vehicle body position by the correction amount to determine a corrected vehicle body position, the controller being connected to the corrector switch; wherein
the auto steering mechanism performs, based on the corrected vehicle body position determined by the controller and the scheduled traveling line, automatic steering such that the vehicle body is shifted along the width direction of the vehicle body with respect to the scheduled traveling line.

7. The working vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the corrector switch includes:
a first corrector portion to issue an order to correct the vehicle body position to the one side of the vehicle body in the width direction of the vehicle body; and
a second corrector portion to issue an order to correct the vehicle body position to the other side of the vehicle body in the width direction of the vehicle body.

8. The working vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the controller sets the correction amount of the vehicle body position based on a number of operations of the corrector switch.

9. The working vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising a steering changeover switch to perform switching between the auto steering and manual steering by the steering handle.

10. A working vehicle comprising:
a driver seat; and
an operation console provided in front of the driver seat or beside the driver seat;
an operator;
a vehicle body;
a steering handle to steer the vehicle body;
a position detector to detect a position of the vehicle body based on a signal from a navigation satellite, the position detector being provided on the vehicle body; and
a controller to output a command signal based on the signal from the navigation satellite; wherein
the operator includes:
a first state to allow operation in a state of being attached to the operation console; and
a second state to allow operation in a state of being detached from the operation console;

the operator is a corrector switch to issue an order to correct the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector;
the controller outputs the command signal when receiving sensitivity to the signal from the navigation satellite decreases or dilution of precision (DOP) of the navigation satellite increases; and
the operator includes a notifier portion which, upon acquisition of the command signal from the controller, provides a notification indicating that operation of the corrector switch is recommended.

11. The working vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein
the operator is configured to steer the vehicle body separately from the steering handle.

12. The working vehicle according to claim 10 , further comprising a steering device to steer the vehicle body based on a scheduled traveling line and a corrected vehicle position that is a position of the vehicle body corrected through operation of the corrector switch.

13. A working vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
a steering handle to steer the vehicle body;
a position detector to detect a position of the vehicle body based on a signal of from a navigation satellite, the position detector being provided on the vehicle body;
an auto steering mechanism to automatically steer the vehicle body based on the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector separately from manual steering using the steering handle;
a corrector switch to set a correction amount which is an amount of correction of the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector;
a controller to control the auto steering mechanism in automatically steering and to change the correction amount in a predetermined operation of the corrector switch; and
a steering changeover switch to issue an order to start or finish automatic steering; wherein
the steering mechanism includes:
a steering motor to rotate a steering post supporting the steering handle; and
a shut-off switch connected to a power line of the controller that controls revolving of the steering motor to perform the automatic steering and configured to switch between a cutoff position to cut off the power line and an energization position to energize the power line; and

the shut-off switch switches to the energization position when the steering changeover switch issues the order to start the automatic steering and switches to the cutoff position when the steering changeov

Assignees

• Kubota Kk

Inventors

• Miyashita Shunsuke
• Iwami Kenichi
• Suga Hiroki
• Kubota Yuki
• TAMBO Toru
• Nishino Kunihiko
• Morioka Yasuaki
• Kobayashi Kumiko
• Kawai Misako
• Togo Manabu
• Kuroshita Yoshihiko

Classifications

• G05D2109/10

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• G05D2107/21

  Farming, e.g. fields, pastures or barns · CPC title

• G05D2105/15

  for harvesting, sowing or mowing in agriculture or forestry · CPC title

• G05D1/248

  generated by satellites, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G05D1/22

  Command input arrangements · CPC title