Tractor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11933022-B2
Application number	US-202217680293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2022
Priority date	Mar 3, 2021
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

A tractor includes a working motor, a work machine including a roller configured to rotate by an output from the working motor, a support mechanism configured to support the work machine such that a working posture and a retracting posture are achievable, and a control device. The control device executes: an adherence amount acquisition process of acquiring an estimated adherence amount as an estimated value for the amount of mud attached to the roller; and a mud removal process of, when the estimated adherence amount is equal to or more than a determination adherence amount, removing the mud from the roller by driving the working motor in a state where the work machine takes the retracting posture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tractor comprising:
a vehicle body;
an electric motor;
a work machine including a rotating body configured to rotate by an output from the electric motor;
a support mechanism via which the vehicle body is connected to the work machine, the support mechanism being configured to support the work machine such that a working posture and a retracting posture are achievable, the working posture being a posture in which the rotating body makes contact with the ground, the retracting posture being a posture in which the rotating body is lifted up to a position distanced from a ground; and
a control device, wherein the control device executes the following processes:
a work process of causing the work machine to work by driving the electric motor in a state where the work machine takes the working posture;
an adherence amount acquisition process of acquiring an estimated adherence amount as an estimated value for an amount of mud attached to the rotating body; and
a mud removal process of, when the estimated adherence amount is equal to or more than a determination adherence amount, removing the mud from the rotating body by driving the electric motor in a state where the work machine takes the retracting posture.

2. The tractor according to claim 1 , wherein, in the adherence amount acquisition process, the control device drives the electric motor in a state where the work machine takes the retracting posture, the control device derives an inertia estimated value as an estimated value for inertia of the rotating body based on a torque of the electric motor and a change velocity of a rotation number of the electric motor to be obtained when the electric motor is driven in the state where the work machine takes the retracting posture, and the control device acquires, as the estimated adherence amount, a value to be larger as the inertia estimated value is larger.

3. The tractor according to claim 2 , wherein, in the mud removal process, the control device alternately repeats a normal rotation control and a reverse rotation control, the normal rotation control being a control in which the electric motor is rotated in a forward direction, the reverse rotation control being a control in which the electric motor is rotated in a reverse direction.

4. The tractor according to claim 1 , wherein, when the control device executes the mud removal process, the control device executes a notification process of notifying that the mud removal process is to be executed.

5. The tractor according to claim 1 , comprising a second electric motor as a drive source for the support mechanism, when the electric motor is taken as a first electric motor, wherein:
after the work process is ended, the control device operates the support mechanism by driving the second electric motor and executes a retracting process of changing the work machine from the working posture to the retracting posture; and
after the work machine has changed to the retracting posture by the execution of the retracting process, the control device executes the adherence amount acquisition process.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sugo Yuki
• Numakura Masaki
• Hirai Makoto
• Higuchi Taiga
• Sato Tomohiro
• Azuma Hiroyuki

Classifications

• E02F9/207 Primary

  of the type electric propulsion units, e.g. electric motors or generators · CPC title

• A01B29/00

  Rollers · CPC title

• E02F3/3659

  electrically-operated · CPC title

• E02F9/2095

  Control of electric, electro-mechanical or mechanical equipment not otherwise provided for, e.g. ventilators, electro-driven fans (control of hydraulic driven equipment E02F9/22) · CPC title

• H02K7/14

  Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans (with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06) · CPC title