Riding type vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017280621-A1
Application number	US-201715473024-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A riding type vehicle has a driving source, a left wheel and a right wheel, a transmission configured to receive power from the driving source to independently operate and drive the left wheel and the right wheel with regard to a rotation direction and a rotation speed, and caster wheels separately provided in a front-rear direction with respect to the left wheel and the right wheel, the riding type vehicle including two first sensors arranged on both left and right sides more to a front side than a rear end of the vehicle, the two first sensors configured to detect an obstacle target located on a rear side, the obstacle target being a target becoming an obstacle at the time of reversing or turning.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A riding type vehicle having
a driving source, a left wheel and a right wheel, a transmission configured to receive power from the driving source to independently operate and drive the left wheel and the right wheel with regard to a rotation direction and a rotation speed, and caster wheels separately provided in a front-rear direction with respect to the left wheel and the right wheel, the riding type vehicle comprising: two first sensors arranged on both left and right sides more to a front side than a rear end of the vehicle, the two first sensors configured to detect an obstacle target located on a rear side, the obstacle target being a target becoming an obstacle at the time of reversing or turning.

2 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle has a lawnmower, and both left-right direction end parts of a mower deck covering an upper side of a blade of the lawnmower respectively project to an outer side from left and right ends of a longitudinal direction middle part of a vehicle body, and the two first sensors are arranged separated on left and right end parts protruding from the vehicle body, on an upper side of the mower deck.

3 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the left wheel and the right wheel are respectively arranged more to a rear side than a portion where the mower deck protrudes to an outer side and more on an outer side than left-right direction outer ends, and are covered on at least a part of an upper side by wheel covers, in the vehicle body, and the riding type vehicle further comprises two second sensors arranged on upper side portions on the left and right wheel covers, the two second sensors configured to detect the obstacle target located on a rear side.

4 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control device for causing a turn to the rear to stop, or causing a turn stop to be maintained, at the time when the obstacle target has been detected by the first sensors.

5 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle has a lawnmower, and further comprises a control device for causing driving of the lawnmower to stop, or causing a drive stop to be maintained, at the time when the obstacle target has been detected by the first sensors.

6 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a warning section for warning of an approach to the obstacle target; and a control device for causing the warning section to operate at the time when the obstacle target has been detected by the first sensors.

7 . A riding type vehicle having
a driving source, a left wheel and a right wheel, a transmission configured to receive power from the driving source to independently operate and drive the left wheel and the right wheel with regard to a rotation direction and a rotation speed, and caster wheels separately provided in a front-rear direction with respect to the left wheel and the right wheel, wherein the riding type vehicle is capable of a rapid turn where only one of the left wheel and the right wheel rotates around a turn center position, or the left wheel and the right wheel rotate in opposite directions, the riding type vehicle comprising: a sensor, arranged on the vehicle, capable of detecting an obstacle target on a rear side, the obstacle target being a target becoming an obstacle at the time of reversing or turning; and a control device for causing a rapid turn to the rear to stop, or causing a stop of a rapid turn to be maintained, at the time when the obstacle target has been detected by the sensor.

8 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a warning section for warning of an approach to the obstacle target, wherein the control device causes the warning section to operate, along with causing a rapid turn to the rear to stop, or causing a stop of a rapid turn to be maintained, at the time when the obstacle target has been detected by the sensor.

9 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a clutch arranged between an output section of the driving source and an input section of the transmission; and a switching mechanism including a switching actuator for engaging/disengaging power transmission through the clutch, wherein the control device causes a rapid turn to the rear to stop, or causes a stop of a rapid turn to be maintained, by cutting power transmission through the clutch by controlling driving of the switching actuator.

10 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the driving source is an engine, and the riding type vehicle further comprises a throttle actuator for adjusting an opening of a throttle valve of the engine, and the control device causes a rapid turn to the rear to stop, or causes a stop of a rapid turn to be maintained, by closing the throttle valve by controlling driving of the throttle actuator.

11 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the transmission includes a left hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a left hydraulic pump, and a right hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a right hydraulic pump, a left main oil path connecting the left hydraulic motor and the left hydraulic pump, and a left bypass valve connected between the left main oil path and an oil reservoir, a left bypass actuator for switching a closing and opening of the left bypass valve, a right main oil path connecting the right hydraulic motor and the right hydraulic pump, and a right bypass valve connected between the right main oil path and an oil reservoir, and a right bypass actuator for switching a closing and opening of the right bypass valve, and the control device causes a rapid turn to the rear to stop, or causes a stop of a rapid turn to be maintained, by setting the left bypass valve and the right bypass valve to an opened state at a same time by controlling driving of the left bypass actuator and the right bypass actuator.

12 . The riding type vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein
the transmission includes a left hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a variable-capacity swash-plate type left hydraulic pump, and a right hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a variable-capacity swash-plate type right hydraulic pump, a left adjustment shaft for adjusting a hydraulic discharge amount of the left hydraulic pump, a right adjustment shaft for adjusting a hydraulic discharge amount of the right hydraulic pump, a left swing angle detection section for detecting a swing angle position of a left operation lever, a right swing angle detection section for detecting a swing angle position of a right operation lever, a left actuator, for driving a left swash plate operation lever, connected to the left adjustment shaft, and a right actuator, for driving a right swash plate operation lever, connected to the right adjustment shaft, and the control device causes the discharge amount of the left hydraulic pump to change by controlling driving of the left actuator in accordance with a detection signal of the left swing angle detection section, causes the discharge amount of the right hydraulic pump to change by controlling driving of the right actuator in accordance with a detection signal of the right swing angle detection section, and causes a rapid turn to the rear to stop, or causes a stop of a rapid turn to be maintained, by setting the discharge amounts of the left hydraulic pump and the right hydraulic pump to substantially zero by controlling driving of the left actuator and the right ac

Assignees

• Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawai Ryoichi
• Kawada Hirohiko
• Kosegawa Seishi
• Yamane Koga
• Miyake Etsuo
• Watanabe Masaki
• Sakata Koji
• Shiba Kenji
• Onoda Kosuke
• Maehara Hiroki

Classifications

• A01D34/828

  Safety devices · CPC title

• A01D34/64 Primary

  mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle (A01D34/695 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D11/04

  by means of separate power sources · CPC title

• B62D11/001

  control systems (B62D11/183 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A01D75/185

  Avoiding collisions with obstacles · CPC title