Electric crawler-type vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides an electric crawler-type vehicle which can facilitate maintenance of a plurality of electric motors (an electric motor for driving and an electric motor for turning) and assembly work of the plurality of electric motors to the vehicle. An electric tracked vehicle is provided with a pair of left and right traveling tracks, a traveling electric motor for generating traveling power transmitted to the pair of left and right traveling tracks, and a turning electric motor for generating turning power transmitted to the pair of left and right traveling tracks. The traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor are disposed on one side of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an electric crawler vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been proposed a technique for independently moving left and right travel tracks using left and right electric motors (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-271317 Summary of the invention

[0006] According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, the left and right electric motors are arranged on both sides (right and left) of the vehicle. According to this configuration, when performing maintenance and assembly work on each electric motor to the vehicle, it is necessary to disassemble or remove the running tracks on both sides and perform the work from both sides. Therefore, it is not easy to perform maintenance and assembly work on each electric motor to the vehicle.

[0007] In addition, in a configuration where electric motors are arranged in the left-right direction, as the width of the drive unit, at least the axial dimensions of each of the two electric motors need to be considered. That is, the width of the drive unit includes the width of the amount obtained by adding the axial dimensions of each of the two electric motors. Therefore, according to the tracked vehicle having the above-mentioned drive unit, the setting of the center-to-center dimension (wheelbase) of the left and right running tracks will be limited. As a result, the operations that can be handled may be reduced. For example, although a narrow wheelbase is required in agricultural operations, in a configuration where electric motors are arranged in the left-right direction, sometimes the wheelbase becomes wider and cannot handle the specified agricultural operations.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric crawler vehicle that facilitates maintenance of a plurality of electric motors and assembly work to the vehicle and that can increase the degree of freedom in setting the wheelbase.

[0009] An electric crawler vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a pair of left and right traveling crawlers, a traveling electric motor for generating traveling power transmitted to the pair of left and right traveling crawlers, and a turning electric motor for generating turning power transmitted to the pair of left and right traveling crawlers, wherein the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor are arranged on one side of the vehicle.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the above configuration, it is possible to facilitate maintenance of the plurality of electric motors (electric motors for traveling and electric motors for turning) and assembly work to the vehicle, and to increase the degree of freedom in setting the wheelbase. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a left side view showing a schematic structure of an electric crawler vehicle as an example of the electric crawler vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a right side view showing the schematic structure of the above-mentioned electric crawler vehicle.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a perspective view of a first speed reducer included in the electric crawler vehicle.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a perspective view of the interior of the first speed reducer.

[0016] Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of a differential mechanism included in the electric crawler vehicle.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of the control system of the above-mentioned electric crawler vehicle.

[0018] Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the electric motor for traveling, the electric motor for turning, and the electric motor for PTO of the electric crawler vehicle.

[0019] Figure 8 It is a bottom view of the main parts of the above-mentioned electric crawler vehicle.

[0020] Description of Reference Numerals

[0021] 1…Electric crawler vehicle (electric crawler vehicle); 2…Travel crawler track; 11…Control seat; 21…First speed reducer; 22…Second speed reducer; 24…Working machine; M1…Electric motor for travel; M2…Electric motor for turning; M3…Electric motor for PTO. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0023] [1. Composition of electric crawler vehicles]

[0024] Figure 1 It is a left side view showing a schematic configuration of an electric crawler vehicle 1 as an example of an electric crawler vehicle according to the present embodiment. Figure 2It is a right side view showing the schematic structure of the electric crawler vehicle 1. In addition, the electric crawler vehicle 1 may be simply referred to as a vehicle below.

[0025] Here, for the convenience of the following description, the directions are defined as follows. The direction facing the front of the operator (operator, driver) seated on the operating seat 11 of the electric crawler vehicle 1 is set as the front, and the opposite direction is set as the rear. In addition, when observed from the operator seated on the operating seat 11, the left side is set as "left" and the right side is set as "right". In addition, the gravity direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction is set as the up-down direction, and the upstream side of the gravity direction is set as "up" and the downstream side is set as "down". In the accompanying drawings, as needed, the front is represented by the symbol "F", the rear is represented by the symbol "B", the right is represented by the symbol "R", the left is represented by the symbol "L", the top is represented by the symbol "U", and the bottom is represented by the symbol "D".

[0026] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, the electric crawler vehicle 1 is a crawler-type tractor having travel tracks 2 on the left and right. Each travel track 2 has a crawler frame 3 extending in the front-rear direction. A front idler 4a is supported at the front end of the crawler frame 3 in a rotatable manner, and a rear idler 4b is supported at the rear end of the crawler frame 3 in a rotatable manner. In the crawler frame 3, a plurality of running wheels 5 are supported between the front idler 4a and the rear idler 4b in a rotatable manner. A drive sprocket 6 is arranged as a drive wheel at the upper front of the rear idler 4b. A crawler roller 7 is wound around the drive sprocket 6, the front idler 4a, the rear idler 4b, and the plurality of running wheels 5 to form the travel track 2. In this way, the electric crawler vehicle 1 has a pair of left and right travel tracks 2 each having a drive wheel (drive sprocket 6).

[0027] The electric crawler vehicle 1 has a main frame 10. The above-mentioned crawler frame 3 is located below the main frame 10 and is connected to the main frame 10. A control seat 11 is arranged above the main frame 10 with the aid of a seat bracket 11a. A safety frame 12 is vertically provided behind the control seat 11. A first battery unit 13a is arranged in the space between the main frame 10 and the control seat 11. In addition, a second battery unit 13b is arranged above the main frame 10 and behind the safety frame 12. A system controller 56 (see FIG. 5 ) described later is arranged above the second battery unit 13b. Figure 6 ) and other electronic components (not shown). In addition, hereinafter, the first battery unit 13a and the second battery unit 13b may be collectively referred to as the battery unit 13.

[0028] A floor (not shown) is provided at a lower position in front of the operating seat 11. The floor is supported by the main frame 10. A control unit 14 is provided at a front side of the floor. The control unit 14 includes a steering wheel 15 for turning the vehicle, a shift lever for switching the forward and reverse directions of the vehicle, a PTO (Power Take Off) switch lever, a brake pedal, and the like.

[0029] A first speed reducer 21 is disposed between the pair of left and right travel tracks 2 . Figure 3 It is a perspective view of the first speed reducer 21 . Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional view of the interior of the first reducer 21. The first reducer 21 is connected to: an electric motor for travel M1 and an electric motor for turning M2. The electric motor for travel M1 is located at a position closer to the front than the electric motor for turning M2. A plurality of gears, chains or conveyor belts are provided between the drive shaft of the electric motor for travel M1 and the drive shafts of the left and right travel tracks 2. Through these plurality of gears, chains or conveyor belts, the travel power generated by the electric motor for travel M1 is transmitted to the drive shafts of the left and right travel tracks 2. In addition, a plurality of gears are provided between the drive shaft of the electric motor for turning M2 and the drive shafts of the left and right travel tracks 2, and through these plurality of gears, the turning power generated by the electric motor for turning M2 is transmitted to the drive shafts of the left and right travel tracks 2. The above-mentioned drive sprocket 6 is provided at the left and right ends of the drive shafts of the left and right travel tracks 2. The driving sprocket 6 is rotated by the driving power or turning power transmitted to the driving shaft, thereby rotating the left and right driving tracks 2, and the electric crawler vehicle 1 travels or turns. Figure 5 ), but the details of the differential mechanism 30 are described later.

[0030] From the above description, it can be said that the electric crawler vehicle 1 of this embodiment includes the traveling electric motor M1 for generating traveling power transmitted to the pair of left and right traveling crawlers 2 and the turning electric motor M2 for generating turning power transmitted to the pair of left and right traveling crawlers 2 .

[0031] exist Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 The rear part of the main frame 10 shown supports a PTO electric motor M3. The PTO electric motor M3 can generate PTO power for driving the working machine 24. The working machine 24 is connected to the rear part of the main frame 10 by means of a 2-point or 3-point linkage type lifting device 23. Although the working machine 24 is composed of, for example, a tilling machine (such as a rotary tiller, an agricultural pear), it can also be other working machines such as a fertilizer device.

[0032] The PTO electric motor M3 is connected to the second speed reducer 22 having a plurality of gears inside. That is, the second speed reducer 22 is a PTO speed reducer in which the PTO electric motor M3 is assembled. The second speed reducer 22 and the working machine 24 are connected via the PTO power transmission unit 25 (see Figure 2 The power of the PTO electric motor M3 is transmitted to the working machine 24 via the second speed reducer 22 and the PTO power transmission unit 25, so that the working machine 24 can be driven.

[0033] [2. Regarding the differential mechanism]

[0034] Figure 5 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the differential mechanism 30 provided in the electric crawler vehicle 1. The differential mechanism 30 is disposed in a turning power transmission section P (power transmission path) between the turning electric motor M2 and each driving wheel (driving sprocket 6) of the pair of left and right traveling crawlers 2.

[0035] The differential mechanism 30 includes a pair of left and right planetary speed change mechanisms 31. The planetary speed change mechanisms 31 are arranged in a left-right symmetrical shape. Each planetary speed change mechanism 31 includes a planetary gear carrier 32. The left and right planetary gear carriers 32 are configured as follows: Figure 4 ), the sun shaft 33 extending in the left-right direction is coaxial with the central axis (rotation axis) of the planetary gear carrier 32 and is configured to rotate freely. The central axis of the left planetary gear carrier 32 is connected to the drive shaft 6a of the drive wheel (drive sprocket 6) of the left travel track 2. The central axis of the right planetary gear carrier 32 is connected to the drive shaft 6b of the drive wheel (drive sprocket 6) of the right travel track 2.

[0036] The left and right planetary speed change mechanisms 31 each have a plurality of (for example, three) planetary gears 34. In the left planetary speed change mechanism 31, the plurality of planetary gears 34 are rotatably supported by the left planetary gear carrier 32. In the right planetary speed change mechanism 31, the plurality of planetary gears 34 are rotatably supported by the right planetary gear carrier 32. In each planetary speed change mechanism 31, the plurality of planetary gears 34 are arranged to be located on the same radius with the sun shaft 33 as the center, and to mesh with the sun gears 35 fixedly mounted on the left and right ends of the sun shaft 33.

[0037] In the left and right planetary speed change mechanisms 31, ring gears 36 are respectively arranged concentrically with the above-mentioned sun shaft 33. Each ring gear 36 has internal teeth on the inner peripheral surface and external teeth on the outer peripheral surface. The ring gear 36 of the planetary speed change mechanism 31 on the left is arranged so that the internal teeth mesh with the plurality of planetary gears 34 on the left. The ring gear 36 of the planetary speed change mechanism 31 on the right is arranged so that the internal teeth mesh with the plurality of planetary gears 34 on the right. Each ring gear 36 is rotatably supported by the sun shaft 33 or the drive shaft 6a, 6b by means of a bearing.

[0038] When the turning electric motor M2 is rotated, the rotational power (turning power) of the turning electric motor M2 is transmitted to the left drive shaft 6a and the right drive shaft 6b via the turning power transmission unit P. In more detail, the turning power of the turning electric motor M2 is transmitted to the transmission gears 37a and 37b installed at the left and right ends of the motor output shaft 37.

[0039] Here, the left transmission gear 37a is configured to directly mesh with the external teeth of the left ring gear 36. On the other hand, the right transmission gear 37b is configured to mesh with the reverse gear 39 mounted on the reverse shaft 38. The reverse gear 39 is configured to mesh with the external teeth of the right ring gear 36.

[0040] For example, when the rotation of the electric motor M1 for traveling is stopped, the sun shaft 33 and the sun gears 35 on the left and right sides are fixed. Therefore, when the electric motor M2 for turning (motor output shaft 37) is rotated forward, the ring gear 36 on the left rotates in the reverse direction at a specified speed, and the ring gear 36 on the right rotates forward at the same speed as the ring gear 36 on the left. As a result, the planetary gear 34 and the planetary gear carrier 32 on the left rotate in the reverse direction with the sun shaft 33 as the center, while the planetary gear 34 and the planetary gear carrier 32 on the right rotate forward with the sun shaft 33 as the center. Therefore, the drive shaft 6a coaxial with the planetary gear carrier 32 on the left rotates in the reverse direction, and the drive shaft 6b coaxial with the planetary gear carrier 32 on the right rotates forward. According to this, the travel track 2 on the left side moves backward, and the travel track 2 on the right side moves forward. In this case, the electric crawler vehicle 1 turns left on the spot.

[0041] On the other hand, when the electric motor M1 for travel is rotated, the rotational power (travel power) of the electric motor M1 for travel is transmitted to the sun shaft 33 via the travel power transmission unit Q. In addition, the travel power transmission unit Q is configured to include multiple gears, conveyor belts, etc. Here, for example, if the electric motor M2 for turning is stopped, the rotation of the ring gears 36 on the left and right sides will stop and become a fixed state. Therefore, the travel power transmitted to the sun shaft 33 is evenly transmitted to the drive shaft 6a on the left and the drive shaft 6b on the right via the left and right planetary speed change mechanisms 31 (sun gear 35, planetary gear 34, planetary gear carrier 32). Accordingly, the left and right drive sprockets 6 rotate at the same speed and in the same rotation direction, and the electric crawler vehicle 1 will travel. That is, the electric crawler vehicle 1 moves forward or backward corresponding to the rotation direction of the electric motor M1 for travel.

[0042] Based on the above principle, by appropriately combining and controlling the rotation speed and rotation direction of the electric motor M1 for traveling and the electric motor M2 for turning, the electric crawler vehicle 1 can be made to turn while traveling. Figure 1 , Figure 2 ) and the shift lever for switching forward and reverse travel can adjust the speed and rotation direction of the electric motor M1 for driving. Figure 1 , Figure 2 )'s rotation direction and rotation angle can be adjusted to adjust the speed and rotation direction of the turning electric motor M2.

[0043] [3. Regarding the structure of the control system of the electric crawler vehicle]

[0044] Next, the configuration of a control system of the electric crawler vehicle 1 will be described. Figure 6 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of the control system of the electric crawler vehicle 1. Figure 6 In the figure, the solid line represents the power supply path, and the dotted line represents the signal path. In addition to the above-mentioned electric motor M1 for traveling, electric motor M2 for turning, and electric motor M3 for PTO, the electric crawler vehicle 1 also has: a charger 51, an inverter 52, a relay box 53, a high-voltage branch box 54, a DC-DC converter 55, a system controller 56, a high-voltage battery 57, and a lead-acid battery (12V battery) 58. The system controller 56 is composed of an electronic control unit called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), which performs electrical control of various parts of the electric crawler vehicle 1. The high-voltage battery 57 is equivalent to Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 The battery unit 13 is shown.

[0045] The electric motor M1 for traveling, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the electric motor M3 for PTO (hereinafter also referred to as the electric motor M1 for traveling, etc.) are driven by electric power supplied from the high-voltage battery 57 via the relay box 53 , the high-voltage branch box 54 , and the inverter 52 .

[0046] The charger 51 (also referred to as a power supply) converts the AC voltage supplied from the commercial power supply (not shown) via the power supply cable into a DC voltage. The inverter 52 converts the DC voltage supplied from the high-voltage battery 57 into an AC voltage, and supplies it to the electric motor M1 for driving, etc. Accordingly, the electric motor M1 for driving, etc. rotates. Based on the rotation command (command value) output from the system controller 56, the AC voltage (current) is supplied from the inverter 52 to the electric motor M1 for driving, etc.

[0047] The relay box 53 is configured to have a battery relay and a fuse, and is a battery control unit that controls the battery relay and controls the input and output of the high-voltage battery 57. The high-voltage branch box 54 is configured to include a charger relay, a frequency conversion relay, a fuse, etc. The voltage output from the above-mentioned charger 51 is supplied to the high-voltage battery 57 via the high-voltage branch box 54 and the relay box 53. Accordingly, the high-voltage battery 57 can be charged. The voltage output from the high-voltage battery 57 is supplied to the inverter 52 via the relay box 53 and the high-voltage branch box 54.

[0048] The DC-DC converter 55 reduces the high voltage (e.g., 300 V) DC voltage supplied from the high voltage battery 57 via the high voltage branch box 54 to a low voltage (e.g., 12 V). The voltage output from the DC-DC converter 55 is supplied to the system controller 56 and the like in the same manner as the voltage output from the lead battery 58.

[0049] [4. Regarding the arrangement of each electric motor]

[0050] Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing the positional relationship among the electric motor M1 for traveling, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the electric motor M3 for PTO of the electric crawler vehicle 1 . Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the main parts of the electric crawler vehicle 1 (including the electric motors). Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are arranged on one side of the vehicle. Specifically, the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are located at: a side of the center line C0 in the width direction (left-right direction) of the vehicle and biased to one side ( Figure 8The electric motor M1 for traveling and the electric motor M2 for turning are positioned side by side in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the vehicle (the front-rear direction of the electric crawler vehicle 1). In the present embodiment, the electric motor M1 for traveling and the electric motor M2 for turning are positioned side by side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0051] According to the arrangement of the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2, when performing maintenance (maintenance) of the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2, only the one side ( Figure 8 The traveling track 2 at the right side (center) can be disassembled. For example, only the traveling track 2 on the right side can be disassembled by removing the track roller 7 and the drive sprocket 6, etc., which are its components, from the vehicle. Accordingly, even for either the traveling electric motor M1 or the turning electric motor M2, access operation can be easily performed from the same side (from one side). In addition, when manufacturing the electric crawler vehicle 1, when assembling the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2 to the vehicle, the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2 can be assembled together from the same side of the vehicle.

[0052] Thus, when performing maintenance or assembly work on the electric motor for driving M1 and the electric motor for turning M2, maintenance or assembly can be performed by simply performing access operation from either the left or right side. Therefore, compared with the conventional configuration in which the driving motors are independently arranged on the left and right sides, that is, the configuration in which the motors are arranged in the left and right directions and access operation is required from both the left and right sides, maintenance of the plurality of electric motors and assembly work to the vehicle can be facilitated.

[0053] In addition, when the electric motor M1 for running, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the first reduction gear 21 are used as one driving unit DP (structure), as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, the width dimension of the driving unit DP is: the axial dimension of the electric motor M1 for traveling + the thickness of the first reducer 21, or the axial dimension of the electric motor M2 for turning + the thickness of the first reducer 21. That is, the electric motor that forms the width dimension of the driving unit DP is: either the electric motor M1 for traveling or the electric motor M2 for turning. In other words, the width dimension of the driving unit DP only includes the dimension of one of the two electric motors. Accordingly, the driving unit DP is compact in the width direction. As a result, the degree of freedom in setting the center-to-center dimension (wheelbase) of the left and right traveling tracks 2 is improved, thereby increasing the number of operations that can be handled.

[0054] In addition, the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are arranged in a manner that is biased toward one side relative to the center line C0 of the vehicle, and the first speed reducer 21 is arranged in a manner that is biased toward the other side relative to the center line C0 of the vehicle, and the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning, and the first speed reducer 21 are assembled on the center line C0 of the vehicle (or near the center line C0). In this way, the center of gravity of the electric motor M1 for driving, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the first speed reducer 21 can be placed close to the center of the width direction of the vehicle. Accordingly, the weight balance in the width direction of the vehicle can also be well maintained.

[0055] In this embodiment, if Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 7 ,as well as Figure 8 As shown, the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are assembled to the same first reduction gear 21. According to this configuration, when the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are assembled to the vehicle, the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning can be assembled to the vehicle in a state where the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are assembled to the first reduction gear 21. That is, the electric motor M1 for driving, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the first reduction gear 21 can be assembled to the vehicle as a set from one side at the same time.

[0056] Therefore, from the perspective of improving the operability (operation efficiency) during assembly of the electric motor M1 for traveling, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the first reducer 21, it is preferred that the electric crawler vehicle 1 of this embodiment has: a single first reducer 21 for assembling the electric motor M1 for traveling and the electric motor M2 for turning.

[0057] In addition, if Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 7 ,as well as Figure 8 As shown, the electric motor M1 for travel and the electric motor M2 for turning are assembled so as to be arranged on the right side relative to the first speed reducer 21. In this case, when the electric motor M1 for travel and the electric motor M2 for turning are repaired and maintained, a part of the right travel crawler 2 (the right crawler roller 7, the drive sprocket 6, etc.) can be removed from the vehicle, and the electric motor M1 for travel and the electric motor M2 for turning can be accessed and operated without being hindered by the first speed reducer 21, so as to perform the repair and maintenance work.

[0058] In this way, in order to prevent the first reduction gear 21 from hindering the access operation to the running electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2 from the side, the running electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2 are preferably arranged on the side with respect to the first reduction gear 21 .

[0059] Since the electric motor M1 for driving and the electric motor M2 for turning are heavy objects, it is preferable to arrange them at a lower position in the vehicle from the viewpoint of lowering the center of gravity of the vehicle to improve driving stability. Figure 1 As shown, the electric crawler vehicle 1 has a control seat 11 for the operator to sit on. The first reducer 21 is arranged at a position lower than the control seat 11. In this case, the heavy objects assembled in the first reducer 21, that is, the electric motor for driving M1 and the electric motor for turning M2, can be arranged together with the first reducer 21 at a position lower than the control seat 11, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the vehicle. Therefore, it is also beneficial to improve the driving stability of the vehicle.

[0060] like Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, the electric motor M3 for PTO is assembled to the second reducer 22 which is a reducer for PTO. The second reducer 22 is arranged at the upper rear portion of the first reducer 21. From the viewpoint of operability, it is preferred that when the electric motor M3 for PTO is assembled to the vehicle, it can be assembled to the vehicle from one side (for example, the right side) of the vehicle in a state where the electric motor M3 for PTO is assembled to the second reducer 22, similarly to when the electric motor M1 for traveling and the electric motor M2 for turning are assembled to the vehicle. That is, it is preferred that the electric motor M3 for PTO and the second reducer 22 can be assembled to the vehicle from one side as a set.

[0061] In this way, from the perspective of improving the operability (operation efficiency) during assembly of the PTO electric motor M3 and the second reducer 22, it is preferred that the electric crawler vehicle 1 of this embodiment has the PTO electric motor M3, and has the second reducer 22 (PTO reducer) in which the PTO electric motor M3 is assembled.

[0062] In addition, if Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, the PTO electric motor M3 is assembled to be arranged at a right position relative to the second speed reducer 22. In this case, when performing maintenance on the PTO electric motor M3, by removing a part of the right traveling crawler 2 (the right crawler roller 7, the drive sprocket 6, etc.) from the vehicle, the PTO electric motor M3 can be accessed without being hindered by the second speed reducer 22, and maintenance work can be performed.

[0063] In this way, in view of preventing the access operation to the PTO electric motor M3 from being blocked by the second speed reducer 22 from the side, the PTO electric motor M3 is preferably arranged on the side with respect to the second speed reducer 22 .

[0064] In particular, the electric crawler vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the electric motor M1 for traveling and the electric motor M2 for turning are arranged on one side relative to the first reducer 21, and the electric motor M3 for PTO is arranged on the same side relative to the second reducer 22 (located behind the first reducer 21). According to this configuration, by removing a part of the traveling crawler 2 arranged on one side from the vehicle, it is possible to access and operate all the electric motors M1 for traveling, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the electric motor M3 for PTO from the same side without being hindered by the first reducer 21 and the second reducer 22, and perform maintenance work. Therefore, even from the perspective of performing contact operations on all the electric motors without being hindered by the first reducer 21 and the second reducer 22, it is preferred that the PTO electric motor M3 is arranged on one side relative to the second reducer 22, that is, on the same side as the side on which the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2 are arranged relative to the first reducer 21.

[0065] In addition, from the perspective of making the weight balance of the vehicle good, it is preferable to compactly and centrally arrange the three electric motors as heavy objects, namely, the electric motor for traveling M1, the electric motor for turning M2, and the electric motor for PTO M3. Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, the PTO electric motor M3 is arranged near (eg, near the rear of) the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2. This allows a compact layout of heavy objects and improves the weight balance of the vehicle.

[0066] In order to efficiently transmit the power generated by the PTO electric motor M3 to the working machine 24 via a shorter power transmission path (e.g., with a smaller number of gears), it is preferable to arrange the PTO electric motor M3 at a position close to the working machine 24 assembled to the rear of the vehicle. Figure 7As shown, if the PTO electric motor M3 is arranged at a position closer to the rear than the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2, the PTO electric motor M3 can be arranged at a position closer to the front of the working machine 24. Moreover, the power of the PTO electric motor M3 can be efficiently transmitted to the working machine 24 via the second speed reducer 22 and the PTO power transmission unit 25. Therefore, from this point of view, it is preferred that the PTO electric motor M3 is arranged at a position closer to the rear than the traveling electric motor M1 and the turning electric motor M2.

[0067] As described above, an example in which the electric motor for traveling M1 and the electric motor for turning M2 are located at a position biased to the right relative to the center in the width direction of the vehicle is described, but they may also be located at a position biased to the left relative to the center in the width direction. In this case, by replacing the "one side" described in this embodiment with the left side to arrange the various components, the electric crawler vehicle 1 having the effect of this embodiment can be realized.

[0068] As described above, an example of the position in which the electric motor M1 for travel and the electric motor M2 for turning are positioned in a row in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle between the left and right travel tracks 2 is described, but they can also be positioned in a row in the up-down direction. In this case, although the overall center of gravity position of the combined weights (the electric motor M1 for travel, the electric motor M2 for turning, and the electric motor M3 for PTO) may become higher, the following advantages can be obtained: the above-mentioned weights are compactly concentrated to achieve miniaturization of the vehicle, and redundant structures caused by travel and turning are omitted (the number of gears is reduced) to simplify the structure of the first reducer 21, etc. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it can be said that it is sufficient as long as the electric motor M1 for travel and the electric motor M2 for turning are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the vehicle.

[0069] [5. Supplement]

[0070] In this embodiment, the electric crawler vehicle 1 is described as a type in which the track roller 7 is wound around one driving wheel (driving sprocket) and two driven wheels (idler wheels) in a triangular shape, but it can also be a type in which one driving wheel and one driven wheel are arranged in the front-to-back direction and the track roller 7 is wound around them.

[0071] In the present embodiment, the case where the electric crawler vehicle 1 is a crawler-type tractor is described, but the configuration of the present embodiment can also be applied to other crawler vehicles such as a snowplow.

[0072] [6. Notes]

[0073] The electric crawler vehicle 1 described in the present embodiment may also be an electric crawler type vehicle as shown in the following supplementary notes.

[0074] The electric crawler vehicle of note (1) comprises: a pair of left and right running crawlers, a running electric motor for generating running power transmitted to the pair of left and right running crawlers, and a turning electric motor for generating turning power transmitted to the pair of left and right running crawlers, wherein the running electric motor and the turning electric motor are arranged on one side of the vehicle.

[0075] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplementary Note (2) is the electric crawler vehicle of Supplementary Note (1), and further comprises: a single reduction gear in which the electric motor for traveling and the electric motor for turning are assembled.

[0076] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplementary Note (3) is the electric crawler vehicle of Supplementary Note (2), wherein the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor are arranged on the one side relative to the speed reducer.

[0077] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplement (4) is the electric crawler vehicle of Supplement (2) or (3), and further comprises: a control seat for an operator to sit on, and the speed reducer is arranged at a position lower than the control seat.

[0078] The electric crawler vehicle of Note (5) is based on the electric crawler vehicle described in any one of Notes (2) to (4), and further comprises: a PTO electric motor for generating PTO power for driving a working machine, and further comprises: a PTO reducer assembled with the PTO electric motor, and when the reducer is set as the first reducer, the PTO reducer is set as the second reducer.

[0079] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplementary Note (6) is the electric crawler vehicle of Supplementary Note (5), wherein the PTO electric motor is arranged on the one side relative to the second reduction gear.

[0080] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplement (7) is the electric crawler vehicle of Supplement (5) or (6), wherein the PTO electric motor is arranged near the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor.

[0081] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplement (8) is the electric crawler vehicle of any one of Supplements (5) to (7), wherein the PTO electric motor is arranged at a position further rearward than the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor.

[0082] The electric crawler vehicle of Supplement (9) is the electric crawler vehicle of any one of Supplements (1) to (8), wherein the electric motor for traveling and the electric motor for turning are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the vehicle.

[0083] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can be implemented with expansion or modification within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention.

[0084] [Possible industrial applications]

[0085] The present invention can be utilized in, for example, a crawler vehicle used as a working machine such as an agricultural machine or a construction machine.

Claims

1. An electric tracked vehicle, characterized in that: The electric crawler vehicle comprises: a pair of left and right running crawlers, a running electric motor for generating running power transmitted to the pair of left and right running crawlers, and a turning electric motor for generating turning power transmitted to the pair of left and right running crawlers. The electric motor for traveling and the electric motor for turning are arranged on one side of the vehicle.

2. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric crawler-type vehicle further includes a single speed reducer in which the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor are assembled.

3. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electric motor for traveling and the electric motor for turning are arranged on the one side with respect to the reduction gear.

4. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electric crawler vehicle also has a control seat for the operator to sit on. The speed reducer is arranged below the operating seat.

5. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electric crawler vehicle further includes: a PTO electric motor for generating PTO power for driving the working machine; The electric crawler-type vehicle further includes a PTO reduction gear in which the PTO electric motor is assembled, and when the reduction gear is used as a first reduction gear, the PTO reduction gear is used as a second reduction gear.

6. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The PTO electric motor is arranged on the one side with respect to the second speed reducer.

7. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The PTO electric motor is disposed near the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor.

8. The electric crawler vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The PTO electric motor is disposed at a rearward position relative to the traveling electric motor and the turning electric motor.

9. The electric crawler vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The electric motor for traveling and the electric motor for turning are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to a width direction of the vehicle.

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