WORKING MACHINE

Abstract

Work machine (10) with: a knife (300); a knife housing (400); and a protective rod section (200) provided below the knife (300), wherein the protective rod section (200) is supported by the knife housing (400), the protective rod portion (200) has an inclined portion (211a, 211c) extending in an oblique direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine (10), the protective rod section (200) has a plurality of protective rods (211, 212, 213, 214) and a plurality of support rods (221, 222, 223, 224), the protective bars (211, 212, 213, 214) run parallel to each other, each of the protective rods (211, 212, 213, 214) has a left inclined portion (211c) and a right inclined portion (211a) extending obliquely rearward to the left and right, respectively, with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine (10), the left inclined section (211c) and the right inclined section (211a) are continuous in an arc shape in the middle of the working machine (10), the support rods (221, 222, 223, 224) are arcuately parallel to each other, and one end of each of the support rods (221, 222, 223, 224) is connected to the left inclined portion (211c) of one guard rod (211) of the plurality of guard rods (211, 212, 213, 214), and the other end is connected to the right inclined portion (211a) of the one guard rod (211).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a work machine.

[0002] JP 2016 - 208 950 A discloses a guard mechanism 20 that protects a rotating blade 30 from foreign objects such as pebbles and protects an operator and nearby persons from the rotating rotating blade 30. The guard mechanism 20 has one or more guard sections 21 covering the rotating blades 30, and the guard sections 21 are arranged in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the machine body.

[0003] However, in the technique described in JP 2016 - 208 950 A, since the guard portion is the same in the longitudinal direction of the machine body, plants in the extension line of the guard portion are caught by the guard portion, and there is a problem that uncut parts may occur.

[0004] GB 2 283 651 A discloses a mower having a guard mechanism. The guard mechanism has four bars, each pair forming a V pointing in the direction of travel.

[0005] US 3,098,337 A discloses a mower having a guard mechanism. The guard mechanism has a spiral and / or ring-shaped guard member and curved suspension wires therefor.

[0006] DE 10 2006 038 553 A1 discloses a mower having a protective mechanism. The protective mechanism has several vertical bars arranged linearly or in an arrowhead or plow shape in the direction of travel.

[0007] The present invention has been made in response to the recognition of the above problems and provides a technique for effectively cutting plants while maintaining work safety.

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a work machine comprising: a blade; a blade housing; and a guard bar portion provided below the blade, wherein the guard bar portion is supported by the blade housing, and the guard bar portion has an inclined portion extending in an oblique direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the machine body of the work machine. Further, the guard bar portion includes a plurality of guard bars and a plurality of support bars, the guard bars extend parallel to each other, each of the guard bars has a left inclined portion and a right inclined portion extending obliquely rearward to the left and right, respectively.extend to the right with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine, the left inclined portion and the right inclined portion are arc-shaped continuous in the center of the working machine, the support rods are arc-shaped parallel to each other, and one end of each of the support rods is connected to the left inclined portion of one guard rod of the plurality of guard rods and the other end is connected to the right inclined portion of the one guard rod.

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the present invention, form a part of the specification and, together with the specification, are used to describe the present invention. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of a lawn mower according to an embodiment; Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guard bar according to the embodiment; Fig. 3 is an explanatory view of a knife, a cuttable portion, and a knife case according to the embodiment; Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a lawn mower according to a modification example; Fig. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a lawn mower according to the modification example; and Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the lawn mower according to the embodiment.

[0010] Embodiments will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, and a limitation does not constitute an invention requiring all combinations of features described in the embodiments. Two or more of the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be combined as needed. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar configurations, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0011] In the following description, terms such as front / rear, top / bottom, and side (left / right) are sometimes used to indicate relative directions, which are referenced to the vehicle body of a lawn mower. For example, the term "front" indicates the front of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction, and the term "upper" indicates a height direction of the vehicle body.

[0012] Fig. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a lawn mower according to the present embodiment. The lawn mower according to the present embodiment is, for example, a self-propelled lawn mower that performs lawn mowing while traveling independently. Fig. 1 shows a view of a lawn mower 10 when viewed from below. An upper side of the drawing shows a feed direction of the lawn mower 10, ie, a front side of the lawn mower 10, and a lower side of the drawing shows a rear side of the lawn mower 10. In addition, the right side of the drawing is the left side of the lawn mower 10, and the left side of the drawing is the right side of the lawn mower 10. The Fig. The lawn mower 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises a lower section 100, wheels 110 to 140, a guard bar section 200, a blade 300 and a blade housing 400. Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an internal configuration of the lawn mower according to the present embodiment, viewed from a horizontal direction. A power source 600 including a battery and an electric motor, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 601 for controlling the power source 600 are arranged in the lawn mower 10. Controlled by the ECU 601, the blade 300 rotates about a rotary shaft 310 by the drive of the power source 600, thereby enabling grass cutting. The lawn mower 10 also includes a power source for driving the drive wheels (for example, rear wheels), a camera for capturing images of an external environment, and the like, but these are not shown.The lawn mower 10 can cut plants while traveling autonomously through the ECU 601, which analyzes a video from a camera (not shown) and controls the drive source 600 and the drive source for traveling based on the analysis result.

[0013] Wheel 110 is a left front wheel, wheel 120 is a left rear wheel, wheel 130 is a right front wheel, and wheel 140 is a right rear wheel. In the illustrated example, the vehicle is on wheels, but other configurations, such as a tracked vehicle, can also be used.

[0014] The guard bar portion 200 is a structure for protecting the blade 300 from foreign objects such as stones and for protecting an operator and nearby persons from the rotating blade. The guard bar portion 200 may be arranged on a plane parallel to the ground. The guard bar portion 200 has a plurality of guard bars 210 and a support bar portion 220. The plurality of guard bars 210 includes guard bars 211 to 214. The support bar portion 220 has support bars 221 to 224. In the illustrated example, four guard bars and four support bars are included, but the number is not limited. Each of the guard bars and support bars is, for example, a columnar bar made of metal. Each of the guard bars and support bars may be, for example, a columnar bar with a diameter of approximately 8 mm, although the diameter may be any value depending on the size of the lawn mower 10.The distance between the guard rods can be approximately 5 cm. A distance indicated by an arrow 150 (for example, the distance is equal to the distance between the guard rods, which is, for example, 5 cm) is ensured between the front guard rod 211 and the blade housing 400. Consequently, sufficient space is ensured for plants falling from the blade housing 400 to recover, and the cutting efficiency can be improved.

[0015] Both end portions of each of the plurality of guard bars 210 are connected to the knife housing 400. The shape of a guard bar 211 included in the plurality of guard bars 210 is described with reference to Fig. 2. The other guard bars have the same shape. The guard bar 211 has an inclined portion extending in an oblique direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the lawn mower 10. The oblique direction is approximately 45 degrees in the illustrated example, but may, for example, be any direction within a range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body. The inclined portions of each guard bar may be parallel to each other. The inclined portions include a left inclined portion 211c and a right inclined portion 211a, which extend in an oblique direction to the left and right, respectively, with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the lawn mower 10. The left inclined portion 211c and the right inclined portion 211a are continuous in an arc shape at the center of the lawn mower 10.That is, the guard bar 211 includes the right inclined portion 211a, an arcuate portion 211b, and the left inclined portion 211c. The arcuate portions of the respective guard bars 211 to 214 are arranged concentrically.

[0016] When multiple guard rods are arranged parallel in the feed direction, the plants are always pushed down by the guard rods, making it difficult to cut the plants with the blade 300 on the extension line of the guard rods, and uncut parts may occur. On the other hand, when multiple guard rods are arranged perpendicular to the feed direction, the plants, after being pushed down by the guard rods, will straighten up again when the guard rods pass. However, the plants are pushed down again by the next guard rod before they straighten up, similarly resulting in uncut parts.

[0017] In this case, since the protection bar 211 has the inclined portion, a state in which the plants are always pressed downward, as in a case where a plurality of protection bars are arranged parallel to the feed direction, can be avoided. In addition, since a larger distance A than a distance B between the protection bars in Fig. 2, a minimum clearance can be easily ensured for the plants to straighten up after the guard bar 211 has passed, and it is possible to reduce uncut parts. Thus, by providing the inclined portion on the guard bar, cutting performance can be improved while maintaining the safety of the operator and those nearby.

[0018] Both end sections of the respective support rods 221 to 224 of the support rod section 220 are in the example from Fig. 1 is connected to the protective rod 214. Each of the support rods 221 to 224 of the support rod section 220 is arcuate. The support rods 221 to 224 are arranged at equal intervals.

[0019] The blade 300 represents a cutting edge for cutting plants (e.g., weeds, grass, and the like) and can cut the plants by rotating around the rotary shaft 310. The blade and the cuttable area will now be described with reference to Fig. 3. The blade 300 has cutting portions near both end portions, and the rotation of the cutting portions enables cutting of plants at the position of the cuttable portion 350. In other words, the cuttable portion 350 is an annular portion having a predetermined width and formed by the rotation of the cutting portion of the blade 300 around the rotating shaft 310 of the blade 300. The inclined portions of each guard bar are provided below at least a part of the cuttable portion 350 of the blade 300. Specifically, the guard bar is arranged such that the cuttable portion 350 (specifically, the position of the left and right parts in the annular portion) is positioned above the left inclined portion and the right inclined portion of the guard bar.The right and left parts of the ring-shaped area are better suited for cutting plants than the front and rear parts. For example, as shown in . Fig. 3, the front part is cut in the annular area with a width indicated by arrow 360, while the right part is cut in the annular area (a part on the right side as viewed from the lawn mower 10) with a width indicated by arrow 370, and the plants can be cut particularly efficiently at the right and left parts. Thus, by disposing the inclined portion of the guard bar at a position corresponding to the left and right parts, it is possible to increase the cutting efficiency while ensuring work safety.

[0020] The blade housing 400 is a housing provided for covering at least a portion of the blade 300 from above. The blade housing 400 includes a front portion 401, a right side portion 402, a left side portion 403, and a rear portion 404. The right side portion 402 and the left side portion 403 extend below the front portion 401 and the rear portion 404. The front portion 401 and the rear portion 404 are located slightly above the right side portion 402 and the left side portion 403, allowing the plants to be guided under the lawn mower 10 in the feed direction. The plurality of guard rods 211 to 214 of the guard rod portion 200 are connected to the right side portion 402 and the left side portion 403 of the blade housing 400.

[0021] As described above, the lawn mower 10 according to the present embodiment includes the guard bar portion having the inclined portion extending obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the lawn mower 10. Thus, since the distance between the guard bars in the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the lawn mower can be increased, the plants can be easily erected and the plants can be efficiently cut.

[0022] Furthermore, if the guard bars are arranged in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lawn mower body 10, the plants are always pushed downward, and uncut parts are likely to occur. However, by providing the inclined section, the occurrence of such uncut parts can be reduced. Thus, it is possible to cut plants efficiently while maintaining work safety. [Example variation]

[0023] The structure of the guard bar portion 200 is not limited to the above embodiment. Any structure may be used as long as the structure includes the inclined portion extending obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the lawn mower 10. As shown in Fig. 4, for example, the protective bar section 200 can be Fig. 1 can be rotated 180 degrees.

[0024] Alternatively, as with the protective bar section 200 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, the left inclined portion and the right inclined portion of the guard bar may be formed to be continuous in a straight line at the center of the lawn mower 10 instead of an arc. That is, the left inclined portion 211c and the right inclined portion 211a of the guard bar 211 may be formed to be continuous in a state where they are bent at a substantially right angle at the center of the lawn mower 10.

[0025] In the above embodiment, the example in which each of the guard bars is connected to the right side part 402 and the left side part 403 of the blade housing 400 was described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As shown in Fig.5, for example, a right support section 501 and a left support section 502 may be attached to the right and left sides of the blade housing 400, respectively, and each of the guard bars may be connected to the right support section 501 and the left support section 502. The right support section 501 and the left support section 502 may be elements with a thickness of, for example, approximately several centimeters. In this case, the height of the blade housing 400 may be the same across the entire arc.

[0026] This allows for a stronger connection at the connecting part to which the protective bar portion is connected. Specifically, by providing the support portion with a larger area in the horizontal direction than the blade housing 400, the connection area in the direction parallel to the ground can be increased, thereby enabling a stronger connection. Furthermore, since the support portion can be fixed to the blade housing, it is not necessary to change the shape of the blade housing at the front, rear, left, and right sides, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the blade housing.

[0027] Furthermore, although the lawn mower in the above-described embodiment has been described as an example, the structure of the above-described embodiment can be widely applied regardless of whether the lawn mower is a ride-on mower or a self-propelled mower. The structure of the above embodiment can also be applied to work machines (such as grass mowers) other than lawn mowers.

[0028] The invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and various modifications / changes are possible within the scope of the inventive concept, provided they are covered by the subject matter of the claims. <Zusammenfassung von Ausführungsformen>

[0029] A working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment comprises the following: a knife (e.g. 300); a knife housing (e.g. 400); and a guard rod portion (e.g. 200) provided below the blade, the guard rod portion being supported by the blade housing, and the guard rod portion having an inclined portion (e.g. 211a, 211c) extending in an oblique direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine.

[0030] Accordingly, it is possible to cut plants efficiently while maintaining occupational safety.

[0031] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment, the inclined portion is provided below at least a part of the cuttable surface (e.g. 350) of the knife.

[0032] In this way, by arranging the protective bar below the cutting surface of the blade, it is possible to prevent an operator and persons nearby from coming into contact with the knife, thus ensuring work safety.

[0033] In the working machine (e.g., 10) according to the preceding embodiment, the protective rod portion has a plurality of protective rods (e.g., 211 to 214), and the inclined portions of the respective protective rods are parallel to each other.

[0034] This makes the distance between the protective bars uniform and makes it possible to reduce uneven plant cutting.

[0035] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the previous embodiment the inclined portion has a left inclined portion (e.g. 211c) and a right inclined portion (e.g. 211a) extending obliquely to the left and right, respectively, with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine, and the left inclined section and the right inclined section are continuous in an arc in the middle of the working machine (e.g. 211b).

[0036] This makes it possible to cut plants efficiently while increasing the strength of the protective bar.

[0037] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment the left inclined section and the right inclined section extend obliquely rearward to the left and right, respectively, from a position on a center line passing through the center of the working machine and extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine body.

[0038] As a result, when an obstacle in the advancing direction of the work machine, such as a plant, a pebble, or a branch, collides with the guard bar, a force acts that deforms the guard bar. However, it is possible to improve the durability of the guard bar against the force applied in such a case. For example, even in a case where an obstacle collides with the curved section 211b, deformation of the guard bar 211 can be prevented.

[0039] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment, the protective rod section has a plurality of protective rods (e.g. 211 to 214), and the arcuate parts (e.g. 211b) of each of the protective bars are arranged concentrically.

[0040] This ensures that the distance between the protective poles is uniform, which can reduce uneven plant cutting.

[0041] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment the protective rod section has a support rod section (e.g. 220) which supports the inclined section.

[0042] As a result, the rigidity of the guard bar portion can be improved, and deformation of the guard bar portion can be prevented even in a case where an external force is applied.

[0043] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment, the support rod portion is arc-shaped.

[0044] This makes it possible to efficiently cut plants at the rear that remain uncut at the front of the working machine in the longitudinal direction of the machine body.

[0045] In the work machine (e.g., 10) according to the above embodiment, the support rod portion has a plurality of support rods (e.g., 221 to 224), and the plurality of support rods are arranged at equal intervals.

[0046] This makes the distance between the support poles uniform and makes it possible to reduce uneven plant cutting.

[0047] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment, the protective rod portion is arranged parallel to the ground.

[0048] Accordingly, unevenness in plant height after cutting is reduced.

[0049] In the working machine (e.g., 10) according to the above embodiment, the oblique direction is any direction in a range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body.

[0050] Accordingly, plants can be cut more efficiently.

[0051] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment the cuttable area is an annular area having a predetermined width and formed by rotation of a cutting portion of the knife around a rotary shaft (e.g. 310) of the knife.

[0052] Accordingly, the cutting performance in the cuttable area, which is the annular area, can be increased.

[0053] In the working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment the protective rod section has several protective rods (e.g. 211 to 214) and several support rods (e.g. 221 to 224), the protective bars run parallel to each other, each of the protective bars has a left inclined section (e.g. 211c) and a right inclined section (e.g. 211a) extending obliquely backwards to the left and right, respectively, with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine, the left inclined section and the right inclined section are continuous in an arc in the middle of the working machine (e.g. 211b), the support rods are arched parallel to each other, and one end of each of the support rods is connected to the left inclined portion of one guard rod (e.g. 214) of the plurality of guard rods and the other end is connected to the right inclined portion of the one guard rod.

[0054] This makes the distance between the guard rods and the distance between the support rods uniform, thus reducing uneven crop cutting. Furthermore, the provision of the arcuate support rod allows plants that remain uncut at the front in the forward direction of the working machine to be cut at the rear. Furthermore, the provision of the support rod improves the rigidity of the guard rod section, preventing deformation of the guard rod section even when external force is applied.

[0055] Furthermore, by providing the arc portion (arc-shaped part) and the left and right inclined portions extending in the left-right and front-back directions therefrom, when an obstacle in the advancing direction of the working machine, such as a plant, a pebble, or a branch, collides with the guard bar, a force acts that deforms the guard bar. However, it is possible to improve the durability of the guard bar against the force applied in such a case.

[0056] The working machine (e.g. 10) according to the above embodiment further comprises the following: a support section connected to the knife housing (e.g. 501, 502), and the protective rod section is connected to the support section and supported by the knife housing via the support section.

[0057] This allows for a stronger connection at the connecting part to which the guard bar section is connected. Furthermore, since the support section can be attached to the blade housing, it is not necessary to change the shape of the blade housing on the front, rear, left, and right sides, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the blade housing.

[0058] According to the present invention, it is possible to cut plants efficiently while maintaining work safety.

Claims

[1] Working machine (10) with: a knife (300); a knife housing (400); and a protective rod section (200) provided below the knife (300), wherein the protective rod section (200) is supported by the knife housing (400), the protective rod portion (200) has an inclined portion (211a, 211c) extending in an oblique direction with respect to a longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine (10), the protective rod section (200) has a plurality of protective rods (211, 212, 213, 214) and a plurality of support rods (221, 222, 223, 224), the protective bars (211, 212, 213, 214) run parallel to each other, each of the protective rods (211, 212, 213, 214) has a left inclined portion (211c) and a right inclined portion (211a) extending obliquely rearward to the left and right, respectively, with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body of the working machine (10), the left inclined section (211c) and the right inclined section (211a) are continuous in an arc shape in the middle of the working machine (10), the support rods (221, 222, 223, 224) are arcuately parallel to each other, and one end of each of the support rods (221, 222, 223, 224) is connected to the left inclined portion (211c) of one guard rod (211) of the plurality of guard rods (211, 212, 213, 214), and the other end is connected to the right inclined portion (211a) of the one guard rod (211). [2] The working machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion (211a, 211c) is provided below at least a part of a cuttable area (350) of the blade (300). [3] The work machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein the left inclined portion (211c) and the right inclined portion (211a) extend obliquely rearward to the left and right, respectively, from a position on a center line passing through the center of the work machine (10) and extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine body. [4] A working machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the arcuate portions (211b) of each of the guard bars (211, 212, 213, 214) are arranged concentrically. [5] Working machine (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of support rods (221, 222, 223, 224) are arranged at equal intervals. [6] Work machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein the protective rod portion (200) is arranged parallel to the ground. [7] The working machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the oblique direction is any direction in a range of 15 degrees to 75 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine body. [8] The work machine (10) according to claim 2, wherein the cuttable region (350) is an annular region having a predetermined width and formed by rotating a cutting portion of the blade (300) around a rotating shaft (310) of the blade (300). [9] A working machine (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a support portion (501, 502) connected to the blade housing (400), wherein the protective rod portion (200) is supported by the blade housing (400) via the support portion (501, 502).

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