Work equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a work machine, etc., in which a functional add-on device equipped with a functional add-on circuit is positioned directly above a fuel tank having a fuel inlet at the top, and which allows fuel to be injected into the fuel tank with the functional add-on device attached. [Solution] According to one aspect of the present invention, a work machine is provided, comprising a main body, a fuel tank, a function addition device, and a moving mechanism, wherein the main body is configured to move based on rotational power from a drive unit, the fuel tank is located above the main body and has a fuel inlet at its top, the function addition device has a housing and is located directly above the fuel tank and houses a function addition circuit for adding functions to the work machine in the housing, and the moving mechanism is located above the main body and supports the function addition device, and is configured to move the function addition device to a position that covers the inlet or a position that exposes the inlet.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a concept model in which an autonomous driving function is added to a radio-controlled lawn mower.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the working machine disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, since the function addition device equipped with sensors is arranged at a high position away from the main body, there is a case where low-growing grass may not be detected, and there is also a demerit that the height of the entire vehicle body increases. When the function addition parts are arranged close to the vehicle body to solve these problems, there is a problem that access to the fuel tank mounted on the main body becomes impossible.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, in the present invention, in a working machine in which a function addition device having a function addition circuit is arranged directly above a fuel tank provided with a fuel inlet at the upper part, a working machine or the like that enables fuel injection into the fuel tank in a state where the function addition device is attached is provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a work machine is provided, comprising a main body, a fuel tank, a function addition device, and a moving mechanism, wherein the main body is configured to move based on rotational power from a drive unit, the fuel tank is located above the main body and has a fuel inlet at its top, the function addition device has a housing and is located directly above the fuel tank and houses a function addition circuit for adding functions to the work machine in the housing, and the moving mechanism is located above the main body and supports the function addition device, and is configured to move the function addition device to a position that covers the inlet or a position that exposes the inlet.

[0007] In this embodiment, in a work machine in which a function addition device equipped with a function addition circuit is positioned directly above a fuel tank having a fuel inlet at the top, fuel can be injected into the fuel tank with the function addition device attached. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of lawnmower 1. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of the main unit 10 and the remote control 20. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of lawnmower 1. [Figure 4] This is a front view of lawnmower 1. [Figure 5] This is a side view of lawnmower 1. [Figure 6] This is a rear view of lawnmower 1. [Figure 7] This is a plan view of lawnmower 1. [Figure 8] This is a side view showing the arrangement of the various parts located on the upper side of the fuel tank 15. [Figure 9] This is a plan view showing the state in which the functional addition device 40 has been moved by the moving mechanism 30. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, the program for implementing the software appearing in one embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or it may be provided as a downloadable medium from an external server, or it may be provided so that the program is launched on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] Furthermore, in various information processing according to one embodiment, an input and an output corresponding to the input can be realized. Here, as long as an output is obtained as a result of the input, the form of the information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as "reference information") is not limited. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, or a predetermined function (including a decision formula such as a regression equation constructed by a statistical method), or a pre-trained model that has learned the correlation between input and output in advance, or a large-scale language model that can output a desired result by inputting a prompt.

[0012] Furthermore, in one embodiment, "part" may include, for example, hardware resources implemented by a circuit in a broad sense, and the information processing of software that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. Also, in one embodiment, various types of information are handled, and this information can be represented, for example, by the physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, the high or low values ​​of signal values ​​as a set of binary bits composed of 0s or 1s, or by quantum superposition (so-called qubits), and communication and calculations can be performed on a circuit in a broad sense.

[0013] Furthermore, a circuit in a broad sense is a circuit realized by combining at least a suitable combination of circuits, circuits, processors, and memory. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated circuit. In other words, it includes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (for example, simple programmable logic devices (SPLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)), etc.

[0014] 1. Overall configuration of lawnmower 1 Section 1 will describe the overall configuration of the lawnmower 1 according to this embodiment.

[0015] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the lawnmower 1. The lawnmower 1 is a work machine that performs grass cutting work by moving the main body 10. The lawnmower 1 comprises the main body 10, a fuel tank 15, a remote control 20, a function addition device 40, and a movement mechanism 30. Each part will be described below.

[0016] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of the main unit 10 and the remote control 20. Here, the lawnmower 1 is described as an unmanned machine. An unmanned machine is a work machine that is not operated by a person and is operated by a person remotely. By installing the function addition device 40 on such a lawnmower 1, functions can be added to the unmanned work machine.

[0017] The main body 10 includes an operation control circuit 11, a drive unit 12, a traveling unit 13, a working unit 14, a fuel tank 15, a communication unit 16, and a transmission unit 17. The remote controller 20 includes an operation unit 21, a communication unit 22, and a display panel 23. The main body 10 has a traveling function and a working function, and performs grass cutting work while traveling. The main body 10 is configured to travel based on the rotational power from the drive unit 12.

[0018] The operation control circuit 11 is a circuit that controls the operations of each part of the main body 10. A circuit is an electronic component in which electronic components are arranged on a printed circuit board. A circuit can include either an electronic circuit or an electrical circuit. The drive unit 12 is a part that generates driving force. In the main body 10, the drive unit 12 generates electric power by burning fuel in an engine that rotates, charges a battery with the generated electric power, and rotates a motor with the charged electric power to generate driving force. The traveling unit 13 is mechanically connected to the drive unit 12 via a gear or the like, and is a part that travels the main body 10 by being supplied with driving force from the drive unit 12. In the main body 10, the traveling unit 13 is an endless track called a so-called caterpillar (registered trademark) or the like.

[0019] The working unit 14 is mechanically connected to the drive unit 12 via a gear or the like, and is a part that performs grass cutting work by being supplied with driving force from the drive unit 12. In the main body 10, the working unit 14 is a cutter that rotates a cutting blade to perform grass cutting. The fuel tank 15 is arranged on the upper side of the main body 10, and is configured with a fuel inlet 51 provided at the upper part. The fuel tank 15 stores fuel and supplies the stored fuel to the drive unit 12. The communication unit 16 has a wireless communication function and performs wireless communication with the remote controller 20. The communication unit 16 receives an operation signal (details will be described later) transmitted from the remote controller 20 and supplies it to the transmission unit 17.

[0020] The transmission unit 17 is a path for transmitting electrical signals and transmits the supplied operation signals to the operation control circuit 11. The operation control circuit 11 controls the operation of each part (drive unit 12, travel unit 13, and work unit 14) based on the transmitted operation signals. At the same time, the operation control circuit 11 generates status information indicating the operating status of each part, converts the generated status information into a signal, and transmits it to the remote control 20 via the transmission unit 17 and the communication unit 16. The status information includes information such as travel speed, travel direction, and whether or not the work unit 14 is operating.

[0021] The remote control 20 is a controller that has wireless communication capabilities and controls the main unit 10 remotely. The operation unit 21 has an operation lever and receives operations of the grass trimmer 1 from the operator and generates an operation signal indicating the received operation. Operations of the grass trimmer 1 include forward, reverse, left turn, right turn, and on / off of the work unit 14. The communication unit 22 wirelessly transmits the operation signals generated by the operation unit 21 to the grass trimmer 1. The communication unit 22 also receives status information transmitted from the grass trimmer 1. The display panel 23 displays the received status information of the grass trimmer 1 (e.g., driving and cutter operation).

[0022] Let's return to Figure 1 for explanation. The function addition device 40 can be attached to various vehicles, not just the lawnmower 1, and mounting members are used that match the shape of the vehicle. Such mounting members are, for example, the moving mechanism 30. The moving mechanism 30 is attached to the main body 10 via the roll bar 19. The moving mechanism 30 is a mounting member that matches the shape of the function addition device 40.

[0023] The function-adding device 40 is a device that adds functions to the lawnmower 1. In the example shown in Figure 1, the function-adding device 40 is a device that adds the function of autonomous driving to the lawnmower 1. For example, this could be a sensor (GPS, GNSS, etc.) that detects the position of the lawnmower 1. The autonomous driving function is a function that allows the lawnmower 1 to move autonomously without operator intervention. With this configuration, an autonomous driving function can be added to the work machine.

[0024] The function addition device 40 comprises a function addition circuit 41 for adding functions to the lawnmower 1, a LiDAR 42, an imaging unit 43, a bypass unit 44, wiring 45, and a housing 46, with each part housed in the housing 46.

[0025] The function addition circuit 41 is a circuit that implements additional functions for the lawnmower 1. A circuit, like the operation control circuit 11, is an electronic component with electronic components arranged on a printed circuit board, and can include both electronic and electrical circuits. While the function addition circuit 41 can add various functions, the following explanation will describe the case where an autonomous driving function is added, allowing the lawnmower 1 to operate autonomously without operation of the remote control 20.

[0026] The LiDAR 42 (Light Detection And Ranging) is a sensor that measures the distance and shape of an object based on the information from the reflected light after irradiating it with laser light. The LiDAR 42 is a 2D LiDAR (2DLiDAR) with the optical axis axis on the same plane, and it irradiates laser light in 360 degrees, including front, back, left, and right. The imaging unit 43 is a digital camera that has a lens and an image sensor, and captures an image represented by the light that reaches the image sensor. The additional function circuit 41 controls the autonomous driving of the lawnmower 1 based on the measurement results from the LiDAR 42 and the image captured by the imaging unit 43.

[0027] The bypass section 44 is electrically connected to the transmission section 17 of the brush cutter 1 by wiring 45, and is a circuit that reroutes signals transmitted by the transmission section 17 so that they pass through the function addition circuit 41. Due to the bypass section 44, both the operation signals supplied to the operation control circuit 11 and the signalized status information generated by the operation control circuit 11 also pass through the function addition circuit 41.

[0028] The function addition circuit 41 can switch between a manual mode, in which the operation signal is returned directly to the transmission unit 17 and supplied to the operation control circuit 11, allowing the grass trimmer 1 to be operated manually, and an automatic mode, in which the control signals that control the operation of the grass trimmer 1 are supplied to the operation control circuit 11 via the transmission unit 17 instead of the operation signal, allowing the grass trimmer 1 to be controlled automatically. The function addition circuit 41 converts an image for mode switching into a signal and transmits it to the remote control 20 via the transmission unit 17 and the communication unit 16. The display panel 23 of the remote control 20 displays the image for mode switching, allowing the operator to switch between manual mode and automatic mode. Note that switching between manual mode and automatic mode is not limited to the operation of the remote control 20, but may also be performed by operating a physical switch (toggle switch, etc.) provided on the function addition device 40.

[0029] The housing 46 is a rectangular box-shaped component made of a waterproof material such as metal or plastic. The housing 46 houses the additional function circuit 41, LiDAR 42, imaging unit 43, and bypass unit 44. An insertion hole 61 is provided on the top surface of the housing 46. The LiDAR 42 is inserted into the insertion hole 61 and fixed in place so that a portion of it is exposed to the outside space, and the portion exposed to the outside space emits laser light.

[0030] The lawnmower 1 includes a vibration-damping rubber 47 (corresponding to the "first vibration-damping member" in the claim) and a vibration-damping rubber 48 (corresponding to the "second vibration-damping member" in the claim). The vibration-damping rubber 47 is positioned between the functional addition device 40 and the moving mechanism 30. That is, the vibration-damping rubber 47 is positioned to reinforce the slide rails 33 and 34, which will be described later. The vibration-damping rubber 47 dampens vibrations in any direction, including the left-right, front-back, and up-down directions. Therefore, according to this configuration, vibrations to the functional addition device can be reduced.

[0031] The vibration-damping rubber 48 is positioned between the housing 46 and the function-adding circuit 41. The function-adding circuit 41 is fixed to the bottom surface 46A of the housing 46 by the vibration-damping rubber 48. The vibration-damping rubber 48, like the vibration-damping rubber 47, dampens vibrations in any direction, including the left-right, front-back, and up-down directions. Therefore, according to this configuration, vibrations to the function-adding circuit of the function-adding device can be reduced.

[0032] Next, the external appearance of the lawnmower 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 7. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lawnmower 1. Figure 4 is a front view of the lawnmower 1. Figure 5 is a side view of the lawnmower 1. Figure 6 is a rear view of the lawnmower 1. Figure 7 is a top view of the lawnmower 1. In Figures 3 to 7, the body of the lawnmower 1 is not shown, and the inside of the lawnmower 1 is visible for the sake of clarity.

[0033] In Figures 3 to 7, a three-dimensional coordinate system is shown by arrows indicating the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. Hereafter, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions will be referred to as the front-back direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction, respectively. The lawnmower 1 travels with the direction indicated by the X-axis arrow as the forward direction. The lawnmower 1 has a frame 18 and a roll bar 19. The drive unit 12, travel unit 13, work unit 14, and fuel tank 15 are mounted on the outside of the frame 18. The work unit 14 is mounted below the frame 18 to cut grass that has grown underneath the lawnmower 1.

[0034] Furthermore, a roll bar 19 is fixed to the outside of the frame 18 with screws or bolts. The roll bar 19 is formed by joining pipes that are arranged to surround the drive unit 12 and the fuel tank 15, etc. A moving mechanism 30 is fixed to the roll bar 19. Of the moving mechanism 30, a metal plate 31 is fixed to the roll bar 19, and of the moving mechanism 30, slide rails 33 and 34 connect the metal plate 31 to the housing 46 of the functional add-on device 40.

[0035] A functional add-on device 40 is attached to the roll bar 19 via a moving mechanism 30. Wiring 45, shown in Figure 1, which is routed from the inside to the outside of the housing 46 of the functional add-on device 40, is attached to the roll bar 19. The space formed by the cover 91 houses the operation control circuit 11 and the transmission unit 17, shown in Figure 1. The wiring 45 is routed to the space formed by the cover 91 and is connected to the transmission unit 17 as shown in Figure 1.

[0036] The additional function device 40 is mounted so as to be located directly above the fuel tank 15's filler port 51. A LiDAR 42 is provided on the top surface of the housing 46. An imaging hole (not shown) for allowing light to enter the imaging unit 43 is provided on the front side surface 65 of the housing 46. Vibrations from the lawnmower 1 during operation are transmitted to the moving mechanism 30 by the roll bar 19.

[0037] Here, we will describe the height 102 of the functional add-on device 40 and the height 104 of the fuel tank 15's inlet 51 (i.e., the height 104 of the main body 10) relative to the height 100 of the lawnmower 1. The height 100 is, for example, 700 to 1000 mm. The height 102 is, for example, 100 to 300 mm. The height 104 is, for example, 500 to 700 mm. The functional add-on device 40 is preferably positioned within the top 25%, more preferably within the top 15%, of the height 100 of the lawnmower 1. Alternatively, the distance 106 between the height position of the bottom surface 46A of the functional add-on device 40 and the height 104 of the main body 10 is preferably within 10%, more preferably within 5%, of the height 100 of the lawnmower 1. By positioning the functional add-on device 40 close to the top of the main body 10 in this way, the height position of the functional add-on device 40 is lowered, so that even short grass can be detected with high accuracy. Furthermore, by lowering the height of the function add-on device 40, vibrations transmitted from the main unit 10 to the function add-on device 40 can be suppressed, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results of the LiDAR 42 and the detection results (captured images) of the imaging unit 43. As a result, the stability of the autonomous driving of the lawnmower 1 and the accuracy of collision avoidance processing can be improved.

[0038] Here, the function addition device 40 comprises a housing 46 attached to the brush cutter 1 and a function addition circuit 41 housed in the housing 46 for adding functions to the brush cutter 1. The brush cutter 1 is also equipped with vibration-damping rubber 47 placed between the housing 46 (i.e., the function addition device 40) and the moving mechanism 30 to dampen vibrations transmitted from the brush cutter 1 to the housing 46. Due to this vibration-damping rubber 47, vibrations transmitted to the moving mechanism 30 are greatly attenuated before being transmitted to the housing 46. Furthermore, the brush cutter 1 is equipped with vibration-damping rubber 48 placed between the bottom surface 46A of the housing 46 and the function addition circuit 41 to dampen vibrations transmitted from the housing 46 to the function addition circuit 41. Due to this vibration-damping rubber 48, vibrations transmitted to the housing 46 are greatly attenuated before being transmitted to the function addition circuit 41. Therefore, only attenuated vibrations are transmitted to the function addition circuit 41 inside the housing 46. In this embodiment, compared to the case where vibration-damping rubber 47 and / or vibration-damping rubber 48 are not provided, failures of circuits that are retrofitted to the vehicle, such as the function addition circuit 41, can be suppressed.

[0039] Furthermore, the function addition device 40 includes a sensor (not shown) provided on the housing 46. In the example in Figure 1, the function addition device 40 includes a LiDAR 42, an imaging unit 43, and an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) (not shown). The IMU includes a 3-axis angular velocity sensor and a 3-axis acceleration sensor and is configured to detect the three-dimensional inertial motion of the lawnmower 1. The function addition circuit 41 then uses the measurement results from these sensors to realize a function to be added to the lawnmower 1 (autonomous driving function in the example of Figure 1). In the function addition device 40, vibrations from the lawnmower 1 are attenuated by the vibration-damping rubber 47, so vibrations of the LiDAR 42 and imaging unit 43 are also suppressed compared to when the vibration-damping rubber 47 is not provided, and the decrease in measurement accuracy due to sensor vibration can be suppressed.

[0040] Next, the arrangement of the fuel tank 15, the moving mechanism 30, and the functional add-on device 40 will be explained with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a side view showing the arrangement of each part located above the fuel tank 15. Figure 9 is a top view showing the state in which the functional add-on device 40 has been moved by the moving mechanism 30.

[0041] The additional function device 40 has a housing 46 and is positioned directly above the fuel tank 15. That is, the additional function device 40 is positioned above the fuel tank 15 so as to be close to the fuel tank 15's filler port 51. This allows the center of gravity of the entire brush cutter 1 to be lowered, enabling stable operation when the brush cutter 1 is running. For example, when running the brush cutter 1 on an inclined surface, a brush cutter with a lower center of gravity is less likely to tip over. Also, the vehicle body becomes more compact, making it easier to work in places that are difficult for people to enter, such as narrow spaces or places with many obstacles. When the brush cutter 1 is running, the additional function device 40 is positioned to cover the filler port 51 of the fuel tank 15. Therefore, in a brush cutter 1 used outdoors, the additional function device 40 can protect the fuel tank 15 from direct sunlight.

[0042] The moving mechanism 30 is positioned above the main body 10 and is configured to support the additional function device 40. The moving mechanism 30 includes a metal plate 31 (corresponding to the "plate-shaped member" in the claim) with a hole 32 formed therein, and slide rails 33 and 34 (hereinafter also referred to as "slide rails 33, 34").

[0043] The metal plate 31 is positioned such that the hole 32 is located above the injection port 51. The slide rails 33 and 34 are attached to connect the metal plate 31 and the functional add-on device 40. More specifically, the slide rail 33 is attached to the metal plate 31, and the slide rail 34 is attached to the bottom surface 46A of the housing 46 of the functional add-on device 40. That is, the slide rail 33 is attached and fixed to the metal plate 31 as an outer member, and the slide rail 34 is attached to the bottom surface 46A of the housing 46 as an inner member. Thus, the functional add-on device 40 is configured to be movable by an intermediate member between the outer member and the inner member. In other words, the slide rails 33 and 34 are configured to slide the functional add-on device 40 relative to the metal plate 31.

[0044] In the case of a work machine to which an add-on function device is retrofitted, as disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, the sensor is positioned higher than the grass to be cut, so the add-on function device was placed at a high position away from the fuel tank. However, in the actual working environment, the height of the grass to be cut is lower than expected, and therefore, the sensor placed at a high position sometimes fails to detect the short grass. Therefore, in order to detect such grass, it was necessary to place the add-on function device equipped with a sensor at a lower position than originally intended. However, when the add-on function device was placed directly above the fuel tank, the fuel inlet of the fuel tank was blocked by the add-on function device.

[0045] According to the moving mechanism 30 of this embodiment, even when the housing 46, i.e., the additional function device 40, is positioned close to the main body 10, the additional function device 40 can be easily moved. Therefore, when refueling, the fuel inlet 51 of the fuel tank 15 is not blocked, and fuel can be easily injected into the fuel tank 15.

[0046] According to an embodiment of this product, in a work machine in which a function addition device equipped with a function addition circuit is positioned directly above a fuel tank having a fuel inlet at its top, fuel can be injected into the fuel tank with the function addition device attached.

[0047] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the technical spirit of the invention.

[0048] 2. Variations Section 2 describes modifications of this embodiment. The following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[0049] In this embodiment, the implement is described as a grass cutter 1, but it is not limited to this. The implement may be a grass cutter, a collection machine for collecting rubbish or golf balls that have fallen on the ground, or a spreading machine. With such an embodiment, the predetermined work can be performed using a grass cutter, collection machine, or spreading machine with improved operability.

[0050] In this embodiment, the work machine has been described as an unmanned aircraft, but it is not limited to this, and the work machine may be a manned aircraft. A manned aircraft is a work machine that is operated manually by a person.

[0051] The additional function device 40 may be configured to be detachably attached to the moving mechanism 30. In this configuration, by removing the additional function device, maintainability can be improved, such as by replacing or repairing the components stored in the additional function device.

[0052] In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 has been described as moving the functional add-on device 40 using slide rails 33 and 34, but it is not limited to this configuration. The moving mechanism 30 may be configured to move the functional add-on device 40 in the front-rear direction of the main body 10 using means other than slide rails. According to this configuration, fuel can be easily injected into the fuel tank.

[0053] Furthermore, the movement mechanism 30 is not limited to the front-to-back direction of the main body 10, and may be configured to allow the functional add-on device 40 to move horizontally. The movement mechanism 30 may be configured to allow the functional add-on device 40 to move in the left-to-right direction of the main body 10, or to allow the functional add-on device 40 to move in the diagonal front-to-back direction of the main body 10. Such embodiments are particularly suitable when the fuel tank is unevenly distributed in the left-to-right direction of the main vehicle. Such embodiments allow the functional add-on device to be moved easily.

[0054] Furthermore, the movement mechanism 30 is not limited to the horizontal direction, and may be configured to move the functional device 40 by changing its height. In other words, as long as the movement mechanism 30 is configured to move the functional device 40 to a position that covers the fuel tank 15's inlet 51 or to a position that exposes the fuel tank 15's inlet 51, the trajectory of the functional device 40 is not limited. The movement mechanism 30 may be, for example, a hinge that supports the housing 46 of the functional device 40 on the roll bar 19, and may move the functional device 40 while rotating it so as to reverse its up and down orientation using the hinge as the axis of rotation.

[0055] Although the plate-like member in this embodiment has been described as a metal plate, it is not limited to this. The plate-like member may be, for example, a resin plate.

[0056] Although the plate-shaped member in this embodiment has been described as having a hole formed therein, it is not limited to this. For example, by providing a sliding opening and closing mechanism, the upper part of the fuel tank 15's inlet 51 may be kept closed when the lawnmower 1 is in operation, and the upper part of the fuel tank 15's inlet 51 may be exposed when the additional function device 40 is moved to refuel.

[0057] The housing 46 is described as a rectangular box-shaped component, but it can be any shape that can house the additional function circuit 41, LiDAR 42, imaging unit 43, and bypass unit 44, and may be a cylindrical component, for example.

[0058] 3. Others The product may be provided in any of the following embodiments.

[0059] (1) A work machine comprising a main body, a fuel tank, a function addition device, and a moving mechanism, wherein the main body is configured to move based on rotational power from a drive unit, the fuel tank is located above the main body and has a fuel inlet at its top, the function addition device has a housing and is located directly above the fuel tank and houses a function addition circuit for adding functions to the work machine in the housing, and the moving mechanism is located above the main body and supports the function addition device and is configured to move the function addition device to a position that covers the inlet or to a position that exposes the inlet.

[0060] In this embodiment, in a work machine in which a function addition device equipped with a function addition circuit is positioned directly above a fuel tank having a fuel inlet at the top, fuel can be injected into the fuel tank with the function addition device attached.

[0061] (2) In the work machine described in (1) above, the moving mechanism is configured to allow the function addition device to move in the horizontal direction.

[0062] According to this embodiment, the additional function device can be easily moved.

[0063] (3) A work machine as described in (2) above, wherein the moving mechanism is configured to move the function addition device in the front-rear direction of the main body.

[0064] This configuration makes it possible to easily inject fuel into the fuel tank.

[0065] (4) A work machine according to (2) or (3) above, wherein the moving mechanism comprises a plate-shaped member having a hole and a slide rail, the plate-shaped member is positioned such that the hole is located above the inlet, and the slide rail is attached to connect the plate-shaped member and the function addition device, and is configured to slide the function addition device relative to the plate-shaped member.

[0066] According to this configuration, the additional function device can be easily moved, and fuel can be easily injected into the fuel tank.

[0067] (5) A work machine according to any one of (1) to (4) above, further comprising a first vibration-damping member, wherein the first vibration-damping member is positioned between the function-adding device and the moving mechanism.

[0068] According to this embodiment, vibrations to the functional add-on device can be reduced.

[0069] (6) A work machine according to any one of (1) to (5) above, further comprising a second vibration-damping member, wherein the second vibration-damping member is positioned between the housing and the function-adding circuit.

[0070] In this configuration, vibrations to the function-adding circuit within the function-adding device can be reduced.

[0071] (7) A work machine as described in any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein the function addition device is a device that adds a function to make the work machine autonomously move.

[0072] According to this configuration, autonomous driving capabilities can be added to the work machine.

[0073] (8) A work machine according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the function addition device is configured to be detachably attached to the moving mechanism.

[0074] In this configuration, maintainability can be improved by removing the additional functional device.

[0075] (9) In any one of the above (1) to (8) work machines, the work machine is an unmanned machine.

[0076] According to this configuration, additional functions can be added to the unmanned work machine.

[0077] (10) An implement described in any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein the implement is a grass cutter, a collection machine, or a sprayer.

[0078] In this configuration, a lawnmower, collection machine, or sprayer with improved operability can be used to perform the prescribed tasks in each respective field. Of course, this is not always the case. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0079] 1: Lawn mower 10: Main body 11: Operation control circuit 12: Drive unit 13: Running gear 14: Work Unit 15: Fuel tank 16: Communications Department 17: Communication Department 18: Frame 19: Roll bar 20: Remote control 21:Operation section 22: Communications Department 23: Display Panel 30: Movement mechanism 31: Metal plate 32: Hole 33: Slide rail 34: Slide rail 40: Functionality Addition Device 41: Function Addition Circuit 43: Photography Department 44: Detour section 45: Wiring 46: Cabinet 46A: Bottom 47: Vibration-damping rubber 48: Vibration-damping rubber 51: Inlet 61: Insertion hole 65: Side part 91: Cover 100: Height 102: Height 104: Height 106 :Distance

Claims

1. It is a work machine, It comprises a main body, a fuel tank, an additional function device, and a mobile mechanism. The main body is configured to move based on rotational power from the drive unit, The fuel tank is positioned above the main body and has a fuel inlet at its top. The aforementioned function addition device has a housing, is positioned directly above the fuel tank, and houses a function addition circuit for adding functions to the work machine within the housing. The moving mechanism is positioned above the main body and supports the additional function device, and is configured to move the additional function device to a position that covers the inlet or to a position that exposes the inlet. Work equipment.

2. In the work machine described in claim 1, The aforementioned moving mechanism is configured to allow the function-adding device to move horizontally. Work equipment.

3. In the work machine described in claim 2, The aforementioned moving mechanism is configured to allow the function-adding device to move in the front-rear direction of the main body. Work equipment.

4. In the work machine according to claim 2 or 3, The aforementioned moving mechanism comprises a plate-shaped member with a hole formed in it and a slide rail. The plate-shaped member is positioned such that the hole is located above the inlet. The slide rail is mounted to connect the plate-shaped member and the functional addition device, and is configured to allow the functional addition device to slide relative to the plate-shaped member. Work equipment.

5. In the work machine described in claim 1, Furthermore, it is equipped with a first vibration-damping member, The first vibration-damping member is positioned between the functional addition device and the moving mechanism. Work equipment.

6. In the work machine described in claim 1, Furthermore, it is equipped with a second vibration-damping member, The second vibration-damping member is positioned between the housing and the additional function circuit. Work equipment.

7. In the work machine described in claim 1, The aforementioned additional function device is a device that adds the function of making the work machine autonomously move. Work equipment.

8. In the work machine described in claim 1, The aforementioned additional function device is configured to be detachably attached to the aforementioned moving mechanism. Work equipment.

9. In the work machine described in claim 1, The aforementioned work machine is an unmanned aircraft. Work equipment.

10. In the work machine described in claim 1, The aforementioned work machine is a grass cutter, a collection machine, or a sprayer. Work equipment.

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