Grass trimmer

Abstract

To provide a mower which enables reduction of a risk of a lateral turning and has an unprecedented form.SOLUTION: The invention relates to a mower including a vehicle body machine base and a fuel tank. The fuel tank is provided at the vehicle body machine base and has a protruding part which is disposed offset to one side of left and right sides of the vehicle body machine base, on a bottom surface of the fuel tank. The one side is the side that lightens in terms of a lateral balance of the mower. The above object is achieved by the mower being formed as described above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a grass cutter. [Background technology]

[0002] Grass cutters are used in a variety of places, such as parks, golf courses, vacant lots, river banks, road slopes, and mountainous areas. When using a lawnmower on sloping ground, such as mountain areas or the slopes of highways, there is a risk of the lawnmower tipping over. In addition, parks, river banks, vacant lots, parks and golf courses are not always flat and some places have slopes, so it cannot be said that there is no risk of the lawnmower tipping over. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-256555 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Therefore, various developments have been made to reduce the risk of lawnmower tipping over, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, but there is a demand for means to further reduce the risk of tipping over in order to perform lawnmower work safely.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a grass trimmer that reduces the risk of tipping over in a manner not previously known. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a grass cutter having a body and a fuel tank, and the fuel tank is disposed on the body of the grass cutter. Horizontal center of and a protruding portion is provided on the bottom surface of the fuel tank and is disposed biased toward either one of the left and right sides of the vehicle body base, and the either one side is provided so that the left and right balance of the grass cutter is light. stomach By your side The protruding portion is a portion in which fuel is retained, and the protruding portion is disposed biased toward one of the sides so that the lighter side of the grass cutter is heavier, thereby improving the left-right balance of the grass cutter. The problem was solved by providing a grass cutter characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0007] When mowing grass while traveling along contour lines, there was a risk of the grass cutter tipping over due to the difference in left and right balance between the forward and return journeys. However, by adopting a fuel tank with a protrusion that is positioned offset toward the vehicle base on the bottom of the fuel tank on the side where the left and right balance of the grass cutter is lighter, the left and right balance of the grass cutter has been improved and the risk of tipping over has been reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Perspective view of a grass cutter [Diagram 2] (A) Plan view (B) Side view of the grass cutter [Diagram 3] Fuel tank front view [Figure 4] Explanatory diagrams showing variations of fuel tanks. (A) A fuel tank with a protruding portion that is biased to one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. (B) A fuel tank with a protruding portion that is biased to one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle body and also to one side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. [Diagram 5] (A) An explanatory diagram of a fuel tank on a slope. (B) An explanatory diagram showing the oil level position of the fuel tank of FIG. 3 on a slope. (C) An explanatory diagram showing the oil level position when the fuel tank of FIG. 4(B) is tilted upward to the left on a slope. (B) An explanatory diagram showing the oil level position when the fuel tank of FIG. 4(B) is tilted upward to the right on a slope. [Figure 6] (A) An explanatory diagram showing the engine support structure. (B) A side view of the engine. (C) An explanatory diagram showing how the engine is always kept level. (D) An explanatory diagram showing how the engine is kept level in response to the incline. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a side view of a grass cutter, and (A) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the grass cut unit is lifted during operation. (B) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the grass cut unit is grounded when the attitude detection sensor detects an inclination exceeding an allowable range. [Figure 8]Emergency grass cutting unit lift control flow chart DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Example) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a grass cutter A. Fig. 2 is also a plan view (A) and a side view (B) of the grass cutter A. In this embodiment, the grass cutter A is of a wireless guidance type, although not described in detail. The engine 4 is located in front of the battery 1, fuel tank 2, and hydraulic tank 3, and the HST 8 is located between the engine 4 and the fuel tank 2. The grass-cutting unit 7 is disposed at the front of the grass cutter A, and is configured so as to be able to be raised and lowered by a grass-cutting unit lifting actuator 71. In this embodiment, the ground contact body 6 is a crawler. Furthermore, an attitude detection sensor 51 (see FIG. 2A) such as an angle sensor or gyro that detects the attitude (inclined state, etc.) of the vehicle body base 5 is provided, and in particular monitors whether the grass cutter A is in a dangerously inclined state.

[0010] (Battery, fuel tank, hydraulic tank placement) The battery 1, fuel tank 2, and hydraulic tank 3 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the body base 5 of the grass cutter A. The body base 5 supports various members located on the upper part, as shown in Fig. 2(B).

[0011] In the embodiment, the heavy grass cutting unit 7 is placed at the front, and in order to achieve good front-to-rear balance, the battery 1, fuel tank 2, and hydraulic tank 3 are placed in a line at the very rear, but it is also possible to place the heavy engine 4 at the very rear, and place the battery 1, fuel tank 2, and hydraulic tank 3 in front of it. The battery 1, fuel tank 2, and hydraulic tank 3 may be arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the vehicle body base 5, and their positions in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body base 5 are not important.

[0012] 3 is a front view of the fuel tank 2, which is provided with a float-type fuel sensor 21 inside to detect the fuel level, and a fuel outlet 25 on the bottom. As shown in FIG. 3, as the fuel is consumed and reduced, the weight of the fuel tank 2 decreases significantly. When mowing machine A mows on a slope, the mowing operation is usually performed by driving along contour lines, so left-right balance is very important. However, since battery 1, fuel tank 2, and hydraulic tank 3 are arranged side-by-side in the left-right direction on body base 5, even if fuel in fuel tank 2 is consumed and the tank becomes lighter, this does not have a significant effect on the left-right balance.

[0013] (Fuel Tank) The fuel tank 5 is provided on the vehicle body base 5, and Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing variations of the fuel tank 2. The fuel tank 2 in Fig. 4(A) has a protrusion 23 on the fuel tank bottom surface 22 that is biased toward either the left or right side of the vehicle body base 5. The fuel tank 2 in Fig. 4(B) has a protrusion 23 on the fuel tank bottom surface 22 that is biased toward either the left or right side of the vehicle body base 5 and also biased toward either the front or rear direction of the vehicle body base 5. When mowing grass while traveling along contour lines, there is a risk of the grass cutter A tipping over due to the difference in left and right balance between the outbound and return journeys. However, by adopting a fuel tank 2 having a protrusion 23 positioned biased toward the vehicle body base 5 on the fuel tank bottom surface 22 on the side where the left and right balance of the grass cutter A is lighter, the left and right balance of the grass cutter A can be improved. For example, when comparing the battery 1 and the hydraulic tank 3, the battery 1 may be lighter. Therefore, in order to make the battery 2 side heavier, the fuel tank 2 is shaped as shown in Fig. 4(A) or 4(B) and is provided with a protrusion 23 that is biased toward the battery 1 side, thereby improving the left-right balance. It goes without saying that the left-right balance of the grass cutter A varies depending on the arrangement of other components, and so the protruding part 23 does not necessarily have to be on the side of the battery 1. The position of the protruding part 23 can be determined on either the left or right side of the body base 5, taking into consideration the overall left-right balance on the body base 5.

[0014] (Fuel tank oil level on a slope) The fuel tank 2 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a fuel sensor 21, which constantly monitors the amount of fuel. If the grass cutter A runs out of fuel on a slope, the user must walk up the dangerous slope carrying the fuel and refuel on an unstable foothold on the slope. In order to drive the grass cutter A to flat ground and refuel before it runs out of fuel, it is important to know the exact amount of fuel remaining. In addition, the fuel tank 2 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a fuel outlet 25 in the center of the bottom surface, and on steep slopes, it may not be possible to stably supply fuel as the remaining amount of fuel decreases.

[0015] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the fuel tank 2 on a slope, where Figure 5(A) is an explanatory diagram showing the oil level position in the fuel tank 2 of Figure 3 on a slope, Figure 5(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the oil level position when the fuel tank 2 of Figure 4(B) is tilted upward to the left on a slope, and Figure 5(C) is an explanatory diagram showing the oil level position when the fuel tank 2 of Figure 4(B) is tilted upward to the right on a slope. In both the fuel tanks of FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 4(B), the supply of fuel from fuel outlet 25 is less susceptible to the influence of tilt.

[0016] In the fuel tank 2 having the shape shown in FIG. 3 and shown in FIG. 5(A), fuel is biased toward the lower side of the slope on a slope, causing an error in the measurement of the oil level by the fuel sensor 21. In contrast, the fuel tank 2 in FIG. 4(B) has a protruding portion 23. When the grass cutter A performs a reciprocating operation while traveling along a contour line, the fuel tank 2 tilts alternately to the right and left as shown in FIG. 5(B) and FIG. 5(C). Then, as the fuel decreases, the fuel gradually accumulates only in the protruding portion 23. In this state, even if the fuel tank 2 tilts upward to the left as shown in FIG. 5(B) or to the right as shown in FIG. 5(C), the volume of the protruding portion 23 is smaller than that of the fuel tank 2 without the protruding portion 23 in FIG. 3, so that the oil level does not easily change up and down, and the fuel sensor 21 can easily detect the oil level. Also, compared to the fuel tank 2 without the protruding portion 23 in FIG. 3, the fuel sensor 21 provided on the protruding portion 23 is less likely to cause an error.

[0017] Also, although the grass cutter A travels along contour lines, an actual slope may have unevenness that is difficult to avoid, and the grass cutter A also tilts in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body base 5. In such a case, the fuel tank 2 in Fig. 4(B) has a protrusion 23 on the fuel tank bottom surface 22 that is biased toward either the left or right side of the vehicle body base 5, and also biased toward either the front-rear direction of the vehicle body base 5, so that the fuel sensor 21 can easily detect the oil level even when the vehicle body base 5 tilts in the front-rear direction.

[0018] (engine) Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the support structure of the engine 4. Figure 6(A) is a side view of the engine 4. As shown in Figure 6(A), the engine 4 is mounted on an engine base 41 so as to be able to swing about a power shaft 42 with a front engine support part 46 and a rear engine support part 47 mounted on a vehicle body base 5 (not shown). Fig. 6(B) is an explanatory diagram showing that the engine 4 is always kept horizontal, and even if the inclination angle of the slope changes, the engine 4 always stays horizontal. Fig. 6(C) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the engine 4 is kept horizontal in accordance with the slope, and the engine 4 stays horizontal no matter which direction the slope is. The control of the engine stand 41 is achieved by controlling the engine stand tilt actuator 45 to always keep the engine stand 41 horizontal based on the output of the attitude detection sensor 51 shown in FIG. 2(A).

[0019] It should be noted that a balance weight (not shown) can be placed on the engine base 41 so that the engine base 41 is kept horizontal around the power shaft 42, and the engine base 41 can be kept horizontal without relying on the force of the engine base tilt actuator 45. Even in this case, the engine base 41 vibrates due to the drive of the engine 4, so it is preferable to suppress the vibrations using the engine base tilt actuator 45.

[0020] If the engine 4 is always kept horizontal, the engine 4 will move toward the mountain side of the slope relative to the car body base 5, and the center of gravity will move toward the mountain side. This allows the vehicle to travel along contour lines more stably. To move the center of gravity toward the mountain side, the engine base tilt actuator 45 can also be controlled to tilt the vehicle toward the mountain side beyond the horizontal. Furthermore, if the attitude detection sensor 51 detects an inclination that exceeds the allowable inclination angle for operation of the grass cutter A, the engine base inclination actuator 45 can be controlled to incline the engine base 41 extremely toward the mountain side to avoid the risk of tipping over.

[0021] (Grass cutting unit) During mowing work, the mowing unit 7 may be lifted slightly above the ground surface while mowing is performed, or the mowing unit 7 may be placed in contact with the ground. Fig. 7 is a side view of the mower A, and Fig. 7(A) is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the mowing unit 7 is lifted during work. The mowing unit 7 is shown in a state in which it is lifted a distance S above the ground surface (note that for the sake of explanation, the distance S is exaggerated).

[0022] In actual practice, slopes on which work is carried out may have depressions or bumps, and are not necessarily of uniform slope. The slope angle of a slope may also change suddenly. If the attitude detection sensor 51 detects a dangerous slope that exceeds the allowable value (allowable slope angle) of the grass cutter A, it immediately notifies the operator, but the response may be delayed. 7(B) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the mowing unit 7 is grounded when the attitude detection sensor 51 detects an inclination that exceeds the allowable range. When the attitude detection sensor 51 detects a dangerous inclination that exceeds the allowable inclination angle while performing grass cutting work while traveling along contour lines, it notifies the operator as described above and controls the mowing unit lifting actuator 71 to move the mowing unit 7 from a lifted state to a state in which it is grounded.

[0023] 8 is a flowchart of emergency grass-cutting unit lifting control performed by a control unit (not shown). When the attitude detection sensor 51 detects an inclination within the allowable range, the grass-cutting unit lifting actuator 71 is controlled so that the grass-cutting unit 7 is lifted and lowered in a manner suitable for cutting grass. On the other hand, when the attitude detection sensor 51 detects an inclination exceeding the allowable value at s1 (i.e., detects a state in which there is a risk of rollover), the control unit issues a command to turn off the power of the grass cutting unit 7 at s2. Then, the control unit issues a command to operate the grass cutting unit lifting actuator 71 to lower the grass cutting unit 7 to the ground at s3. As described above, the grass cutting unit 7 is lifted up to perform the work during grass cutting. In that case, the weight of the grass cutting unit 7 is entirely placed on the front side of the grass cutting machine A. By simply lowering the grass cutting unit 7 by a small distance S (see FIG. 7(A)) by which it is lifted from the ground surface during work and then placing it on the ground, the center of gravity of the grass cutting machine A is lowered and the contact area is increased, preventing rollover. Furthermore, by increasing the contact area, the grass cutting machine A is less likely to slide down to the lower ground side of the slope. The above control may also be performed when the vehicle is not mowing, such as when the vehicle is going up or down a slope to refuel, etc. It goes without saying that the allowable values ​​when traveling along contour lines may be different from the allowable values ​​when traveling up or down a slope.

[0024] (Modification of the embodiment) In this embodiment, the grass cutting unit 7 is disposed at the front of the grass cutter A, but it may be disposed in the center or rear of the vehicle body base 5, and the position of the grass cutting unit 7 is arbitrary. In the embodiment, the grass cutter A is of a wireless guidance type, but it may be of an autonomous type that travels according to AI or a work map, or it may be a riding type grass cutter A that a person rides on. In this embodiment, the ground contact body 6 is a crawler, but it may be a wheel, or may be anything that can move the grass cutter A. In the embodiment, a float type fuel sensor 21 is used, but any type of fuel sensor 21 may be used as long as it can detect the oil level. In the embodiment, the attitude detection sensor 51 is disposed on top of the hydraulic tank 3, but the position of the attitude detection sensor 51 may be anywhere as long as it can detect the attitude of the vehicle body base 51, and the attitude detection sensor 51 may be of any type, such as a gyro or angle sensor.

[0025] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0026] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments have been explained in terms of each component, such as (the arrangement of the battery, fuel tank, and hydraulic tank), (engine), (fuel tank), etc., but as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose and configuration, etc., they can be combined by reusing each other's technologies. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] A Grass trimmer 1 Battery 2 Fuel tanks 21 Fuel sensor 22 Bottom of fuel tank 23 Protrusion 25 Fuel outlet 3 Hydraulic tank 4 Engine 41 Engine unit 42 Power shaft 45 Engine base tilt actuator 46 Front engine support 47 Rear engine support 5 Body Machine Base 51 Attitude detection sensor 6 Grounding body 7 Grass-cutting unit 71 Grass-cutting unit lift actuator 8 HST

Claims

1. A grass trimmer having a vehicle body and a fuel tank, the fuel tank is provided at the center of the vehicle body base of the grass cutter in the left-right direction, and has a protruding portion on a bottom surface of the fuel tank, the protruding portion being biased toward one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle body base, The one side is a side where the left and right balance of the grass cutter is light, The protrusion has an interior in which fuel is retained, A grass mower characterized in that the left and right balance of the grass mower is improved by disposing the protrusion biased to one of the sides so that the lighter side is heavier.

2. 2. The grass mower according to claim 1, further comprising a fuel sensor provided within said protruding portion.

3. 3. The grass mower according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is arranged biased toward either one side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body base.

Images