Lawn mower

Abstract

To provide a stably self-traveling grass mower even on a swelling part such as a triangle ridge having almost no flat ground surface.SOLUTION: A self-traveling grass mower 100 includes: a center pin 30 extending in a cross direction of the grass mower 100 at the center of the grass mower 100; a pair of right and left swinging arms 20 extending in a horizontal direction of the grass mower 100 from the center pin 30 and swinging in a vertical direction around the center pin 30; a pair of right and left crawlers 10 supported by tip end parts of the pair of right and left swinging arms 20 and capable of traveling along both side slopes of the swelling part; mower support rods 70 having base end parts supported on the pair of right and left swinging arms 20 and having tip end parts extending toward a side of the grass mower 100; and a pair of right and left grass mowers 80 supported by the tip end parts of the mower support rods 70 and capable of mowing weeds and the like in front-back areas and side areas of the crawlers 10 in both side slope surfaces of the swelling part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-propelled lawn mower for mowing weeds and the like growing on both side slopes of raised portions such as ridges and furrows in a field.

Background Art

[0002] Self-propelled lawn mowers for mowing weeds and the like growing on slopes in a field are known, for example, as in Patent Documents 1-6. Among these lawn mowers, small ones can perform mowing work while an operator holds an operation handle and drives the lawn mower behind it. Large ones can perform mowing work while an operator rides on and drives the lawn mower.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Patent Document 6

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In any of the lawn mowers of Patent Documents 1-6, the wheels or crawlers of the lawn mower move on flat ground. Therefore, on raised portions such as so-called triangular ridges with almost no flat ground between both side slopes, it is very difficult to make the lawn mower run stably. For this reason, the mowing work on raised portions such as triangular ridges had to be done manually in practice.

[0005] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a grass cutter that can stably self-propel even on raised areas such as triangular ridges where there is almost no flat ground. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a self-propelled grass cutter for cutting weeds and the like growing on the slopes on both sides of raised sections such as ridges and furrows in a field, characterized in that the grass cutter comprises: a center pin extending in the front-rear direction from the center of the grass cutter; a pair of left and right swinging arms extending from the center pin in the left-right direction and capable of swinging up and down about the center pin; a pair of left and right crawlers supported at the tips of the pair of left and right swinging arms and capable of traveling along the slopes on both sides of the raised section; a support rod whose base end is supported on the pair of left and right swinging arms and whose tip extends to the side of the grass cutter; and a pair of left and right mowers supported at the tip of the support rod and capable of cutting weeds and the like in the front-rear and lateral areas of the crawlers on the slopes on both sides of the raised section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the grass cutter can stably self-propel even on raised areas such as triangular ridges. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] (a) A plan view and (b) A front view of a lawnmower according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view of a grass trimmer when the slope angle on both sides of the raised area is large. [Figure 3] This is a front view of a grass trimmer used for mowing grass on a raised area, specifically on a horizontal surface and a slope on one side. [Figure 4] This is an image illustrating a lawnmower that automatically navigates using positioning signals from GNSS satellites. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, a lawnmower 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. This lawnmower 100 has a pair of left and right crawlers 10. Each of these left and right crawlers 10 is driven by a travel motor 12.

[0010] By controlling the rotation speed of the left and right travel motors 12, the lawnmower 100 can be made to turn or change direction. Therefore, a steering mechanism can be eliminated, resulting in a simpler and lower-cost lawnmower 100.

[0011] As will be described later, the pair of left and right crawlers 10 can be moved along the slopes in the direction in which the raised section extends, even in raised sections where there is almost no flat ground between the slopes on both sides, such as a so-called triangular ridge.

[0012] On the other hand, a center pin 30 is positioned in the center of the brush cutter 100, extending in the front-to-back direction. At least one pair of swing arms 20 are positioned on the left and right sides of the brush cutter 100, extending from this center pin 30. In the illustrated example, there are four swing arms 20 in total, one pair on the left and one pair in the front and one in the back.

[0013] A pair of left and right swing arms 20 are connected to each other by an angle adjustment plate 40. The angle adjustment plate 40 has a plurality of positioning holes 42, 44, and two of these positioning holes 42, 44 are connected by connecting pins to pin holes formed in the longitudinal middle part of the swing arms 20.

[0014] This allows the angle formed by the left and right swinging arms 20 to correspond to the angle θ of the slopes on both sides of the raised section. This makes it possible to align the cutting blade surface of the grass mower 80 and the tread surface of the crawler 10 parallel to the slopes on both sides of the raised section. Furthermore, the angle formed by the pair of left and right swinging arms 20 can be continuously varied by using an electric cylinder instead of the angle adjustment plate 40.

[0015] A base 50 is disposed between the front and rear swing arms 20. A support column 60 is disposed on the base 50, and an electric cylinder 72 is disposed at the upper end of the support column 60.

[0016] The electric cylinder 72 supports the base end of the mower support rod 70. As shown in Fig. 1(a), the tip of the mower support rod 70 is configured to be rotatable and swingable in the direction of the arrow. A mowing mower 80 is attached to the tip of the mower support rod 70. This mowing mower 80 is driven by a motor 82.

[0017] Link rods 55 and 58 that cross each other in an X shape are provided on the base 50. The lower ends of these link rods 55 and 58 are connected to the base 50 by pins 52 and 54. Also, the upper ends of the link rods 55 and 58 are connected to the lower end of the storage box 90 by another pins 52 and 54.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1(a), a battery 92 and a receiver / controller 94 are stored in the storage box 90. The battery 92 supplies power to the traveling motor 12 of the crawler 10, the electric cylinder 72, and the motor 82 of the mowing mower 80.

[0019] The receiver / controller 94 is configured to receive a signal from a transmitter that remotely operates the mower 100 and control the traveling motor 12 of the crawler 10, the electric cylinder 72, and the motor 82 of the mowing mower 80 based on the signal. Also, by equipping the mower 100 with a GPS function, it is possible to automatically run the mower 100 along ridges such as ridges in the field. This enables a significant reduction in labor for mowing work.

[0020] The mower 100 is configured as described above. By remotely operating the mower 100 using the transmitter of the mower 100, the mower 100 can travel on raised portions such as ridges and furrows in the field.

[0021] The mower 100 can travel on raised portions such as ridges and furrows in the field. Conventional lawnmowers were extremely difficult to operate stably on raised areas with little to no flat ground between the slopes, such as triangular ridges. Forcing a lawnmower to move could cause its wheels or tracks to slip off onto one of the slopes on the raised area. As a result, mowing grass on raised areas like triangular ridges was practically a manual task.

[0022] In contrast, in the present invention, the grass cutter 100 has a pair of left and right swinging arms 20 that can be tilted in a folding manner with respect to the center pin 30, so that the pair of left and right crawlers 10 can travel along the slopes on both sides of the raised section. In this case, the crawlers 10 are the heaviest part of the grass cutter 100, but because these crawlers 10 travel along the slopes on both sides of the raised section, the center of gravity of the grass cutter 100 during operation can be made as low as possible.

[0023] therefore, 1) Even in elevated areas like triangular ridges where there is almost no flat ground between the slopes on both sides, 2) Also, even if the angles of the slopes on both sides of the raised area are steep, such as 20°⇒30°⇒45°, 3) Furthermore, even if the uplifted area and the slopes on both sides have soft soil, The 100 brush cutter can be driven stably in a straight line without slipping. Furthermore, the 80 brush cutter can safely and efficiently cut weeds growing on both sides of the slopes of the raised area, simultaneously.

[0024] Figure 2 is a front view of the grass trimmer when the slope angle of the slopes on both sides of the raised section is increased. By changing the positioning hole 42 of the angle adjustment plate 40 to the inner positioning hole 44, the angle of the swing arm 20 centered on the center pin 30 can be made to correspond to the slopes on both sides of the raised section.

[0025] Figure 3 is a front view of the mower when mowing grass on a raised area, specifically on a horizontal surface and a slope on one side. Because the center of gravity of the mower 100 is low, stable operation is possible even on a slope on one side.

[0026] (Automatic driving of the lawnmower) The lawnmower 100 can also automatically travel along raised areas such as ridges and furrows. Figure 4 is an image illustrating a lawnmower that automatically travels using positioning signals from GNSS satellites.

[0027] In other words, a mobile receiver 96 that receives positioning signals (GNSS signals) from positioning satellites (GNSS satellite Sa) as a means of positioning is mounted on the lawnmower 100. On the other hand, a fixed receiver is installed at a base station, for example, which is located away from the lawnmower 100.

[0028] The mobile receiver receives the positioning signal received by the mobile receiver, and the base station receives the positioning signal received by the fixed receiver. Based on these two positioning signals, the position of the mobile receiver of the lawnmower 100 is corrected. Based on this correction result, the lawnmower 100 can be driven automatically and accurately along raised areas such as ridges and furrows.

[0029] Furthermore, it is possible to mount an inertial measurement unit (IMU unit) for detecting the angular velocity of the lawnmower 100 onto the lawnmower 100. The inertial measurement unit is mounted so as to be parallel to the pitch axis, roll axis, and yaw axis of the vehicle, respectively.

[0030] With this configuration, the change in the orientation of the lawnmower 100 relative to that point in time can be obtained by integrating the angular velocity obtained from a certain point in time to the present. Based on the orientation of the lawnmower 100 obtained in this way, the lawnmower 100 can be automatically and accurately driven along raised areas such as ridges and furrows. In particular, by obtaining the angle change around the roll axis with the inertial measurement unit, the lawnmower 100 can be safely driven in a straight line along the raised area without tilting too much to the left or right.

[0031] In autonomous driving using positioning satellites, positioning may not be possible depending on the reception conditions of satellite signals. By equipping the lawnmower 100 with an inertial measurement unit, it is possible to drive the lawnmower 100 automatically using inertial navigation based on the detection results of the inertial measurement unit, even when positioning satellites are unavailable. It is also possible to drive the lawnmower 100 automatically while correcting the positioning signal from the positioning satellites with the detection results of the inertial measurement unit.

[0032] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways. For example, the lawnmower of the present invention can be driven by an engine instead of a battery. Also, the number of lawnmowers 80 is not limited to two, but can be arranged in four positions, front, back, left, and right. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10: Crawler 12: Drive motor 20: Swivel arm 30: Center pin 40: Angle adjustment plate 42, 44: Positioning holes 50: Base 52, 54: Pins 55, 58: Link rod 60: Support column 70: Mower support rod 72: Electric cylinder 80: Mower 82: Motor 90: Storage box 92: Battery 94: Receiver / Controller 96: Mobile Receiver for GNSS Signals 100: Lawn mower θ: Angle

Claims

1. In a self-propelled grass cutter for mowing weeds and other vegetation growing on the slopes on both sides of raised areas such as ridges and furrows in a field, the grass cutter is: A center pin extending in the front-to-back direction of the lawnmower is located in the center of the lawnmower, A pair of left and right swinging arms extend from the center pin in the left and right directions of the brush cutter and are capable of swinging up and down about the center pin, A pair of left and right crawlers supported at the tips of the pair of left and right swinging arms and capable of traveling along the slopes on both sides of the raised portion, The base end is supported on the pair of left and right swinging arms, and the tip is a support rod that extends to the side of the brush cutter, A pair of left and right mowing mowers are provided, supported at the tip of the support rod, and capable of mowing weeds and the like in the front-rear and lateral areas of the crawler on the slopes on both sides of the raised portion. A lawnmower characterized by having the following features.

2. The grass trimmer according to claim 1, characterized in that the angles of the pair of left and right swinging arms with respect to the center pin are configured to be variable.

3. The grass trimmer according to claim 2, characterized in that the longitudinal intermediate portions of the pair of left and right swinging arms are connected to each other by an angle adjustment plate.

4. The grass trimmer according to claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of positioning holes are formed in the angle adjustment plate, and the angle of the oscillating arm can be changed by changing the positioning holes connected to the oscillating arm.

5. The grass trimmer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tip of the support rod is movable along the slopes on both sides of the raised portion by an electric cylinder disposed at the base end of the support rod.

6. The grass trimmer according to claim 5, characterized in that a storage box for housing the power battery of the grass trimmer is supported on the pair of left and right swinging arms.

7. The lawnmower according to claim 6, characterized in that the storage box houses a receiver capable of receiving signals from a transmitter for remotely operating the lawnmower, and a controller that controls the crawler, the electric cylinder, and the lawnmower based on the signals.

8. The grass trimmer according to claim 1, characterized in that the angles of the pair of left and right swinging arms are continuously varied by a second electric cylinder.

9. The grass cutter according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes a mobile receiving unit that receives positioning signals from a positioning means, receives the positioning signals received by the mobile receiving unit and the positioning signals received by the fixed receiving unit of the base station, corrects the position of the mobile receiving unit based on these positioning signals, and is configured to automatically travel along raised areas such as ridges and furrows in a field based on the correction result.

10. The grass cutter according to claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with an inertial measuring unit that detects the angular velocity of the grass cutter, and is configured to automatically travel along raised areas such as ridges and furrows in a field based on the detection results of the inertial measuring unit.

11. The grass cutter according to claim 1, characterized in that the position of the mobile receiving unit according to claim 9 is corrected based on the detection result of the inertial measuring unit according to claim 10, and the grass cutter is configured to automatically travel along raised areas such as ridges and furrows in a field based on the correction result.

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