Liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle that can perform grass cutting and liquid spraying simultaneously, reduces the risk of workers being exposed to liquid, and enables stable liquid spraying at high pressure and stable driving. [Solution] The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle 1 is controlled by a controller 10 and includes an ECU 11 that controls a motor driver that drives a drive motor 23, and a liquid spray device 13. It includes a first engine 7 that drives a generator 6 which serves as a first power source to supply power to the drive motor 23, and a second engine 17 that drives a pump 16 of the liquid spray device. The liquid spray device includes a liquid tank 14, a spray nozzle, and a spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 provided in the discharge passage of the pump 16.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lawn mowing vehicle equipped with a liquid spraying function (a liquid spraying and lawn mowing vehicle), and more particularly to a remotely operable liquid spraying and lawn mowing vehicle capable of spraying a liquid while performing a lawn mowing operation.

Background Art

[0002] When spraying a liquid (for example, a chemical solution such as a pesticide) in an orchard or farmland, a method in which an operator sprays using a power sprayer or a method using a riding-type liquid spraying vehicle (see Patent Document 1 below) is known.

[0003] However, in these methods, since an operator needs to work near the liquid spraying device, there is a risk of being exposed to the liquid (for example, a chemical solution such as a pesticide). From the viewpoint of safety, in recent years, a technique of mounting a liquid spraying device on a remotely operable lawn mower has also been proposed, and an operator can perform a lawn mowing operation and a liquid spraying operation without boarding the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The above-described remotely operable lawn mower equipped with a liquid spraying device has a configuration using an electric pump, and the discharge pressure is about 1 MPa. However, the liquid spraying pressure generally required in fruit tree cultivation and the like is 2 MPa or more, and there is a problem that sufficient spraying performance cannot be obtained with the electric pump mounted on the conventional remotely operable lawn mower equipped with a liquid spraying device. Furthermore, when the grass-cutting mechanism and the liquid spraying device are driven by the same power source, load fluctuations caused by grass-cutting work can affect the rotation speed of the vehicle's drive motor and spray pump, leading to problems such as unstable driving (especially on slopes) and unstable spray pressure.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these problems, and aims to provide a liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle that can perform grass cutting and liquid spraying work simultaneously, reduces the risk of the operator being exposed to liquids such as chemicals, and further enables stable liquid spraying at high pressure and stable driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is a liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle whose movement is controlled by a remote control unit (controller), The left and right motors that propel the vehicle, A motor driver that drives the motor for propulsion, An electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the motor driver, Grass cutting mechanism, Liquid spraying device, A first engine that drives a generator which serves as a first power source for supplying power to the grass cutting mechanism and the aforementioned drive motor, It is equipped with a second engine that drives the pump of the liquid spray device, The liquid spray device is Nozzle and The pump is equipped with an electromagnetic solenoid valve located in the discharge passage, The pump is driven by the second engine. The system is characterized by the fact that the start and stop of liquid spraying are controlled by opening and closing an electromagnetic solenoid valve.

[0008] Furthermore, another aspect of the liquid spray and grass-cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the electromagnetic solenoid valve is controlled by an ECU based on an operation signal transmitted from a remote control unit and is driven by power supplied from a generator driven by a first engine, and the power generated by the first engine is mainly supplied to drive the drive motor.

[0009] Another aspect of the liquid spray and grass-cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the electromagnetic solenoid valve is driven by a second power source (the headlight power circuit of the vehicle body: a 12V DC power source) which functions as a low-voltage power source connected to a generator.

[0010] Another aspect of the liquid spray and grass-cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the second power source is the headlight power circuit of the vehicle body.

[0011] Another aspect of the liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the second engine is provided as a drive source exclusively for the liquid spray device.

[0012] Another aspect of the liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the liquid spray device is capable of spraying liquid at a spray pressure of 2 MPa to 5 MPa.

[0013] Furthermore, another aspect of the liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the remote control unit is characterized by comprising an operating lever for operating the vehicle, a switch for controlling the operation of the grass cutting mechanism, and a switch for controlling the start and stop of liquid discharge.

[0014] Another aspect of the liquid spray and grass-cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the ECU controls the left and right drive motor drivers based on signals from a receiver that receives operation signals transmitted from the remote control unit.

[0015] Another aspect of the liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is that the liquid spraying device is characterized by comprising at least one liquid tank.

[0016] Moreover, another aspect of the liquid spraying and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that when there are a plurality of liquid tanks, these liquid tanks are connected to each other.

[0017] Moreover, another aspect of the liquid spraying and grass cutting vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that the pump is mechanically directly connected to and driven by the second engine.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the liquid spraying and grass cutting vehicle of the present invention, grass cutting work and liquid spraying work can be performed simultaneously, the risk that an operator is exposed to a liquid (for example, a chemical solution such as a pesticide) is reduced, and furthermore, stable liquid spraying at high pressure and stable traveling can be performed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing the structure of the liquid spraying and grass cutting vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the spray drive unit. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing another example of the structure of the spray drive unit. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram for explaining the structure of the liquid spraying and grass cutting vehicle according to the embodiment. <� [Figure 5] It is a functional block diagram for explaining the structure of the liquid spraying and grass cutting vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart for explaining the operation of liquid spraying. [Figure 7] It is a diagram for explaining the power supply system of the drive of the motor driver. [Figure 8] It is a diagram for explaining the power supply system of the drive of the electromagnetic solenoid valve. [Figure 9] It is a diagram for explaining the controller operation, where (a) is a left side view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a rear view. [Figure 10]This is a diagram illustrating the power system of the drive motor and the grass-cutting unit. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating the power system of an electromagnetic solenoid valve. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] The following describes embodiments of the liquid spray and grass-cutting vehicle according to the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments shown below are examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments; various configurations can be adopted.

[0021] (Overall structure) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a spray drive unit. Figure 3 is a diagram showing another example of the structure of a spray drive unit. Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to an embodiment. Figure 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating the structure of a liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to an embodiment. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of liquid spraying. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the power supply system for driving the motor driver. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the power supply system for driving the electromagnetic solenoid valve. Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating controller operation, where (a) is a left side view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a rear view. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the power system of the travel motor and grass cutting unit. Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the power system of the electromagnetic solenoid valve.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle 1 of this embodiment is composed of a vehicle body 2 including a grass cutting unit 5, a liquid spray device (liquid spraying device) 13, and a controller (remote control unit) 10. The vehicle body 2 is composed of a crawler 3, a grass cutting unit (grass cutting mechanism) 5, a first engine 7, a drive drive motor driver (drive unit) 21, 21 including a drive electromagnetic solenoid valve (not shown), motors 23, 23, a headlamp (headlight) 27, and a gear change switch 29. A box-shaped base (foundation) 4 is attached to the top of the vehicle body 2, and the liquid spray device 13 is attached to its cargo bed 4. The base 4 in Figure 1 is box-shaped, but it may also be flat.

[0023] The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle 1 is a remotely operated vehicle (radio-controlled vehicle) that is operated by a wireless controller 10 that can be operated from a distance from the vehicle body 2, allowing the operator to perform driving and spraying operations from a position away from the vehicle body 2.

[0024] (Traction structure) As shown in Figure 1, a pair of left and right crawlers 3 are provided on the lower part of the vehicle body 2. The vehicle body 2 is equipped with left and right drive motors 23, 23 (see Figure 4), each driven by a drive motor driver 21, 21 (see Figure 4). Forward, backward, and turning movements are performed by the difference in rotational speed between the left and right drive motors 23, 23. With this driving structure, almost all of the electricity from the first engine 7 can be used for driving, so stable driving is possible even on uneven terrain such as orchards and slopes.

[0025] (Grass cutting mechanism) The vehicle body 2 is equipped with a grass cutting unit 5. The grass cutting unit 5 consists of a clutch (not shown), a rotating blade (not shown), and a drive shaft (not shown). When the first engine 7 starts and the engine speed increases, the clutch opens due to centrifugal force, and power is transmitted to the drive shaft. Power is transmitted through the drive shaft to the gear case (not shown) at the tip. The reduction mechanism in the gear case causes the rotating blade to rotate with appropriate torque. In other words, the rotating blade is rotated by the drive of the first engine 7 to cut weeds. The height of the grass cutting unit 5 can be adjusted by the cutting height adjustment lever 33 of the controller 10 (see Figure 9(b)).

[0026] (power system) As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the power system is separated into two systems. The first engine 7 drives the generator 6, and the power generated by the generator 6 is supplied to the travel motors 23, 23 and the grass cutting unit 5 (see Figure 10). The power generated by the generator 6 is, for example, 48V and is supplied to the travel motors 23, 23 via the travel drive motor drivers 21, 21 (see steps S201 to S204 in Figure 7).

[0027] Meanwhile, the pump 16 that constitutes the liquid spraying device 13 is driven by the second engine 17, and the start / stop of spraying from the spray nozzle is controlled by the opening and closing control of the spraying electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 driven by the first engine 7 (see Figure 11). The second engine 17 is a dedicated engine that drives the pump 16, which will be described later, and is independent of the loads of grass cutting and driving.

[0028] Since the power sources for the driving / mowing system and the spraying system are separated in this way, even if the driving load fluctuates, the load on the pump 16 (see Figures 2 and 3) (for example, the reciprocating motion of the piston in the case of a piston type, or the reciprocating motion of the elastic membrane in the case of a diaphragm type) does not decrease, and high-pressure spraying can be stably maintained.

[0029] (Liquid spray device) The liquid spray device 13 comprises a liquid spray unit consisting of a tank 14 (see Figure 1), a hollow liquid flow pipe (e.g., steel pipe: see Figure 1) 19, and a spray nozzle (discharge port: see Figure 1) 15, and a spray drive unit 50 (see Figure 4) consisting of a pump 16, a second engine 17 that mainly drives the pump 16, and a spray electromagnetic solenoid valve (pressure adjustment unit) 18.

[0030] The liquid flow pipe 19 constituting the liquid spray unit is linear in shape and attached to the assembled structure 41. The liquid flow pipe 19 is connected to the pump 16 via a discharge high-pressure hose (see Figure 1) 20 (see Figures 2 and 3). In addition, multiple spray nozzles 15 (four in the example of Figure 1), or at least one, are attached to the liquid flow pipe 19 at predetermined intervals along its longitudinal direction, and their angles can be changed in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the assembled structure 41 is attached and fixed (placed) on the cargo bed 4 by connecting members (fastening fittings) 45, such as right-angle clamps, to intersect each other at a right angle (90 degrees) or to be parallel to each other, with multiple support columns 43 extending vertically from the base 4. The width (length in the width direction of the vehicle body 2) and height (length from the base 4 in the direction perpendicular to the base 4) of this assembled structure 41 are determined as appropriate depending on the application. The assembled structure 41 is not limited to the structure described above, and other structures are also acceptable, for example, as long as they allow a liquid flow pipe 19 to extend from the base 4 for a predetermined distance.

[0032] The spray nozzle 15 is set to point towards the ground, for example, when the liquid being sprayed is a herbicide. Also, if there are trees on both sides and you want to spray them all at once, you adjust the spray nozzle 15 to point towards the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2. Furthermore, when spraying on a horizontal grape trellis, one of the multiple spray nozzles 15 (for example, the spray nozzle near the center of the liquid flow pipe 19) is pointed upwards, and the width and height of the assembled structure 41 are changed according to the size of the field and the spacing of the trees. In this way, the settings can be changed as appropriate depending on the crop and location, thus improving the flexibility of settings according to the target crop and location for spraying.

[0033] The pump 16, which constitutes the spray drive unit 50, is driven by the second engine 17. Liquid in the liquid tank 14 is drawn in (sucked) through the suction hose 53, and the liquid is sprayed (dispersed) in a mist form through the discharge hose 20 and spray nozzle 15. An electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 for spraying is provided in the discharge passage of the pump 16. Liquids such as pesticides are stored in the liquid tank 14. A bypass hose 51 is connected between the pump 16 and the liquid tank 14 to return excess liquid.

[0034] The spraying operation of this liquid spraying device 13 is publicly known, so it will be briefly explained below (see the flowchart in Figure 6), and a detailed explanation will be omitted. (1) Engine-driven (Step S101) When the second engine 17 is started, the crankshaft (not shown) rotates based on the energy generated by combustion. This rotational force is transmitted to the pump 16 via a coupling mechanism (not shown). (2) Pump drive (Step S102) The pump 16 is composed of, for example, a piston pump or a diaphragm pump, and converts the rotational motion transmitted from the coupling mechanism into reciprocating motion. As a result, the internal volume of the pump 16 increases or decreases periodically. (3) Water absorption process to discharge process (Step S103: See Figures 2 and 3) During the suction process, when the internal volume of the pump 16 increases, the pressure inside the pump 16 decreases, generating negative pressure. This negative pressure draws the liquid stored in the tank 14 into the pump 16 via the suction passage (suction hose 53 and pressure regulating valve 52). During the discharge process, when the volume of pump 16 decreases, the liquid inside pump 16 is pressurized. At this time, the pressure regulating valve 52 is adjusted and the discharge valve (not shown) opens, causing the pressurized liquid to be sent into the discharge channel (not shown). (4) Pressure control (step S104) The liquid discharged into the discharge channel is led to the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18. The spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 has a control valve (not shown) that opens and closes according to the set pressure, and maintains a constant discharge pressure by returning the excess liquid to the tank 14 side via the excess water hose 51 when the discharge pressure exceeds a predetermined set pressure. In this embodiment, the discharge pressure is controlled simply by turning the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 ON / OFF (see Figure 9) on and off, but the opening and closing of this valve may be controlled in multiple stages. (5) Spraying (Step S105) The liquid, whose pressure is regulated by the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18, is supplied to the spray nozzle 15 via the high-pressure hose 20 and the liquid flow pipe 19. At the spray nozzle 15, a shear force acts on the liquid due to the reduction of the flow path cross-section and the increase in flow velocity, causing the liquid to split into fine droplets and be sprayed.

[0035] The start and stop of liquid spraying are controlled by opening and closing the spraying electromagnetic solenoid valve 18. In this embodiment, the pump 16 rotates continuously, and the ON / OFF of liquid discharge (spraying) is controlled by opening and closing the spraying electromagnetic solenoid valve 18. With the above configuration, the liquid discharge (spraying) operation is performed according to the output of the second engine 17, so stable spraying can be performed without being affected by the driving status of the first engine 7. In other words, a stable pump driving force is maintained from the second engine, making high-pressure spraying of 2 MPa to 5 MPa possible.

[0036] (Solenoid valve control) As shown in Figure 5, the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 is controlled by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 11. The ECU 11 consists of a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), input / output ports (input / output ports for signals from various sensors: not shown), and communication ports (input / output ports for control signals: not shown). The ECU 11 controls, for example, the rotational speed control (straight-line movement and turning) of the left and right crawlers 3,3, and the opening and closing control of the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18.

[0037] The operation signal (control signal) S1 from the transmitter (transmitting unit) 8, which constitutes the controller 10, is sent via the output port to the receiver (receiving unit) 9, which constitutes the vehicle body 2. Based on the operation signal (control signal) S2 transmitted from the receiver 9, the ECU 11 sends an operation signal (control signal) S4 to the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 to control the opening and closing of the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18. The operation signal (control signal) S6 is sent from the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 to the spray nozzle 15, and the flow rate discharged from the spray nozzle 15 is controlled. The power supply for the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 is a 12V DC power supply provided from the power supply circuit (not shown) of the headlamp (headlight) 27 of the vehicle body 2. This 12V DC power supply is supplied from the generator 6 driven by the first engine 7. Therefore, the spray electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 receives power from the same power generation system as the vehicle's running gear (see steps S301 to S305 in Figure 8).

[0038] (Control configuration) As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle body 2 includes a transmitter 8, a receiver 9, an ECU 11, and a motor driver 21 for driving. Operation signals transmitted from the controller 10 are received by the receiver 9. The receiver 9 transmits the received signals to the ECU 11. Based on these signals, the ECU 11 performs driving control, grass cutting control, and spraying control. The driving control signal output from the ECU 11 is sent to the motor driver 21 for driving, and the left and right driving motors 23 are driven.

[0039] (Controller operation) As shown in Figure 9, the controller 10 is equipped with multiple operating units and a battery 40 (see Figure 9(d)). The main operating units include a travel lever 31, a cutting blade rotation switch 32, a cutting height adjustment lever 33, a forward / reverse switch 34, a gear shift switch 35, an accelerator switch 36, a lifter up / down switch 37, a liquid discharge ON / OFF switch 38, and an engine start switch 39. Since the operation of these units is well known, a detailed explanation of each operating unit described above will be omitted here.

[0040] The operator can move the vehicle forward or backward by operating the travel lever 31. Additionally, the electromagnetic solenoid valve 18 can be opened and closed by operating the liquid discharge ON / OFF switch 38. This allows for remote control of the start and stop of liquid spraying.

[0041] Since the operator controls the controller 10 from a distance from the vehicle, the risk of workers being splashed with liquid is reduced. Furthermore, because workers do not need to board the machine, even on steep slopes, tipping accidents can be prevented.

[0042] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1…Liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle 2… Vehicle body 3... Crawler 5… Grass cutting unit (grass cutting mechanism) 6…Generator 7…First engine (for driving) 8…Transmitter 9... Receiver 10…Controller (remote control unit) 11…ECU (Electronic Control Unit, Control Unit) 13...Liquid spray device 14…Liquid tank 15…Spray nozzle (discharge port) 16... Pump 17…Second engine (for spraying) 18… Electromagnetic solenoid valve for spraying 19…Liquid distribution pipes 20… High-pressure discharge hose 21…Motor driver for driving (driving unit) 23…Drive motor 27…Headlamp (headlight) 29... Irregular shifting mechanism (clutch) 41… Assembly Structures 43…post 45…Connecting components (fastening fittings) 50…Spray drive unit 51...Excess water hose (bypass hose) 53... Water intake hose

Claims

1. A liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle whose movement is controlled by a remote control unit, comprising: left and right drive motors for moving the vehicle; motor drivers for driving the drive motors; an electronic control unit for controlling the motor drivers; a grass cutting mechanism; a liquid spray device; a first engine for driving a generator as a first power source for supplying power to the grass cutting mechanism and the drive motors; and a second engine for driving the pump of the liquid spray device, wherein the liquid spray device comprises a nozzle and an electromagnetic solenoid valve provided in the discharge passage of the pump, the pump is driven by the second engine, and the start and stop of liquid spraying are controlled by opening and closing the electromagnetic solenoid valve.

2. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the electromagnetic solenoid valve is controlled by the electronic control device based on an operation signal transmitted from the remote control unit and is driven by power supplied from the generator driven by the first engine, and the power generated by the first engine is mainly supplied to drive the drive motor.

3. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electromagnetic solenoid valve is driven by a second power source which functions as a low-voltage power source connected to the generator.

4. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the second power source is the headlight power circuit of the vehicle body.

5. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the second engine is provided as a drive source exclusively for the liquid spray device.

6. The liquid spraying and mowing vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid spraying device is capable of spraying liquid at a spraying pressure of 2 MPa or more and 5 MPa or less.

7. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the remote control unit comprises an operating lever for operating the vehicle, a switch for controlling the operation of the grass cutting mechanism, and a switch for controlling the start and stop of liquid discharge.

8. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic control unit controls the left and right drive motor drivers based on signals from a receiver that receives operation signals transmitted from the remote control unit.

9. The liquid spraying and mowing vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid spraying device comprises at least one liquid tank.

10. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that if there are multiple liquid tanks, these liquid tanks are connected to each other.

11. The liquid spray and grass cutting vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the pump is driven by being mechanically directly connected to the second engine.

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