IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,595,006
Granted Patent B2
US 12,595,006 · App. 17/843,331 · Granted Apr 7, 2026

Crawler traveling device, and working machine including crawler traveling device

Inventor: Keishiro Nishi (Sakai, JP)
Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
B62D55/112B62D55/10B62D55/14B62D55/30
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,595,006
App. No.
17/843,331
Granted
Apr 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A crawler traveling device includes a first wheel; a second wheel spaced from the first wheel; a support frame that supports the first wheel and the second wheel; a third wheel disposed above the support frame; an endless crawler wound around the first wheel, the second wheel, and the third wheel; and a vehicle-height changing mechanism that changes a position of the support frame in the vertical direction with respect to the third wheel. The vehicle-height changing mechanism has an actuator that is capable of contracting in the vertical direction and that changes the position of the support frame in the vertical direction with respect to the third wheel.

Claims (45)

1 . A crawler traveling device comprising:

a first wheel;

a second wheel that is spaced from the first wheel;

a support frame that supports the first wheel and the second wheel with respect to a machine body;

a third wheel that is disposed above the support frame;

an endless crawler that is wound around the first wheel, the second wheel, and the third wheel;

a vehicle-height changing mechanism that changes a position of the support frame in a vertical direction with respect to the third wheel; and

a distance changing mechanism that is provided at the support frame and that changes a distance between the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein

the vehicle-height changing mechanism includes a pair of first actuators that are disposed at a front and a rear of a spindle of the third wheel, that contract in the vertical direction, and that change the position of the support frame in the vertical direction with respect to the third wheel;

the pair of first actuators at the front and the rear of the spindle are offset in a width direction of the machine body;

the support frame has a front support portion to support the first wheel and a rear support portion to support the second wheel;

the distance changing mechanism includes a second actuator that couples the front support portion and the rear support portion and that contracts the support frame in a front-rear direction of the machine body; and

one of the pair of first actuators that is at the front of the spindle is offset from the front support portion in the width direction, and overlaps the front support portion in a side view of the machine body when the second actuator is fully contracted.

2 . The crawler traveling device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of first actuators is a hydraulic cylinder that is driven to extend and contract by a hydraulic fluid delivered by a hydraulic pump.

3 . The crawler traveling device according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a mount frame that supports the third wheel,

wherein each of the pair of first actuators extends in the vertical direction and couples the support frame and the mount frame to each other, and

wherein the pair of first actuators changes a distance between the support frame and the mount frame to change the position of the support frame in the vertical direction with respect to the third wheel.

4 . The crawler traveling device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are driven wheels that apply tension to the crawler, and

wherein the third wheel is a driving wheel that is rotatably driven by power transmitted thereto.

5 . The crawler traveling device according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a plurality of rollers that are attached to the support frame and that are spaced from each other,

wherein a distance between, among the plurality of rollers, the roller adjacent to the first wheel and the first wheel is longer than a distance between the roller adjacent to the second wheel and the second wheel.

6 . The crawler traveling device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the second actuator is a hydraulic cylinder that is driven to extend and contract by a hydraulic fluid delivered by a hydraulic pump.

7 . A working machine comprising:

a plurality of the crawler traveling devices according to claim 1 ; and

a machine body that has a mount portion on which a working device is mountable,

wherein the plurality of crawler traveling devices include a crawler traveling device that is provided on one side in a width direction of the machine body and a crawler traveling device that is provided on another side in the width direction.

8 . The working machine according to claim 7 , comprising:

a battery that stores electric power; and

a charging display to display information on charging of the battery,

wherein the machine body has an exterior body that houses equipment and/or a device provided at the machine body, and

wherein the charging display is provided at a side wall of the exterior body that has a plate surface facing in the width direction of the machine body and reports a state of the battery from the side wall outward in the width direction of the machine body.

9 . The working machine according to claim 7 , wherein each vehicle-height changing mechanism independently changes a position of the support frame in the vertical direction with respect to the third wheel.

10 . A working machine comprising:

a plurality of the crawler traveling devices according to claim 1 ; and

a machine body that has a mount portion on which a working device is mountable,

wherein the plurality of crawler traveling devices include a pair of crawler traveling devices that are spaced from each other in a width direction of the machine body and that are provided at a front portion of the machine body, and a pair of crawler traveling devices that are spaced from each other in the width direction and that are provided at a rear portion of the machine body.

11 . The working machine according to claim 10 , comprising:

a battery that stores electric power; and

a charging display to display information on charging of the battery,

wherein the machine body has an exterior body that houses equipment and/or a device provided at the machine body, and

wherein the charging display is provided at a side wall of the exterior body that has a plate surface facing in the width direction of the machine body and is disposed between the pair of crawler traveling devices provided at the front portion of the machine body and the pair of crawler traveling devices provided at the rear portion of the machine body, the charging display being operable to report a state of the battery from the side wall outward in the width direction of the machine body.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 19, 2022
From: NISHI, KEISHIRO
To: KUBOTA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061236/0174 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-003766 · Jan 14, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2020047683 · Dec 21, 2020
Related Publication 20220315137A1 · Oct 6, 2022
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