IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,302,772
Granted Patent B2
US 12,302,772 · App. 18/210,140 · Granted May 20, 2025

Working vehicle

Inventors: Toru Tambo (Sakai, JP); Shunsuke Miyashita (Sakai, JP); Yasuaki Morioka (Sakai, JP); Kunihiko Nishino (Sakai, JP); Misako Kikumoto (Sakai, JP)
Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
A01B69/008B60Q9/00B60W60/0053A01B76/00B60W2300/15B60W2300/152B60W2300/156B60W2300/158
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,302,772
App. No.
18/210,140
Granted
May 20, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

To stably and safely perform automatic steering during rearward travel of a working vehicle, the working vehicle includes a vehicle body to be manually steered with a steering wheel or automatically steered to travel forward or rearward, a prime mover on the vehicle body, a working implement supported on the vehicle body, a power take-off (PTO) shaft to transmit power from the prime mover to the working implement, and a controller to control automatic steering of the vehicle body and driving of the PTO shaft. The controller is configured or programmed to allow the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body when the PTO shaft is in a stopped state, and prohibit the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body when the PTO shaft is in a driven state.

Claims (43)

1. A working vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body to be manually steered with a steering wheel or automatically steered to travel forward or rearward;

a prime mover on the vehicle body;

a working implement supported on the vehicle body;

a power take-off (PTO) shaft to transmit power from the prime mover to the working implement; and

a controller to control automatic steering of the vehicle body and driving of the PTO shaft; wherein

the controller is configured or programmed to:

allow the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body when the PTO shaft is in a stopped state; and

prohibit the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body when the PTO shaft is in a driven state.

2. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a PTO operation actuator to control the driving of the PTO shaft and to be moved from a neutral position to a driving position; wherein:

the controller is configured or programmed to, when the PTO operation actuator is in the neutral position and the PTO shaft is in the stopped state, allow the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body; and

the controller is configured or programmed to, upon movement of the PTO operation actuator to the driving position to allow the PTO shaft to be driven, prohibit the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body.

3. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a position detector to detect a position of the vehicle body;

a defining switch to be operated to issue an instruction to define a reference travel line based on which the automatic steering is performed; and

a steering switch to be operated to issue an instruction to start or stop the automatic steering; wherein:

the controller is configured or programmed to define the reference travel line in response to an operation of the defining switch based on positions of the vehicle body that were detected by the position detector while the vehicle body was manually steered to travel;

the controller is configured or programmed to, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is allowed, start the automatic steering in response to an operation of the steering switch to start the automatic steering, perform the automatic steering based on the reference travel line and on the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector, and stop the automatic steering in response to an operation of the steering switch to stop the automatic steering; and

the controller is configured or programmed to, if the automatic steering during the rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited, not start or stop the automatic steering in response to the operation of the steering switch.

4. The working vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a notifier to provide a notification indicating that the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

5. The working vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the notifier is operable to further provide a notification including guidance which is a prompt for the PTO shaft to be stopped.

6. The working vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

7. The working vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

8. The working vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a position detector to detect a position of the vehicle body;

a defining switch to be operated to issue an instruction to define a reference travel line based on which the automatic steering is performed; and

a steering switch to be operated to issue an instruction to start or stop the automatic steering; wherein:

the controller is configured or programmed to define the reference travel line in response to an operation of the defining switch based on positions of the vehicle body that were detected by the position detector while the vehicle body was manually steered to travel;

the controller is configured or programmed to, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is allowed, start the automatic steering in response to an operation of the steering switch to start the automatic steering, perform the automatic steering based on the reference travel line and on the position of the vehicle body detected by the position detector, and stop the automatic steering in response to an operation of the steering switch to stop the automatic steering; and

the controller is configured or programmed to, if the automatic steering during the rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited, not start or stop the automatic steering in response to the operation of the steering switch.

9. The working vehicle according to claim 8 , further comprising a notifier to provide a notification indicating that the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

10. The working vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the notifier is operable to further provide a notification including guidance which is a prompt for the PTO shaft to be stopped.

11. The working vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

12. The working vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

13. The working vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a notifier to provide a notification indicating that the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

14. The working vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the notifier is operable to further provide a notification including guidance which is a prompt for the PTO shaft to be stopped.

15. The working vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

16. The working vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

17. The working vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising a notifier to provide a notification indicating that the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

18. The working vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein the notifier is operable to further provide a notification including guidance which is a prompt for the PTO shaft to be stopped.

19. The working vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

20. The working vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein the notifier is operable to provide the notification when an instruction to start the automatic steering is issued, if the automatic steering during rearward travel of the vehicle body is prohibited.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 20, 2023
From: TAMBO, TORU; MIYASHITA, SHUNSUKE; MORIOKA, YASUAKI; NISHINO, KUNIHIKO; KIKUMOTO, MISAKO
To: KUBOTA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064331/0775 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-219799 · Dec 29, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2021047617 · Dec 22, 2021
Related Publication 20230320248A1 · Oct 12, 2023
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