IP Library Granted Patent US 8,720,634
Granted Patent B2
US 8,720,634 · App. 13/343,505 · Granted May 13, 2014

Working vehicle

Inventors: Koji Takahashi (Tokyo, JP); Nobuhiko Suzuki (Tokyo, JP); Tomoji Utsugi (Kawagoe, JP)
Assignees: Mamiya-Op Co., Ltd.; Carib Design Service Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,720,634
App. No.
13/343,505
Granted
May 13, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention is a working vehicle that has high practicality and a high degree of freedom of a turning operation. A lawn mowing vehicle includes a lawn mowing unit that includes drum wheels driven so as to rotate about an axis Ax 1 extending in a vehicle width direction as a rotational center, a frame that is connected to the lawn mowing unit, and a steering drive device that is provided in the frame. The steering drive device includes a pair of steered wheels that is disposed in the vehicle width direction, steering units that can independently steer the pair of steered wheels respectively, and wheel driving units that can rotationally drive the pair of steered wheels.

Claims (42)

1. A working vehicle comprising:

a working unit that includes non-steered wheels driven so as to rotate about an axis extending in a vehicle width direction as a rotational center;

a frame that is connected to the working unit; and

a steering drive device that is provided in the frame,

wherein the steering drive device includes a pair of steered wheels that is disposed in the vehicle width direction, a steering device that independently steers the pair of steered wheels respectively,

a driving device that rotationally drives at least one steered wheel of the pair of steered wheels,

a caster angle of the steering device is set to 0° with respect to each of the pair of steered wheels,

a king pin axis of the steering device is set to be orthogonal to a rotation axis of each of the pair of steered wheels, and

the king pin axis of the steering device is set to a predetermined position that is separated from a middle of the width of each of the pair of steered wheels.

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

a rocking member that extends in the vehicle width direction and is connected to the frame so as to rock about an oscillation axis extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body,

wherein the pair of steered wheels is provided on the rocking member with the steering device interposed therebetween.

3. The working vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the frame is connected to the working unit 2 so as to be rotatable about the axis and immovable in a direction of the axis.

4. The working vehicle according to claim 1 ,

wherein the predetermined position is a position on a boundary of a contact area where each of the pair of steered wheels comes into contact with a road surface, or a position close to the boundary.

5. A working vehicle comprising,

a working unit that includes non-steered wheels driven so as to rotate about an axis extending in a vehicle width direction as a rotational center;

a frame that is connected to the working unit; and

a steering drive device that is provided in the frame,

wherein the steering drive device includes a pair of steered wheels that is disposed in the vehicle width direction, a steering device that independently steers the pair of steered wheels respectively,

a driving device that rotationally drive at least one steered wheel of the pair of steered wheels, and

wherein the frame includes inclined portions that are connected to the working unit and extend obliquely toward the upper side of the working unit and horizontal portions that extend from the inclined portions in the lateral direction.

6. A working vehicle comprising,

a working unit that includes non-steered wheels driven so as to rotate about an axis extending in a vehicle width direction as a rotational center;

a frame that is connected to the working unit; and

a steering drive device that is provided in the frame,

wherein the steering drive device includes a pair of steered wheels that is disposed in the vehicle width direction, a steering device that independently steers the pair of steered wheels respectively,

a driving device that rotationally drives at least one steered wheel of the pair of steered wheels, and

the driving device includes driving parts that are provided at the pair of steered wheels respectively and the driving parts are disposed within the inner peripheries of the pair of steered wheels respectively.

7. A working vehicle comprising,

a working unit that includes non-steered wheels driven so as to rotate about an axis extending in a vehicle width direction as a rotational center;

a frame that is connected to the working unit; and

a steering drive device that is provided in the frame,

wherein the steering drive device includes a pair of steered wheels that is disposed in the vehicle width direction, a steering device that independently steers the pair of steered wheels respectively,

a driving device that rotationally drives at least one steered wheel of the pair of steered wheels, and

a lawn mowing unit, which is disposed on a vehicle body in front of the pair of steered wheels, is provided as the working unit, and

the lawn mowing unit includes a pair of rotating bodies, which is disposed adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction and of which the lengths in the vehicle width direction are larger than the diameters of the non-steered wheels, and a cutting blade unit that is provided in front of the pair of rotating bodies and mows lawn.

8. The working vehicle according to claim 7 ,

wherein a caster angle of the steering device is set to 0° with respect to each of the pair of steered wheels, a king pin axis of the steering device is set to be orthogonal to a rotation axis of each of the pair of steered wheels, and the king pin axis of the steering device is set to a predetermined position that is separated from a middle of the width of each of the pair of steered wheels.

9. The working vehicle according to claim 8 ,

wherein the predetermined position is a position on a boundary of a contact area where each of the pair of steered wheels comes into contact with a road surface, or a position close to the boundary.

Assignments (2)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE AND ADDRESS: TO CARIB DESIGN SERVICE INC.; MAMIYA-OP CO., LTD. ADDRESS HI GOTANDA SHOULD BE TWO WORDS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 027478 FRAME 0607. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CARIB DESIGN SERVICE INC MAMIYA-OP CO., LTD. HI GOTANDA. Recorded Jan 19, 2012
From: TAKAHASHI, KOJI; SUZUKI, NOBUHIKO; UTSUGI, TOMOJI
To: MAMIYA-OP CO., LTD.; CARIB DESIGN SERVICE INC.
Reel/Frame 027560/0466 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 4, 2012
From: TAKAHASHI, KOJI; SUZUKI, NOBUHIKO; UTSUGI, TOMOJI
To: MAMIYA-OP CO., LTD.; CARIB DESIGN SERVICE INC. JAPAN
Reel/Frame 027478/0607 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2011-189837 · Aug 31, 2011 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130047566A1 · Feb 28, 2013