Riding type vehicle

• US 10,638,661 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Ryoichi, Kawada, Hirohiko, Kosegawa, Seishi, Yamane, Koga, Miyake, Etsuo, Watanabe, Masaki, Sakata, Koji, Shiba, Kenji, Onoda, Kosuke, Maehara, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Winner, Tony H
• Application Number:
  US15/473,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20170280621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 180 628, 180 648
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/64 mounted on a vehicle, e.g. a tractor, or drawn by an animal or a vehicle A01D34/695 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/828 Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 75/185 Avoiding collisions with obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/001 control systems B62D11/183 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 11/04 by means of separate power sources

Abstract

A riding type vehicle has a driving source, a left wheel and a right wheel, a transmission configured to receive power from the driving source to independently operate and drive the left wheel and the right wheel with regard to a rotation direction and a rotation speed, and caster wheels separately provided in a front-rear direction with respect to the left wheel and the right wheel, the riding type vehicle including two first sensors arranged on both left and right sides more to a front side than a rear end of the vehicle, the two first sensors configured to detect an obstacle target located on a rear side, the obstacle target being a target becoming an obstacle at the time of reversing or turning.

Claims

1. A riding vehicle having

a driving source,

a left wheel and a right wheel,

a transmission configured to receive power from the driving source to independently operate and drive the left wheel and the right wheel with regard to a rotation direction and a rotation speed, and

caster wheels separately provided in a front-rear direction with respect to the left wheel and the right wheel, wherein

the riding vehicle is capable of a rapid turn where only one of the left wheel and the right wheel rotates, or the left wheel and the right wheel rotate in opposite directions, the riding vehicle comprising:

a rapid turn detection section for detecting the vehicle performing the rapid turn; and

a turning speed suppression section for suppressing a turning speed, when the rapid turn is being performed, and a turning stability relationship amount, which is a physical quantity related to turning stability, is equal to or higher than a threshold.

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

a turning stability relationship sensor for detecting the turning stability relationship amount, wherein

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed, at a time when the rapid turn has been performed, and a detection value of the turning stability relationship amount is equal to or higher than the threshold.

3. The riding vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the turning stability relationship sensor is an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration in a left-right direction, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed, at the time when the rapid turn has been performed, and a detection value of the acceleration sensor is equal to or higher than the threshold.

4. The riding vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the turning stability relationship sensor is an angular velocity sensor for detecting an angular velocity of the vehicle around an axis in a vertical direction, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed, at the time when the rapid turn has been performed, and a detection value of the angular velocity sensor is equal to or higher than is the threshold.

5. The riding vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the transmission includes

a left hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a variable-capacity swash-plate left hydraulic pump, and a right hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a variable-capacity swash-plate right hydraulic pump,

the turning stability relationship sensor is a first pressure sensor, a second pressure sensor, a third pressure sensor, and a fourth pressure sensor,

the first pressure sensor detects a pressure of a first oil path connecting one port from among two ports of the left hydraulic pump, and one port from among two ports of the left hydraulic motor,

the second pressure sensor detects a pressure of a second oil path connecting another port from among two ports of the left hydraulic pump, and another port from among two ports of the left hydraulic motor,

the third pressure sensor detects a pressure of a third oil path connecting one port from among two ports of the right hydraulic pump, and one port from among two ports of the right hydraulic motor,

the fourth pressure sensor detects a pressure of a fourth oil path connecting another port from among two ports of the right hydraulic pump, and another port from among two ports of the right hydraulic motor, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed, at the time when the rapid turn has been performed, and an absolute value of a detection value of at least one pressure sensor from among the first pressure sensor, the second pressure sensor, the third pressure sensor, and the fourth pressure sensor is equal to or higher than the threshold.

6. The riding vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission includes

a left hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a variable-capacity swash-plate left hydraulic pump, and a right hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a variable-capacity swash-plate right hydraulic pump,

a left adjustment shaft for adjusting a hydraulic discharge amount of the left hydraulic pump,

a right adjustment shaft for adjusting a hydraulic discharge amount of the right hydraulic pump,

a left swing angle detection section for detecting a swing angle position of a left operation lever,

a right swing angle detection section for detecting a swing angle position of a right operation lever,

a left actuator, for driving a left swash plate operation lever, connected to the left adjustment shaft,

a right actuator, for driving a right swash plate operation lever, connected to the right adjustment shaft, and

a swash plate actuator control section for causing the discharge amount of the left hydraulic pump to change by controlling driving of the left actuator in accordance with a detection signal of the left swing angle detection section, and causes the discharge amount of the right hydraulic pump to change by controlling driving of the right actuator in accordance with a detection signal of the right swing angle detection section, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed by bringing the discharge amounts of the left hydraulic pump and the right hydraulic pump near to zero, or setting to substantially zero, by controlling driving of the left actuator and the right actuator.

7. The riding vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a clutch arranged between an output section of the driving source and an input section of the transmission; and

a switching mechanism including a switching actuator for engaging/disengaging power transmission through the clutch, wherein

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed by setting power transmission through the clutch to a half-transmission state, or cutting power transmission, by controlling driving of the switching actuator.

8. The riding vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the driving source is an engine, and the riding vehicle further comprises a throttle actuator for adjusting an opening of a throttle valve of the engine, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed by bringing the throttle valve near to a closed state, or closing a valve, by controlling driving of the throttle actuator.

9. The riding vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission includes

a left hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a left hydraulic pump, and a right hydraulic motor driven by a pressurized oil supply from a right hydraulic pump,

a left main oil path connecting the left hydraulic motor and the left hydraulic pump, and a left bypass valve connected between the left main oil path and an oil reservoir,

a left bypass actuator for switching a closing and opening of the left bypass valve,

a right main oil path connecting the right hydraulic motor and the right hydraulic pump, and a right bypass valve connected between the right main oil path and an oil reservoir, and

a right bypass actuator for switching a closing and opening of the right bypass valve, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed by setting the left bypass valve and the right bypass valve to an opened state at the same time by controlling driving of the left bypass actuator and the right bypass actuator.

10. The riding vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a left operation lever and a right operation lever arranged separately on both left and right sides and supported to be capable of swinging forward and backward, on surrounding parts of a driver'"'"'s seat, wherein

the rapid turn detection section has a left swing angle detection section for detecting a swing angle position of the left operation lever, a right swing angle detection section for detecting a swing angle position of the right operation lever, and a rapid turn determination section for determining whether or not the rapid turn is performed from detection values of the left swing angle detection section and the right swing angle detection section, and

the turning speed suppression section suppresses the turning speed, at a time when at least one of a swing angle centered on a left lever neutral position of the left operation lever and a swing angle centered on a right lever neutral position of the right operation lever, which are turning stability relationship amounts, is equal to or higher than the threshold, and the rapid turn determination section determines that the rapid turn has been performed.