Work vehicle

• US 10,639,983 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Takaki, Go, Matsumori, Takahito, Miyashita, Shunsuke, Yamanaka, Yukifumi, Sakai, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Edwin A
• Application Number:
  US15/842,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20180264928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/344 having a transfer gear
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/356 having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel B60K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/405 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/30 Control strategies involving selection of transmission gear ratio control of change speed gearings, together with other vehicle sub-units B60W10/10; HEV transmission gearing B60K6/36; gearings and control thereof F16H
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0088 Adaptive recalibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 : Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 : Off-Road Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/72 : Continous variable transmissions [CVT]
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 23/005 : with integrated chassis in the whole shell, e.g. meshwork, tubes, or the like B62D33/044 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

A work vehicle includes an assist motor that is located opposite an engine with respect to a continuously variable transmission device. The assist motor has an output shaft that extends coaxially with a drive shaft of the continuously variable transmission device and is interlocked with the drive shaft. A motor support platform that supports the assist motor protrudes more outward than the continuously variable transmission device does in a lateral direction relative to a vehicle body. The motor support platform includes a slide movement mechanism, and the slide movement mechanism is configured to change the position at which the assist motor is attached, relative to the continuously variable transmission device, axially of the drive shaft, between a connected position and a disconnected position of the drive shaft and the output shaft.

Claims

1. A work vehicle comprising:

an engine;

a continuously variable transmission device that is located on a lateral side of the engine and receives a driving force from the engine, the continuously variable transmission device having a drive shaft;

an assist motor that is located opposite the engine across the continuously variable transmission device, the assist motor having an output shaft that extends coaxially with the drive shaft and is interlocked with the drive shaft;

a motor support platform that supports the assist motor, the motor support platform protruding more outward than the continuously variable transmission device does in a lateral direction relative to a vehicle body; and

a slide movement mechanism that is provided for the motor support platform, the slide movement mechanism being configured to change a position at which the assist motor is attached, relative to the continuously variable transmission device, axially of the drive shaft, between a connected position and a disconnected position of the drive shaft and the output shaft.

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

a vehicle frame to which the engine and the continuously variable transmission device are attached;

wherein the motor support platform includes an extension frame portion that protrudes more outward than the continuously variable transmission device attached to the vehicle frame does in a lateral direction relative to the vehicle body, and a motor attachment frame that is attached to the extension frame portion so as to be movable relative to the extension frame portion,

the slide movement mechanism is provided between the extension frame portion and the motor attachment frame, and

the assist motor is attached to the motor attachment frame.

3. The work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the slide movement mechanism includes an elongated slot that is formed in one of the extension frame portion and the motor attachment frame and extends axially of the drive shaft, and a guide member that is formed on the other of the extension frame portion and the motor attachment frame and is guided by being engaged with the elongated slot.

4. A multipurpose vehicle comprising:

a pair of right and left front wheels and a pair of right and left rear wheels;

a vehicle frame that is supported by the front wheels and the rear wheels;

a driving section that is located on a front portion of the vehicle frame;

a load carrying platform that is located on the vehicle frame at a position that is rearward of the driving section;

an engine and an assist motor that transmit driving forces to the front wheels and the rear wheels, the engine being located below the load carrying platform, the assist motor being located forward of the rear wheels and laterally outward of the engine, and the assist motor including a connection terminal portion, to which a wire is connected, in an upper portion thereof; and

a motor cover that covers the assist motor, the motor cover including a top cover portion that covers an upper portion of the assist motor, the upper portion including the connection terminal portion, and a cover supporting portion that supports the top cover portion, the cover supporting portion including an opening portion that allows external air to come into contact with the assist motor.

5. The multipurpose vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the motor cover covers a bottom surface of the assist motor, a rear surface of the assist motor, which faces a front side of the rear wheels, and the connection terminal portion and the vicinity thereof, and

a front surface and right and left surfaces of the assist motor are open to the outside through the opening portion.

6. The multipurpose vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising:

a motor support platform that protrudes laterally outward from the vehicle frame, and on which the assist motor is mounted; and

a continuously variable transmission mechanism that is provided on a lateral side of the engine,

wherein the cover supporting portion is attached to the motor support platform at a position that is laterally outward of the continuously variable transmission mechanism, and

the top cover portion is coupled to the vehicle frame at a position that is forward of the motor support platform.

7. A work vehicle comprising:

an acceleration tool;

an accelerator sensor that detects an operation amount of the acceleration tool;

a vehicle speed sensor that detects a vehicle speed;

an electric motor that outputs travelling power;

a rotation sensor that detects a rotation speed of the electric motor;

a control unit that controls an operation of the electric motor;

wherein the control unit includes;

a storage section that stores data that indicates a relationship between the rotation speed and output torque of the electric motor;

a torque setting section that sets a torque instruction value based on the data, detection performed by the accelerator sensor and detection performed by the rotation sensor; and

a torque controller section that controls an operation of the electric motor so that the output torque reaches the torque instruction value,

the storage section stores a torque limit value that has been set based on a speed limit value of the vehicle,

the control unit includes a limit value optimizer section,

if the torque instruction value reaches the torque limit value when the vehicle speed has not reached the speed limit value, the limit value optimizer section performs limit value lowering processing to lower the torque limit value so that the vehicle speed increases toward the speed limit value, and

if the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit value, the limit value optimizer section performs limit value raising processing to raise the torque limit value so that the vehicle speed decreases toward the speed limit value.

8. The work vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the limit value optimizer section performs integral control using the speed limit value as a target value and the vehicle speed as a control amount, to perform the limit value raising processing.