JP7625841B2 - Work vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to work vehicles such as agricultural tractors, and in particular to the installation configuration of status indicator lights that display the vehicle's status, such as when it is autonomously traveling.

A known work vehicle is equipped with a status detection unit that detects the status of an autonomously driven vehicle body and a status display unit that displays the detected status, with the status display unit being positioned outside the cabin of the work vehicle, outside the traveling vehicle body, and inside the outer end of the traveling vehicle body (Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-137159 A

The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to provide high visibility while preventing damage. However, in the above configuration, the status display unit is installed inside the outer end of the body of the traveling vehicle, so it may be in a blind spot for an outside observer. On the other hand, if the status display unit is installed outside the outer end of the vehicle body so that it can be seen from a wide angle, there is a risk that when a cover such as a rain cover that covers the entire vehicle is placed over the status display unit, the cover may get caught on the status display unit and cause damage.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a work vehicle equipped with a status indicator light that can be seen from anywhere while preventing damage.

This invention takes the following technical measures to solve the above problems:

The first invention provides a cabin (16) surrounding a driver's seat (7) with status indicator lights (40) for indicating the status of a vehicle body (1) running through brackets (41, 42) and a cabin door (50) for an operator to enter and exit the cabin (16),
This work vehicle is characterized in that the status indicator light (40) is provided near the cabin door (50) so as to be changeable between a working position in which it protrudes above the cabin roof (22) and a stored position in which it is positioned above the upper end of the cabin door (50) and to the side of the cabin roof (22 ) and below the cabin roof (22), and does not protrude above the cabin roof (22).
The second present invention is a work vehicle of the first present invention, in which a support seat bracket (42) that supports and fixes a status indicator light (40) is configured to be fastened at two points with bolts (43) to an indicator light bracket (41) fixed to the cabin (16) side, one of the two bolts (43a) is configured to be able to change its position along an arc-shaped guide (41a) formed on the indicator light bracket (41) with the other bolt (43b) as the center, and the status indicator light (40) can be folded down toward the cabin door (50) toward the rear of the vehicle body and is configured to be able to be changed between an upright working position and a folded storage position.
The third present invention is a work vehicle according to the first or second present invention, which is provided with a positioning unit (25) that measures the position of the vehicle body (1) above the cabin roof (22), a protective frame (33L, 33R) that protects the positioning unit (25), and is configured so that the upper end of the status indicator light (40) in the working position is lower than the protective frame (33L, 33R), and the status indicator light (40) is located inside the vehicle body (1) relative to side mirrors (47, 47) provided on the cabin (16).
The first invention related to the present invention provides a status indicator light 40 in a cabin 16 surrounding a driver's seat 7, which displays the status of a traveling vehicle body 1 via brackets 41, 42, and the status indicator light 40 is arranged so as to be changeable between an operating position in which it protrudes above the cabin roof 22, and a storage position in which it does not protrude above the cabin roof 22.

A second invention related to the present invention is the first invention related to the present invention , in which a cabin door 50 is provided for an operator to enter and exit the cabin 16, and when the status indicator light 40 is in the stored position, it is configured to be positioned above the upper end of the cabin door 50 and below the cabin roof 22.

A third invention related to the present invention is the first or second invention related to the present invention , in which a support seat bracket 42 which supports and fixes a status indicator light 40 is configured to be fastened at two points with bolts 43 to an indicator light bracket 41 fixed to the cabin 16 side, and one of the two points 43a is configured to be able to change its position along an arc-shaped guide 41a formed on the indicator light bracket 41, centered on the other bolt 43b, so as to be able to be changed between an upright working position and a laid-down storage position.

A fourth invention related to the present invention is any of the first to third inventions related to the present invention , in which a positioning unit 25 for measuring the position of the vehicle body 1 is provided above the cabin roof 22, protective frames 33L, 33R for protecting the positioning unit 25 are provided, the upper end of the status indicator light 40 in the working position is lower than the protective frames 33L, 33R, and the status indicator light 40 is configured to be located inside the vehicle body 1 more than the side mirrors 47, 47 provided on the cabin 16.

According to the present invention, by raising the status indicator light 40 during work travel and projecting it above the cabin roof 22, it can be seen by observers in the vicinity from anywhere, and by storing it when not traveling, such as when parked in a barn, the storage space can be saved, and when a rain or dust cover is placed over the entire vehicle body, excessive load is not placed on the status indicator light 40, preventing damage.
According to the first invention related to the present invention , by raising the status indicator light 40 during work travel and projecting it above the cabin roof 22, it can be seen by observers in the vicinity from anywhere, and by storing it when not traveling, such as when parked in a barn, the storage space can be saved, and when a rain or dust cover is placed over the entire vehicle body, excessive load is not placed on the status indicator light 40, preventing damage.

According to the second invention related to the present invention , in addition to the effects of the first invention related to the present invention , the cabin door 50 can be opened and closed even when the status indicator light 40 is in the stored position, allowing passengers to freely get in and out of the driver's section.

According to the third aspect of the present invention , in addition to the effects of the first or second aspect of the present invention , the position of the status indicator lamp 40 can be easily changed by tightening the bolt.

According to the fourth invention related to the present invention , in addition to the effects of any one of the first to third inventions related to the present invention , when the rain or dust cover is placed on the vehicle body, the load on the cover can be distributed even if the status indicator lamp 40 is in the working position, and damage can be prevented even if the cover is placed on the vehicle body while in the working position.

1 is a side view of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front top perspective view of a cabin of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view of a cabin of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from below and in front; 1 is a perspective view of a roof of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above and in the front; 1 is a perspective view of a roof of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above and behind. FIG. 2 is a side view of the front upper part of a cabin of the tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a status indicator light and its supporting structure on the right side of the vehicle body of the tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a status indicator light and its supporting structure on the left side of the vehicle body of the tractor according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a positioning unit, a communication control unit, and a supporting structure of a tractor according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from the rear. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

When referring to a pair of left and right components, the symbols L and R will be used to denote the left side of the vehicle body 1 and the right side, respectively, and in some cases the letters L and R will be omitted.

Figure 1 shows a tractor, with a diesel engine E mounted inside a bonnet 2 at the front of the vehicle body 1. The rotational power of the engine E is transmitted to a transmission in a transmission case 3, and the rotational power is reduced by the transmission and transmitted to front wheels 4 and rear wheels 5. A steering wheel 6 for steering the front wheels 4 is provided behind the engine E, and a driver's seat 7 is installed behind the steering wheel 6. A hydraulic cylinder case 8 is provided at the upper rear of the transmission case 3, and lift arms 9, which form part of a hydraulic lifting mechanism, are attached to both the left and right sides of the cylinder case 8 so that they can be rotated. The lift arms 9 move up and down by the extension and contraction of a lifting hydraulic cylinder 10. A three-point link mechanism consisting of a top link 11 and left and right lower links 12 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body, and a rotary working machine R is attached to the link mechanism. The lower links 12 are connected to the lift arms 9 via lift rods 13, allowing the working machine R to be lifted and lowered.

The steering wheel 6, driver's seat 7, etc. are covered by a cabin 16. The cabin 16 is fixed to the vehicle body via an elastic member such as anti-vibration rubber, which makes it difficult for vibrations of the vehicle body to be transmitted to the cabin 16.

The cabin 16 is made up of a floor 17, front pillars 18 erected at the front left and right of the floor 17, rear pillars 20 erected at the rear left and right of the driver's seat 7, intermediate pillars 62 erected at the middle of the left and right fenders 19, and an upper frame 21 connecting the upper ends of these pillars, and is covered with a roof 22.

The roof 22 of the cabin 16 is equipped with driving support devices such as a surveillance camera, an obstacle sensor, a positioning controller, and a camera controller. The mounting configuration of these devices will be described in detail below. The surveillance camera 23 captures images of the front, rear, and sides of the tractor body to obtain image data, and the positioning controller 25 as a positioning unit transmits and outputs information for calculating the position of the body to a control unit C equipped on the body 1 via a camera controller 27 as a communication control unit that communicates with a communication terminal. The obstacle sensor 24 is, for example, an infrared sensor, and can detect obstacles in front of and behind the body. In this embodiment, the camera controller 27 is given as an example of a communication control unit, but it may be replaced by a controller that calculates and controls sensor information from each part of the body 1.

The positioning controller 25 is equipped with a positioning antenna (not shown), a base station (not shown) information receiving antenna 26, a calculation unit (not shown), and an output unit (not shown). The positioning antenna acquires satellite signals from GPS satellites, etc., and the calculation unit processes the satellite signals and correction signals received by the antenna 26 from the base station to calculate the vehicle's position information, driving direction, etc. This position information, etc. is transmitted to the control unit C by the output unit.

The camera controller 27 also includes a calculation unit that processes the image data captured by the surveillance camera 23, a transmission circuit (not shown) that transmits the calculation results, and multiple (two in the illustrated example) communication antennas 28. The calculation results of the image data are transmitted to a control unit C mounted on the vehicle body 1.

The location information, image data, etc. sent to the control unit C can be configured to be sent to an external management server, and by providing a communication terminal (e.g., a mobile terminal) capable of communicating with this management server, it is possible to obtain information about the vehicle body 1 through this communication terminal, check the vehicle body condition, or remotely operate the vehicle body 1.

The housing 27a housing the camera controller 27 and the housing 25a housing the calculation unit of the positioning controller 25 are disposed above the front side of the roof 22. That is, a band-shaped front frame 31 is provided that is supported in a horizontal position so as to span between bracket members 30L, 30R fixed to the front support 18 or upper frame 21, and the housing 27a of the camera controller and the housing 25a of the positioning controller 25 are fixedly supported in the front and rear positions at the left and right intermediate portions of the front frame 31. The front frame 31 is disposed so as to be positioned slightly forward of the top end of the windshield 51 in a side view of the vehicle body 1.

In detail, a forward protrusion (protrusion frame) 32f that is U-shaped in plan view is fixed to the front wall of the front frame 31 at the center of the left and right, and a rear protrusion (protrusion frame) 32r that is similarly U-shaped and somewhat long is fixed to the rear wall, and a flat plate 32a is fixed to the upper surfaces of the front and rear protrusions 32f and 32r, thereby forming a control unit bracket 32 that straddles the front and rear of the front frame 31. Then, the housing 27a of the camera controller 27 is fixed to the front position, and the housing 25a of the positioning controller 25 is fixed to the upper surface of this control unit bracket 32, with the housing 27a positioned in the front position and the housing 25a positioned in the rear position, respectively. For example, a flange portion formed on the housing side is overlapped with the control unit bracket 32, and the overlapping portion is bolted.

Antenna guards 33L, 33R are provided on the left and right sides of the control unit bracket 32 as protective frames. That is, a round bar is formed into a U-shape, and the lower ends of the front legs 33Lf, 33Rf are inserted into small receiving parts 34L, 34R fixed in a forward protruding state from the upper end of the front frame 31 and fixed with nuts or the like. On the other hand, the rear legs 33Lr, 33Rr of the antenna guards 33L, 33R are provided so as to be close to and in contact with the upper surface of the cabin roof 22, and a shock-absorbing rubber 35 is provided at their lower ends. Specifically, the cylindrical rubber 35L, 35R is inserted from the lower end of the rear legs 33Lr, 33Rr. With this configuration, even if the antenna guards 33L, 33R are pressed by vehicle body vibration or external force and come into contact with the cabin roof 22, the upper surface will not be damaged. The antenna guards 33L and 33R are set to a height equal to or greater than the height of the antenna 26 of the positioning controller 25 and the height of the communication antennas 28, 28 of the camera controller 27. They are slightly wider than the left-right width of the housing 25a of the positioning controller 25 and the housing 27a of the camera controller 27, and are positioned slightly higher than the antennas 26, 28, 28, so that they can guard the housings 25a, 27a and the antennas 26, 28, 28.

In a side view, the antenna guards 33L, 33R are positioned so that they overlap the antenna 26 of the positioning controller 25 and the communication antennas 28, 28 of the camera controller 27, so that the antenna 26 can be protected when the hood member that covers the vehicle body to protect it from wind and rain is put on or removed, and there is little risk of damage due to unexpected interference.

The positioning controller 25 and camera controller 27 are arranged close to each other in the front and rear, so the harnesses 36 can be bundled together and run along the rear wall surface of the front frame 31, making the wiring work easier and improving the finished product.

A front camera 23f capable of capturing images of the area in front of the vehicle body 1 is disposed in front of the front frame 31. That is, a pair of camera brackets 37 are provided in the center of the front of the front frame 31, and the camera body is provided so that the image capturing angle can be adjusted up and down. Therefore, the front camera 23f can be protected by the control unit bracket 32 and camera controller 27 located above. Note that the positioning controller 25 as a positioning unit and the camera controller 27 as a communication control unit can be arranged in an interchangeable order, but if the positioning controller 25 is arranged in the front position, it can be protected by the control unit bracket 32 and positioning controller 25.

At the rear end of the control unit bracket 32, a flat plate 32a is fixed to the upper surfaces of the front and rear protrusions 32f, 32r to keep the gap with the cabin roof 22 constant. However, since there is a risk of the bracket 32 swinging back and forth around the contact point with the front frame 31, a treatment is provided to prevent damage due to contact with the roof 22. In other words, a buffer material 38 is provided below the rear end of the control unit bracket 32. With this configuration, vibrations transmitted from the roof 22 of the cabin 16 can be suppressed, preventing damage due to contact with the roof 22.

Next, the installation configuration of the status indicator lamp 40 that displays the status during autonomous driving when the traveling vehicle body 1 is configured to be capable of autonomous driving will be described. The status indicator lamp 40 is configured to be layered and can light up different warning colors, and can distinguish the status of the vehicle body 1 during autonomous driving by various lighting methods, for example, by lighting up green for normal work driving, lighting up red for abnormality, lighting up yellow for obstacle detection, and flashing when the vehicle is stopped, and is arranged on the left and right front of the cabin 16. That is, the support seat bracket 42 is fixed to the indicator lamp bracket 41 on the front support pillar 18 of the cabin 16, and the above-mentioned status indicator lamp 40 is fixed in an upright position on this support seat bracket 42. The status indicator lamp 40 fixed to the support seat plate 42 is arranged so as to be located on the opposite side of the head position of the operator seated in the driver's seat 7 across the front support pillar 18, and during normal driving by various operations by the operator, the indicator lamp 40 can be hidden by the front support pillar 18 without obstructing the operator's field of vision.

The indicator light bracket 41 is fixed to the front support 18 by welding or the like, but the support seat bracket 42 is provided so that the angle can be freely changed relative to the indicator light bracket 41. In other words, the indicator light bracket 41 is fastened to the indicator light bracket 41 at two points by a combination of bolts 43 and nuts 44 so that it can be attached and detached. One of the two points 43a, 44a can be arbitrarily changed in position and fastened along the arc-shaped guide (arc-shaped guide hole) 41a formed in the indicator light bracket 41, centered on the other 43b, 44b. Therefore, the angle of the support seat plate 42 and the status indicator light 40 can be changed so that they can be collapsed backward together, and they can be switched between an upright working position and a collapsed storage position (Figure 7). The height of the support seat bracket 42 and the rotation angle of the status indicator light 40 are set (designed) so that they protrude above the cabin roof 22 in the upright working position, and do not protrude above the cabin roof 22 in the collapsed storage position. This allows the vehicle to be stored in the shed when not in motion, saving space in the shed. Furthermore, when the entire vehicle is covered, if the status indicator light 40 is in the upright position, it is susceptible to damage due to the load placed on it, but in the lying-down storage position, the load is reduced and damage can be prevented.

The status indicator light 40 in the stowed position is set to be located above the top of the cabin door 50 and below the cabin roof 22 (Figure 7). Therefore, even when the status indicator light 40 is in the stowed position, the cabin door 50 can be opened and closed, and there is no hindrance to raising and lowering.

As mentioned above, the support base bracket 42 is fastened to the indicator light bracket 41 at two points by bolts 43 and nuts 44 so that it can be detached from the indicator light bracket 41. One of these points, 43a and 44a, can be repositioned around the other point, 43b and 44b, along the arc-shaped guide hole 41a formed in the indicator light bracket 41. Therefore, the position can be easily changed by loosening one bolt 43b.

The support seat brackets are arranged on the left and right, and side cameras 23s, which are part of the surveillance camera 23, are arranged on the lower outer surface of each of the left and right support seat brackets 42L, 42R via camera brackets 45L, 45R. The side cameras 23s, 23s are arranged so that their vertical angles can be freely adjusted relative to the camera brackets 45L, 45R.

A bracket 46 for a side mirror is provided on the front support 18 of the cabin 16 below the indicator light bracket 41 that supports the indicator light 40, and a stay 48 having a side mirror 47 is attached to the front end of this bracket 45 so that it can be rotated freely around a vertical axis.

The status indicator light 40 is set in such a way that the top end of the status indicator light 40 in the upright position is lower than the height of the antenna guard 33, and the entire status indicator light 40 in the upright position is located inside the aircraft body relative to the side mirror 47. With this configuration, when the vehicle body is covered, the load can be distributed between the antenna guard 33 and the side mirror 47, and the load on the status indicator light 40 can be reduced even when the status indicator light 40 is in the upright position during work.

The side camera 23s is located inside the vehicle body 1 and below the status indicator lamp 40, and is protected by the status indicator lamp 40 and the side mirror 47, which is fixed to the front support 18 of the cabin 16.

1 Vehicle body 7 Driver's seat 16 Cabin 22 Cabin roof 25 Positioning unit 33L Antenna guard (protective frame)
33R Antenna guard (protective frame)
40 Status indicator light 41 Indicator light bracket (bracket)
41a: Arc-shaped guide 42: Support seat bracket (bracket)
43a Bolt 43b Bolt 47 Side mirror 50 Cabin door

Claims (3)

A cabin (16) surrounding a driver's seat (7) is provided with status indicator lights (40) for indicating the status of a traveling vehicle body (1) via brackets (41, 42) and a cabin door (50) for an operator to enter and exit the cabin (16);
The work vehicle is characterized in that the status indicator light (40) is provided near the cabin door (50) so as to be changeable between a working position in which it protrudes above the cabin roof (22) and a stored position in which it is located above the upper end of the cabin door (50), below the cabin roof (22) and to the side of the cabin roof (22) and does not protrude above the cabin roof (22). The work vehicle according to claim 1, in which the support seat bracket (42) that supports and fixes the status indicator lamp (40) is configured to be fastened at two points with bolts (43) to the indicator lamp bracket (41) fixed to the cabin (16), one of the two bolts (43a) is configured to be repositionable around the other bolt (43b) along an arc-shaped guide (41a) formed on the indicator lamp bracket (41), and the status indicator lamp (40) can be folded down toward the cabin door (50) toward the rear of the vehicle body, and is configured to be changed between an upright working position and a folded storage position. A work vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, which is provided with a positioning unit (25) that measures the position of the vehicle body (1) above the cabin roof (22), a protective frame (33L, 33R) that protects the positioning unit (25), the upper end of the status indicator light (40) in the working position is lower than the protective frame (33L, 33R), and the status indicator light (40) is located inside the vehicle body (1) more than the side mirrors (47, 47) provided on the cabin (16).

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