JP7106473B2 - electric work vehicle - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric working vehicle provided with a battery unit capable of supplying power to a traveling motor capable of driving traveling wheels.

For example, an electric working vehicle disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a battery unit (“battery pack” in the literature) and a battery storage section capable of storing the battery unit, and the battery unit is detachable from the battery storage section. configured as possible. The battery unit has a capacity that allows mowing for a long period of time, but has a weight that is difficult for a worker to hold and carry. For this reason, the battery unit is provided with caster wheels (“wheels” in the document) so that the operator can easily carry the heavy battery unit. When the battery unit is attached to or detached from the battery housing, the battery unit is configured to be swingable around caster wheels.

JP 2018-11574 A

By the way, for example, when an operator performs maintenance work on a vehicle body or traveling wheels, it is conceivable that the operator lifts the vehicle body with a jack. Such maintenance work may have to be performed unexpectedly due to factors such as a breakdown while the work is being performed by the electric working vehicle. In such a case, it is desirable that proper maintenance be carried out at the site even if no jacks are available at the site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the circumstances described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric working vehicle that can be maintained with a simple configuration.

An electric working vehicle according to the present invention includes a vehicle body having traveling wheels, a traveling motor capable of driving the traveling wheels, and a pair of left and right caster wheels at one end of the vehicle, and is detachably attached to a battery storage section of the vehicle body, and a battery unit capable of supplying electric power to the travel motor, wherein the battery unit is mounted on the caster wheels and on the side opposite to the side where the caster wheels are located in a state of being removed from the battery storage section. The posture can be changed between a flat state in which the other end is grounded, and a tilted state in which the other end rotates around the axis of the caster wheel and can stand on its own in a state where the other end is positioned higher than the caster wheel. and a lifting member capable of lifting the one end side of the vehicle body is provided in a region of the battery unit on the side where the other end portion is located.

According to the present invention, the battery unit is used as a jack capable of lifting the vehicle body. The battery unit is provided with a lifting member, and when the battery unit is swung in an inclined state, the other end of the battery unit is lifted together with the lifting member. With this configuration, even if the operator suddenly needs to perform maintenance of the electric working vehicle due to a failure or other factor, the operator can remove the battery from the battery storage section and use the battery unit as a jack. can. As a result, it is possible to realize an electric working vehicle that can be maintained with a simple configuration.

In the present invention, a pair of left and right guide rails extending in the front-rear direction and capable of guiding the battery unit to the battery storage portion are provided on left and right side walls of the battery storage portion, and the lifting member is attached to the guide rails. A pair of left and right guide rollers rotatable along the guide rollers is preferable.

With this configuration, the pair of left and right guide rollers are used both as a rolling member that can rotate along the pair of left and right guide rails and as a lifting member that can lift the vehicle body. Therefore, compared to the case where the rolling member and the lifting member are configured separately, the number of parts is reduced, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

In the present invention, the front wheels of the traveling wheels are a pair of left and right driven wheels of a caster type, and the pair of left and right driven wheels are mounted on the front part of the vehicle body and are capable of swinging about the vertical axis of the driven wheels. It is preferable that a supporting portion is provided, and an engaging portion capable of being engaged with the lifting member is provided on each of the pair of right and left driven wheel supporting portions on the inner side of the body.

Since the driven wheel support portion supports the driven wheel that contacts the ground, it often has a structure extending in the vertical direction. With this configuration, since the driven wheel support portion is provided with the engaging portion, the vertical position of the engaging portion can easily correspond to the vertical position of the lifting member. This makes it easier to lift the vehicle body.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a handle capable of changing the attitude of the battery unit between the flat state and the tilted state is provided on the upper portion of the battery unit.

With this configuration, a lever force is applied to the handle when the operator operates the handle. This allows the operator to easily change the posture of the battery unit between the flat state and the tilted state.

In the present invention, the battery unit is provided with a stay positioned laterally outside of the pair of left and right caster wheels and through which a holder can be inserted. preferably the tilted state of is maintained.

With this configuration, the caster wheels can be restrained in the tilted state of the battery unit, and the tilted state of the battery unit is stably maintained.

It is a left side view of an electric mower. It is a top view of an electric mower. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a process of mounting the battery unit to the battery housing; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a process of mounting the battery unit to the battery housing; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a process of mounting the battery unit to the battery housing; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the battery unit is attached to the battery housing; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where the battery unit is positioned in front of the vehicle body; FIG. 5 is a side view showing a process of lifting the vehicle body by the battery unit; FIG. 4 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the front portion of the vehicle body and the battery unit; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the battery unit lifts the vehicle body; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the battery unit is towed by the vehicle body;

[Basic configuration of the electric working vehicle]
An example of an embodiment of an electric working vehicle according to the present invention will be described. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means forward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (running direction), and "rear" means rearward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (running direction). Further, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means a vehicle transverse direction (vehicle width direction) perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal direction. "Upper" or "lower" is a positional relationship in the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the vehicle body, and indicates a relationship in height above the ground. Moreover, the "passenger" and the "operator" in this embodiment may indicate the same person. In addition, "pulling" in this embodiment includes not only pulling an object, but also propulsion in which the object is pushed forward.

1 and 2 show an electric lawn mower as an example of an electric working vehicle. This electric lawn mower includes a vehicle body 1 , a pair of left and right front wheels 11 , 11 , a pair of left and right rear wheels 12 , 12 , a mower unit 2 , and a battery storage section 3 . A pair of left and right front wheels 11 , 11 are provided at the front portion of the vehicle body 1 , and a pair of left and right rear wheels 12 , 12 are provided at the rear portion of the vehicle body 1 . The “running wheels” in the present invention are a pair of left and right front wheels 11 and 11 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 12 and 12 . The mower unit 2 is supported in the lower part of the vehicle body 1 between a pair of left and right front wheels 11 and 12 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 12 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The battery storage unit 3 is supported between a pair of left and right rear wheels 12, 12 in the rear part of the vehicle body 1. As shown in FIG.

A vehicle body 1 is provided with a frame 10, and the frame 10 has a pair of left and right front and rear beams 10A, 10A and a cross beam (not shown). A pair of left and right front and rear beams 10A, 10A extend in the front and rear direction, respectively, and these front and rear beams 10A, 10A are connected by a cross beam. A front wheel 11 is supported through a driven wheel support portion 10B under the front end portions of the left and right front and rear beams 10A, 10A. A pair of left and right driven wheel support portions 10B, 10B are configured to be able to swing about a vertical axis, and a pair of left and right front wheels 11, 11 can swing about a vertical axis. That is, of the traveling wheels, the pair of left and right rear wheels 12, 12 are driving wheels, and the pair of left and right front wheels 11, 11 are caster-type driven wheels that can freely rotate.

A driver's seat 13, a rope frame 14, and the like are provided on the upper portion of the vehicle body 1. - 特許庁A driver's seat 13 is supported by the frame 10 , and the lower portion of the Rops frame 14 is connected to the frame 10 . A floor plate 15 is formed on the front side of the driver's seat 13 in the vehicle body 1, and the floor plate 15 is a footrest for passengers. The front end of the floor plate 15 is located on the rear side of the fuselage with respect to the front ends of the left and right front and rear beams 10A, 10A.

A pair of left and right travel motors 16 and 16 and a pair of left and right speed reduction mechanisms 17 and 17 are arranged at the rear portion of the frame 10 . The power of the traveling motor 16 on the right side of the machine body is transmitted to the rear wheel 12 on the right side of the machine body via the speed reduction mechanism 17 on the right side of the machine body. Further, the power of the traveling motor 16 on the left side of the machine body is transmitted to the rear wheel 12 on the left side of the machine body via the reduction mechanism 17 on the left side of the machine body.

A pair of left and right shift levers 18 , 18 are arranged on both left and right sides of the driver's seat 13 . When the passenger operates the shift lever 18 on the right side of the body to the neutral position, the traveling motor 16 on the right side of the body stops. When the passenger operates the shift lever 18 on the right side of the vehicle body to the forward direction, the travel motor 16 on the right side of the body rotates to the forward direction. When the passenger operates the shift lever 18 on the right side of the vehicle body to the reverse side, the travel motor 16 on the right side of the body rotates to the reverse side. Also, when the passenger operates the shift lever 18 on the left side of the body to the neutral position, the forward side, and the reverse side, the travel motor 16 on the left side of the body operates in the same manner as described above. Thus, the travel motor 16 is configured to be able to drive the rear wheels 12 as travel wheels. In other words, the left and right rear wheels 12, 12 are driven independently by the passenger operating the left and right shift levers 18, 18 independently. As a result, the electric mower can travel and turn.

The mower unit 2 includes a housing unit 20 , a cutting blade 21 , a cutting blade motor 22 and a link mechanism 23 . The lower portion of the housing unit 20 is opened downward, and the cutting blade 21 and the cutting blade motor 22 are accommodated in the housing unit 20 . Therefore, the front, rear, left, and right sides of the cutting blade 21 and the upper side of the cutting blade 21 are covered by the housing unit 20 . The cutting blade 21 is configured to be rotatable about the vertical axis inside the housing unit 20 by the power of the cutting blade motor 22 . The housing unit 20 is vertically suspended from the frame 10 by a link mechanism 23 .

As described above, the battery housing portion 3 is provided at the rear portion of the vehicle body 1, and the battery housing portion 3 is configured to be capable of housing the battery unit 4 therein. The battery unit 4 is configured to be able to supply electric power to the traveling motor 16 and the cutting blade motor 22 . A rear cover 30 is provided in the battery storage section 3 , and the rear cover 30 is configured to be swingable up and down in the front portion of the battery storage section 3 around the horizontal axis of the machine body. As a result, the upper portion of the battery housing portion 3 is covered with the rear cover 30 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 , the battery storage section 3 has a pair of left and right side walls 31 , 31 , a front wall 32 and a floor plate 33 . Left and right side walls 31 , 31 are fixed to the rear portion of the frame 10 . Front ends of the left and right side walls 31 , 31 are connected to the front wall 32 . Further, the lower ends of the side walls 31 and 31 and the lower end of the front wall 32 are connected to a horizontal floor plate 33 . A guide rail 34 and an auxiliary roller 35 are fixed to the left and right side walls 31, 31, respectively. The pair of left and right guide rails 34 , 34 has a channel-shaped cross section and extends in the front-rear direction so as to guide the battery unit 4 to the battery storage section 3 . The auxiliary roller 35 is rotatably provided slightly behind the rear end of the guide rail 34 . A stopper 36 made of an elastic body such as a spring or rubber is provided inside the channel near the front end of the guide rail 34 .

[Configuration of battery unit]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, in this embodiment, a truck-like carrier 40 is provided below the battery unit 4 . Although not described in detail, the carrier 40 is constructed by combining a plurality of frames, and the main body of the battery is placed and supported on the carrier 40 . As a result, the battery unit 4 can be transported by the carrier 40 without the need for another loading platform or the like.

A shoe 41 is attached downward to each of the right end and left end of the front lower portion of the carrier 40 . Right and left large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 for movement are rotatably provided at the lower rear portion of the carrier 40 via brackets. That is, the battery unit 4 has large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 as a pair of left and right caster wheels at one end.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a state removed from the battery storage section 3, a large-diameter caster wheel 42 as a caster wheel and a shoe 41 as the other end on the side opposite to the side where the large-diameter caster wheel 42 is located. and ground. This state is called a "flat state". The battery unit 4 can stand on its own by grounding the shoe 41 and the large-diameter caster wheel 42 . As shown in FIG. 4, the battery unit 4 can be smoothly moved by the large-diameter caster wheels 42 by floating the shoe 41 . The battery unit 4 rotates around the axis of the large-diameter caster wheel 42 and can stand on its own while the shoe 41 as the other end is positioned higher than the large-diameter caster wheel 42 (see FIG. 10). This state is called a "tilt state". A small-diameter caster wheel 43 is rotatably provided on the side portion of the rear end of the carrier 40 . By grounding the large-diameter caster wheels 42 and the small-diameter caster wheels 43, the tilted state of the battery unit 4 is maintained, and the battery unit 4 can freely move and stand on its own. In this way, the battery unit 4 is configured to be able to change its posture between the flat state and the tilted state when removed from the battery storage section 3 .

Guide rollers 44 are rotatably attached to the left and right side portions of the front portion of the carrier 40 . Further, guide rods 45 are provided behind the guide rollers 44, and the guide rods 45 extend in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides of the carrier 40, respectively.

A handle 46 is provided at the front upper end of the battery unit 4 and extends upward from the upper end of the battery unit 4 . The handle 46 is configured such that the battery unit 4 can be towed by a worker or the like who grips and pulls the handle 46 . Although not described in detail, the handle 46 is configured to be swingable around a horizontal axis at the upper end of the battery unit 4, and a locking mechanism (not shown) allows the handle 46 to maintain the swing angle with respect to the battery unit 4 at a set angle. It is configured as Note that this set angle is not limited to one angle, and is configured to be adjustable to a plurality of angles. Also, the length from the swing base end to the free end of the handle 46 can be changed as appropriate.

3 to 6 show the process of loading the battery unit 4 into the battery storage section 3. FIG. FIG. 3 shows the state before starting loading, in which the battery unit 4 is positioned behind the vehicle body 1 . The rear cover 30 is swung upward to open the rear and upper sides of the battery storage section 3 . Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the battery unit 4 is brought closer to the battery storage section 3, the guide rod 45 of the battery unit 4 is placed on the auxiliary roller 35 of the battery storage section 3, and the shoes 41 are moved up onto the floor plate 33. , the battery unit 4 is moved in an inclined state.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the operator moves the battery unit 4 toward the front of the machine body while returning it to the horizontal position, and moves the guide rollers 44 of the battery unit 4 into the guide rails 34 of the battery storage section 3 . Let The rolling support by the guide rails 34 and the guide rollers 44 and the rolling support by the auxiliary rollers 35 and the guide rods 45 allow the battery unit 4 to smoothly move forward in the horizontal posture. Then, as shown in FIG. 6 , the contact between the guide roller 44 and the stopper 36 restricts the forward movement of the battery unit 4 . Thus, the battery unit 4 has large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 as a pair of left and right caster wheels at one end, and is detachably attached to the battery storage section 3 of the vehicle body 1. As shown in FIG. The battery unit 4 can supply electric power to the traveling motor 16 while the battery unit 4 is housed in the battery housing portion 3 .

[Battery unit as a jack]
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the battery unit 4 can also be used as a jack for lifting the front portion of the vehicle body 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the width of the battery unit 4 in the left-right direction is configured to be smaller than the interval between the inner ends of the left and right front and rear beams 10A, 10A. Therefore, one of the front and rear ends of the battery unit 4 is positioned in the space S (see FIG. 2) surrounded by the front end regions of the pair of left and right front and rear beams 10A, 10A and the front end of the floor plate 15. It is possible to enter.

Connecting stays 10C, 10C are provided on the inner side portions of the left and right front wheels 11, 11, respectively. The connecting stay 10C is formed integrally with the front wheel 11. As shown in FIG. A downward inclined surface 10d is formed in the front portion of the connection stay 10C, and the inclined surface 10d is inclined upward toward the forward side. A semicircular recess 10e is formed in the rear portion of the connecting stay 10C, and the inner arc shape of the recess 10e has the same or substantially the same arc shape as the outer diameter of the guide roller 44. It is possible for the upper half portion to enter the recess 10e. In the front-rear direction, the arc-shaped surface of the concave portion 10e is inclined upward from the rear end portion of the inclined surface 10d.

7 to 10 show the process of lifting the front portion of the vehicle body 1 with the battery unit 4. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the battery unit 4 is arranged in front of the vehicle body 1 so that the side on which the large-diameter caster wheels 42 are located is positioned on the front side. That is, the front-rear direction of the battery unit 4 is opposite to the direction when it is housed in the battery housing portion 3 . Then, the operator or the like moves the battery unit 4 rearward while holding the handle 46, and causes the end of the battery unit 4 on the side where the guide rollers 44, 44 are located to enter the space S (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 9, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the spacing between the pair of left and right guide rollers 44, 44 and the spacing between the pair of left and right connection stays 10C, 10C are the same or substantially the same. As shown in FIG. 8, when the end portion of the battery unit 4 on the side where the guide rollers 44, 44 are located enters the space S, the battery unit 4 is pushed further rearward by an operator or the like. The guide rollers 44, 44 and the left and right connecting stays 10C, 10C are in contact with each other. Then, the guide roller 44 rolls backward along the inclined surface 10d, and the upper half portion of the guide roller 44 enters the concave portion 10e. As a result, the pair of left and right guide rollers 44, 44 and the pair of left and right connection stays 10C, 10C are engaged.

That is, a "lifting member" capable of lifting one end side of the vehicle body 1 is provided in the region of the other end of the battery unit 4 opposite to the side where the large-diameter caster wheel 42 is located. A pair of left and right guide rollers 44 , 44 are rotatable along the guide rail 34 . A pair of left and right connecting stays 10C, 10C as an "engagement portion" capable of engaging with a lifting member are provided on the inside of each of the pair of left and right driven wheel support portions 10B, 10B.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, when an operator or the like applies a leverage CCW1 toward the front of the fuselage to the handle 46, the entire battery unit 4 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 10 by the leverage CCW1. direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, the operator may apply a leverage CCW2 in the rearward direction of the fuselage to the end of the battery unit 4 on the side where the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 are located. In this case, the lever force CCW1 and the lever force CCW2 rotate the entire battery unit 4 counterclockwise in the plane of FIG. In this manner, the handle 46 provided on the upper portion of the battery unit 4 is configured to be capable of changing the posture of the battery unit 4 between the flat state and the tilted state.

When the battery unit 4 rotates as described above, the pair of left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 roll backward along the ground. Also, the pair of left and right guide rollers 44, 44 and the pair of left and right connection stays 10C, 10C are kept engaged. Therefore, as the pair of left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 roll backward, the pair of left and right guide rollers 44, 44 are lifted upward. That is, with the portion of the battery unit 4 where the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 are positioned on the front side, the portion of the battery unit 4 on the rear side of the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 tilts rearward upward. In other words, in a state where the portion of the battery unit 4 where the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 are located is on the front side, the portion of the battery unit 4 above the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 is tilted forward and upward. do. Then, the small-diameter caster wheel 43 positioned on the front side of the machine body touches the ground, and the rotation of the battery unit 4 stops. As a result, the front portion of the vehicle body 1 is lifted by the battery unit 4 .

A stay 47 extends from one or both of the left and right sides of the carrier 40 . With the shoe 41 and the large-diameter caster wheel 42 in contact with the ground, the stay 47 is inclined rearwardly downward, and the stay 47 and the large-diameter caster wheel 42 overlap when viewed from the side. The stay 47 is located laterally outside the large-diameter caster wheel 42 (on the front side of the paper in FIG. 10).

The lifted state of the vehicle body 1 is maintained in a state in which the pair of left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 and the small-diameter caster wheel 43 are in contact with the ground. At this time, the stay 47 extends along the vertical direction, a through hole 47a is formed in the lower end portion of the stay 47, and the holder 48 is inserted through the through hole 47a. The retainer 48 in this embodiment is a substantially straight bar. When the holder 48 is inserted into the through hole 47a, the holder 48 contacts the ground while extending in the front-rear direction. The holder 48 cannot swing with respect to the stay 47 . Since the holder 48 is in contact with the ground, the left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42 and 42 and the small-diameter caster wheel 43 do not roll on the ground, and the position of the battery unit 4 is held.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the battery unit 4 is tilted and the front portion of the vehicle body 1 is lifted, the length of the holder 48 in the longitudinal direction is the length extending from the front end to the rear end of the battery unit 4 . be. Therefore, even if the battery unit 4 is pressed against the battery unit 4 in the longitudinal direction, the retainer 48 is inserted through the through hole 47 a of the stay 47 , so that the longitudinal pressing force is applied to the stay 47 . to be accepted. Therefore, the inclined state of the battery unit 4 is maintained with the retainer 48 inserted into the through hole 47a of the stay 47, and the front portion of the vehicle body 1 is maintained in a lifted state without the battery unit 4 moving.

In this manner, the tilting of the battery unit 4 lifts the front portion of the vehicle body 1 , and the holder 48 holds the tilted state of the battery unit 4 . Therefore, the battery unit 4 realizes a stably supported jack structure with little labor of the operator.

When the worker or the like releases the lifting of the vehicle body 1, the worker or the like first removes the holder 48 from the through hole 47a. Then, for example, when an operator or the like applies a force on the side opposite to the lever force CCW1 to the handle 46, the entire battery unit 4 rotates clockwise in the plane of FIG. Along with this, the pair of left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 roll forward, and the pair of left and right guide rollers 44, 44 descends. As a result, the lifted state of the front portion of the vehicle body 1 is released.

When the holder 48 is removed from the through hole 47a, the holder 48 is fixed to a part of the battery unit 4 so that it can be stored. For example, retainer 48 may be attached to handle 46 or retainer 48 may be attached to carrier 40 . Moreover, the structure by which the holder 48 is fixed to the battery storage part 3 may be sufficient.

[Battery unit traction structure]
As shown in FIG. 11, the free end of the handle 46 and the vehicle body 1 are configured to be connectable, and the battery unit 4 can be towed by the electric mower by these connections. In FIG. 11, the battery unit 4 located on the front side of the body of the electric working vehicle can be stored in the battery storage section 3, and is a replacement battery unit separate from the battery unit 4 stored in the battery storage section 3. 4.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the electric lawn mower is positioned on the slope SL between the truck bed F and the ground G, and the front portion of the vehicle body 1 is positioned on the downstream side of the slope SL. Then, the replacement battery unit 4 for replacement is positioned on the downstream side of the slope SL from the electric lawn mower.

The replacement battery unit 4 is arranged in front of the vehicle body 1 so that the side where the large-diameter caster wheels 42 are located is located on the rear side. That is, the orientation of the replacement battery unit 4 in the front-rear direction is the same as the orientation when it is housed in the battery housing portion 3 . In this state, the pair of left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 and the small-diameter caster wheel 43 are grounded. A portion of the replacement battery unit 4 on the front side of the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 is tilted forward and upward while the portion of the replacement battery unit 4 where the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 are located is on the rear side. do. In other words, in a state in which the portion of the replacement battery unit 4 where the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 are located is located on the rear side, the portion of the replacement battery unit 4 above the large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 slopes upward.

A pulling part 15A is provided at the center of the front part of the floor plate 15 in the left and right direction. The pulling portion 15A and the handle 46 are configured to be engageable. A worker or the like hooks the free end of the handle 46 to the towing portion 15A so that the towing portion 15A can tow the battery unit 4 removed from the battery storage portion 3 . As described above, with the pair of left and right large-diameter caster wheels 42, 42 and the small-diameter caster wheel 43 in contact with the ground and the replacement battery unit 4 being tilted, the rocking base end of the handle 46 is placed against the replacement battery. It is the upper end of the unit 4 . In addition, in this tilted state of the replacement battery unit 4, the swing base end of the handle 46 is positioned higher than the traction section 15A in the direction perpendicular to the inclined surface of the slope SL. Then, an operator or the like swings the handle 46 to the side where the vehicle body 1 is located, and hooks the free end of the handle 46 to the traction section 15A. As a result, the electric lawn mower and the replacement battery unit 4 are connected, and the electric lawn mower can tow the replacement battery unit 4 on the slope SL.

In the electric lawn mower of the present embodiment, a pair of left and right travel motors 16, 16, a pair of left and right speed reduction mechanisms 17, 17, and a battery unit 4 are located near the front and rear of the pair of left and right rear wheels 12, 12 when viewed from the side. placed. In particular, the weight of the battery unit 4 accounts for a large percentage of the total weight of the electric mower, and the ratio of the weight of the front half of the vehicle body 1 to the weight of the rear half of the vehicle body 1 is, for example, about 1:9. be. That is, the weight of the rear half of the vehicle body 1 accounts for about 90% of the total weight of the electric mower. In this embodiment, the battery storage section 3 is provided at the rear portion of the vehicle body 1 and the traction section 15A is provided at the front portion of the vehicle body 1 . When the replacement battery unit 4 is connected to the front of the vehicle body 1, the ratio of the weight of the front half of the vehicle body 1 with the replacement battery unit 4 connected to the weight of the rear half of the vehicle body 1 is, for example, It becomes about "4:6". In other words, the configuration in which the replacement battery unit 4 is connected to the front of the vehicle body 1 balances the front-rear weight balance of the vehicle body 1, so that the electric lawn mower can pull the replacement battery unit 4 without losing the front-rear balance. . In addition, since the towing portion 15A is positioned forward of the driver's seat 13, the worker or the like can easily visually recognize the connected state of the replacement battery unit 4 while seated on the driver's seat 13.

When an operator or the like operates the electric lawn mower to move backward on the slope SL, the replacement battery unit 4 is towed as the electric lawn mower moves backward, and the replacement battery unit 4 moves toward the loading platform F. Further, when the operator or the like operates the electric lawn mower to move forward, the replacement battery unit 4 is pushed by the electric lawn mower and moves toward the ground G by its own weight as the electric lawn mower moves forward. As a result, the work of loading and unloading the replacement battery unit 4 onto and from the loading platform F is facilitated even if the loading platform F is not equipped with a facility such as a tailgate lifter (not shown).

[Another embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the configurations exemplified in the above-described embodiments, and other representative embodiments of the present invention will be exemplified below.

(1) In the embodiment described above, the guide rollers 44 of the battery unit 4 are configured to lift the front portion of the vehicle body 1, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the guide rollers 44 of the battery unit 4 may be configured to lift the rear portion of the vehicle body 1 . In other words, it is sufficient that the lifting member is configured to be able to lift the one end side of the vehicle body 1 .

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the battery storage part 3 is provided at the rear part of the vehicle body 1, but the battery storage part 3 may be provided at the front part of the vehicle body 1, or at the front, rear, left, and right center of the vehicle body 1. It may be provided in place.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the guide roller 44 is used as the lifting member, but the lifting member is not necessarily the guide roller 44. It may be prepared.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the pair of left and right connection stays 10C, 10C as the engaging portion are provided on the pair of left and right driven wheel support portions 10B, 10B, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a pair of left and right connecting stays 10C, 10C may be directly provided on the beam 10A of the vehicle body 1 or the like. Further, the connecting stays 10C, 10C do not have to be a pair of right and left connection stays. Correspondingly, the lifting member may be provided at the left-right central portion of the front and rear ends of the battery unit 4 .

(5) In the above-described embodiment, when the holder 48 is inserted into the through hole 47a, the holder 48 extends in the front-rear direction and contacts the ground, thereby holding the inclined state of the battery unit 4. , is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the small-diameter caster wheel 43 may be a simple non-slip member, and the large-diameter caster wheel 42 may be restrained by the non-slip member.

(6) The electric working vehicle described above is not limited to an electric mower. The electric work vehicle may be, for example, an electric cleaning vehicle or an electric transport vehicle.

It should be noted that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including other embodiments; the same shall apply hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments unless there is a contradiction. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an electric working vehicle equipped with a battery unit having caster wheels.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 : vehicle body 3 : battery housing 4 : battery unit 10B : driven wheel support 10C : connection stay (engaging portion)
10d: Inclined surface (engaging portion)
10e: concave portion (engagement portion)
11: Front wheel (driven wheel, running wheel)
12: Rear wheel (running wheel)
16: traveling motor 34: guide rail 42: large diameter caster wheel (caster wheel)
44: Guide roller (lifting member)
46: Handle 47: Stay

Claims (5)

a vehicle body having running wheels;
a travel motor capable of driving the travel wheels;
a battery unit that has a pair of left and right caster wheels at one end, is detachable from a battery storage section of the vehicle body, and is capable of supplying electric power to the travel motor;
When the battery unit is removed from the battery housing, the caster wheel and the other end on the opposite side of the caster wheel are grounded; and a tilted state in which the other end is positioned higher than the caster wheel and can stand on its own.
An electric working vehicle, wherein a lifting member capable of lifting one end side of the vehicle body is provided in a region of the battery unit on the side where the other end portion is located. A pair of left and right guide rails extending in the front-rear direction and capable of guiding the battery unit to the battery housing are provided on left and right side walls of the battery housing,
The electric working vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lifting member is a pair of left and right guide rollers rotatable along the guide rail. The front wheels of the running wheels are a pair of caster-type left and right driven wheels,
A pair of left and right driven wheel support parts capable of swinging the driven wheel about a vertical axis is provided at the front part of the vehicle body,
3. The electric working vehicle according to claim 2, wherein an engaging portion engageable with the lifting member is provided in each of the pair of right and left driven wheel support portions. 4. The electric working vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a handle is provided on the upper portion of the battery unit, the handle being capable of changing the posture of the battery unit between the flat state and the tilted state. . The battery unit is provided with a stay positioned laterally outside the pair of left and right caster wheels and through which a holder can be inserted,
The electric working vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inclined state of the battery unit is maintained in a state in which the holder is inserted through the stay.

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