JPH11334656A - Crawler type traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact crawler type traveling vehicle, permitting stable turning or other movements. SOLUTION: When a traveling vehicle 10 approaches a hill, a piston rod 61a is shrunken by a hydraulic cylinder 61, while a piston rod 62a is extended by a hydraulic cylinder 62. When the piston rod 61a is shrunken, a link member 63a rotates clockwise centering around a pin 63c such that it pushes down a shaft 40c. Accordingly, a top mount body 30 is driven by the shaft 40c such that its front side is lowered, thus it sinks ahead. At the same time, a link member 64a rotates such that it pushes up a shaft 40d when the piston rod 62a is extended. Accordingly, the top mount body 30 is driven by the shaft 40d such that its front side is raised, thus it rises backward. As a result, the top mount body 30 can uphill with its posture kept horizontal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a crawler type traveling vehicle having a crawler type lower traveling body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a crawler-type traveling vehicle capable of traveling in a forest has been used as a work vehicle for cutting and holding trees. This crawler-type traveling vehicle has a crawler belt (infinite track), and runs by rotating the starting wheel of a tumbler to rotate the crawler belt. Suitable for traveling.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-254834 discloses a crawler-type lower traveling body, an upper mounting body connected to the crawler-type lower traveling body, and front and rear portions provided on both left and right sides of the upper mounting body. There is disclosed a crawler-type traveling vehicle including expansion and contraction means including four hydraulic cylinders that expand and contract in the direction. In this crawler type traveling vehicle, for example, when traveling on an uphill, the front two hydraulic cylinders can be contracted by a predetermined amount to keep the upper mounting body horizontal. Therefore, the vehicle can run stably even on a steeply inclined road surface or the like.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-2
The crawler-type traveling vehicle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 54834 has four hydraulic cylinders on both left and right sides of an upper mounting body. For this reason, the center of gravity of the crawler-type traveling vehicle is increased, and when turning the upper mounted body or loading luggage with respect to the crawler-type lower traveling body, turning and traveling become unstable and practical use. There was a problem that can not be. Also, in order to directly drive the upper mounting body by four hydraulic cylinders,
There is a problem that the hydraulic cylinder becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a crawler-type traveling vehicle that is compact and can perform a turning operation and the like stably.

[0006]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make it easy to understand, description is given with reference numerals corresponding to the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, the invention of claim 1 is a crawler-type lower traveling body (20), an upper mounting body (30) mounted on the crawler-type lower traveling body, and provided below the upper mounting body. Posture changing means (6) for changing the posture of the body
0), wherein the attitude changing means expands and contracts in a substantially horizontal direction to generate a driving force (61, 62).
And a link device (63, 64) for vertically driving the upper mounting body in accordance with the expansion / contraction operation of the driving force generating device.
And a crawler-type traveling vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the crawler-type traveling vehicle according to the first aspect, wherein the posture changing means tilts a front side or a rear side of the upper mounting body. .

[0008] The invention of claim 3 is claim 1 or claim 2.
3. The crawler-type traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the attitude changing unit tilts a right side or a left side of the upper mounting body.

[0009] The invention of claim 4 is the invention of claims 1 to 3.
The crawler-type traveling vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the link device includes a driving force increasing device that generates a larger force than the driving force generated by the driving force generating device. It is a traveling car.

[0010] The invention of claim 5 is the invention of claims 1 to 4.
In the crawler-type traveling vehicle according to any one of the above, the driving force generation device includes a first (61) and a second driving force generation device (62), and the link device includes the first driving force generation device (62).
A first link device (63) for driving the front side of the upper mounting body in accordance with the expansion / contraction operation of the driving force generation device, and the upper mounting body in response to the expansion / contraction operation of the second driving force generation device. And a second link device (64) for tilting the rear side of the crawler type traveling vehicle.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the fifth aspect, the driving force generating device includes an actuator (61, 62) having a piston rod (61a, 62a), and the actuator is The driving force increasing device is rotatably supported on the upper mounting body side, and has one end rotatably connected to the piston rod side and the other end rotatably mounted on the upper mounting body side. A link member (63a, 64a) connected to the crawler-type lower traveling body and having a fulcrum rotatably supported on the side of the crawler-type lower traveling body, wherein the link member has a distance between the one end and the fulcrum that is opposite to the other. A crawler-type traveling vehicle that is larger than the distance between the end of the crawler and the fulcrum.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The traveling vehicle 10 includes a lower traveling body 20, an upper mounting body 30, a turning support 40, a turning device 50, and a posture changing device 60.

The lower traveling body 20 is loaded with the upper mounting body 30, the revolving support 40, and the revolving device 50 and moves. The lower traveling body 20 includes a crawler belt (endless track) 21 having a number of crawler shoes (step plates) and links, a starting wheel 22 and a floating wheel 23 which are tumblers for driving the crawler belt 21, and six lower rollers. 2
4 and a frame 25 that supports the starting wheel 22, the idle wheel 23, the lower roller 24, and the like.

The upper mounting body 30 is a part that performs a turning motion during work. The upper mounting body 30 is provided with, for example, a tree cutting device that cuts the tree with a chainsaw while holding the tree with a clamp device, and holds and transports the cut tree with the clamp device.

The turning support 40 is a portion that supports the upper mounting body 30 and the turning device 50. The turning device 50 is a device for turning the upper mounting body 30 on the lower traveling body 20. The turning device 50 includes operating mechanisms such as a turning circle (not shown), a power transmission mechanism, a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic motor, a clutch, and a brake.

The attitude changing device 60 changes the attitude of the upper mounting body 30 with respect to the lower traveling body 20. The posture changing device 60 includes hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62, link mechanisms 63 and 64, and the like. The posture changing device 60
Regardless of the posture of the upper mounting body 30 with respect to the lower traveling body 20, the upper mounting body 30 is disposed below the upper mounting body 30 so as not to hinder the turning operation of the upper mounting body 30. The posture changing device 60 is provided on each of the left and right sides, and the right posture changing device 60 is not shown in FIG.

The hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 are devices that generate driving force by expanding and contracting piston rods 61a and 62a by hydraulic pressure. The hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 are arranged such that their axial directions are substantially horizontal. The hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 include a hydraulic pump (not shown), a flow dividing valve, a control valve, and the like.
A hydraulic circuit is connected to supply oil to and adjust the amount of expansion and contraction. The hydraulic cylinder 61 is rotatably connected to a shaft 40a provided on the turning support 40, and the tip of the piston rod 61a is rotatably connected to a link member 63a. In addition, the hydraulic cylinder 62 includes the swing support 4.
0 is rotatably connected to a shaft 40b provided at
The tip of the piston rod 62a is rotatably connected to a link member 64a. The hydraulic cylinders 61, 62
In the state (initial state) shown in FIG.
The piston rods 61a and 62a are extended to a substantially middle position of the entire strokes a and 62a.

The link mechanisms 63 and 64 are connected to the upper mounting body 3.
0, a mechanism for driving the turning support 40 and the turning device 50 in the vertical direction according to the expansion and contraction of the piston rods 61a and 62a. The link mechanism 63 includes a link member 63a.
, Pins 63b and 63c, a shaft 40c, and a bearing 25a. Further, the link mechanism 64 includes the link member 6.
4a, 64d, pins 64b, 64c, 64e, and shaft 4
0d and a bearing 25b.

The link member 63a has a shaft 63c serving as a fulcrum.
This is a substantially L-shaped lever member that makes a reciprocating angular movement around the center. One end of the link member 63a is
Is rotatably connected to a bearing 25a provided by a pin 63c. The other end of the link member 63a is rotatably connected to the tip of the piston rod 61a by a pin 63b. A substantially central portion of the link member 63a is rotatably connected to a shaft 40c provided on the turning support 40. The link member 63a is
The distance between b and the pin 63c is equal to the distance between the shaft 40c and the pin 63c.
It is set to be larger than the distance between.
For this reason, the link member 63a constitutes a lever mechanism for applying a force greater than the driving force generated by the hydraulic cylinder 61 to the shaft 40c, and the link member 63a is located on the front side of the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50. Can be driven up and down by a force acting on the shaft 40c.

The link member 64a is a substantially S-shaped lever member having the shaft 64c as a fulcrum. One end of the link member 64a is connected to a tip of the piston rod 62a by a pin 64.
It is rotatably connected by b. Link member 64
The other end of a is rotatably connected to a link member 64d by a pin 64c. A substantially central portion of the link member 64a is rotatably connected to a shaft 40d provided on the turning support 40. The link member 64a is
The distance between the shaft 4Od and the pin 64c is
It is set so as to be larger than the distance between the two. For this reason, the link member 64a is connected to the hydraulic cylinder 6
2 is configured to apply a force larger than the driving force generated by the shaft 2 to the shaft 40d, and the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the rear side of the turning device 50 are moved by the force acting on the shaft 40d. It can be driven up and down.

The link member 64d is a member that makes a reciprocating angular movement about the shaft 64e. One end of the link member 64d is connected to a bearing 25b provided on the frame 25.
Are rotatably connected to each other by a pin 64e. The other end of the link member 64d is rotatably connected to the link member 64a by a pin 64c.

Next, the operation of the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
It is a left view explaining operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle concerning an embodiment is running uphill. Traveling vehicle 10
Includes, for example, a tilt detection sensor (not shown) that detects a change in liquid level in proportion to the tilt as a change in capacitance. When the traveling vehicle 10 approaches an uphill, the inclination detection sensor detects that the front side of the traveling vehicle 10 is rising and the traveling vehicle 10 starts to incline. The tilt detection sensor outputs a current value proportional to the tilt angle, and a control unit (not shown) controls the hydraulic circuit based on the current value. As a result, at the same time as the hydraulic cylinder 61 contracts the piston rod 61a,
The hydraulic cylinder 62 extends the piston rod 62a.

When the piston rod 61a contracts, the hydraulic cylinder 61 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 40a, and the link member 63a rotates clockwise about the pin 63c so as to push down the shaft 40c. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50
The front side is driven downward by c, and tilts forward and downward. On the other hand, when the piston rod 62a extends, the hydraulic cylinder 62 rotates clockwise about the shaft 40b, and the link member 64d rotates counterclockwise about the pin 64e. Since the link member 64a rotates so as to push up the shaft 40d, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 have their rear sides driven upward by the shaft 40d and tilt upward and rearward. As a result, the upper mounting body 3
0, the turning support 40 and the turning device 50 can travel uphill while maintaining their posture in a horizontal state.

(Operation When Traveling Downhill) FIG.
It is a left side view explaining operation at the time of the crawler type traveling vehicle concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention running downhill.
When the traveling vehicle 10 approaches a downhill, the inclination detection sensor detects that the front side of the traveling vehicle 10 is lowered and the traveling vehicle 10 starts to incline. A control unit (not shown) controls the hydraulic circuit based on the current value output by the inclination detection sensor, and at the same time that the hydraulic cylinder 61 extends the piston rod 61a, the hydraulic cylinder 62 contracts the piston rod 62a.

When the piston rod 61a extends, the hydraulic cylinder 61 rotates clockwise about the shaft 40a, and the link member 63a rotates counterclockwise about the pin 63c so as to push up the shaft 40c. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50
The front side is driven upward by 0c, and tilts upward. On the other hand, when the piston rod 62a contracts, the hydraulic cylinder 62 rotates clockwise about the shaft 40b, and the link member 64d rotates counterclockwise about the pin 64e. Since the link member 64a rotates so as to push down the shaft 40d, the rear portion of the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 is driven downward by the shaft 40d, and tilts downward and backward. As a result, the upper mounting body 30,
The turning support 40 and the turning device 50 can travel downhill while maintaining these postures in a horizontal state.

FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention when traveling at an increased height. It is a left side view. When the traveling vehicle 10 travels at a high vehicle height, the hydraulic circuit is controlled from the state (initial state) shown in FIG.
a, 62a are extended. When the piston rod 61a extends, the link member 63a rotates counterclockwise about the pin 63c so as to push up the shaft 40c. on the other hand,
When the piston rod 62a extends, the link member 64d
Rotates counterclockwise about the pin 64e, and the link member 64a rotates so as to push up the shaft 40d. As a result, the left side of the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40 and the turning device 50 is driven upward by the shafts 40c and 40d. At the same time, the control unit (not shown) controls the hydraulic circuit so that the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder provided on the right side of the traveling vehicle 10 also extends. For this purpose, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 are also driven upward on the right side. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 can run at a high vehicle height while maintaining these postures in a horizontal state.

(Operation when Traveling at Lower Vehicle Height) FIG. 5 illustrates the operation when the crawler traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention travels at a lower vehicle height. It is a left side view. When the traveling vehicle 10 travels at a reduced height, the hydraulic circuit is controlled from the state (initial state) shown in FIG.
a, 62a. When the piston rod 61a shrinks,
The link member 63a rotates clockwise about the pin 63c so as to push down the shaft 40c. On the other hand, when the piston rod 61a contracts, the link member 64d moves to the shaft 64e.
And the link member 63a rotates so as to push down the shaft 40c. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50
The left side is driven downward by c and 40d. at the same time,
The control unit (not shown) controls the hydraulic circuit so that the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder provided on the right side of the traveling vehicle 10 also contracts. For this purpose, the upper mounting body 30, the swing support 4
0 and the turning device 50 are also driven downward on the right side. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 5
0 means that the vehicle can run with the vehicle height lowered while maintaining these postures in a horizontal state.

FIG. 6 is a rear view for explaining the operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling on a slope rising rightward. It is. When the traveling vehicle 10 approaches a slope that rises to the right, the right side of the traveling vehicle 10 rises and the left side descends, and the inclination detection sensor detects that the traveling vehicle 10 starts to incline. A control unit (not shown) controls a hydraulic circuit based on a current value output from the inclination detection sensor, and as shown in FIG. 4, a hydraulic cylinder 6 provided on the left side of the traveling vehicle 10.
1, 62 extend the piston rods 61a, 62a. As a result, the left side of the upper mounting body 30, the revolving support body 40, and the revolving device 50 are driven upward by the shafts 40c and 40d, and tilt upward to the left. At the same time, the control unit (not shown) controls the hydraulic circuit so that the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder provided on the right side of the traveling vehicle 10 contracts as shown in FIG. For this reason, the right side of the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 is driven downward, and tilts downward to the right. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 can travel on a slope that rises to the right while maintaining these postures in a horizontal state.

FIG. 7 is a rear view for explaining the operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling on a slope rising leftward. It is. When the traveling vehicle 10 approaches a slope that rises to the left, the right side of the traveling vehicle 10 rises and the left side descends, and the inclination detection sensor detects that the traveling vehicle 10 starts to incline. The control unit (not shown) controls the hydraulic circuit based on the current value output from the inclination detection sensor, and as shown in FIG.
a, 62a. As a result, the left side of the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 are driven downward by the shafts 40c and 40d, and tilt downward to the left. At the same time, the control unit (not shown), as shown in FIG.
The hydraulic circuit is controlled so that the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder provided on the right side of 0 is extended. For this reason, the right side of the upper mounting body 30, the swivel support body 40, and the swivel device 50 is driven upward, and tilts upward to the right. As a result, the upper mounting body 30, the turning support 40, and the turning device 50 can travel on a slope that rises to the left while maintaining these postures in a horizontal state.

The crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention has the following effects. (1) In the first embodiment of the present invention, the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 are arranged below the upper mounting body 30 in a substantially horizontal direction. The upper mounting body 30 and the like are vertically driven by 63 and 64. For this purpose, the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 and the link mechanisms 63 and 64 are connected to the upper mounting body 3.
It can be stored compactly below 0. Also,
With the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 and the link mechanisms 63 and 64, the posture of the upper mounting body 30 and the like can be easily changed. Further, since the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 do not hinder the turning operation when the upper mounting body 30 is turned.

(2) The first embodiment of the present invention includes link mechanisms 63 and 64 that generate a force larger than the driving force generated by the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62. For this purpose, the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 allow the upper mounting body 30 to be mounted.
The hydraulic cylinder 61,
62 can be reduced in size.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications or changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention. For example, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by taking as an example a case of traveling on an uphill, a downhill, a slope rising rightward or a slope rising leftward, but the invention is not limited thereto. Regardless of the direction in which the road surface is inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle 10, the vehicle travels while adjusting the amount of expansion and contraction of the hydraulic cylinders 61 and 62 to maintain the upper mounting body 30 and the like in a horizontal state. be able to. In addition, even when obstacles such as rocks scattered on the road surface are to be overcome, the upper mounting body 30 may be used.
It is possible to travel while maintaining a horizontal state.

[0033]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the attitude changing means for changing the attitude of the upper mounting body is provided below the upper mounting body, and the attitude changing means is substantially horizontal. A driving force generating device that expands and contracts in a direction to generate a driving force, and a link device that drives the upper mounting body in the vertical direction according to the expansion and contraction operation of the driving force generating device make the entire device compact. And the turning operation can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a crawler type traveling vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view illustrating an operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling on an uphill.

FIG. 3 is a left side view illustrating an operation when the crawler traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling on a downhill.

FIG. 4 is a left side view illustrating an operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling at a high vehicle height.

FIG. 5 is a left side view illustrating an operation when the crawler traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling at a reduced vehicle height.

FIG. 6 is a rear view illustrating an operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling on a slope rising rightward.

FIG. 7 is a rear view illustrating an operation when the crawler type traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention is traveling on a slope rising leftward.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Traveling vehicle 20 Lower traveling body 30 Upper mounting body 40 Revolving support body 50 Revolving device 60 Attitude change device 61, 62 Hydraulic cylinder 61a, 62a Cylinder rod 63, 64 Link mechanism 63a, 63c, 64a Link member

Claims (6)

[Claims] A crawler-type lower traveling body; an upper mounting body mounted on the crawler-type lower traveling body; and a posture changing means provided below the upper mounting body for changing a posture of the upper mounting body. A driving force generating device that expands and contracts in a substantially horizontal direction to generate a driving force; and a link that drives the upper mounting body in a vertical direction according to the expansion and contraction operation of the driving force generating device. A crawler-type traveling vehicle, comprising: 2. The crawler-type traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the posture changing unit inclines a front side or a rear side of the upper mounting body. 3. The crawler-type traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the posture changing unit tilts a right side or a left side of the upper mounting body. 4. One of claims 1 to 3
The crawler-type traveling vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the link device includes a driving force increasing device that generates a larger force than the driving force generated by the driving force generating device. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
In the crawler type traveling vehicle described in the paragraph, the driving force generating device includes first and second driving force generating devices, and the link device is configured to: A first link device that drives the front side of the upper mounting body; and a second link device that drives the rear side of the upper mounting body in accordance with the expansion and contraction operation of the second driving force generating device. A crawler-type traveling vehicle characterized by the following. 6. The crawler-type traveling vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the driving force generating device includes an actuator having a piston rod, wherein the actuator is rotatably supported on the upper mounting body side, The driving force increasing device has one end rotatably connected to the piston rod side, the other end rotatably connected to the upper mounting body side, and a fulcrum supported rotatably on the crawler type lower traveling body side. A supported link member, wherein the link member has a distance between the one end and the fulcrum greater than a distance between the other end and the fulcrum. Crawler type traveling vehicle.