# US 11,926,211 B2 · Working vehicle

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,926,211 B2
- Document ID: US11926211B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/546,145
- Filed: 2021-12-09
- Published: 2022-03-31
- Granted: 2024-03-12
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-28
- Assignees: Kubota Corporation
- Applicants: Kubota Corporation
- Inventors: Manabu Togo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11926211B2

## CPC

- B60K 28/04: responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
- A01B 71/02: Setting or adjusting mechanisms
- B60K 17/28: characterised by arrangement, location, or type of power take-off
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 10/11: Stepped gearings
- B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
- B60W 30/18054: {at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state (hill holding B60W30/18118)}
- B60W 30/1888: {Control of power take off [PTO]}
- B60K 2028/003: {inhibiting the starter motor, e.g. by controlling ignition or park lock circuits}
- B60Y 2200/221: Tractors
- F02D 29/00: Controlling engines, such controlling being peculiar to the devices driven thereby, the devices being other than parts or accessories essential to engine operation, e.g. controlling of engines by signals external thereto
- F02N 2200/0803: Parking brake state
- F02N 2200/0812: Power-take-off state
- F02N 2200/106: Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21)
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A working vehicle includes a prime mover, a driver's seat selectively set in either a first posture where a driver can sit thereon or a second posture where the driver cannot sit thereon, a speed controller to receive power from the prime mover and perform a speed-changing of the power, a PTO shaft to receive the speed-changed power from the speed controller, a posture switch to detect whether the driver's seat is set in the first or second posture, a parking switch to detect parking of a vehicle body, and a first actuator. During driving of the prime mover, the first actuator maintains the driving of the prime mover when both the parking and the driver's seat set in the second posture are detected, and stops the driving of the prime mover when neither the parking nor the driver's seat set in the second posture is detected.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A working vehicle, comprising:
a prime mover;
a driver's seat selectively set in either a first posture where a driver can sit on the driver's seat or a second posture where the driver cannot sit on the driver's seat;
a speed controller to receive power from the prime mover and to perform a speed-changing of the power;
a Power Take-Off (PTO) shaft to receive speed-changed power output from the speed controller;
a posture switch to detect whether the driver's seat is set in the first posture or the second posture;
a parking switch to detect parking of a vehicle body; and
a first actuator to, during driving of the prime mover, maintain the driving of the prime mover when both the parking and the driver's seat set in the second posture are detected and stop the driving of the prime mover when neither the parking nor the driver's seat set in the second posture is detected.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The working vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:
a speed-changing switch to be turned on to allow the speed-changing performed by the speed controller, and to be turned off to disable the speed controller from performing the speed-changing; wherein
the first actuator is operable to maintain the driving of the prime mover when the speed controller is turned off and to stop the driving of the prime mover when the speed controller is turned on.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The working vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:
an on-off switch to be turned on to allow driving of the PTO shaft, and to be turned off to disable the PTO shaft from driving;
a key switch to issue an instruction for start of the prime mover; and
a second actuator to output an allowance signal when the PTO shaft is disabled from driving and the speed-changing switch is turned off; and
a third actuator operably connected to the second actuator to perform the starting of the prime mover when the instruction for the starting of the prime mover is issued and the allowance signal is input to the third actuator.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The working vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the first actuator is operable to maintain the driving of the prime mover when the allowance signal is input to the first actuator during the driving of the prime mover.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The working vehicle according to claim 4, wherein:
the first actuator is a relay including a first input terminal, a second input terminal and a first output terminal;
the second actuator is a relay including a third input terminal, a fourth input terminal and a second output terminal;
the third actuator is a relay including a fifth input terminal, a sixth input terminal and a third output terminal;
a first line connecting the first actuator and the second actuator to each other is connected to the first input terminal;
an electric source line is connected to the second input terminal;
an output terminal of the on-off switch is connected to the third input terminal;
an output terminal of the speed-changing switch is connected to the fourth input terminal;
an output terminal of the key switch is connected to the fifth input terminal;
a second line connected to the second output terminal is connected to the sixth input terminal;
a stopper to stop the prime mover is connected to the first output terminal; and
a starter to perform the starting of the prime mover is connected to the third output terminal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The working vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:
a seat switch to detect sitting of a driver on the driver's seat; and
a notifier to notify information in correspondence to a predetermined condition; wherein
the notifier is operable to notify the information when the speed-changing switch is turned off and the sitting of the driver is not detected.