Patent Description:
Working machines such as electric mowers are equipped with a housing holding various parts including electronic components and circuit boards. The housing has a space for holding parts therein, and for example has a rectangular parallelepiped shape made of six outer circumferential plates combined. As described in Patent Literature <NUM>, ventilation needs to be provided for the housing in consideration of heat dissipation of parts and the like, and openings are formed in the outer circumferential plates.

Working machine may be exposed to wind and rain, and receive jetted water, for example when it is washed. At such a time, when water enters the housing, parts will get wet, which may result in a failure or malfunction of the working machine. Therefore, the housing is equipped with a mechanism to secure ventilation and to prevent water from entering.

The housing needs to secure a space to hold various parts. Therefore, there has been a demand for a mechanism having a simple configuration and a capability to secure ventilation property and waterproof property.

The present invention provides a housing as defined by appended claim <NUM>. Preferred aspects are defined by the dependent claims.

This configuration secures ventilation property while air is allowed to circulate between the inside and the outside of the housing via the outer holes and the inner hole. The outer holes and the inner hole are provided to be offset. Therefore, water which has entered the second enclosed space from the outer holes is easily passed through the enclosed space of the gutter member and discharged from the outer holes to the outside of the housing without entering the inside of the housing from the inner hole. With the above, ventilation property and waterproof property are effectively secured with the simple configuration.

It is preferable that the outer holes are formed in the outer circumferential plate which serves as the bottom face when the housing is in use.

With this configuration, water which has entered the second enclosed space from the outer holes hardly reaches the inner hole and is easily discharged from the outer holes. As a result, ventilation property and waterproof property are effectively secured with the simple configuration.

Also, the gutter member of claim <NUM> is disposed over two adjacent outer circumferential plates, one of these outer circumferential plates being the bottom plate and the other of these outer circumferential plates being a side plate of the plurality of side plates.

With this configuration, the gutter member is simply configured over the two outer circumferential plates, and is disposed at a corner part in the housing. Therefore, the gutter member can be configured with the simple configuration without occupying much space in the housing.

Also, the outer holes are preferably two holes formed in the outer circumferential plate, and the inner hole is preferably provided near a middle point between the two outer holes when viewed from a plane parallel to the outer circumferential plate in which the outer holes are formed.

With this configuration, water which has entered the second enclosed space from the outer holes is highly likely to be prevented from further entering the housing via the inner hole, and more accurately secures ventilation property and waterproof property.

Also, the inner hole may be an elongated hole along a contacting line between the outer circumferential plate and the gutter member.

With this configuration, passing through of water is easily prevented while securing flowability of air with the inner hole, and ventilation property and waterproof property are more accurately secured.

Also, a plurality of the gutter members may be provided to form the respective second enclosed spaces, the outer holes may communicate with the respective second enclosed spaces and the inner holes may communicate with the respective second enclosed spaces.

With this configuration, the number of the gutter members can be adjusted according to a required quantity of airflow, and sufficient ventilation property can be easily secured while waterproof property is secured.

Further, the electric mower according to an embodiment of the invention is equipped with the housing.

With the housing in which ventilation property and waterproof property are secured, the electric mower can maintain operation accuracy of parts such as electronic components mounted in the housing, and excellent mowing operation can be maintained.

An embodiment of a work vehicle according to the present invention will be described. Unless otherwise specified, the term "front" means forward with respect to the front-rear direction of a vehicle body (traveling direction), and "rear" means rearward with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body (traveling direction) herein. Further, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means the transverse direction of the vehicle body (vehicle body width direction) orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. "Upper" or "lower" is a positional relation with the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the vehicle body and means a relation to height above ground level.

In <FIG> and <FIG>, an electric mower is shown as an example of work vehicle. The electric mower includes a vehicle body <NUM>, a pair of right and left front wheels <NUM>, <NUM>, a pair of right and left rear wheels <NUM>, <NUM>, a mower unit <NUM>, and a battery storage unit <NUM>. The pair of right and left front wheels <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed in a front part of the vehicle body <NUM>, and the pair of right and left rear wheels <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed in a rear part of the vehicle body <NUM>. The mower unit <NUM> is supported between the pair of right and left front wheels <NUM>, <NUM> and the pair of right and left rear wheels <NUM>, <NUM>, in a front-rear direction and a left-right direction in a lower part of the vehicle body <NUM>. The battery storage unit <NUM> is supported between the pair of right and left rear wheels <NUM>, <NUM> in the rear part of the vehicle body <NUM>.

The vehicle body <NUM> includes a frame <NUM>. A driver's seat <NUM>, on which a worker sits, a ROPS frame <NUM>, and the like are disposed in the upper part of the vehicle body <NUM>. The driver's seat <NUM> is supported by the frame <NUM>, and the lower part of the ROPS frame <NUM> is connected to the frame <NUM>.

A pair of right and left travel motors <NUM>, <NUM> and a pair of right and left speed-reduction mechanisms <NUM>, <NUM> are disposed in a rear part of the frame <NUM>. Power of the travel motor <NUM> on the right side of the machine body (vehicle body <NUM>) is transmitted to the rear wheel <NUM> on the right side of the machine body via the speed-reduction mechanism <NUM> on the right side of the machine body. Further, power of the travel motor <NUM> on the left side of the machine body is transmitted to the rear wheel <NUM> on the left side of the machine body via the speed-reduction mechanism <NUM> on the left side of the machine body.

A pair of right and left steering levers <NUM>, <NUM> are respectively disposed on both right and left sides of the driver's seat <NUM>. Each steering lever <NUM> is operated within a range of a predetermined operation path <NUM>. The operation path <NUM> consists of an operation path for traveling 19a and an operation path for stop 19b. The operation path for traveling 19a is configured to have a path for operating a speed in moving forward and a path for operating a speed in moving rearward which are arranged in the front-rear direction of the machine body with a neutral position located therebetween at a center. The operation path for stop 19b contacts with the operation path for traveling 19a at the neutral position and is oriented in the left-right direction of the machine body. Regarding the operation path for stop 19b, the steering lever <NUM> on the right side of the machine body is operable along the operation path for stop 19b extending from the neutral position to the right side. The steering lever <NUM> on the left side of the machine body is operable along the operation path for stop 19b extending from the neutral position to the left side. When a worker operates the steering lever <NUM> on the right side of the machine body to the neutral position, the travel motor <NUM> on the right side of the machine body stops. When the worker operates the steering lever <NUM> on the right side of the machine body to the moving forward side, the travel motor <NUM> on the right side of the machine body rotates in a direction to move the vehicle forward. When the worker operates the steering lever <NUM> on the right side of the machine body to the moving rearward side, the travel motor <NUM> on the right side of the machine body rotates in a direction to move the vehicle rearward. When the worker shifts the steering lever <NUM> on the right side of the machine body from the neutral position to the right side up to the end part of the operation path for stop 19b, a parking brake (corresponding to "brake") of the rear wheel <NUM> on the right side of the machine body becomes a braking state. Also, when the worker operates the steering lever <NUM> on the left side of the machine body to the neutral position, the moving forward side, the moving rearward side, and the left end part-side of the operation path for stop 19b, the travel motor <NUM> on the left side of the machine body is operated similarly to the above description. With the above, the travel motor <NUM> is configured to drive the rear wheel <NUM> as a traveling wheel. That is to say, the worker operates the right and left steering levers <NUM>, <NUM> independently, thereby driving the respective right and left rear wheels <NUM>, <NUM> independently. As a result, the electric mower is capable of traveling and turning.

The mower unit <NUM> includes a housing unit <NUM>, a cutting blade <NUM>, cutting blade motor <NUM>, and a link mechanism <NUM>. A lower part of the housing unit <NUM> is opened downward, and the cutting blade <NUM> and the cutting motor <NUM> are held in the housing unit <NUM>. Therefore, the front, rear, left, right and upper sides of the cutting blade <NUM> are covered with the housing unit <NUM>. The cutting blade <NUM> is rotatable about a vertical axis inside the housing unit <NUM> by power of the cutting motor <NUM>. The housing unit <NUM> is elevatably suspended from the frame <NUM> by the link mechanism <NUM>.

As described above, the battery storage unit <NUM> is disposed in the rear part of the vehicle body <NUM>, and the battery storage unit <NUM> is configured to hold the battery unit <NUM>. The battery unit <NUM> is capable of supplying an electric power to the travel motor <NUM> and the cutting motor <NUM>. Also, the electric mower is equipped with a housing <NUM> holding a variety of parts <NUM> such as electronic components and circuit boards including various control apparatuses. Any number of the housings <NUM> are mounted at any position in the vehicle body <NUM>, for example below the driver's seat <NUM> and in the battery storage unit <NUM>, or the like.

As shown in <FIG>, the housing <NUM> has an enclosed space (corresponding to "first enclosed space") surrounded by outer circumferential plates <NUM>, and for example, the outer shape of the housing <NUM> is a rectangular parallelepiped composed of the outer circumferential plates <NUM>. The outer circumferential plates <NUM> include four side plates 6a, a bottom plate 6b, and a top plate 6c. The side plates 6a are vertically arranged on peripheral parts of an upper face of the bottom plate 6b which is a face on the side of the enclosed space. The top plate 6c is arranged on an opposite side to the bottom plate 6b across the side plates 6a, and the peripheral parts of the lower face of the top plate 6c, which is a face on the side of the enclosed space, contact with the side plates 6a. The bottom plate 6b serves as the bottom part of the housing <NUM> when in use.

A variety of parts <NUM> including electronic components such as inverters, relays, and resistances, electric components, harnesses, and others are held in the enclosed space of the housing <NUM>.

Many of these parts <NUM> generate heat, and two outer holes <NUM> penetrating through the bottom plate 6b are formed in the bottom plate 6b of the housing <NUM> in order to secure ventilation property to the parts <NUM>.

Working machines such as electric mowers are frequently operated outdoors, and occasionally washed with water. The housing <NUM> holds a lot of parts <NUM> such as electronic components which require waterproof property. Therefore, there is a need to prevent water and the like from entering the housing <NUM>. As a result, there is a need for the housing <NUM> to secure both ventilation property and waterproof property.

The housing <NUM> has the outer holes <NUM>, thereby securing ventilation property. However, water may enter the enclosed space of the housing <NUM> from the outer holes <NUM>. Therefore, the housing <NUM> is equipped with the gutter member <NUM> surrounding the outer hole <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the gutter member <NUM> is disposed in the enclosed space of the housing <NUM> while contacting with the outer circumferential plate <NUM>, forming another enclosed space (corresponding to "second enclosed space") by the gutter member <NUM> and the outer circumferential plates <NUM>. The gutter member <NUM> is composed of a main body 7a, two cover plates 7b, and an inner hole <NUM> formed in the main body 7a. The main body 7a is disposed over one of the side plates 6a and the bottom plate 6b. The cover plates 7b are disposed in contact with the respective side faces of the main body 7a, the bottom plate 6b, and the side plate 6a contacting with the main body 7a. With respect to the gutter member <NUM>, the enclosed space is formed by the main body 7a, two cover plates 7b, the bottom plate 6b, and the side plate 6a contacting with the main body 7a. The gutter member <NUM> is disposed in the housing <NUM> so that the two outer holes <NUM> commute with the enclosed space formed by the gutter member <NUM>. Further, the main body 7a is equipped with two connecting parts 7c which are in surface contact with the bottom plate 6b and the side plates 6a respectively. It is preferable to paint the interior of the enclosed space of the housing <NUM> in a state of the gutter member <NUM> being disposed, because, even if there is a minute clearance at the boundary portion between the gutter member <NUM> and the outer circumferential plate <NUM>, the clearance is filled with a paint and sealability of the enclosed space is improved.

The inner hole <NUM> is formed in the main body 7a of the gutter member <NUM> to penetrate through the main body 7a. In a plane view in which the surface of the bottom plate 6b in the enclosed space is seen from above (on a gutter member <NUM>-side), the inner hole <NUM> is located on the perpendicular line of the bottom plate 6b which passes near the middle point of the line segment that links the two outer holes <NUM> (in the drawing, both the distances from the two outer holes <NUM> to the middle point are expressed with a character "w").

Claim 1:
A housing for holding parts comprising:
a plurality of outer circumferential plates (<NUM>), including a bottom plate (6b), a plurality of side plates (6a) vertically arranged on the bottom plate (6b) and a top plate (6c), the plurality of outer circumferential plates (<NUM>) being connected with each other to form a first enclosed space, one or more of the outer circumferential plates (<NUM>) having a total of two or more outer holes (<NUM>) formed therein; and
a gutter member (<NUM>), the gutter member (<NUM>) having an inner hole (<NUM>) formed therein;
wherein
the outer circumferential plates (<NUM>) and the gutter member (<NUM>) form a second enclosed space,
the outer holes (<NUM>) communicate with the second enclosed space, and
the inner hole (<NUM>) is provided to be offset from the lines passing through the respective outer holes (<NUM>), the lines being perpendicular to the outer circumferential plate in which the outer holes (<NUM>) are formed,
characterized in that the gutter member (<NUM>) includes a main body (7a) equipped with two connecting parts (7c) which are in surface contact with the bottom plate (6b) and a side plate of the plurality of side plates (6a) respectively.