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Field of the invention

The present invention refers to motorised and radio-controlled works vehicles.

State of the prior art

Such vehicles are almost exclusively currently used as lawn mowers or string trimmers for clearing moorlands - for example on the banks and escarpments along roads and highways - of dry twigs and shrubs. An example of such lawn mower vehicle is described and illustrated, for example, in document WO-2004/014119. Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is that of providing a radio-controlled works vehicle provided with an improved flexibility of use, in such a manner to advantageously extend its use to multiple functions, thus not limited to cutting and trimming.

According to the invention this object is attained due to a works vehicle characterised in that it comprises, in combination, a structure bearing a thermal engine, a pair of tracks arranged at the sides of the bearing structure and actuated by the thermal engine through hydrostatic transmission means, a device for disengageable quick coupling of a tool selectable from among a plurality of interchangeable work tools, actuator means for controlling the raising and lowering of said quick-coupling device and possible actuation of said selected tool, as well as means for remote radio-control of said transmission means and said actuator means.

Due to this solution idea, the radio-controlled works vehicle according to the invention may be usefully employed for several different purposes, by simply replacing the work tool installed on the quick coupling device, in such a manner to be able to perform a wide range of operations such as for example, alongside cutting to clear moorlands of dry twigs, shrubs and vegetation as well as trimming grass, also for removing snow from areas difficult to reach, for remote sprinkling of agricultural products etc., and also as simple raising devices. Brief description of the drawings

The invention shall now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, strictly provided for exemplifying and non- limiting purposes, wherein:

- figure 1 is a front and schematic view of a works vehicle according to the invention, represented together with a range of possible interchangeable tools with which it is used, - figure 2 is a dorsal perspective view of the vehicle and of the same range of tools of figure 1,

- figure 3 is a view analogous to figure 1 which shows of the vehicle separately in a larger scale, and

- figure 4 is a view analogous to figure 2 which shows one of the interchangeable tools in a larger scale.

Detailed description of the invention

Referring to the drawings, a motorised and radio-controlled works vehicle according to the invention is indicated in its entirety with 1 and essentially comprises a bearing structure, for example made up of a horizontal platform 2, that bears on its opposite sides two longitudinal tracks 3 in turn actuated, through hydrostatic transmissions generally of the conventional type and associated valve groups, by a thermal engine 4.

The thermal engine 4 and the hydraulic units of the vehicle are enclosed inside a tiltable protection framework 5, possibly faired, arranged above the platform 2 and bearing, alongside the tank 6 for the engine fuel 4, a control unit 7 including a radio receiver interfaced with a radio transmitter, not illustrated in the drawings, manoeuvrable by an operator for the remote radio-control of the works vehicle 1.

8 is used to indicate a plate borne at the front part of the platform 2 in an oscillating manner around a transverse axis. The oscillation of the plate 8 is controlled for example by means of a pair of hydraulic actuators 9, also remote controllable through the radio-control.

The plate 8 represents a device for disengageable quick coupling of a tool selected from among a plurality of interchangeable work tools, examples of which are represented for exemplification purposes in the figures.

One of such tools, represented centrally in figures 1, 2 and in larger scale in figure 4, consists in a rotating cutting device 9 having a rotor 10 with transverse axis accommodated in a guard casing 11 and actuatable through a hydraulic actuator 12 in turn controlled through a hydraulic power take-off of the vehicle 1, for example made up of a flexible pipe not illustrated and connected with the hydraulic unit of the vehicle.

For quick coupling to the coupling unit 8, the rotating cutting device 9 is provided, at the dorsal side of the guard casing 11, with a counter-plate 13 with a projecting edge 14 couplable on the coupling unit 8 and lockable with respect to the latter through a quick-coupling lever 15, or through mechanical systems or also equivalent hydraulic systems, known to a man skilled in the art. The locking and unlocking (typically manual) of the lever 15 allows coupling and uncoupling the cutting device 9 with respect to the body of the vehicle 1, thus allowing an extremely flexible use thereof due to the interchangeability between the cutting device 9 and the other tools the vehicle might be provided with. In the case of the illustrated example other tools are represented by a snow turbine 9a and by a snow-plough blade 9b, both generally conventionally-shapes and both provided with a respective counter-plate 13 analogous to that of the cutting device 9 in such a manner to be coupled in a quickly disengageable manner with the plate 8 of the vehicle 1, in the same manner as described beforehand.

It should be observed that the range of the interchangeable tools that may be used with the vehicle according to the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples, but is extended to a plurality of different tools such as for example sprinklers, atomisers, stalk cutters, disk lawn mowers, etc. When operating, through radio-control, the vehicle 1 may be easily moved from a remote position also in difficult areas, hard to reach or dangerous, so as to facilitate the work of the vehicle using the preselected tool. The tracks 3 ensure that the vehicle, alongside the required stability and drive, also has complete manoeuvrability even in narrow spaces. During transfer towards and from the works area the tool may be easily raised off the ground, through the actuators 9 associated to the coupling unit 8.

It should be observed that the overall dimensions of the works vehicle 1 according to the invention may be such to allow easy transport thereof even on small vans: for example, the overall dimension both in length and width may be smaller than 1.5 m., and the height smaller than 1 m.

Obviously, the construction details and the embodiments may widely vary with respect to the description and illustration provided above, without for this reason departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.