(Field of the Invention)
The present invention relates to a drive system for a ground maintenance vehicle such as a ride-on type mower or a tiller, for example.
(Description of Related Art)
In a ride-on type ground maintenance vehicle such as a large-scale mower which is driven by an operator riding on the vehicle, an engine is generally used as a power source for drive wheels of the vehicle and a power source for the mower that is a working mechanism (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 9,002,585, for example). In such a ground maintenance vehicle, each of the engine and the mower may include an electronic control unit (ECU). In this case, the ECU of the engine controls start, operation, and stop of the engine and detects abnormality of the engine, while the ECU of the mower controls moving and stopping the mower, or execution and stopping of the mowing operation.
In the conventional control for the engine by the ECU of the engine, if abnormality of the engine is detected, the ECU of the engine merely has a function of stopping the engine to protect the engine. However, depending on the content of a failure, there are cases where the engine need not be stopped or should not be stopped when the place where the vehicle runs, the driving state of the working mechanism or the like is considered.