Weed control apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to a weed control apparatus having a boom (1) which is attachable to a vehicle (20), a drive unit (2) and at least one brush unit (5, 5a, 5b) rotatably fastened to the drive unit (2). Efficient work is made possible in that the brush unit (5, 5a, 5b) has a cylindrical brush (6) with a first diameter (d) and a disk-like brush (7) which is coaxial with the cylindrical brush (6) and has a second diameter (D), and in that the second diameter (D) is greater than the first diameter (d).

Description

[0001]Device for weed control The invention relates to a device for weed control with a boom attachable to a vehicle, a drive unit and at least one brush unit rotatably mounted on the drive unit. Fences are usually erected along highways or railway lines to ensure safety by preventing wildlife from crossing and unauthorised entry onto the roadway or railway line. Over time, these fences become overgrown with plants, which leads to high mechanical stress and can ultimately damage the fence. It is therefore necessary to clear these fences from time to time of the weeds growing up the fence. This is a time-consuming task that is currently carried out predominantly manually because it is difficult to automate, which means that a high level of personnel deployment is required.EP 2656930 A discloses a device consisting of a boom mounted on a truck and carrying a cylindrical brush. This makes it possible, for example, to clean solar collectors. However, a known device of this type is not efficient for clearing weeds from fences. If such devices were used to clear plants from fences, at best leaves and small branches could be removed from the fence, allowing the plants to quickly regrow from the remaining main stems. DE 4136327 A1 discloses an agricultural machine with one or more mowing and / or soil cultivation tools and with a cleaning tool in the form of a brush wheel that can be driven to rotate about a vertical axis or a brush roller that rotates about a horizontal axis.Such a device is suitable for inserting the tools between closely spaced tree trunks and thus mowing, whereby branches growing in the lower area of ​​a trunk are severed from it. This device is not suitable for working on fences. DE 202020102 192 U1 describes a device for mowing vegetation between embankments and on the flanks of embankments in a ridge culture. This allows the special geometry of the surrounding area to be taken into account. However, this solution is also not suitable for working on fences. The object of the invention is to avoid these disadvantages and to further develop the known device so that fences can be cleared of weeds in a largely automated manner.According to the invention, the brush unit has a cylindrical brush with a first diameter and a coaxial disc-shaped brush with a second diameter, and the second diameter is larger than the first diameter. The special design of the brush unit ensures that leaves and small branches are torn off on the surface of the fence and, at the same time, the main stems below the fence are severed. A truck equipped with a device according to the invention drives along the fence so that the fence can be worked on with the brushes. An essential aspect of the present invention is that the robust main stems of the weeds are grasped regardless of their position and cannot escape sideways because the additional disc-shaped brush grips under the fence.In principle, it is possible that, due to a different design of the brushes, the first cylindrical brush and the further disc-shaped brush have approximately the same diameter. However, due to the different design of the brushes, the first cylindrical brush is relatively soft and can therefore be brought close to the fence without damaging it, while the harder one reaches under the fence without significantly deforming in order to sever the thicker parts of the plant. However, it is particularly preferred if the further disc-shaped brush has a larger diameter than the first cylindrical brush. This allows the area beneath the fence to be worked on particularly effectively. Alternatively or additionally, it is possible for the further disc-shaped brush to have harder bristles than the first cylindrical brush. This means that the disc-shaped brush can also sever the thicker trunks and main branches.A particularly advantageous design solution provides for the drive unit to be attached to the boom and carries the brush unit. This allows the device to be compact and robust. Preferably, the cylindrical brush and the disc-shaped brush are arranged directly next to one another on a common shaft. This simplifies handling, as the operator only has to control the height and lateral adjustment of the brush unit. It is particularly advantageous if the disc-shaped brush is arranged on the end of the cylindrical brush opposite the drive unit. In the operating position, the drive unit is then arranged above the brushes. In practice, it has proven effective for the cylindrical brush to have plastic bristles. These are durable and the risk of damage to the fence by the brushes is minimized.It is particularly advantageous if the disc-shaped brush has bristles that are stiffer than the bristles of the cylindrical brush. On the one hand, the increased stiffness is beneficial for the secure separation of the main branches and trunks, and on the other hand, the disc-shaped brush does not come into contact with the fence panels, but only with the much more robust posts. Therefore, there is no risk of damage to the fence. Preferably, the drive unit comprises a hydraulic motor. In this way, the resources typically available on work vehicles can be used without the need for additional power sources. From a design perspective, it is particularly advantageous if a bearing housing is connected to the drive unit, in which a shaft that supports the brush unit is mounted. It is particularly preferred if the shaft is mounted so as to project freely in the bearing housing.This eliminates the need for any bearings or supports at the lower end of the brush unit, which could hinder work. A blade is preferably attached to the bearing housing. It has been found that plant debris can become wrapped around the brushes. This is not a problem in itself, however, as these are immediately torn apart when the brush comes into contact with the fence. However, plant debris above the brush can sometimes wrap itself around the shaft and subsequently around the bearing housing, which can ultimately cause malfunctions. A blade projecting radially from the bearing housing can effectively prevent this danger. It has proven particularly advantageous if the disc-shaped brush has bristles whose length is between 1.5 and 2.5 times the length of the bristles on the cylindrical brush.In this way, both the fence panels and the space beneath the fence are treated equally efficiently. A maintenance-friendly modular design can be achieved by assembling the cylindrical brush from several identical individual brushes arranged axially on the shaft. In this way, worn or damaged individual brushes can be easily replaced. Friction and thus the required drive torque can be reduced by separating the individual brushes from one another with spacers. Adaptation to the design of the fences to be treated can be advantageously achieved by assembling the disc-shaped brush from several identical individual brushes arranged axially on the shaft.The brush unit can thus be composed of a variable number of individual brushes, which form the disc-shaped brush, and a cylindrical brush. However, it is equally possible to compose the cylindrical brush from several segments. An alternative embodiment of the present invention is constructed such that two brush units with parallel axes are provided. The invention also relates to a method for weed control in the vicinity of fences, in which a vehicle with a boom drives along the fence, with a brush unit attached to the boom resting against the fence. This method is characterized according to the invention in that a cylindrical brush rests against the fence with its circumference and a coaxial disc-shaped brush engages under the fence.The invention also relates to a method for removing weeds from fences, in which a first cylindrical brush is guided in rotation along a surface of the fence. This method is characterized according to the invention in that at the same time a further disc-shaped brush engages under the fence. The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures. They show: Fig. 1 a device according to the invention in a side view; Fig. 2 the device from Fig. 1 in a front view; Fig. 3 the device from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in a top view; Fig. 4 a section along line IV - IV in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 a section along line V - V in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 a section along line VI - VI in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 an alternative embodiment in a representation corresponding to Fig. 1; Fig. 8 the alternative embodiment in a section corresponding to Fig. 4; Fig.9 shows a further alternative embodiment in an overall oblique view; and Fig. 10 shows a further alternative embodiment in a view corresponding to Fig. 4. The device of Fig. 1 is attached to a boom 1, only indicated here, which, as usual, consists of several articulated segments, some of which are telescopically extendable, so that the boom 1 can move in all directions with several degrees of freedom. The boom 1 is typically arranged on a vehicle, namely a truck, which also provides the hydraulic system with which the boom 1 and the work equipment attached to it are driven. A drive unit 2 is attached to the boom 1 and is supplied and controlled via hydraulic lines 3. A bearing housing 4 is provided on the underside of the drive unit 2, from which a shaft 8 projects freely downwards.The shaft 8 is driven by a hydraulic motor 9, which is arranged in the drive unit 2. A brush unit 5 is mounted on the shaft 8, which has a cylindrical brush 6 with a first diameter d and a coaxial disc-shaped brush 7 with a second diameter D. A cover plate 10 closes the bottom of the shaft 8 and secures the brushes 6, 7. The brushes 6, 7 each consist of a tubular brush body 11 and of bristles 6a, 7a made of plastic, which project radially. The length L of the bristles 7a of the disc-shaped brush 7 is approximately twice as long as the length of the bristles 6a of the coaxial cylindrical brush 6. The bristles 7a of the disc-shaped brush 7 are also significantly more rigid than the bristles 6a of the cylindrical brush 6. This results in a second diameter D of the disc-shaped brush 7 which is approximately 1.5 times as large as the first diameter d of the cylindrical brush 6.A cover plate 10 secures the brush unit 5 downwards on the shaft 8. In the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8, a blade 12 is provided in the area of ​​the drive unit 2 and the bearing housing 4, which blade projects essentially radially and serves to sever plant parts that could wrap around the shaft 8 and subsequently around the bearing housing 4. Fig. 9 schematically shows a vehicle 20 on which a boom 1 is mounted that is hydraulically movable. Two shafts 8a, 8b with mutually parallel axes 15a, 15b are attached to the drive unit 2. The shafts 8a, 8b each carry a brush unit 5a, 5b, which processes a fence 21 on both sides. At least one of the brush units 5a, 5b is designed as described above, ie it has a cylindrical brush 6 with a first diameter d and a disc-shaped brush 7 coaxial therewith with a second diameter D.The second brush unit 5a, 5b can be designed in the same way or, in a simplified manner, can have just a single cylindrical brush 6, which may be shortened so that fences 21 on embankments can also be worked on without any problem. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the cylindrical brush is composed of several identical individual brushes 11a, which are arranged in an axial direction on the shaft 8. Spacers 13 separate the individual brushes 11a. At the bottom, a closure is provided by a lower end plate 16, which has an enlarged diameter and thus ensures a predetermined minimum distance between the brushes 6, 7 and obstacles, such as fence posts. This limits wear. An upper end plate 17, typically with the same diameter as the lower end plate 16, helps reduce wear.The present invention makes it possible to implement an efficient and cost-effective method of weed control.

Claims

1. A weed control device comprising a boom (1) attachable to a vehicle (20), a drive unit (2), and at least one brush unit (5, 5a, 5b) rotatably mounted on the drive unit (2), characterized in that the brush unit (5, 5a, 5b) comprises a cylindrical brush (6) with a first diameter (d) and a disc-shaped brush (7) coaxial with the cylindrical brush (6) with a second diameter (D), and that the second diameter (D) is larger than the first diameter (d).

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical brush (6) and the disc-shaped brush (7) are arranged directly adjacent to one another on a common shaft (8).

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the disc-shaped brush (7) is arranged on the end of the cylindrical brush (6) opposite the drive unit (2). 4.Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cylindrical brush (6) and / or the disc-shaped brush (7) have bristles (6a, 7a) made of plastic.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drive unit (2) is fastened to the boom (1) and carries the brush unit (5).

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the disc-shaped brush (7) has bristles (7a) that are stiffer than the bristles (6a) of the cylindrical brush (6).

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the drive unit (2) comprises a hydraulic motor (9).

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a bearing housing (4) is connected to the drive unit (2), in which a shaft (8) is mounted which carries the brush unit (5, 5a, 5b).9.Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the shaft (8) is mounted in a freely projecting manner in the bearing housing (4).

10. Device according to one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that a knife (12) is attached to the bearing housing (4).

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the disc-shaped brush (7) has bristles (7a) whose length (L) is between 1.5 times and 2.5 times the length (l) of the bristles (6a) of the cylindrical brush (6).

12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the cylindrical brush (6) is composed of several identical individual brushes (11a) which are lined up in the axial direction on the shaft (8).

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the individual brushes (11a) are separated from one another by spacers (13).Device for according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the disc-shaped brush (7) is composed of several identical individual brushes which are lined up in the axial direction on the shaft (8).

15. Device for according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the brush unit (5, 5a, 5b) comprises an upper end plate (17) and a lower end plate (16).

16. Device for according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that two brush units (5a, 5b) with mutually parallel axes are provided.

17. A method for weed control in the area of fences, in which a vehicle with a boom (1) travels along the fence, wherein a brush unit (5, 5a, 5b) attached to the boom rests against the fence (21), characterized in that a cylindrical brush (6) rests with its circumference against the fence (21) and at the same time a coaxial disc-shaped brush (7) engages under the fence (21). 2025 01 07 Ba.

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