Ground-guided lawn care device

Abstract

Ground-guided lawn-working device, for example a lawn mower (1), scarifier or lawn tractor, comprising: - a housing (2) having on its underside a soil tillage unit (3), for example a mower, with an ejection opening (4) for ejecting the material cut out of the lawn by means of the soil tillage unit (3), for example cut grass; - a collecting basket (5), in particular a textile collecting basket, detachably attached to the housing (2) for receiving the material cut out of the lawn, which is made of an air-permeable material, in particular textile, at least on its upper side (7), wherein the collecting basket (5) has an inlet opening (6) which is adjacent to the discharge opening (4) of the soil tillage unit (3); - a fill level indicator (8) mounted on the upper side (7) of the grass catcher (5), which is designed to protrude from the grass catcher (5) due to the conveying air flow of the soil tilling unit when the fill level of the grass catcher (5) is low, and to rest on the upper side (7) of the grass catcher (5) when the grass catcher (5) is full, wherein the air permeability of the fill level indicator (8) is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the grass catcher (5); wherein the discharge opening (4) of the soil tilling unit (3) and the fill level indicator (8) are arranged off-center with respect to a longitudinal center axis (X) of the lawn tilling device running in a mowing direction (MR).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a ground-guided lawn-care device, for example a lawn mower, scarifier, or lawn tractor, comprising a housing having on its underside a soil-treating unit, for example a mower, with an ejection opening for ejecting the material cut from the lawn by the soil-treating unit, for example cut grass. The lawn-treating device further comprises a collecting basket, in particular a textile collecting basket, detachably attached to the housing for receiving the cut material, which is formed at least on its upper side from an air-permeable material, in particular textile. The collecting basket has an inlet opening adjacent to the ejection opening of the soil-treating unit.A fill level indicator is mounted on the top of the catcher basket, which is designed to protrude from the catcher basket when the fill level of the catcher basket is low due to a conveying air flow of the soil tillage unit, and to rest on the top of the catcher basket when it is full, wherein the air permeability of the fill level indicator is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the catcher basket.

[0002] It is known from the prior art that a primary function of the fill level indicator on lawn mower grass catcher boxes is to inform the user when the box needs to be emptied. This indicator can consist of a textile rag or a plastic flag attached to the top of the catcher box. If the fill level indicator is blown upwards, this means that the box is not yet full and mowing can continue. When the fill level indicator rests on the catcher box, the box is full and needs to be emptied. Until now, the fill level indicator on lawn mower grass catcher boxes has always been mounted symmetrically. For grass catcher boxes made of airtight material, asymmetrical arrangements of the fill level indicator are already known. However, this asymmetric arrangement offers no advantage in terms of directing the airflow to better fill one side of the box.

[0003] According to the invention, the discharge opening of the soil tillage unit and the fill level indicator are arranged off-center with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the lawn tillage device running in a mowing direction.

[0004] The off-center placement of the fill level indicator has the advantage that it allows the air flow to be directed: By positioning it off-center, the air flow can be directed away from the mowing channel outlet, for example. This prevents the area of ​​the mowing channel outlet from becoming blocked and ensures that the bag is filled more evenly. As the bag becomes fuller, the deposit locations of the grass clippings shift within the bag. The area of ​​the bag diagonally opposite the mowing channel outlet is filled first, i.e. the part of the catcher bag facing a user of the lawn care device and not aligned with the mowing channel outlet. As the bag becomes fuller, the deposit location then moves to the front of the catcher bag, to the side of the mowing channel outlet, as seen in the direction of mowing.Subsequently, the area of ​​the basket which is aligned with the mowing channel outlet in relation to the mowing direction is also filled first on the user side and only then the area of ​​the catcher basket adjacent to the mowing channel outlet.

[0005] The lawn care device can comprise a processing unit such as a cutting device or a scarifying device for removing material from the ground, in particular the lawn. In the case of a scarifying device, the material removed from the lawn can be, for example, moss. Furthermore, the ground-guided lawn care device can comprise a channel with an outlet opening. The removed material can be removed via the channel and guided toward the outlet opening.

[0006] The discharge opening of the soil tillage unit and the fill level indicator can be arranged off-center with respect to the longitudinal center axis on the same side of the longitudinal center axis, in particular substantially aligned with each other.

[0007] The grass catcher can have a top, a bottom, and a plurality of side surfaces, and at least its top side can be made of breathable fabric. The top side for locating the fill level indicator is therefore useful, as gravity can be utilized here, allowing the fill level indicator to rest on the top of the catcher if airflow is lost due to a low fill level.

[0008] The level indicator may comprise a cloth, particularly made of a textile, whose air permeability is lower than the air permeability of the collecting basket. This refers to the air permeability per unit area, for example, 1 cm 2the level indicator is more permeable to air than 1 cm 2 the air-permeable area of ​​the collecting basket.

[0009] The width of the fill level indicator, in particular the flap, may, for example, be less than half the width of the collecting basket. The fill level indicator, in particular the flap, may have a fastening seam running transversely to the longitudinal center axis.

[0010] The fill level indicator, in particular the tab, can be arranged laterally from the longitudinal center axis. Alternatively, the fill level indicator can be adjacent to the longitudinal center axis. The fill level indicator, in particular the tab, can extend over the entire length of the textile collecting basket.

[0011] The fill level indicator, in particular the tab, can have a first section that is attached to the top of the grass catcher over its entire surface. The fill level indicator can have a second section that is attached to the top of the grass catcher only at at least one end section running transversely to the longitudinal center axis. The first section can face the soil tillage unit, at the front in the mowing direction, and the second section can face a user, at the rear in the mowing direction.

[0012] The invention further relates to a grass catcher, in particular a textile grass catcher, for a lawn care device, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 9, with a mounting end for detachably fastening the grass catcher to a lawn care device, wherein the mounting end has an inlet opening for material cut out of a lawn, wherein the grass catcher is formed at least on its upper side from an air-permeable material, in particular a textile, and has a fill level indicator attached to the upper side of the grass catcher, which is designed to protrude from the grass catcher when the fill level of the grass catcher is low due to a conveying air flow generated by a soil cultivation unit of the lawn care device, and to rest on the upper side of the grass catcher when the grass catcher is full, wherein the air permeability of the fill level indicator is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the grass catcher; wherein the fill level indicator is arranged off-center relative to a longitudinal center axis of the grass catcher running in a mowing direction.

[0013] For a better understanding of the invention, it is explained in more detail using the following figures.

[0014] They show in a highly simplified, schematic representation: Fig. 1 A side view of a lawnmower with grass catcher attached; Fig. 2 A cutaway top view of a lawnmower; Fig. 3 A perspective view of a grass catcher.

[0015] By way of introduction, it should be noted that in the variously described embodiments, identical parts are provided with identical reference symbols or component designations. The disclosures contained throughout the description can be applied analogously to identical parts with identical reference symbols or component designations. Furthermore, the positional information chosen in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., refers to the directly described and illustrated figure, and these positional information must be applied analogously to the new position in the event of a change in position. FIGURE DESCRIPTION

[0016] Fig. 1 shows a side view of a lawnmower with the grass catcher box mounted. Fig. 1, it can be provided that the lawn cultivation device is a lawn mower 1. The lawn mower 1 has a housing 2, on the underside of which a soil cultivation unit 3, in the case of the lawn mower shown, a mowing mechanism, is arranged. The soil cultivation unit 3 has an ejection opening 4, which serves to eject the material cut out of the lawn by the soil cultivation unit 3, for example cut grass. The lawn mower further has a grass catcher 5, in particular a textile grass catcher, which is detachably attached to the housing 2 and for receiving the cut-out material. The grass catcher 5 can be formed, at least on its upper side, from an air-permeable material, in particular a fabric, in particular a plastic fabric, for example a PVC-coated nylon fabric. The grass catcher 5 has an inlet opening 6, which borders on the ejection opening 4 of the soil cultivation unit 3, orThe discharge opening 4 opens into the inlet opening 6 of the grass catcher 5. A fill level indicator 8 is mounted on the top of the grass catcher 5. This level indicator is designed to protrude from the grass catcher 5 when the fill level is low due to the conveying air flow generated by the soil tillage unit 3, and to rest on the top of the grass catcher 5 when it is full. The air permeability of the fill level indicator 8 is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the grass catcher 5.

[0017] Fig. Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the top side of a lawn mower and, in particular, the flow path of the conveying air stream exiting the outlet opening 4 of the mowing channel. The soil cultivation unit 3 in the form of a mower has a rotary-driven blade which serves to cut the lawn and, in the course of its rotational movement, creates a suction which conveys the cut grass along the mowing channel towards the outlet opening 4 and from there into the inlet opening of the grass catcher 5. As can be seen, the outlet opening 4 is arranged off-center with respect to the longitudinal axis X, which is the norm for lawn mowers. The arrangement of the fill level indicator 8 on the left and, in the mowing direction MR, rear side of the grass catcher 5, as shown in Fig. 3, now leads to the placement of the clippings in the grass catcher following a specific pattern. Fig. In the top view shown in Figure 2, the air-grass mixture flows diagonally from the left-hand mowing channel outlet 4 to the rear right into the grass catcher 5, so that the grass clippings initially accumulate in heaps in the rear right corner of the grass catcher 5. As the grass catcher fills, the deposition location gradually moves forward in the mowing direction MR toward the lower right corner of the grass catcher 5 (relative to the view shown) due to the changing flow resistance – the flow resistance increases where the accumulated grass clippings block the air outlet through the fabric. When this corner is also full, the deposition location moves to the rear left corner of the grass catcher 5 (relative to the view shown) and only then toward the outlet opening 4.

[0018] Fig.Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a grass catcher 5, which has a top side 7, a bottom side 9, and a plurality of side surfaces 10, which comprise two lateral side walls and a rear side wall. In the embodiment shown, the side surfaces 10 and the top side 7 are made of an air-permeable textile or mesh fabric, while the bottom side 9 is formed by a plastic shell. A fill level indicator 8 in the form of a textile flap 11 is attached to the top side 7 of the grass catcher 5. The fill level indicator 8 is designed to protrude from the top side 7 of the grass catcher 5 due to the conveying air flow of the soil processing unit 3 when the grass catcher 5 is low, and to rest on the top side 7 when the grass catcher 5 is full. The air permeability of the fill level indicator 8 is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the grass catcher 5. The width B of the flap 11 is less than half the width BF of the grass catcher 5. The tab 11 has a fastening seam 12 running transversely to the longitudinal central axis X and is arranged laterally from the longitudinal central axis X. The tab 11 has a first section which is fastened over its entire surface to the top side of the grass catcher 5, and a second section which is only fastened to the top side 7 of the grass catcher 5 at at least one end section running transversely to the longitudinal central axis X. The first section 13 faces the lawn-treating device, at the front in the mowing direction MR, and the second section 14 faces a user, at the rear in the mowing direction MR. The grass catcher 5 has a mounting end 15 for releasably fastening the grass catcher 5 to a lawn-treating device, which mounting end has an inlet opening 6 for material cut out of a lawn, in particular cut grass.

[0019] The embodiments show possible embodiments, whereby it should be noted at this point that the invention is not limited to the specifically illustrated embodiments thereof, but rather various combinations of the individual embodiments with each other are also possible and this possibility of variation lies within the skill of the person skilled in the art in this technical field due to the teaching of technical action by means of the objective invention.

[0020] The scope of protection is determined by the claims. However, the description and drawings must be used to interpret the claims. Individual features or combinations of features from the various embodiments shown and described may represent independent inventive solutions. The problem underlying these independent inventive solutions can be derived from the description.

[0021] All information on value ranges in this description is to be understood as including any and all sub-ranges thereof, e.g. the information 1 to 10 is to be understood as including all sub-ranges starting from the lower limit of 1 and the upper limit of 10, ie all sub-ranges begin with a lower limit of 1 or greater and end with an upper limit of 10 or less, e.g. 1 to 1.7, or 3.2 to 8.1, or 5.5 to 10.

[0022] For the sake of clarity, it should finally be pointed out that, in order to better understand the structure, some elements have been shown out of scale and / or enlarged and / or reduced in size.

Claims

[1] Ground-guided lawn-working device, for example a lawnmower (1), scarifier or lawn tractor, comprising: - a housing (2) having on its underside a soil tillage unit (3), for example a mower, with an ejection opening (4) for ejecting the material cut out of the lawn by means of the soil tillage unit (3), for example cut grass; - a collecting basket (5), in particular a textile collecting basket, detachably attached to the housing (2) for receiving the material cut out of the lawn, which is made of an air-permeable material, in particular textile, at least on its upper side (7), wherein the collecting basket (5) has an inlet opening (6) which is adjacent to the discharge opening (4) of the soil tillage unit (3); - a fill level indicator (8) mounted on the upper side (7) of the grass catcher (5), which is designed to protrude from the grass catcher (5) due to the conveying air flow of the soil tilling unit when the fill level of the grass catcher (5) is low, and to rest on the upper side (7) of the grass catcher (5) when the grass catcher (5) is full, wherein the air permeability of the fill level indicator (8) is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the grass catcher (5); wherein the discharge opening (4) of the soil tilling unit (3) and the fill level indicator (8) are arranged off-center with respect to a longitudinal center axis (X) of the lawn tilling device running in a mowing direction (MR). [2] Lawn cultivating device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge opening (4) of the soil cultivating unit (3) and the fill level indicator (8) are arranged off-center towards the same side of the longitudinal center axis (X), in particular substantially aligned with one another. [3] Lawn-working device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the collecting basket (5) has an upper side (7), a lower side (9) and a plurality of side surfaces (10) and is made of air-permeable textile at least on one of its side surfaces (10) and the upper side (7). [4] Lawn cultivating device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fill level indicator (8) has a flap (11) whose air permeability is lower than the air permeability of the collecting basket (5). [5] Lawn-working device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the width (B) of the fill level indicator (8), in particular of the tab (11), is less than half the width (B F ) of the collecting basket (5). [6] Lawn cultivating device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fill level indicator (8), in particular the tab (11), has a fastening seam (12) running transversely to the longitudinal central axis (X). [7] Lawn cultivating device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fill level indicator (5), in particular the tab (11), is arranged laterally from the longitudinal central axis (X) or is adjacent to the longitudinal central axis (X). [8] Lawn cultivating device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fill level indicator (8), in particular the tab (11), has a first section (13) which is fastened over its entire surface to the upper side (7) of the collecting basket (5), and a second section (14) which is fastened to the upper side (7) of the collecting basket (5) only at at least one end section running transversely to the longitudinal central axis (X). [9] Lawn cultivating device according to claim 8, wherein the first portion (13) of the soil cultivating unit (3) and the second portion (14) face a user. [10] Grass catcher (5), in particular a textile grass catcher, for a lawn-treating device (1), with a mounting end (15) for detachably fastening the grass catcher (5) to a lawn-treating device (1), wherein the mounting end (15) has an inlet opening (6) for material cut out of a lawn, wherein the grass catcher (5) is formed at least on its upper side from an air-permeable material, in particular a textile, and has a fill level indicator (8) attached to the upper side (7) of the grass catcher (5), which is designed to protrude from the grass catcher (5) when the fill level of the grass catcher (5) is low by a conveying air flow generated by a soil tilling unit (3) of the lawn-treating device (1), and to rest on the upper side (7) of the grass catcher (5) when the grass catcher (5) is full, wherein the air permeability of the fill level indicator (8) is lower than the air permeability of the air-permeable material of the grass catcher (5);wherein the fill level indicator (8) is arranged off-center relative to a longitudinal center axis (X) of the catcher (5) running in a mowing direction (MR);

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