Collector machine

Abstract

To provide a collector machine with a novel structure having a wide range of work applications.SOLUTION: The collector machine comprises: a frame 10; drive wheels 8 provided on the frame 10; a rotary brush (rotary collector) 30 disposed on the frame 10 so as to rotate about a rotation axis L in conjunction with the drive wheels 8; and a container 7 arranged around the rotary brush 30. The rotation axis L of the rotary brush 30 is inclined with respect to the ground when viewed from a traveling direction T of the frame 10. The rotary brush 30 is arranged around the rotation axis L such that the distance from the rotation axis L increases (the brush is further spaced from the rotation axis L) from a lower side (base end) toward an upper side (tip end) of the rotation axis L.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recovery machine that performs recovery work by sweeping up objects that have fallen on the ground, such as tennis or golf balls, pebbles, garbage, nuts, fallen leaves, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of recovery machine is moved forward by human power or power, and the drive wheels are rolled on the ground to rotate the brushes and recover objects that have fallen on the ground. The brushes are fixed to the drive wheels by bolts or the like, and rotate together with the drive wheels. This recovery machine recovers objects that have fallen on the ground by sweeping the ground while the brushes attached to the drive wheels rotate together with the drive wheels. This recovery machine has a simple structure, and is a lightweight and inexpensive product, as the brushes are directly attached to the drive wheels and rotated. As a manual recovery machine in which a recovery tool composed of such brushes and the like is linked to a drive wheel, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-28110 A [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3199039 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, manual recovery machines in which a recovery tool consisting of a brush or the like is linked to a drive wheel are already on the market, but the recovery tool rotates vertically and the rotation axis is parallel to the ground. This type of vertically rotating recovery tool (hereinafter also referred to as a rotating recovery tool) picks up an object at the lowest point of rotation and returns from above, so for large objects, the recovery tool returning from above hits the object, making it difficult to recover the object.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a recovery machine with a new structure that can be used in a wide range of tasks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the recovery machine of the present invention basically comprises a frame, a drive wheel provided on the frame, a rotating recovery tool arranged on the frame so as to rotate around a rotation axis in conjunction with the drive wheel, and a container arranged around the rotating recovery tool, and is a recovery machine that recovers an object into the container using the rotating recovery tool rotating around the rotation axis, wherein the rotation axis is inclined with respect to the ground when viewed from the direction of travel of the frame, and the rotating recovery tool is arranged around the rotation axis so that the distance between the rotating recovery tool and the rotation axis increases as one moves from the lower side to the upper side of the rotation axis.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the drive wheel and the rotary recovery tool rotate integrally about the rotation axis.

[0008] In another preferred embodiment, the rotation diameter of the rotary retriever is larger than the rotation diameter of the drive wheel.

[0009] In another preferred embodiment, the rotary retriever is arranged so that its bottom portion is parallel to the ground when rotated about the rotation axis.

[0010] In another preferred embodiment, the rotating retriever is arranged so that its uppermost portion is perpendicular to the ground when rotated about the rotation axis.

[0011] In another preferred embodiment, the rotation axis is inclined within a range of 0 degrees to 45 degrees with respect to a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel when viewed from above and below, so that the upper side of the rotation axis is located further forward in the direction of travel than the lower side.

[0012] In another preferred embodiment, the recovery device further comprises an operating rod for moving the recovery machine to apply a rotational force to the drive wheel and the rotary recovery tool.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment, the device further includes a drive source for rotationally driving the drive wheel and the rotary recovery tool. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, by tilting the rotation axis of the rotary recovery tool with respect to the ground when viewed from the direction of movement of the frame, the rotary recovery tool is sent in one direction within the working range (the lowest part of the rotary recovery tool), so the rotary recovery tool returning from above does not get in the way when recovering a large object. Therefore, recovery work can be performed efficiently regardless of the size of the object, and the range of applicable work can be expanded. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view showing a recovery machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the main part of the recovery machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the main part of the recovery machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view of the main part of the recovery machine according to one embodiment of the present invention with the operating rod and container removed. [Diagram 5] A cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Figure 2 (the right end portion is an exploded cross-sectional view). [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3 . [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rotating brush which is a rotating recovery tool shown in FIG. 1 etc. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a top view showing a main part of a recovery machine according to another embodiment of the present invention (the inclination of a rotating brush, etc. is changed). [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a main part of a recovery machine according to another embodiment (rotary recovery tool: rotary mop) of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a rotary mop which is the rotary recovery tool of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a main part of a recovery machine according to another embodiment (rotating recovery tool: rotating rake) of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a rotary rake which is the rotary recovery tool of FIG. 11 . [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view (part 1) showing a recovery machine according to another embodiment (electric type) of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a second overall front view showing a recovery machine according to another embodiment (electric type) of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, the description will be mainly based on a manual recovery machine 1. The concepts of position and direction such as front and back, left and right, up and down, etc. in this specification are assumed to be the same as the concepts of position and direction such as front and back, left and right, up and down, etc. in the recovery machine 1 shown in FIG. 1, etc.

[0017] Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of the recovery machine 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are a left side view and a front view, respectively, showing the main part of the recovery machine 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a top view of the main part of the recovery machine 1 according to this embodiment with the operating rod 6 and the container 7 removed.

[0018] As shown in the figure, the recovery machine 1 basically comprises a frame 10, drive wheels 8 provided on the left and right sides of the frame 10, a rotating brush (rotating recovery tool) 30 supported on the frame 10 so as to rotate around a rotation axis L, a container 7 arranged around the rotating brush 30 rotating around the rotation axis L, and an operating rod (also called a handle) 6 provided to extend diagonally upward from the frame 10.

[0019] In this embodiment, a drive wheel 8 and a rotating brush 30 are rotatably attached to the left and right sides of the lower side of the frame 10, a container 7 is fixedly attached to the rear side of the frame 10, and an operating rod 6 is provided on the upper side of the frame 10 so as to extend upward and rearward.

[0020] Specifically, as can be seen by referring to Fig. 5 together with Fig. 3, the frame 10 has a roughly gate-like shape in front view (when viewed from the front-rear direction or the traveling direction T), and includes a connecting portion 16 located on the upper side of the frame 10 and extending in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and support portions 12 extending in the left-right direction and diagonally downward from both left and right ends of the connecting portion 16. A drive wheel 8 and a rotating brush 30 are rotatably attached to the respective ends (left end and right end) of the left and right support portions 12, and a container 7 is fixedly attached between the left and right support portions 12. An operating rod 6 is connected to the connecting portion 16 via a connecting member 17 provided near the left-right center of the connecting portion 16.

[0021] In this embodiment, the connecting member 17 has a bottom plate portion 18 extending in the left-right direction and a cylindrical portion 19 protruding upward near the left-right center of the bottom plate portion 18, and the bottom plate portion 18 is fastened and fixed to (the upper surface of) the connecting portion 16 with a bolt 20 (via the connection portion 7A of the container 7), and the lower end portion of the operating rod 6 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 19. This allows the operator to push the recovery machine 1 forward via the operating rod 6, roll the drive wheels 8 on the ground, and rotate the rotating brush 30 (i.e., impart a rotational force to the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30), thereby performing recovery work.

[0022] In this embodiment, in order to mount the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30 (their rotation axis L) at an angle relative to the ground, as can be clearly seen by referring to Figure 5 together with Figure 3, each end (left end and right end) of the left and right support portions 12 is bent inward to form an angle (in the illustrated example, an angle of approximately 45° relative to the ground), and a through hole 15 is provided in the inclined portion 14 formed at that angle, for inserting a fastening bolt 22 for mounting.

[0023] In each of the inclined parts 14 formed on the left and right support parts 12, the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30 are fastened together by a bolt 35 to be integrated, and an assembly 36 of them is disposed on the outer surface side (lower surface side) of the inclined part 14 with a washer 24 sandwiched therebetween so that the drive wheel 8 is located on the outer side and the rotating brush 30 is located on the inner side. A bearing 25 is press-fitted into the through hole 15, and the (assembly 36 of the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30) is rotatably attached to the outer side of the inclined part 14 by a through hole 9 provided in the center of the drive wheel 8, a through hole 31 provided in the center of the rotating brush 30, a fastening bolt 22 inserted through the inner ring part of the bearing 25 press-fitted into the through hole 15, and a nut 26 screwed onto the fastening bolt 22. In this embodiment, a washer 23 is interposed between the fastening bolt 22 (head) and the drive wheel 8.

[0024] With this mounting configuration, the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30 are disposed and supported on the inclined portion 14 so as to rotate integrally (at the same rotation period or rotation speed) around the same rotation axis L (extending in a direction along the axis of the fastening bolt 22). As described above, the inclined portion 14 is bent and formed so as to be inclined with respect to the ground as viewed from the traveling direction T, so that the common rotation axis L of the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30, which extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the inclined portion 14, is also inclined with respect to the ground as viewed from the traveling direction T. It is needless to say that the configuration for inclining the rotation axis L of the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30 with respect to the ground is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Moreover, the inclined portion 14 and the rotation axis L do not necessarily have to be perpendicular.

[0025] The drive wheel 8 attached to the outer surface of the rotating brush 30 on the outer surface side of the inclined portion 14 contacts the ground with its rotation axis L inclined relative to the ground as described above, so that its outer circumferential surface (contact surface) 8A is formed in an umbrella shape (tapered at approximately 45° in the illustrated example) when viewed from the direction of travel T so that it can contact the ground approximately parallel to the ground.

[0026] In addition, the rotating brush 30, which is attached to the inner side of the drive wheel 8 on the outer side of the inclined portion 14, has a fixed portion 32 placed on the inclined portion 14 and a plurality of brush bodies 34 (four in the illustrated example) extending radially from the periphery of the fixed portion 32, and the through hole 31 for inserting the fastening bolt 22 for installation is provided in the fixed portion 32 (see Figure 7 in particular).

[0027] In this embodiment, each brush body 34 extending from the periphery of the fixed portion 32 is angled (about 45° in the illustrated example) so as to be inclined with respect to the rotation axis L so as to widen toward the tip side. In other words, each brush body 34 is disposed at approximately equal intervals around the rotation axis L so as to move away from the fixed portion 32 and away from the rotation axis L, or so as to widen the distance between the brush body 34 and the rotation axis L from the base side (lower side) of the rotation axis L to the tip side (upper side) (see FIG. 7 in particular).

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the rotation axis L of the rotating brush 30 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the ground, and each brush body 34 of the rotating brush 30 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the rotation axis L. Therefore, when (each brush body 34 of) the rotating brush 30 rotates around the rotation axis L, each brush body 34 of the rotating brush 30 is approximately parallel to the ground at the bottom of the rotating brush 30, and each brush body 34 of the rotating brush 30 is approximately perpendicular to the ground at the top of the rotating brush 30.

[0029] As described above, when the rotating brush 30 (each brush body 34) rotates, the brush bodies 34 of the rotating brush 30 become approximately parallel to the ground at the bottom of the rotating brush 30, so that objects that have fallen on the ground can be evenly swept up. Also, the brush bodies 34 of the rotating brush 30 become approximately perpendicular to the ground at the top of the rotating brush 30, so that the width of the recovery machine 1 can be minimized.

[0030] In this embodiment, the connecting member 17 connected to the operating rod 6 is offset upward from the line segment (extending in the left-right direction) connecting the centers of the left and right rotating brushes 30 (see Figs. 3, 5, etc.), and each brush body 34 of the left and right rotating brushes 30 extends to the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction of the frame 10 at the lowest part of the rotating brush 30. Therefore, the collection work can be performed over almost the entire area between the left and right driving wheels 8 (working range S (see Fig. 3)). In this embodiment, the rotational diameter (= outer diameter around the rotation axis L) φa of (each brush body 34 of) the rotating brush 30 is made larger than the rotational diameter (= outer diameter around the rotation axis L) φb of the driving wheel 8 (see Fig. 3). Therefore, the circumferential speed of (each brush body 34 of) the rotating brush 30 becomes faster than the circumferential speed of the driving wheel 8, and the workability of the collection work can be improved.

[0031] In this embodiment, a container 7 for storing collected objects is provided behind the left and right rotating brushes 30 and between the left and right driving wheels 8. The container 7 is attached to the connecting portion 16 of the frame 10 behind the left and right rotating brushes 30 so as to open toward the rotating brushes 30 (i.e., toward the front) and not to impede the rotation of the rotating brush 30. In this embodiment, the container 7 is disposed behind the rotating brush 30 by having a connection portion 7A provided at an upper end of the container 7 interposed between the connecting portion 16 of the frame 10 and the bottom plate portion 18 of the connecting member 17 and fastened and fixed to the connecting portion 16 of the frame 10 together with the bottom plate portion 18 of the connecting member 17 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0032] With this arrangement, when the rotating brush 30 rotates around the rotation axis L in conjunction with (in this example, synchronously with) the rotation of the drive wheel 8, the rotating brush 30 rotating around the rotation axis L sweeps up any objects that have fallen to the ground at the bottom of the rotating brush 30 and collects them in the container 7.

[0033] In the recovery machine 1 configured as above, an operator uses the operating rod 6 to manually push the recovery machine 1 forward and rolls the drive wheels 8 on the ground, thereby rotating the rotating brush 30 in conjunction with (in synchronization with) the drive wheels 8. The rotating brush 30 (each brush body 34) rotates around this rotation axis L to sweep up objects that have fallen on the ground into the container 7, thereby carrying out the recovery work.

[0034] At this time, by tilting the rotation axis L of the rotating brush 30 with respect to the ground as viewed from the traveling direction T of the frame 10, the rotating brush 30 is sent in one direction within the working range S (Fig. 3) (the lowest part of the rotating brush 30), so the rotating brush 30 returning from above does not get in the way when collecting large objects (in other words, the front in the traveling direction T is more open than in the prior art). Therefore, collection work can be performed efficiently regardless of the size of the object, making it possible to expand the range of applicable work.

[0035] In addition, since the rotational diameter (= outer diameter around the rotation axis L) φa of the rotating brush 30 is larger than the rotational diameter (= outer diameter around the rotation axis L) φb of the drive wheel 8, the circumferential speed of the rotating brush 30 is faster than the circumferential speed of the drive wheel 8, improving the workability of the recovery operation.

[0036] In addition, the rotating brush 30 is parallel to the ground at its bottom when rotating around the rotation axis L, so it can evenly sweep up objects that have fallen on the ground. In addition, the rotating brush 30 is perpendicular to the ground at its top when rotating around the rotation axis L, so the width of the recovery machine 1 can be minimized.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the rotation axis L of the rotating brush 30 is inclined with respect to the ground when viewed from the traveling direction T of the frame 10, and is arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the traveling direction T of the frame 10) when viewed from the top-down direction (see FIG. 4, etc.). However, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotation axis L of the rotating brush 30 may be arranged so as to be inclined within a range of about 0° to about 45° (angle θ) with respect to the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the traveling direction T of the frame 10) when viewed from the top-down direction so that the upper side (tip side) of the rotation axis L is located further forward in the traveling direction T than the lower side (root side). With such an arrangement, the rotating brush 30 may be slightly open with respect to the traveling direction T of the frame 10, making it easier to receive an object on the ground.

[0038] In addition, in the above embodiment, the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30 rotate integrally (at the same rotational period or rotational speed) around the same rotational axis L, but the drive wheel 8 and the rotating brush 30 may also rotate around different rotational axes at different rotational periods or rotational speeds, for example, by using a connecting shaft or gears between them.

[0039] In addition, in the above embodiment, the container 7 is attached between the operating rod 6 held by the operator and the frame 10, but the attachment configuration, arrangement configuration, shape, etc. of the container 7 are not limited to the illustrated example.

[0040] In addition, in the above embodiment, a rotating brush 30 having multiple brush bodies 34 is used as a rotating recovery tool for sweeping up and recovering objects on the ground, but a rotating mop 40 having multiple mop materials 44 as shown in Figures 9 and 10, or a rotating rake 45 having multiple rake blade materials 49 as shown in Figures 11 and 12, etc. may also be used depending on the location of use and the objects to be recovered.

[0041] In the above embodiment, a manual recovery machine is exemplified in which an operator manually pushes the recovery machine 1 forward using the operating rod 6 to apply a rotational force to the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30. However, the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30 may be driven to rotate using a drive source such as a motor or an engine (in other words, a rotational force may be applied to the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30). In this case, the structure can be simplified by coaxially arranging the drive shaft of the drive source and the rotation shaft L of the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30. For example, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, a control board or the like (not shown) may be arranged on the upper surface of the frame 10, an inclined portion 14 (which is bent inward to give an angle) may be formed at the lower end of the frame 10, and the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30 (assembly 36) may be arranged outside the inclined portion 14 as described above, and a motor 50 may be arranged between the assembly 36 and the inclined portion 14 as a drive source, and the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brush 30 may be rotated by driving the motor 50. In this case, as shown in the figure, a support wheel 52 may be added to the rear of the frame 10, or the operating rod 6 may be omitted. When using a drive source such as a motor or an engine, the output of the drive source may be adjusted by an operator using a control panel provided on the recovery machine or by remote control, or may be adjusted automatically by processing information obtained from various sensors mounted on the recovery machine on a control board.

[0042] Furthermore, the mounting positions and numbers of the drive wheels 8 and the rotating brushes 30, and the number of brush bodies 34 constituting the rotating brush 30 are not limited to those shown in the figures, and can of course be set as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Collection machine 6 Operating rod 7 Container 7A Container connection 8 Drive wheels 8A Outer surface of the drive wheel (contact surface) 9 Through holes 10 Frames 12 Support part 14 Slope 15 Through hole 16 Connecting part 17 Connecting members 18 Bottom plate portion of connecting member 19 Cylindrical portion of connecting member 20 Volts 22 Fastening bolt 23, 24 Washer 25 Bearings 26 Nut 30 Rotating brush (rotating recovery tool) 31 Through hole 32 Fixed part 34 Brush body 35 Volts 36 Assembly 40 Rotating mop (rotating recovery tool) 44 Mop material 45 Rotating rake (rotating recovery tool) 49 Rake blade material L Rotation Axis S Work range T Direction of travel

Claims

1. A frame, A drive wheel provided on the frame; A rotary recovery tool disposed on the frame so as to rotate about a rotation axis in conjunction with the drive wheel; a container disposed around the rotary retrieval device; A recovery machine that recovers an object into the container using the rotary recovery tool that rotates around the rotation axis, The rotation axis is inclined with respect to the ground when viewed from the traveling direction of the frame, The recovery machine is characterized in that the rotary recovery tool is arranged around the rotating shaft such that the distance between the rotary recovery tool and the rotating shaft increases from the lower side to the upper side of the rotating shaft.

2. The recovery machine according to claim 1 , wherein the drive wheel and the rotary recovery tool rotate integrally around the rotation axis.

3. The recovery machine according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation diameter of the rotary recovery tool is larger than the rotation diameter of the drive wheel.

4. The recovery machine according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary recovery tool is parallel to the ground at its lowest point when rotated about the rotation axis.

5. The recovery machine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating recovery tool is vertical to the ground at its top when rotated around the rotation axis.

6. The recovery machine described in claim 1, characterized in that the rotation axis is inclined within a range of 0 degrees to 45 degrees with respect to a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel when viewed from above and below, so that the upper side of the rotation axis is positioned further forward in the direction of travel than the lower side.

7. The recovery machine according to claim 1 , further comprising an operating rod for moving the recovery machine and applying a rotational force to the drive wheel and the rotary recovery tool.

8. The recovery machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a drive source for rotating the drive wheel and the rotary recovery tool.

Images