Cutting device

Abstract

To provide a cutting device that achieves enhanced ease of cutting small branches, vines and the like.SOLUTION: A cutting device 10 includes: a casing 11 to which a connecting portion 5 for a heavy machine 1 is mounted; a cylindrical rotary member 12 supported rotatably about its axis relative to the casing 11; a plurality of blade members 21, 22 mounted on the rotary member 12 and rotating at a position outward of the outer peripheral surface of the rotary member 12 when the rotary member 12 rotates about its axis; and a drive source 20 for driving the rotary member 12, the plurality of blade members 21, 22 comprising a main blade member 21 having an outer blade edge 21c, and an auxiliary blade member 22 having a plurality of auxiliary blade edges 22b disposed inward of the outer blade edge 21c and aligned along the circumferential direction of the rotary member 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting machine or the like used for felling trees in forests or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a felling machine as a cutting device used for felling trees in forests, etc. This felling machine is connected to the arm of a shovel when used. This felling machine has a rotating drum inside a casing. A plurality of blades are arranged on the circumferential surface of the rotating drum in the axial direction of the rotating drum. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3219161 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional cutting devices (such as the felling device described in Patent Document 1), when there are soft twigs or vines, the twigs may escape from the blade, making it difficult to cut the twigs properly with the blade.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to realize a cutting device that improves the ease of cutting twigs, vines, and the like. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention is a cutting device comprising: a casing to which a connecting part to a heavy machine is attached; a cylindrical rotating body supported on the casing so as to be rotatable about its axis; a plurality of blade bodies attached to the rotating body and which rotate and move at a position outside the outer surface of the rotating body when the rotating body rotates about its axis; and a drive source for driving the rotating body to rotate, wherein the plurality of blade bodies include a main blade body having an outer cutting edge, and a secondary blade body which is located inside the outer cutting edge and has a plurality of secondary cutting edges arranged circumferentially of the rotating body.

[0007] The second invention is the first invention, further comprising a plurality of protruding plates which are plate-shaped members protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the rotor and extending along the circumferential direction of the rotor, the plurality of protruding plates being aligned in the axial direction of the rotor, and the plurality of protruding plates including protruding plates having one or more minor blades attached thereto or formed thereon so that the plurality of minor cutting edges are aligned over an angular range of at least 90° or more.

[0008] In a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the minor cutting element is a plate-like member having a plurality of minor cutting edges formed at a predetermined pitch on its outer periphery. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In the present invention, the multiple blades attached to the rotating body include a main blade having an outer cutting edge and a secondary blade having multiple secondary cutting edges located inside the outer cutting edge and aligned along the circumferential direction of the rotating body. The main blade is responsible for cutting the main cutting object (such as a standing tree) of the cutting device. Because the secondary blade is located inside the outer cutting edge of the main blade, it is difficult for it to strike the main cutting object, but it is easier to strike curved cutting objects such as soft twigs and vines. Furthermore, because the secondary blade has multiple secondary cutting edges aligned along the circumferential direction of the rotating body, the multiple secondary cutting edges continuously strike twigs and vines. This allows the multiple secondary cutting edges to repeatedly damage and cut twigs and vines in a short period of time. This makes it possible to realize a cutting device that is easier to cut twigs and vines. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) is a side view of the cutting device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 1(b) is a top view of the cutting device of FIG. 1(a). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a rotary drum and the like in the cutting device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the rotating drum removed from the casing in the cutting device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4(a) is a front view of the protruding plate at the AA position in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4(b) is a front view of the protruding plate at the BB position in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the main cutting element and the sub cutting element of the protruding plate of FIG. 4(a). [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cutting device according to the embodiment is used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

[0012] [Cutting device configuration] This embodiment is a cutting device 10 according to the present invention. The cutting device 10 is a device used for felling forests, creating pastures, processing fallen trees, cutting branches, cutting bamboo forests, and processing stumps. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cutting device 10 includes a casing 11 to which a connecting part 5 for connecting to a heavy machine 1 such as a shovel is attached on the upper side, a rotating drum (cylindrical rotating body) 12 that is rotatable about its axis, a plurality of blades 21 and 22 attached to the rotating drum 12, and a motor (drive source) 20 that rotates the rotating drum 12.

[0013] The casing 11 is long and horizontally elongated, and is open at the bottom. The casing 11 has a top surface 15 that covers the upper part of the rotating drum 12, and a pair of side surfaces 16 provided on both longitudinal sides of the top surface 15. The casing 11 houses the rotating drum 12 so that at least the lower part of the outer circumferential surface of the rotating part consisting of the rotating drum 12 and the multiple blades 21, 22 is exposed. A pair of plate members 6 provided with connecting portions 5 protrude from the upper surface of the top surface 15. The pair of side surfaces 16 are arranged spaced apart from each other.

[0014] The rotating drum 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape. As shown in Fig. 2, a shaft 17 is fixed to the rotating drum 12 and protrudes from each end thereof. The shaft 17 is disposed coaxially with the rotating drum 12. The shaft 17 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearing devices 18 provided on a pair of side surface portions 16.

[0015] One end of the shaft 17 is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 20. When the motor 20 is driven, the rotating drum 12 rotates together with the shaft 17 around its axis. A hydraulic motor driven by hydraulic pressure supplied from the heavy equipment 1 is used as the motor 20. However, an electric motor may be used instead of a hydraulic motor. The motor 20 is housed in a housing case 7 provided on the outside of one of the side portions 16.

[0016] The multiple blade bodies 21, 22 are provided so as to rotate and move at positions outside the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 12 (outside in the radial direction of the rotating drum 12 (hereinafter referred to as the "drum radial direction")) when the rotating drum 12 rotates around its axis. The multiple blade bodies 21, 22 include a major blade body 21 having an outer cutting edge 21c and an inner cutting edge 21d, and a minor blade body 22 having multiple minor cutting edges 22b (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, multiple major blade bodies 21 and multiple minor blade bodies 22 are provided. However, the number of minor blade bodies 22 may be one.

[0017] 3 and 4, the rotating drum 12 is provided with a base 25 for each main cutting element 21 as a mounting structure for the main cutting elements 21. Each base 25 protrudes radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the rotating drum 12. The main cutting elements 21 are attached to the front side of the base 25 in the rotational direction of the rotating drum 12 (counterclockwise in FIG. 4(a)) by fastening members such as bolts (not shown).

[0018] The main blade body 21 is formed in a plate shape with a relatively large thickness. FIG. 4(a) shows the side shape of the main blade body 21. When viewed from the front side (left side of FIG. 4(a)), the main blade body 21 has a substantially rectangular shape. A pair of outer blade portions 21a and inner blade portions 21b are provided on the front side of the main blade body 21, which protrude obliquely so as to widen forward in the side view shown in FIG. 4(a). The outer blade portions 21a and inner blade portions 21b are tapered portions. The tip of the outer blade portion 21a corresponds to the outer cutting edge 21c, and the tip of the inner blade portion 21b corresponds to the inner cutting edge 21d. The outer cutting edge 21c is located radially outward of the top surface 25a of the base 25. The inner cutting edge 21d is located radially inward of the outer cutting edge 21c. The inner cutting edge 21d is located near the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 12.

[0019] Furthermore, the rotating drum 12 is provided with a protruding plate 26 for each base 25 as a support structure for the base 25. Each protruding plate 26 protrudes outward in the drum radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 12. Each protruding plate 26 is formed in a flat plate shape and is attached to the rotating drum 12 so as to be perpendicular to the axis of the rotating drum 12.

[0020] Each protruding plate 26 extends in a generally arcuate shape along the circumferential direction of the rotating drum 12. As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), each protruding plate 26 includes an arcuate portion 26a and a base support portion 26b provided at one circumferential end of the arcuate portion 26a (the front side in the direction of rotation of the rotating drum 12). The dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4(a) indicates the boundary between the arcuate portion 26a and the base support portion 26b. This dashed-dotted line does not exist in the actual product. FIG. 4(a) shows a protruding plate 26 to which a secondary blade 22 is attached, and FIG. 4(b) shows a protruding plate 26 to which a secondary blade 22 is not attached. The protruding plate 26 in FIG. 4(a) and the protruding plate 26 in FIG. 4(b) are adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the rotating drum 12.

[0021] The arc-shaped portion 26a is formed in a generally arc-like shape with the center portion removed. The other circumferential end of the arc-shaped portion 26a is rounded radially outward. A gap S that widens radially outward is formed between the other end of the arc-shaped portion 26a and the front surface of the main cutting element 21. One end (front end) of the base support portion 26b is joined to the rear surface of the base 25. The base support portion 26b supports the base 25 from the rear surface side.

[0022] The rotating drum 12 is provided with multiple sets of bases 25 and protruding plates 26. As shown in Fig. 3, the multiple protruding plates 26 are arranged at a constant pitch on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 12 in the axial direction (length direction) of the rotating drum 12. The multiple bases 25 are also arranged at a constant pitch in the axial direction of the rotating drum 12. A base 26 is provided corresponding to all of the protruding plates 26. Furthermore, when viewed in the axial direction of the rotating drum 12, the installation positions of adjacent multiple bases 25 are shifted from each other in the circumferential direction.

[0023] Convex portions 29 that protrude outward in the drum radial direction are provided between adjacent support plates 26 to prevent foreign matter from accumulating between the support plates 26. The convex portions 29 are formed by bending a plate material. A plurality of convex portions 29 are lined up in the circumferential direction between adjacent support plates 26. Convex portions 29 are also provided between the base 25 and the support plates 26.

[0024] Some of the multiple protruding plates 26 also serve as mounting structures for the secondary blades 22. In the protruding plate 26 to which the secondary blades 22 are attached, the secondary blades 22, which extend in a substantially arc-like shape, are attached to the outer periphery of the arc-shaped portion 26a by fastening members such as bolts, as shown in Figure 4(a). A serrated blade made up of multiple secondary blades 22a is formed on the outer periphery of the secondary blade 22.

[0025] Specifically, the outer periphery of the minor blade body 22 is formed with a plurality of minor cutting edges 22a (for example, three or more minor cutting edges 22a) aligned in the circumferential direction of the rotating drum 12. Each minor cutting edge 22a protrudes outward from the arc-shaped portion of the minor blade body 22 and is formed in a tapered shape. The tip of each minor cutting edge 22a corresponds to a minor cutting edge 22b. Each minor cutting edge 22b is located more inward in the drum radial direction than the outer cutting edge 21c and more outward in the drum radial direction than the inner cutting edge 21d. The shape of the plurality of minor cutting edges 22a on the minor blade body 22 is not particularly limited, and a saw blade, a triangular blade, or the like may be adopted.

[0026] A single minor cutting element 22 is attached to the arc-shaped portion 26a of the protruding plate 26 so that a plurality of minor cutting edges 22b (minor cutting portions 22a) are arranged over an angular range of at least 90° (an angular range of at least 180° in this embodiment). On the outer periphery of the minor cutting element 22, a plurality of minor cutting edges 22b are arranged at a fixed angular pitch (for example, 10° to 40°).

[0027] Using Figure 5, the heights (dimensions in the radial direction of the drum) of the outer blade portion 21a and the minor blade portion 22a are compared. The height H1 of the outer blade portion 21a is, for example, 20 to 30 mm. The height H2 of the minor blade portion 22a is, for example, 8 to 15 mm. The height H1 of the outer blade portion 21a is greater than the height H2 of the minor blade portion 22a. Comparing the distance from the axis of the rotating drum 20, the outer cutting edge 21c is 10 to 20 mm farther from the axis of the rotating drum 20 than the minor cutting edge 22b. In other words, the minor cutting edge 22b is located 10 to 20 mm closer to the axis than the rotational orbit of the outer cutting edge 21c.

[0028] The main cutting body 21 is disposed perpendicular to the protruding plate 26. The outer cutting edge 21c and the inner cutting edge 21d extend in the axial direction of the rotating drum 12. The width of each of the outer cutting edge 21c and the inner cutting edge 21d is equal to the length of one of the inner and outer sides of the main cutting body 21 in a front view. The minor cutting edge 22b also extends in the axial direction of the rotating drum 12. The width of the minor cutting edge 22b is equal to the thickness of the thin plate-like minor cutting body 22. The width of the minor cutting edge 22b is significantly smaller than the width of each of the outer cutting edge 21c and the inner cutting edge 21d.

[0029] [How to use the cutting device] As shown in Figure 6, the cutting device 10 is attached to the tip of the arm 2 of heavy equipment 1 when in use. The cutting device 10 is lifted by operating the heavy equipment 1. When cutting vegetation or the like, the underside of the rotating drum 12 of the cutting device 10 is pressed against the vegetation (object to be cut) by operating the heavy equipment 1. The lower part of each side section 16 of the casing 10 serves as a detachable leg. By removing the leg, the main blade 21 and the secondary blade 22 can be made to protrude below each side section 16.

[0030] [Effects of the embodiment] In this embodiment, the multiple blades 21, 22 attached to the rotating drum 20 include a main blade 21 having an outer cutting edge 21c and a plurality of secondary blades 22 located inward of the outer cutting edge 21c and aligned along the circumferential direction of the rotating drum 20. The main blade 21 is responsible for cutting the primary cutting object (e.g., standing trees) of the cutting device 10. Because the secondary blade 22 is located inward of the outer cutting edge 21c of the main blade 21, it is less likely to strike the primary cutting object but more likely to strike curved cutting objects such as soft twigs and vines. Furthermore, because the multiple secondary cutting edges 22b of the secondary blade 22 are aligned along the circumferential direction of the rotating drum 12, the multiple secondary cutting edges 22b continuously strike twigs and vines. This allows the multiple secondary cutting edges 22b to repeatedly cut and damage twigs and vines in a short period of time. Furthermore, because the width of the secondary cutting edges 22b is smaller than the width of the outer cutting edge 21c, it is more likely to catch on soft twigs and vines. Therefore, twigs and the like can be more easily cut by the secondary cutting edge 22b, and therefore a cutting device that is more easily able to cut twigs, vines, and the like can be realized.

[0031] Furthermore, by providing the secondary blade 22, the support strength of the base 25 is increased by the protruding plate 26. Furthermore, the load on the main blade 21 can be reduced.

[0032] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, one minor blade 22 is attached to one protruding plate 26, but multiple minor blades 22 may be attached to one protruding plate 26. In this case, each minor blade 22 has a shape similar to that of the minor blade 22 in the above embodiment, which is divided into multiple pieces in the circumferential direction. The multiple minor blades 22 are attached to the arc-shaped portion 26a of the protruding plate 26 so that the multiple minor cutting edges 22b are aligned over an angular range of at least 90° or more.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, all or many of the minor cutting elements 22 may be arranged on the same side of the axis when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating drum 12. This allows the minor cutting elements 22 to also function as a flywheel.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the secondary blade 22 is attached to the protruding plate 26, but the secondary blade 22 may be formed directly on the protruding plate 26. In this case, a serrated blade or the like is formed directly on the outer periphery of the protruding plate 26. [Industrial Applicability]

[0035] The present invention is applicable to cutting machines and the like used for felling trees in forests. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 5 Connecting part 6 protruding plate 10 Cutting device 11 Casing 12 Rotating drum (rotating body) 15 Top part 16 Side part 17 Shaft 18 Bearing device 20 Motor (drive source) 21 Main blade 21a Outer blade part 21b Inner blade part 21c Outside cutting edge 21d Inner cutting edge 22 Secondary blade 22a Secondary blade part 22b Minor cutting edge 26 Protruding plate 29 Convex part

Claims

1. a casing to which a connection to a heavy machine is attached; a cylindrical rotor supported by the casing so as to be rotatable about an axis; a plurality of blades attached to the rotating body and rotatingly moving at positions outside the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body when the rotating body rotates around its axis; a drive source that rotates the rotating body, The plurality of blade bodies are a main cutting element having an outer cutting edge; a secondary cutting edge located inside the outer cutting edge and having a plurality of secondary cutting edges arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotating body.

2. The rotor further includes a plurality of protruding plates that are plate-shaped members protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor and extend along the circumferential direction of the rotor, The plurality of protruding plates are aligned in the axial direction of the rotating body, The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protruding plates include a protruding plate to which one or more minor blades are attached or on which minor blades are formed so that the plurality of minor cutting edges are aligned over an angular range of at least 90° or more.

3. 3. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the secondary cutting edge is a plate-like member having a plurality of secondary cutting edges formed at a predetermined pitch on its outer periphery.

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