Soil sieving device

Abstract

The objective is to provide a simple and easy-to-use soil sieving device. [Solution] The system comprises a running unit 2 that can be moved at least forward, a sieving unit 3 that is open at the front with respect to the direction of travel of the running unit 2, with the rear 30, sides 31 and bottom 32 each closed, and at least the bottom 32 being made of a perforated plate or mesh, and capable of sieving soil placed on top of the bottom 32 according to particle size, and an excitation unit 4 that applies vibration to the sieving unit 3, the excitation unit 4 having a drive source 40 and a vibration generating unit 41 that converts power from the drive source 40 into vibration, the vibration generating unit 41 generates vibrations that change in the horizontal direction by rotating around a vertical axis, and the vertical axis of rotation of the sieving unit 3 and the vibration generating unit 41 are positioned below the drive source 40.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a soil sieve device for sieving soil and sand according to the particle size.

Background Art

[0002] For example, when separating and removing small stones mixed in sand in a golf course bunker, it is very inefficient to manually remove the small stones using a sieve. On the other hand, as an automated device for sieving soil and sand using a sieve, for example, there is a "topsoil forming machine" described in Patent Document 1. This device includes a self-propelled traveling body, a sieve mounted thereon, and a hopper for introducing soil and sand into the sieve.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, this device has a complex structure, such as the sieve being spring-supported, and has a high risk of failure. Moreover, this device is difficult to use because the use of heavy machinery is required to put soil and sand into the sieve.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a soil sieve device that can be easily used.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention provides a soil sieving device comprising: a traveling section that can travel at least forward; a sieving section that is open at the front with respect to the direction of travel of the traveling section, and has closed rear, side and bottom sections, with at least the bottom section being made of a perforated plate or mesh, and capable of sieving soil placed above the bottom section according to particle size; and a vibration excitation section that applies vibration to the sieving section. The vibration excitation section comprises a drive source and a vibration generating section that converts power from the drive source into vibration, and the vibration generating section generates vibrations that change in the horizontal direction by rotating around a vertical axis, with the vertical axis of rotation of the sieving section and the vibration generating section positioned below the drive source.

[0007] With this configuration, when the traveling unit moves forward, soil can be introduced into the sieving section, which has an open front. The sieving section vibrates in a horizontal direction, allowing the soil to be sieved according to the perforated plate or mesh size. In this way, travel and sieving can be performed in a single operation.

[0008] Furthermore, in the aforementioned soil sieving device, the vibration generating unit has a drive gear and a plurality of driven gears arranged in the same plane, the drive gear rotates by the power of the drive source, and each of the plurality of driven gears meshes with the drive gear and rotates together with the drive gear, and may be connected to the sieving unit at a connection position eccentric from the center of rotation.

[0009] With this configuration, the sieve section can be vibrated with a simple structure.

[0010] Furthermore, in the aforementioned soil sieving device, the plurality of driven gears may be evenly arranged around the drive gear.

[0011] With this configuration, by evenly arranging multiple driven gears around the drive gear, it is possible to minimize wasted space around the drive gear and create a compact vibration section.

[0012] Furthermore, in the aforementioned sieving device, the driven gear may be a disc-shaped gear, and a balance weight may be attached to the opposite side of the rotation center from the connection position.

[0013] With this configuration, rotational balance can be achieved in each of the multiple driven gears. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] Based on the above, the present invention provides a simple and easy-to-use soil sieving device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sediment sieving apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view of the aforementioned soil sieving device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a bottom view of the aforementioned soil sieving device. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration section of the soil sieving device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] A soil sieving device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the soil sieving device 1 of the present invention comprises a traveling section 2 that can travel at least forward, a sieving section 3 that is open at the front relative to the direction of travel of the traveling section 2 and has closed rear section 30, side section 31, and bottom section 32, and an excitation section 4 that vibrates the sieving section 3. The soil sieving device 1 also comprises a frame section 5 and a handle 6 which is a part that the worker grips. Hereinafter, in the soil sieving device 1, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction will be referred to as the left-right direction.

[0018] The frame part 5 is a frame to which the traveling part 2, the sieve part 3, etc. are attached. The frame part 5 includes a main body part 51 that extends horizontally of the earth and sand sieving device 1, an upper protruding part 52 that extends upward from the main body part 51, and a lower protruding part 53 that extends downward from the main body part 51.

[0019] The upper protruding part 52 is a part that connects the handle 6 to the frame part 5. Also, a pair of upper protruding parts 52 are provided at the front part of the main body part 51 with a space therebetween in the left - right direction.

[0020] The lower protruding part 53 constitutes the legs of the frame part 5. Also, a pair of lower protruding parts 53 are provided at each of the whole and the rear part of the main body part 51 with a space therebetween in the left - right direction.

[0021] The handle 6 is used when an operator pulls the earth and sand sieving device 1 or changes the direction when the earth and sand sieving device 1 is self - propelled. Also, one handle 6 is provided at the front part of the frame part 5. Note that the handle 6 may be provided at a location other than the front part of the frame part 5, for example, at the rear part of the frame part 5, etc. In this embodiment, the handle 6 includes a bar - shaped gripping part 61 that extends in the left - right direction and a pair of bar - shaped connecting parts 62 that extend from both ends of the gripping part 61 respectively. This handle � is attached to the frame part 5 by attaching each connecting part 62 to each upper protruding part 52 of the frame part 5.

[0022] The traveling part 2 includes wheels 21 having a shape that secures an installation area in order to suppress sinking into the sandy ground. In this traveling part 2, a pair of wheels 21 are provided at each of the front part and the rear part of the frame part 5. In this embodiment, the traveling part 2 has a self - propelled configuration, and the power branched from a drive source 40 of the vibration part 4 described later is transmitted to the wheels 21 by a belt B. Note that the traveling part 2 may have a configuration other than the self - propelled configuration, for example, a configuration in which an operator pulls forward to travel forward.

[0023] Furthermore, the running unit 2 includes an adjustment unit 22 connected to the wheel 21 so that the vertical position of the wheel 21 can be adjusted. The adjustment unit 22 includes a link mechanism 220 connected to the wheel 21 and an operating unit 221 connected to the link mechanism 220 and operable by an operator. By operating the adjustment unit 22, the operator can adjust the vertical position of the wheel 21 relative to the sieve unit 3. In the illustrated configuration, the wheel 21 is in a raised position relative to the sieve unit 3. Note that the vertical position of the wheel 21 may not be adjustable.

[0024] The sieving section 3 is roughly rectangular in shape with an opening at the front. Soil and sand that enter the sieving section 3 through the front opening are placed on the bottom section 32. The sieving section 3 can also sieve the soil and sand placed on top of the bottom section 32 according to particle size. At least the bottom section 32 of the sieving section 3 is made of a perforated plate or mesh. In this embodiment, the sieving section 3 includes a rear section 30, side sections 31, bottom section 32, and top section 33. In this sieving section 3, only the bottom section 32 is made of a perforated plate or mesh, and the parts other than the bottom section 32 are made of plates without holes, however, at least one of the parts other than the bottom section 32 may be made of a perforated plate or mesh.

[0025] The bottom portion 32 is made of, for example, a perforated metal plate. The bottom portion 32 also protrudes forward in a plate-like manner in the sieve portion 3. The perforated plate constituting the bottom portion 32 is a flat plate with multiple holes formed through it in the thickness direction. The shape (round holes in this embodiment) and size of each hole are uniform, but the shape and size of each hole may be non-uniform. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, multiple holes are uniformly arranged over substantially the entire area of ​​the bottom portion 32.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom portion 32 is substantially rectangular in shape, and the front end of the bottom portion 32 is provided with multiple recessed portions 320 that are recessed towards the rear. By forming the recessed portions 320 on the bottom portion 32, multiple claw-like portions are formed on the front end of the bottom portion 32. Therefore, when using the soil sieving device 1, for example, the sieving portion 3 can be inserted into a sand pile to easily guide the soil to the bottom portion 32.

[0027] The rear section 30, side sections 31, and top section 33 are all made of rectangular metal plates (see Figures 1 and 2). The top section 33 faces the bottom section 32 above. The side sections 31 connect the left and right edges of the top section 33 to the left and right edges of the bottom section 32. The rear section 30 is rectangular in shape. The rear section 30 is connected to the rear edges of the side sections 31, the bottom section 32, and the top section 33.

[0028] When the sieve section 3 is viewed from above, the bottom section 32 protrudes forward from the top section 33, but it does not have to be the same size as the top section 33 and not protrude forward. Also, the bottom section 32 does not have to have a recessed section 320. Furthermore, the sieve section 3 only needs to have a rear section 30, side sections 31 and a bottom section 32, and does not have to have a top section 33.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, the vibration excitation unit 4 includes a drive source 40 and a vibration generating unit 41 that converts power from the drive source 40 into vibration. In this embodiment, a frame unit 5 (specifically, a main body unit 51) is positioned between the drive source 40 and the vibration generating unit 41.

[0030] The drive source 40 is, for example, an engine. However, the drive source 40 may be another power source such as a motor. In this embodiment, the drive source 40 drives the traveling unit 2 and the vibration generating unit 41, but it may also drive only the vibration generating unit 41, in which case the traveling unit 2 may be driven by a different drive source. The drive source 40 is provided above the main body 51 of the frame 5.

[0031] The vibration generating unit 41 generates vibrations that change horizontally by rotating around a vertical axis (an axis extending in the vertical direction). In this embodiment, the vibration generating unit 41 generates vibrations that move in a circular pattern when viewed from above, but it may also generate vibrations that change to other shapes, such as vibrations that move in a figure-eight pattern when viewed from above. The vibration generating unit 41 is located below the main body 51 of the frame 5.

[0032] In the above-described soil sieving device 1, when the traveling unit 2 is moved forward, soil can be introduced into the sieving unit 3, which has an opening at the front. The sieving unit 3 vibrates in a horizontal direction, allowing the soil to be sieved according to the perforated plate or mesh size. In this way, travel and sieving can be performed in a single operation. Furthermore, since vibration is generated by the rotation of the vibration generating unit 41 around its vertical axis, a vertically stacked configuration is unnecessary for the vibration generating unit 41, making the vibration generating unit 41 compact in the vertical direction.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the vibration generating unit 41 includes a drive gear 410 arranged in the same plane and a plurality (four in this embodiment) of driven gears 411. Note that there may be two, three, or five or more driven gears 411. There may also be just one driven gear 411. Furthermore, the vibration generating unit 41 includes a case 412 that houses the drive gear 410 and the driven gears 411.

[0034] The case 412 is a rectangular parallelepiped with a thin vertical dimension. In this embodiment, the top plate 4120 of the case 412 is connected to the frame portion 5 (specifically, the lower projection portion 53).

[0035] The drive gear 410 rotates due to power from the drive source 40. The drive gear 410 is connected to the drive source 40 at its center, which is the rotation center 410C. The drive gear 410 rotates around the vertical axis, but it may also rotate around an axis extending in a direction other than the vertical direction.

[0036] Each of the multiple driven gears 411 meshes with the drive gear 410 and rotates together with the drive gear 410. Each driven gear 411 is connected to the sieve section 3 at a connection position 411P that is eccentric to the rotation center 411C. In this embodiment, the connection position 411P of the driven gear 411 is located to one side in the left-right direction from the rotation center 411C. This configuration allows the sieve section 3 to be vibrated with a simple structure.

[0037] In this embodiment, each driven gear 411 has the same shape and size, but they may have different shapes and sizes.

[0038] Furthermore, the multiple (four in this embodiment) driven gears 411 are evenly arranged around the drive gear 410. Specifically, the rotation centers 411C of each of the four driven gears 411 are arranged at approximately the same interval in the circumferential direction of the drive gear 410. By evenly arranging the multiple driven gears 411 around the drive gear 410 in this way, it is difficult to create wasted space around the drive gear 410, and the vibration section 4 can be formed compactly. Note that the multiple driven gears 411 may be unevenly arranged around the drive gear 410.

[0039] Furthermore, the driven gear 411 is a disc-shaped gear, and in this embodiment, it is a spur gear, but the shape of the teeth is not particularly limited. In addition, a balance weight (counterweight) 413 is attached to the driven gear 411 on the opposite side of the rotation center 411C with respect to the connection position. This balance weight 413 allows for rotational balance to be achieved in each of the multiple driven gears 411.

[0040] It should be noted that the soil sieving device of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the drive gear 410 and the multiple driven gears 411 were arranged in the same plane in the vibration generating unit 41, but they may be arranged in different planes. For example, all of the multiple driven gears 411 may be arranged in the same plane, while the drive gear 410 is arranged in a different plane from the driven gears 411.

[0042] Furthermore, the vibration section 4 is not limited to a configuration using a drive gear and a plurality of driven gears as in the above embodiment; for example, a cam may be used. Also, the vibration section 4 may use a spring, or for example, a combination of an electromagnet and a spring may be used.

[0043] The soil sieving device 1 only needs to include at least a traveling section 2, a sieving section 3, and a vibration section 4. For example, in addition to these components, it may also include a box for collecting stones and other debris remaining in the sieving section 3 after the soil has been sieved. This box can be placed behind the sieving section 3 or elsewhere. Furthermore, the rear 30 and side 31 of the sieving section 3 may be fitted with lids that can be opened and closed, allowing for easy collection of stones and other debris remaining in the sieving section 3 after the soil has been sieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1...Sand sieving device, 2...Travel section, 3...Sieving section, 4...Vibration section, 5...Frame section, 6...Handle, 21...Wheels, 22...Adjustment section, 30...Rear section, 31...Side section, 32...Bottom section, 33...Top section, 40...Drive source, 41...Vibration generating section, 51...Main body section, 52...Upper protrusion, 53...Lower protrusion, 61...Gripping section, 62...Connection section, 220...Link mechanism, 221...Operating section, 320...Recessed section, 410...Drive gear, 410C...Rotation center, 411...Driven gear, 411C...Rotation center, 411P...Connection position, 412...Case, 413...Balance weight, 4120...Top plate, B...Belt

Claims

1. A running unit that can move at least forward, The aforementioned running section has an opening at the front relative to the direction of travel, with the rear, sides, and bottom each being closed, and at least the bottom being made of a perforated plate or mesh, and a sieving section capable of separating soil and sand placed on top of the bottom according to particle size, The system comprises an excitation unit that applies vibration to the sieve section, The vibration excitation unit comprises a drive source and a vibration generating unit that converts power from the drive source into vibration. The vibration generating unit generates vibrations that change in the horizontal direction by rotating around the vertical axis. The vertical axis of rotation of the sieve section and the vibration generating section is located below the drive source. Soil sieving device.

2. The vibration generating unit has a drive gear and a plurality of driven gears arranged in the same plane. The aforementioned drive gear rotates due to the power of the aforementioned drive source, The soil sieving device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of driven gears meshes with the drive gear and rotates together with the drive gear, and is connected to the sieving section at a connection position eccentric from the center of rotation.

3. The soil sieving device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of driven gears are evenly arranged around the drive gear.

4. The soil sieving device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the driven gear is a disc-shaped gear, and a balance weight is attached to the opposite side of the rotation center with respect to the connection position.

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