Ball retrieval machine and ball retrieval system

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a ball retrieval machine that can easily recover balls floating on water. [Solution] The ball retrieval machine 30 for retrieving a ball 1 floating on the water is equipped with a ball collector 10 that sucks up the ball 1 floating on the water and discharges the sucked-up ball 1, and a ball lifter 20 that receives the ball 1 discharged from the ball collector 10 and transports the received ball 1 upward.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a ball collector and a ball collection system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a ball collector for collecting golf balls that have fallen into a pond at a golf driving range has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This type of ball collector has been able to efficiently collect golf balls that have fallen into the pond and accumulated at the bottom of the pond.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional ball collector according to the above-described prior art is configured to collect balls that have sunk in water, and thus cannot collect balls at a golf driving range that uses balls floating on the water. Accordingly, when collecting balls on the water at a golf driving range that uses balls floating on the water, an operator floats on the water using a course rope attached to a rope so that a plurality of floats are connected in a row, surrounds the balls floating on the water, and collects the gathered balls at one location. The operator then scoops up and collects the gathered balls using a fishing net or the like. Therefore, at a golf driving range that uses balls floating on the water, the ball collection work has been difficult.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a ball collector that solves the problems of the above-described prior art and can easily collect balls floating on the water.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a ball retrieval machine for retrieving balls floating on water, characterized in that it comprises a ball collecting machine that sucks up the balls floating on the water and discharges the sucked-up balls, and a ball lifting machine that receives the balls discharged from the ball collecting machine and transports the received balls upward.

[0007] In this case, the ball collector may discharge the balls toward the ball lifter by generating a water flow. The ball collector and the ball lifter may be connected. The ball collector may be connected to the ball lifter so as to be swingable relative to the ball lifter. The connecting part that connects the ball collector and the ball lifter may be located higher than the water surface when the ball collector and the ball lifter are placed on the water. The ball lifter has a ball lifting section that extends in the transport direction for transporting the balls upward, and the pivot axis on which the ball collector swings relative to the ball lifter may be located at a position offset downstream in the transport direction from the lower end of the ball lifting section. The ball collector has a ball collecting section for discharging the balls toward the ball lifter, and the ball collecting section may be separated from the ball lifter. The ball collector may be equipped with a ball collecting screw for discharging the balls toward the ball lifter. The ball lifter may be equipped with a ball lifting screw for transporting the balls upward.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in a ball recovery system equipped with the above-mentioned ball recovery machine, a sorting machine is provided downstream of the ball lifting machine for separating the balls from other unwanted materials. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present invention provides a ball retrieval machine that can easily retrieve balls floating on water. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a side view of the ball retrieval system. [Figure 2] This shows a cross-sectional view of the ball collector from the side. [Figure 3] This shows a cross-sectional view of the ball collector from above. [Figure 4] This shows a cross-sectional view of the ball-lifting machine from the side. [Figure 5] This shows a cross-sectional view of the ball lifting machine from above. [Figure 6] This diagram shows a schematic representation of a ball retrieval machine when the water level in a pond is high. [Figure 7] This diagram shows a schematic representation of a ball retrieval machine when the water level in a pond is low. [Figure 8] This shows a cross-sectional view of the garbage collection machine from the side. [Figure 9] This shows a cross-sectional view of the waste collection machine from above. [Figure 10] This shows a cross-sectional view of the ball retrieval system from the side. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a side view of the ball retrieval system, Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the ball collector from the side, Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the ball collector from above, Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the ball lifter from the side, Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the ball lifter from above, Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the ball retrieval system when the water level of the pond is high, Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the ball retrieval system when the water level of the pond is low, Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the waste collection machine from the side, Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the waste collection machine from above, and Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the ball retrieval system from the side.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the ball retrieval system 100 comprises a ball retrieval machine 30 consisting of a ball collector 10 and a ball lifter 20, and a waste collection machine (sorter) 40. This ball retrieval system 100 is installed, for example, in a floating golf driving range where players hit balls 1 that float on the water towards a pond, and is used to retrieve the balls 1 that have been hit into the water and are floating.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the ball collector 10 includes a float 11, a ball collecting screw (ball collecting section) 12, and a pair of ball collecting side links 13. The ball collector 10 is arranged in a floating state in the water W, sucks in the balls 1 floating on the water surface, and discharges the sucked balls 1 toward the ball lifting machine 20.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the floats 11 are provided at the four corners of the ball collector 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the float 11 floats the ball collector 10 on the water surface such that the ball collecting screw 12 is substantially submerged in the water and the pair of ball collecting side links 13 protrude from the water surface.

[0015] The ball collecting screw 12 has a shape in which spiral blades are wound along a cylindrical shaft. The ball collecting screw 12 is incorporated in a cylindrical portion 15 formed of a PVC pipe (rigid polyvinyl chloride pipe) having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the blades. The shaft of the ball collecting screw 12 is arranged substantially parallel to the shaft of a motor 12a arranged above the upstream end of the ball collecting screw 12. The ball collecting screw 12 is driven via a pulley assembled to the shaft of the motor 12a, a loop-shaped drive belt 12b, and a pulley assembled to the upstream end of the ball collecting screw 12 when the motor 12a rotates. Thereby, the ball collecting screw 12 generates a water flow that conveys the water in the cylindrical portion 15 together with the balls 1 toward the downstream side of the cylindrical portion 15. The ball collector 10 is provided with rectangular guide panels 16 extending along the direction in which the cylindrical portion 15 extends on the left and right of the downstream side of the cylindrical portion 15. Thereby, the water flow discharged from the cylindrical portion 15 is guided by the guide panels 16 and flows straight along the direction in which the cylindrical portion 15 extends.

[0016] The pair of ball collecting side links 13 are composed of a ball collecting side first link 13a and a ball collecting side second link 13b, each formed of a metal plate. The ball collecting side links 13 are provided on the left and right near the downstream end of the cylindrical portion 15 such that the ball collecting side first link 13a sandwiches the cylindrical portion 15, and extend in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the ball collecting screw 12, that is, upward. Each of the ball collecting side first links 13a has a ball collecting side second link 13b pivotally attached to its upper end.

[0017] Each of the ball collecting side second links 13b is composed of a first portion 13c and a second portion 13d. These first portion 13c and second portion 13d are formed such that a plurality of holes for passing bolts are arranged in a row at equal intervals, and the total length of the ball collecting side second link 13b can be adjusted according to the positions of the holes through which the bolts of each of the first portion 13c and second portion 13d pass. Thereby, the ball collecting side second link 13b can adjust the distance between the ball collecting machine 10 and the ball lifting machine 20. The ball collecting side second link 13b is of a length such that the ball collecting screw 12 does not hit the ball lifting machine 20 even when the ball collecting machine 10 swings with respect to the ball lifting machine 20, and the ball collecting screw 12 is maintained at a position away from the ball lifting machine 20.

[0018] The ball collecting side second link 13b extends toward the downstream side of the ball collecting machine 10, that is, toward the ball lifting machine 20 side, and a U-shaped groove 14a for coupling to the ball lifting machine 20 is formed at its tip. Since the ball collecting side second link 13b is pivotally attached to the ball collecting side first link 13a, the U-shaped groove 14a is swingable.

[0019] An opening 17 is formed on the side surface of the upstream side of the ball collecting screw 12 of the ball collecting machine 10. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, when the ball collecting screw 12 is driven to generate a water flow, the ball 1 flows in from the opening 17 together with water as shown by the arrow A in the figure, conveys the water and the ball 1 toward the downstream side of the ball collecting screw 12, and then discharges the ball 1 toward the ball lifting machine 20 together with the water flow.

[0020] As shown in Figure 4, the ball lifting machine 20 comprises a float 21, a base 22, a ball lifting screw (ball lifting section) 23, and a pair of ball lifting links 24. The ball lifting machine 20 receives the balls 1 discharged from the ball collector 10 along with the water flow and transports the received balls 1 upwards.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, the floats 21 are provided one on each side near the upstream end of the ball lifting machine 20, causing the upstream end of the ball lifting machine 20 to float on the water. As shown in Figure 4, the floats 21 cause the ball lifting machine 20 to float such that its lower end, i.e., near the upstream end of the ball lifting screw 23, is submerged in the water.

[0022] The base 22 is located at the lower part of the downstream side of the ball lifting machine 20 and is installed on the land L surrounding the pond. The base 22 is connected to the ball lifting machine body by a pivotable pivot section 22a, thereby supporting the ball lifting screw 23 so that it can swing freely in accordance with the water level of the pond.

[0023] The ball-lifting screw 23 has a cylindrical shaft around which helical blades are wound along the shaft. The ball-lifting screw 23 is positioned to extend along the conveying direction C, and its shaft is positioned approximately parallel to the shaft of the motor 23a, which is located at the top of the downstream end of the ball-lifting screw 23. The ball-lifting screw 23 is driven when the motor 23a rotates via a pulley assembled to the shaft of the motor 23a, a loop-shaped drive belt 23b, and a pulley assembled to the upstream end of the ball-lifting screw 23.

[0024] The ball-lifting screw 23 is exposed only on its upstream side, located at the bottom of the ball-lifting machine 20, while its downstream side, located at the top of the ball-lifting machine 20, is incorporated into a cylindrical section 25 made of PVC pipe having an inner diameter approximately the same as the outer diameter of the blades of the ball-lifting screw 23. The upstream side of the ball-lifting screw 23 is covered on both sides and the bottom by a first metal punching plate 26 with multiple holes arranged therein. Water flowing from the ball-collecting machine 10 flows out and is discharged, but the balls 1 are caught and remain inside the ball-lifting machine 20. As a result, the ball-lifting screw 23 transports the balls 1 that remain on the first punching plate 26 upward toward the downstream side along the first punching plate 26 and the cylindrical section 25.

[0025] The ball lifting machine 20 has an outlet 27 at the lower part of the downstream side of the ball lifting machine 20. As a result, the balls 1 that have been transported to the downstream end of the ball lifting screw 23 fall out from the outlet 27.

[0026] A pair of ball-lifting links 24 are provided near the lower end of the ball-lifting machine 20, i.e., the upstream end of the ball-lifting screw 23, so as to sandwich the ball-lifting screw 23. The ball-lifting links 24 extend upward in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the ball-lifting screw 23 and are formed at an angle toward the downstream side of the ball-lifting screw 23 at a position higher than the upper end of the float 21 when the lower end of the ball-lifting machine 20 is floating on the water. Each of the pair of ball-lifting links 24 has a second metal punching plate 24b with a plurality of holes arranged on it, provided on the left and right so as to sandwich the ball-lifting screw 23.

[0027] The left and right ball-lifting links 24 are connected by a cylindrical connecting shaft (connecting part) 24a that spans across their upper ends. This connecting shaft 24a is positioned higher than the water surface when the ball collector 10 and ball lifting machine 20 are placed on the water. As a result, the ball lifting machine 20 is pivotably connected to the ball collector 10 by hooking the U-shaped groove 14a of the ball-collecting link 13 of the ball collector 10 onto the connecting shaft 24a of the ball-lifting link 24, as shown in Figure 1. At this time, the connecting shaft 24a, which is the pivot axis between the ball collector 10 and the ball lifting machine 20, is positioned offset downstream in the transport direction C from the lower end 23c of the ball-lifting screw 23.

[0028] When connecting the ball collector 10 and the ball lifter 20, first, the ball lifter 20 is set up around the pond, and the upstream end of the ball lifting screw 23 is left floating on the water. Next, the ball collector 10, which is floating on the water, is brought closer to the ball lifter 20, and the ball collecting side link 13 is rotated to hook the U-shaped groove 14a of the ball collecting side link 13 of the ball collector 10 onto the connecting shaft 24a of the ball lifter side link 24. In this way, the ball collector 10 and the ball lifter 20 are connected so that they can swing freely relative to each other.

[0029] In this embodiment, when connecting the ball collector 10 and the ball lifter 20 on the water, the ball collection side link 13 of the ball collector 10 and the ball lifting side link 24 of the ball lifter 20 are positioned above the water surface, thus facilitating the connection operation.

[0030] Figure 6 shows the ball retrieval machine 30 when the water level of the pond is high, and Figure 7 shows the ball retrieval machine 30 when the water level of the pond is low. In Figures 6 and 7, the ball collection side link 13 and the ball lifting side link 24 have been simplified for ease of understanding.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6, the ball collector 10 and the ball lifter 20 can swing relative to each other around the connecting shaft 24a of the ball lifter 20 as indicated by the arrow S in the figure, and the ball lifter 20 can swing relative to the base 22 around the pivot portion 22a. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, even if the water level of the pond on which the ball collector 10 is floating drops, the ball collector 10 can be maintained such that the ball collecting screw 12 extends approximately parallel to the water surface and that most of the ball collecting screw 12 is located in the water W. In addition, the ball lifter 20 can maintain the vicinity of the lower end of the ball lifter screw 23 together with the first punching plate 26 in the water W.

[0032] As shown in Figure 8, the waste collection machine 40 includes a receiving section 41, a discharge ramp 42, and a housing 43.

[0033] The receiving section 41 has a plate-shaped bottom section 41a surrounded by a wall section 41b, with only the side connected to the discharge slope 42 not surrounded by the wall section 41b, forming an opening 41c. The receiving section 41 also has a pair of guide sections 41d (see Figure 9) on both sides of the opening 41c for guiding the ball 1 toward the opening 41c. The receiving section 41 is inclined to be lower toward the discharge slope 42, and is designed to receive the ball 1 that falls from the discharge port 27 of the ball lifter 20 and roll the received ball 1 toward the discharge slope 42.

[0034] The discharge slope 42 consists of multiple metal pipes 42a arranged horizontally in a nearly parallel manner, with walls 42b provided on the outside of the pipes 42a located at both ends. The multiple pipes 42a are arranged so that they are spaced apart from each other at intervals smaller than the diameter of the ball 1, preventing the ball 1 from falling through the gaps between the pipes 42a. In addition, the multiple pipes 42a are inclined from the upper end located on the receiving end 41 side to the lower end on the opposite side, causing the ball 1 that has rolled down from the receiving end 41 to roll further down towards the lower end. At this time, unwanted materials such as leaves, branches, and algae that have been transported from the pond along with the ball 1 will fall through the gaps between the pipes 42a, thus separating the ball 1 from other unwanted materials. Downstream of the discharge slope 42, the shovel 51 of the wheel loader 50, a basket, a container, etc. are placed to collect the ball 1 that has rolled down from the discharge slope 42.

[0035] The housing 43 is located below the discharge slope 42. As shown in Figure 9, the top of the housing 43 is open, exposing the opening of the basket 44 located inside. This allows unwanted materials such as leaves, branches, and algae that fall from the discharge slope 42 to accumulate in the basket 44.

[0036] The housing 43 is provided with double doors 43a on its side, which are located perpendicular to the direction in which the discharge slope 42 extends. These doors 43a are made of transparent resin and are designed to allow the basket 44 to be removed when opened.

[0037] The following explanation will describe how the ball retrieval system 100 retrieves a ball 1 floating on the surface of a pond or other body of water, with reference to Figure 10.

[0038] When collecting balls 1 floating on the surface of a pond or other body of water, workers first use a course rope (not shown) consisting of multiple floats attached in a chain to float on the water, to collect the floating balls 1 around the ball collecting machine 10 from around the pond.

[0039] Once the balls 1 have gathered around the ball collector 10, the operator activates the ball retriever 30, which drives the ball collecting screw 12 of the ball collector 10 and the ball lifting screw 23 of the ball lifting machine 20.

[0040] When the ball collecting screw 12 of the ball collecting machine 10 and the ball lifting screw 23 of the ball lifting machine 20 are driven, the ball collecting machine 10 generates a water flow that flows from the upstream side to the downstream side of the ball collecting screw 12. As a result, the balls 1 flow into the ball collecting screw 12 from the opening 17 of the ball collecting machine 10 along with the water from the pond, and the water and balls 1 that have flowed into the ball collecting screw 12 flow out of the ball collecting screw 12 and are carried toward the ball lifting machine 20 along with the water flow.

[0041] The water and ball 1 that are directed toward the ball lifting machine 20 flow into the ball lifting screw 23 of the ball lifting machine 20. At this time, the water passes through the first punching plate 26 and is drained, while the ball 1 hits the first punching plate 26, and only the ball 1 is transported upward by the rotation of the ball lifting screw 23.

[0042] The ball 1, transported upward by the ball lifting machine 20, falls from the discharge port 27 of the ball lifting machine 20 into the receiving section 41 of the waste collection machine 40.

[0043] The ball 1 that falls into the receiving section 41 of the waste collection machine 40 rolls from the receiving section 41 to the discharge slope 42, and falls into the shovel 51 from the lower end of the discharge slope 42 for collection. At this time, unwanted materials such as leaves, branches, and algae that were transported together with the ball 1 fall into the basket 44 through a gap formed in the discharge slope 42.

[0044] The ball retrieval machine 30 according to this embodiment includes a ball collector 10 that sucks up balls 1 floating on the water and discharges the sucked-up balls 1, and a ball lifter 20 that receives the balls 1 discharged from the ball collector 10 and transports the received balls 1 upward. As a result, the balls 1 floating on the water are automatically transported out of the water, making it easy to retrieve the balls 1 floating on the water.

[0045] Furthermore, the ball retrieval system 100 according to this embodiment includes a ball retrieval machine 30, and a waste collection machine 40 downstream of the ball lifting machine 20 for separating the balls 1 from other unwanted materials. As a result, the waste materials transported together with the balls 1 are collected by the waste collection machine 40, allowing the balls 1 to be collected separately from the unwanted materials.

[0046] The present invention has been described above based on embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the above embodiments, the ball collector 10 is equipped with a ball collecting screw 12 as a ball collecting section, but it is not limited thereto. Other components such as a propeller may be provided as a ball collecting section as long as they can discharge balls toward the ball lifter.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ball lifting machine 20 is equipped with a ball lifting screw 23, but is not limited thereto. Any other component that can transport the ball upwards may be provided as the ball lifting section, such as a conveyor belt.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the connecting shaft 24a, which is the connecting part, is located at a position higher than the water surface, but this is not limited to this. The connecting part may be located in water as long as the ball collecting machine and the ball lifting machine are connected so as to be able to swing freely.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the connecting shaft 24a, which is the connecting part, is provided on the ball lifting machine 20, but is not limited to this. The connecting part may be provided on the ball collecting machine as long as the ball collecting machine and the ball lifting machine are connected so as to be able to swing freely. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 1... Ball 10...Ball collecting machine 11…Float 12... Ball collection screw 12a...motor 12b… Drive belt 13… Ball collection side link 13a... Ball collection side, first link 13b... Ball collection side, second link 13c…Part 1 13d…Second part 14a…U-shaped groove 15…Cylindrical section 16… Guide Panel 17…Opening 20...Ball elevating machine 21... Float 22... Bass 22a... Pivot section 23... Rising Screw 23a...motor 23b… Drive belt 23c…lower end 24…Rising Ball Link 24a…Connection shaft 24b...Second punching plate 25…Cylindrical section 26…First punching plate 27…Discharge port 30... Ball retrieval machine 40... Garbage collection machine 41... Receiving Department 41a...Bottom 41b…Wall part 41c…Aperture 41d... Guide section 42... Discharge slope 42a... Pipe 42b…Wall part 43…Cabinet 43a... Door 44...basket 50... Wheel loader 51... Shovel 100... Ball retrieval system L…Land W...Underwater

Claims

1. In a ball retrieval machine for collecting balls floating on the water, A ball collecting machine that sucks up the balls floating on the water and discharges the sucked-up balls, A ball retrieval machine characterized by comprising a ball receiving machine that receives the balls discharged from the ball collecting machine and a ball lifting machine that transports the received balls upward.

2. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 1, The ball collection machine is characterized by generating a water flow to discharge the balls toward the ball lifting machine.

3. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 1, A ball retrieval machine characterized in that the ball collecting machine and the ball lifting machine are connected.

4. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 3, The ball collection machine is characterized in that it is connected to the ball lifting machine so as to be able to swing relative to the ball lifting machine.

5. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 3, A ball retrieval machine characterized in that the connecting part that connects the ball collecting machine and the ball lifting machine is located at a position higher than the water surface when the ball collecting machine and the ball lifting machine are placed on water.

6. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 4, The aforementioned ball lifting machine has a ball lifting section that extends in the transport direction for transporting the ball upwards. A ball retrieval machine characterized in that the pivot axis on which the ball collecting machine swings relative to the ball lifting machine is located at a position offset downstream in the transport direction from the lower end of the ball lifting section.

7. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 1, A ball retrieval machine characterized in that the ball collecting machine has a ball collecting section for discharging the balls toward the ball lifting machine, and the ball collecting section is located away from the ball lifting machine.

8. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 1, The ball collection machine is characterized by being equipped with a ball collection screw for discharging the balls toward the ball lifting machine.

9. In the ball retrieval machine according to claim 1, The ball recovery machine is characterized in that the ball lifting machine is equipped with a ball lifting screw for transporting the ball upward.

10. In a ball retrieval system equipped with the ball retrieval machine described in claim 1, A ball recovery system characterized by having a sorting machine downstream of the ball lifting machine for separating the balls from other unwanted materials.

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