Moa Unit

Abstract

The present invention provides a mower unit in which cut grass is dispersed and discharged in the front-rear direction from the grass discharge port. [Solution] The mower unit 1 comprises a mower deck 2 having a top plate 21 and a front side wall 22f and a rear side wall 22b extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 21; a plurality of blades 30 arranged in the left-right direction within the internal space IS of the mower deck 2 and rotated around a vertical axis; a grass cutting outlet 10 provided at the left-right ends of the internal space IS; and a deflection surface 5 provided in the corner region defined by the grass cutting outlet 10, the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f. The deflection surface 5 is an inclined surface that extends in the left-right direction from the grass cutting outlet 10 while being connected to the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f, and the width of the inclined surface decreases as it moves away from the grass cutting outlet 10.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a mower unit that discharges mowed grass cut by a plurality of blades disposed in an internal space of a mower deck from a mowed grass discharge port provided at an end of the internal space.

Background Art

[0002] A side discharge mower is disclosed in which a plurality of blades rotatably driven around a vertical axis are arranged in parallel inside a mower deck surrounded by a top plate of the mower deck and a front wall extending downward from the top plate, and the mowed grass cut by the blades is discharged from a discharge port through a mowed grass discharge path formed between the front wall and a baffle plate.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a side discharge mower in which a plurality of blades rotatably driven around a vertical axis are arranged in parallel inside a mower deck surrounded by a top plate of the mower deck and a front wall, and the mowed grass cut by the blades is discharged from a discharge port through a mowed grass discharge path formed between a plate-like baffle plate arranged along the inner surface of the front wall and a blade rotation locus.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The mower units described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 discharge the cut grass from the grass outlet using the airflow generated by the rotation of the blades. In this case, the grass discharged from the grass outlet is concentrated towards the front wall. For example, in the mower unit described in Patent Document 1, the grass is discharged from the grass outlet in a state where it adheres to the front wall, and in the mower unit described in Patent Document 2, the grass is discharged from the grass outlet in a state where it adheres to the baffle plate. In any case, in such mower units, if a curved surface is not formed between the deck top plate and the front wall, the grass is discharged as a fairly narrow grass beam (flow of grass bundles), which tends to result in poor discharge performance.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a mower unit in which the mowed grass is dispersed and discharged in the front-rear direction from the mowed grass discharge port. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The mower unit according to the present invention comprises a mower deck having a top plate and a front side wall and a rear side wall extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the top plate; a plurality of blades arranged in the left-right direction within the internal space of the mower deck and rotated around a vertical axis; a grass clipping discharge port provided at the left-right ends of the internal space for discharging the grass clippings cut by the blades on the conveying air generated by the rotation of the blades; and a deflection surface provided in a corner region defined by the grass clipping discharge port, the top plate, and the front side wall, wherein the deflection surface is an inclined surface that extends in the left-right direction from the grass clipping discharge port while being connected to the top plate and the front side wall, and the width of the inclined surface decreases as it moves away from the grass clipping discharge port.

[0008] In this configuration, the grass clippings, carried by the transport airflow and clinging to the front side wall, collide with the deflection surface and are dispersed, then discharged from the grass clipping outlet in their dispersed state. Since there is also an upward flow in the internal space of the mower deck, the grass clippings carried by the transport airflow form a grass clipping beam close to the connection line between the inner surface of the front side wall and the inner surface of the top plate. Therefore, it is effective for the deflection surface to be located near the grass clipping outlet and in a region defined by the top plate and the front side wall. Furthermore, such a deflection surface may reduce the flow cross-section of the grass clipping transport flow and increase the flow resistance of the grass clippings. Such flow resistance can be suppressed by reducing the width of the deflection surface, which is an inclined surface, as it moves away from the grass clipping outlet. In other words, the shape and orientation of the deflection surface according to the present invention improve the diffusion of grass clippings in the longitudinal and vertical directions, while suppressing the flow resistance as much as possible.

[0009] In order to create a simple inclined surface extending from the grass clipping discharge port in the left-right direction while connecting to the top plate and the front side wall, it is preferable that the deflection surface be triangular or a trapezoid with the tip of the triangle cut off. In this invention, such a trapezoid is also treated as triangular. Therefore, in this invention, it is proposed that the deflection surface extends in a triangular shape from the grass clipping discharge port in the left-right direction.

[0010] The top plate and the front side wall can be manufactured by bending. In this case, it is advantageous to add a bending process to create a deflection surface during the bending process. Therefore, in this invention, it is also proposed that the deflection surface is the surface of an inclined piece that bends and extends from the top plate or the front side wall.

[0011] The top plate and the front side wall can also be manufactured by welding. In that case, it is advantageous to weld them together with a member that creates a deflection surface in between. Therefore, in this invention, it is also proposed that the deflection surface is the surface of a plate material connected to the top plate and the front side wall.

[0012] To facilitate maintenance of the deflection surface, or to allow easy removal of the modified surface, it is preferable that the member that creates the deflection surface be detachable from the moor unit. For this reason, the present invention proposes that the deflection member comprises a first flange portion connected to the top plate, a second flange portion connected to the front side wall, and a central portion connecting the first flange portion and the second flange portion, with the deflection surface being the surface of the central portion.

[0013] In order to efficiently create a transport airflow that allows the cut grass to flow smoothly along the front side wall, the present invention proposes that a baffle plate having a shape along the rear rotation trajectory of the blade be provided between the vertical axis of the blade and the front side wall, and that a grass transport path leading to the cut grass discharge port be formed between the baffle plate and the front side wall. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the entire Mohr unit. [Figure 2] This is a right-side view of the moor unit. [Figure 3] This is a bottom perspective view of the moor unit. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the improvements made to the mower unit. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the deflection surface. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of a deflection member showing a third embodiment of the deflection surface. [Figure 7] This is a bottom view of the moor unit in the third embodiment of the deflection surface. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the direction indicated by "F" in FIG. 1 means "front" in the front-rear direction (working travel direction), and the direction indicated by "B" in FIG. 1 means "rear" in the front-rear direction (working travel direction). Also, the direction indicated by "L" in FIG. 1 means "left" in the left-right direction (width direction of the mower unit) orthogonal to the front-rear direction, and the direction indicated by "R" in FIG. 1 means "right" in the left-right direction. "Up" or "down" means the positional relationship (ground height) in the vertical direction of the machine body.

[0016] Next, a first embodiment of the mower unit 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the whole of the mower unit 1, FIG. 2 is a right side view of the mower unit 1, and FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the mower unit 1.

[0017] The mower deck 2 of the mower unit 1 is supported on the vehicle body of a tractor or a lawn mower via a link mechanism or the like and can be lifted and lowered between a lower position in contact with the ground and an upper position spaced a predetermined distance from the ground. Note that there are two types with respect to the lifting and lowering operation of the mower deck 2 in the mower unit 1. One type is a suspended type, and the ground height (gap with the ground: cutting height) of the mower deck 2 is set by adjusting the displacement operation of the link mechanism. The other type is a grounded type, and the ground height (gap with the ground: cutting height) of the mower deck 2 is set by the gauge wheel attached to the mower deck 2 grounding. The set height can be changed by adjusting the vertical relative position of the gauge wheel with respect to the mower deck 2.

[0018] The mower deck 2 has a top plate 21 whose left-right width is longer than the front-rear width and side walls 22 extending downward from the outer peripheral ends of the top plate 21. The side walls 22 are composed of a front side wall 22f and a rear side wall 22b.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, three blades 30 arranged in the left - right direction are disposed in the internal space IS of the mower deck 2. Each blade 30 extends in the vertical direction and is fixed to the lower end of a blade shaft 32 that extends vertically and is rotatably supported around the vertical axis of the mower deck 2. The blade shaft 32 is rotationally driven by a belt - type blade drive mechanism 31 provided on the top plate 21 of the mower deck 2. Although not shown, power is supplied to the blade drive mechanism 31 from the vehicle body side.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, a mowing discharge port 10 is provided at the right - hand end of the mower deck 2 in the left - right direction, and the internal space IS of the mower deck 2 opens at the mowing discharge port 10. Further, the upper end of the baffle plate 4 hanging downward is connected to the top plate 21 (specifically, the inner surface of the top plate 21). The baffle plate 4 is composed of a rear baffle plate 4B and a front baffle plate 4F. The rear baffle plate 4B is curved along the rear - side rotation locus of the three blades 30 and has a height up to near the ground so that the mowed grass does not fly out backward. The upper end of the front baffle plate 4F is also connected to the top plate 21 (specifically, the inner surface of the top plate 21) and hangs downward. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the front baffle plate 4F is divided into three parts and, in cooperation with the inner surface of the top plate 21 and the inner surface of the front side wall 22f, forms a mowing conveyance path for conveying the mowed grass cut by each blade 30 to the mowing discharge port 10. The height of the front baffle plate 4F is shorter than the height of the rear baffle plate 4B. The main mowed grass cut by each blade 30 can flow into the mowing conveyance path from the location where the front baffle plate 4F does not exist. The mowed grass cut by each blade 30 rides on the conveyance air generated by the rotation of the blade 30 and passes through the mowing conveyance path and is discharged from the mowing discharge port 10.

[0021] A discharge cover 11 is attached to the top plate 21 so as to cover the mowing discharge port 10 so that the mowed grass discharged from the mowing discharge port 10 does not scatter.

[0022] Figure 3 shows a deflection surface 5 provided in the corner region defined by the grass clipping discharge port 10, the top plate 21, and the front side wall 22f. This deflection surface 5 is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the inner surface of the top plate 21 and the inner surface of the front side wall 22f, and extends from the grass clipping discharge port 10 in a left-right direction while connecting to the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f, and substantially terminates at the connection point between the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f. In other words, the width of this deflection surface 5 decreases as it moves away from the grass clipping discharge port 10, and the deflection surface 5 extends in a triangular shape (triangular wedge shape) from the grass clipping discharge port 10 in a left-right direction, and terminates at a position almost opposite the blade axis 32 of the blade 30 at the right end.

[0023] In the first embodiment of the deflection surface 5 shown in Figure 3, the portion of the front side wall 22f that forms the grass clipping outlet 10 is expanded, and this expanded portion 22a is bent inward to form an inclined piece 5A, and the surface (inner surface) of this inclined piece 5A functions as the deflection surface 5 of the present invention. The end of the inclined piece 5A is welded to the end of the top plate 21. Alternatively, the expanded portion 22a that becomes the inclined piece 5A may be expanded and bent from the portion of the top plate 21 that forms the grass clipping outlet 10, and the end of the expanded portion 22a may be welded to the end of the front side wall 22f. Or, the inclined piece 5A, the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f may be integrally formed by bending.

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of the deflection surface 5. In the mower deck 2 shown in the upper part of Figure 4, the deflection surface 5 is not provided, and the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f are connected perpendicularly to each other. In this case, as shown by the thick solid arrows, the mowed grass becomes a thin bundle of mowed grass (mowed grass beam) and is discharged from the mowed grass outlet 10 in a state where it adheres to the inner surface of the front side wall 22f. In contrast, in the mower deck 2 of the present invention shown in the upper part of Figure 4, the deflection surface 5 is provided, so as shown by the multiple thick dotted arrows, the mowed grass collides with the deflection surface 5 and is dispersed, and is discharged from the mowed grass outlet 10 in a dispersed state.

[0025] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the deflection surface 5. In this embodiment, the surface of the plate material 5B, which is welded to the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f so as to cover the connection line between the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f in the area of ​​the grass cut outlet 10, functions as the deflection surface 5.

[0026] Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views showing a third embodiment of the deflection surface 5. Figure 6 shows a deflection member 5C that is detachably attached across the top plate 21 and the front side wall 22f. The deflection member 5C consists of a first flange portion 51 connected to the top plate 21, a second flange portion 52 connected to the front side wall 22f, and a central portion 50 connecting the first flange portion 51 and the second flange portion 52. The surface of the central portion 50 functions as the deflection surface 5.

[0027] Multiple elongated holes 53 are provided in the first flange portion 51 and the second flange portion 52. As shown in Figure 7, the deflection member 5C is fixed to the moor deck 2 in an adjustable manner in the left-right direction by screw fastening or bolt fastening using these elongated holes 53.

[0028] [Another embodiment] (1) In the embodiment described above, there were three blades 30, but there may be four or more, or fewer than three.

[0029] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the blade drive mechanism 31 was of the belt type, but it may also be of the gear type. In addition, an engine or motor can be used as the power source that supplies power to the blade drive mechanism 31.

[0030] (3) In the embodiment described above, the front side wall 22f was used as one of the guide walls that create the grass-cutting transport path, but an additional baffle provided further inside the front side wall 22f may be used instead of the front side wall 22f. In this case, the additional baffle, the front baffle plate 4F and the top plate 21 form the grass-cutting transport path, and the deflection surface 5 is provided across the additional baffle and the top plate 21.

[0031] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the grass clipping discharge port 10 was formed at the right end of the mower deck 2, but it may be formed at the left end of the mower deck 2 instead. In that case, the structure of the blade 30 and the mower deck 2 will be modified so that the flow of the grass clipping transport flow is also reversed.

[0032] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0033] The present invention is applicable to a mower unit that discharges mowed grass from a mowed grass discharge port provided at the end of the internal space of the mower deck. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1: Moa Unit 2: Moa Deck 4: Baffle plate 4B: Rear baffle plate 4F: Front baffle plate 5: Deflection surface 5A: Inclined piece 5B: Board material 5C: Deflection member 10: Clipped grass outlet 11: Discharge cover 21: Tabletop 22: Side wall 22B: Rear side wall 22a: Extension 22f: Front side wall 30: Blade 31: Blade drive mechanism 32: Blade shaft 50: Central part 51: First flange section 52: Second flange section 53: Long hole IS: Interior space

Claims

1. It is a Moa unit, A moor deck having a top plate and front and rear side walls extending downward from the outer edge of the top plate, Multiple blades are arranged in the left-right direction within the internal space of the moor deck and are rotationally driven around a vertical axis, A grass cutting outlet is provided at the left and right ends of the internal space, which discharges the grass cuttings cut by the blade by carrying them on the airflow generated by the rotation of the blade, It comprises a deflection surface provided in the corner region defined by the grass cutting outlet, the top plate, and the front side wall, The deflection surface is an inclined surface that extends from the grass clipping discharge port in the left-right direction while being connected to the top plate and the front side wall, and the width of the inclined surface decreases as it moves away from the grass clipping discharge port.

2. The mower unit according to claim 1, wherein the deflection surface extends in a triangular shape from the grass mowing outlet in the left-right direction.

3. The moor unit according to claim 1, wherein the deflection surface is the surface of an inclined piece that bends and extends from the top plate or the front side wall.

4. The moor unit according to claim 1, wherein the deflection surface is the surface of a plate material connected to the top plate and the front side wall.

5. The moor unit according to claim 1, comprising a deflection member consisting of a first flange portion connected to the top plate, a second flange portion connected to the front side wall, and a central portion connecting the first flange portion and the second flange portion, wherein the deflection surface is the surface of the central portion.

6. A mower unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a baffle plate having a shape along the rear rotation trajectory of the blade is provided between the vertical axis of the blade and the front side wall, and a grass-cutting transport path leading to the grass-cutting discharge port is formed between the baffle plate and the front side wall.

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