Weed puller

Abstract

To provide a weeding machine that does not cause noise problems and allows for easy and safe weeding even in confined spaces. [Solution] The weed puller 1a comprises a central member 2 made of a hollow or solid rod-shaped body, a handle 3 installed on the upper end 2a of the central member 2, a base 4 provided on the lower end 2b of the central member 2, a weed puller 5 attached to a cylindrical mounting part 4a provided on the base 4, a frame 7 connected to the central member 2 via a connecting member 6, a pair of wheels 8, 8 and a driven link 9 held on the frame 7, a wire 10 for operating the weed puller 5, and an operating lever 11 to which the upper end 10a of the wire 10 is connected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a weeding machine capable of removing weeds and the like while maintaining a standing posture, and particularly relates to a weeding machine that does not cause noise problems and can easily and safely perform weeding even in narrow spaces.

Background Art

[0002] The work of manually removing weeds or the like is usually performed in a crouching posture. Maintaining this posture imposes a burden on the waist, making it difficult to perform the work for a long time. For this reason, mowers having a mechanism that rotates a rotary blade via an engine are sometimes used. However, such mowers have the problem of engine noise during use, and thus cannot be used in urban areas. In addition, mowers are large in size, which makes them difficult to operate in narrow spaces.

[0003] Regarding weeding tools that are not equipped with an engine, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention titled "Weeding Device" relating to a tool that allows a user to pull out and remove weeds while remaining in a standing posture. The weeding device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises: a shaft portion that a user presses down in a standing posture; an operating shaft that is inserted into a cylinder from the lower end side of the shaft portion and is movable up and down; a chuck arm that is supported across the axial lines of the operating shaft and the shaft portion via a link arm, and whose lower end moves toward and away from each other; a locking means that locks the operating shaft to the shaft portion at the proximity dead center of the lower end; and a discharging means that discharges weeds together with soil from the lower end of the chuck arm when the locking means is released.

[0004] In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses an invention titled "Weeding Roller" relating to a weeding tool that can continuously pull out various weeds while maintaining a standing posture. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 consists of a ground wheel with a handle and support shaft, and a weeding roll that rotates in the opposite direction in conjunction with gears, and has a structure in which one or more toothed projections for weeding that protrude in the direction of movement from the lower edge of the roll are attached between support discs at both ends of the weeding roll. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-169601 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-47302 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not generate noise because it does not have an engine, but it has the problem that the operator is easily fatigued because the operator has to constantly hold the shaft. In addition, in order to pull out the weeds that are gripped by the chuck arm from the ground, the operator has to pull up the shaft, which also has the problem of poor operability. In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, there were cases where weeds were not captured by the weeding teeth, or even if weeds were captured by the weeding teeth, they could not be properly pulled out from the ground. In addition, there was a risk of the worker being injured by the weeding teeth. Furthermore, because it is necessary to rotate the roller, there was a problem in that it was difficult to use in confined spaces.

[0007] This invention addresses these conventional issues and aims to provide a weeding machine that does not cause noise problems and can easily and safely remove weeds even in confined spaces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the first invention is a weeding machine for grasping and pulling out grass growing on the ground, comprising: a rod-shaped body with a handle installed at its upper end; a base attached to the lower end of the rod-shaped body; a weeding tool fixed to the base; a frame installed on the base; and a pair of wheels rotatably held by the frame, wherein the weeding tool comprises: a pair of gripping members installed so as to be able to abut each other and grasp the grass by sandwiching it from both sides; and a weeding means for moving the gripping members upward while the grass is grasped.

[0009] The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, it comprises a pair of link members that are rotatably supported by a base and to which clamping members are attached, and a wire that is installed so as to cause the pair of link members to rotate when pulled, and the grass pulling means is equipped with a cam mechanism that moves the clamping members upward by rotating a base that is rotatably attached to the lower end of a rod-shaped body in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel.

[0010] The third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, it comprises a pair of first air cylinders, each having a clamping member attached to the tip of a first piston rod; a pair of second air cylinders, each having a first air cylinder attached to the tip of a second piston rod that moves vertically; a pneumatic circuit for operating the first air cylinders and the second air cylinders; and a pneumatic supply source for supplying compressed air to the pneumatic circuit.

[0011] The fourth invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to third inventions, the clamping member comprises a rubber pad member whose front surface is arranged to be in contact with grass, and a pad holding member that holds the pad member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the first invention, the operator does not need to bend over to grab or pull out grass, thus reducing fatigue. Furthermore, the first invention does not have an engine and therefore does not generate loud noises during operation, making it suitable for use in urban areas. In addition, the first invention has a simple structure and is compact, making it easy to operate even in confined spaces. Moreover, the first invention does not have blades or other cutting tools, eliminating the risk of injury during operation and thus offering high safety.

[0013] According to the second invention, the mechanism for grasping and pulling out grass can be realized with a simple structure, thus, in addition to the effects of the first invention, it also has the effect of reducing manufacturing costs.

[0014] In the third invention, by changing the stroke of the piston rod in the first cylinder and the second cylinder, the force with which the grass is gripped by the gripping member and the force with which the gripped grass is pulled out can be adjusted, so that the function of gripping and pulling out the grass is performed more reliably than in the first invention.

[0015] In the fourth invention, a rubber pad is used in the part of the gripping member that comes into contact with the grass. Therefore, in addition to the effects of any of the first to third inventions, the gripping member has the added effect of increasing the force with which it grips the grass. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] (a) is a side view showing an example of the external appearance of a weeding machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a partially enlarged view showing the wheels and frame in figure (a) as seen from the rear side of the weeding machine. [Figure 2] (a) is a view in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1(a), and (b) is a diagram showing the appearance of a modified example of the clamping member. [Figure 3] (a) and (b) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the cam mechanism that rotates the base. [Figure 4]It is a front view showing an example of the external appearance of a weeding machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a side view of the weeding machine shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] (a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the weeding tool shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. [Figure 7] (a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the weeding tool shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The structure, operation and effect of the weeding machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. In FIG. 2(b), illustration of the shaft portion of the pad holding member is omitted. In addition, in the following description, expressions such as "upper end", "lower end", "front surface" and "back surface" are used assuming an actual usage situation of the weeding machine. Example

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the weeding machine 1a of the present invention comprises: a central member 2 formed of a hollow or solid rod-shaped body; a handle 3 installed at an upper end 2a of the central member 2; a pedestal 4 provided at a lower end 2b of the central member 2; a weeding tool 5 attached to a cylindrical attachment portion 4a provided on the pedestal 4; a frame 7 connected to the central member 2 via a connecting member 6; a pair of wheels 8, 8 and a driven link 9 held by the frame 7; a wire 10 for operating the weeding tool 5; and an operation lever 11 to which an upper end 10a of the wire 10 is connected. Furthermore, grip portions 3a are provided at both ends of the handle 3, and the operation lever 11 is attached near one of the pair of grip portions 3a, 3a.

[0019] A pair of cylindrical bodies 12a, 12a are installed at the lower end 7a of the frame 7, positioned perpendicular to both the longitudinal and vertical directions of the central member 2, and with their cylindrical axes aligned, to rotatably hold the axles 8a of a pair of wheels 8, 8. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), the driven link 9, positioned between the base 4 and the axle 8a, has a cylindrical structure with both ends machined into hemispherical shapes. A cylindrical body 12b is attached to the lower end 7b of the frame 7, which holds the driven link 9 so that it can slide in the front-rear direction, with its cylindrical axis perpendicular to the axial direction of the axle 8a. The rotating cam 13 is positioned on the axle 8a at a point exposed between the pair of cylindrical bodies 12a, 12a, such that the rotation center coincides with the axis center of the axle 8a, and that it contacts the rear end 9a of the driven link 9 when it rotates, thereby switching between a state in which the driven link 9 is pushed forward (towards the base 4) and a state in which it does not contact the rear end 9a of the driven link 9.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2(a), the weeding tool 5 comprises a pair of link members 15, 15 to which clamping members 14 are attached, and a lead pipe 16 to which the lower end 10b of the wire 10 is connected. Furthermore, the pair of link members 15, 15 are supported in a cantilever manner by the base 4 such that their lower ends 15a are fitted onto the mounting portion 4a of the base 4 (see Figure 1(a)), allowing them to rotate freely in the left-right direction with the lower end 15a as the pivot point. In addition, the pair of clamping members 14, 14 are provided on the pair of link members 15, 15 at the intermediate portion between their lower end 15a and upper end 15b, so that they can come into contact with each other.

[0021] In a weed puller 1a with this structure, when the operating lever 11 is squeezed, the wire 10 is pulled upward. At the same time, the lead pipe 16 to which the lower end 10b of the wire 10 is connected is also pulled. On the other hand, in the weed puller 5, when the lead pipe 16 is pulled, the pair of link members 15, 15 are pulled horizontally by the lead pipe 16, resulting in the pair of link members 15, 15 rotating in a direction in which the pair of clamping members 14, 14 come into contact with each other. In other words, the weed puller 1a is structured so that when the operating lever 11 is squeezed, the pair of clamping members 14, 14 move in a direction in which they come closer to each other. Therefore, with the weed puller 1a, the pair of clamping members 14, 14 can easily grasp weeds and other plants between them with a simple operation of squeezing the operating lever 11. When the operating lever 11 is released, the tension on the lead pipe 16 of the weeding tool 5 via the wire 10 is released. As a result, the pair of link members 15, 15 return to their original state due to the elastic recovery force of the damper 16a, and consequently, the pair of clamping members 14, 14 move away from each other. Consequently, the grass and other materials being held by the pair of clamping members 14, 14 are released.

[0022] The base 4 is formed in a gate shape by a pair of mounting bodies 17, 17, each having a mounting portion 4a at its lower end 17a, and a connecting body 18 that is cylindrical or cylindrical in shape and connects the upper ends 17b of the pair of mounting bodies 17, 17. Furthermore, a pair of cylindrical bodies 12c, 12c are installed at the lower end 2b of the central member 2 such that the axis of each cylinder is perpendicular to the axial direction of the axle 8a and that their cylindrical axes coincide with each other, and the connecting body 18 of the base 4 is rotatably held by the pair of cylindrical bodies 12c, 12c. In addition, an elongated operating piece 19 is provided on the connecting body 18 at a point where it is exposed from between the pair of cylindrical bodies 12c, 12c, extending in the radial direction. In other words, the base 4 is rotatably attached to the lower end 2b of the central member 2, and when the operating piece 19 is pushed forward by the driven joint 9, the base 4 also rotates around the connecting body 18. At this time, the weed puller 5 attached to the base 4 also rotates, so if grass is being gripped by the pair of gripping members 14, 14, the pair of gripping members 14, 14 act to pull the grass out of the ground.

[0023] The clamping member 14 consists of a pad holding member 20 with a shaft portion 20a erected on its rear surface, and a rubber pad member 21 held by the pad holding member 20. The structure is such that the shaft portion 20a of the pad holding member 20 is inserted through a mounting hole 15d (see Figure 1(a)) provided in the pad mounting portion 15c (see Figure 1(a)) of the link member 15, and fastened to the pad mounting portion 15c using a nut 22, thereby fixing it to the link member 15. In Figure 2(a), the front surface 21a of the pad member 21 is shown to be flat, but the pad member 21 is not limited to this structure. For example, as shown in Figure 2(b), the front surface 21a of one pad member 21 may have a plurality of recesses 21b, and the front surface 21a of the other pad member 21 may have a plurality of protrusions 21c that can fit into these recesses 21b. In this case, when grass is gripped by the pair of clamping members 14, 14, the recesses 21b and protrusions 21c on the pair of pad members 21, 21 will interlock with the grass, generating a large frictional force between the pad member 21 and the grass, which can be expected to make it difficult for the grass to slip out from between the pair of clamping members 14, 14.

[0024] Next, the operation of the cam mechanism that allows the weeds to be pulled out by the weeding tool 5 will be explained using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the driven link 9, the rotating cam 13, and the operating piece 19, with hatching applied to the axle 8a and the connecting body 18. Figure 3(a) corresponds to the state in which the driven link 9 is not in contact with the rotating cam 13, and Figure 3(b) corresponds to the state in which the driven link 9 is in contact with the rotating cam 13. As shown in Figure 3(a), when the rotating cam 13 is not in contact with the rear end 9a of the driven link 9, as the wheel 8 rotates, the rotating cam 13 rotates together with the axle 8a in the direction indicated by arrow B, causing the rotating cam 13 to come into contact with the rear end 9a of the driven link 9, and acting to push the driven link 9 forward (towards the base 4) as indicated by arrow C. Then, the operating piece 19 is pushed forward by the driven link 9 and rotates around the connecting body 18 as indicated by arrow D. At this time, if grass is being gripped by the pair of clamping members 14, 14, the grass will be pulled out of the ground by the pair of clamping members 14, 14 which rotate together with the base 4. On the other hand, when the rotating cam 13 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow B along with the axle 8a as the wheel 8 rotates, the rotating cam 13 no longer contacts the rear end 9a of the driven link 9. As a result, the base 4 tries to return to its original state due to its own weight, and the operating piece 19 rotates around the connecting body 18 as indicated by arrow E. Consequently, the driven link 9 moves backward (away from the base 4) as indicated by arrow F, with its front end 9b being pushed by the operating piece 19.

[0025] With the above-described structure of the weed puller 1a, there is no need to perform tasks such as grabbing and pulling out weeds in a crouched position, thus reducing operator fatigue. Furthermore, since the weed puller 1a does not have an engine and does not generate loud noises during operation, it can be used even in urban areas. In addition, because the weed puller 1a has a simple structure and is not large in size, it can be easily operated even when used in confined spaces. Moreover, since the weed puller 1a does not have blades or other tools for cutting weeds, there is no risk of injury during operation, making it highly safe. Furthermore, the weed puller 1a can achieve a simple structure for gripping and pulling out weeds, thus reducing manufacturing costs. [Examples]

[0026] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the weeding machine 1b of the present invention comprises a central member 2 made of a hollow or solid rod-shaped body, a handle 3 installed on the upper end 2a of the central member 2 and having grip portions 3a at both ends, a base 23 provided on the lower end 2b of the central member 2, a weeding tool 24 fixed to the front surface 23a of the base 23, a frame 25 connected to the central member 2 via the base 23, a pair of wheels 8, 8 held on the frame 25, and weeding tool operation panels 26, 27 installed on the handle 3. Furthermore, a cylindrical body 12d is installed at the lower end 25a of the frame 25, positioned perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the central member 2, to rotatably hold the axles 8a of a pair of wheels 8, 8.

[0027] The structure and operation of the weeding tool 24 in the weeding machine 1b will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 5 to 7. In Figures 6(b), 7(a), and 7(b), the air tubes through which compressed air supplied to the first air cylinder 30 and the second air cylinder 31 flows are shown with solid lines, and the air tubes through which compressed air discharged from the first air cylinder 30 and the second air cylinder 31 flows are shown with dashed lines.

[0028] As shown in Figures 5 and 6(a), the weeding tool 24 includes a pair of first solenoid valves 28, 28 and a second solenoid valve 29 supplied with compressed air from an air pressure supply source (not shown), a pair of first air cylinders 30, 30 with a clamping member 14 attached to the tip of a first piston rod 30a, and a pair of second air cylinders 31, 31 with the first air cylinder 30 attached to the tip of a second piston rod 31a. The head-side port 30b and rod-side port 30c of the first air cylinder 30 are connected to the first solenoid valve 28 by air tubes 32a and 32b, respectively, and the head-side port 31b and rod-side port 31c of the second air cylinder 31 are connected to the second solenoid valve 29 by air tubes 32c and 32d, respectively.

[0029] As shown in Figure 6(b), when compressed air is supplied from the first solenoid valve 28 to the head-side port 30b of the first air cylinder 30 via the air tube 32a, the first piston rod 30a of the first air cylinder 30 moves forward, causing the pair of gripping members 14, 14 to move toward each other. As a result, the grass between the pair of gripping members 14, 14 is grasped. The compressed air discharged from the head-side port 30b of the first air cylinder 30 is returned to the first solenoid valve 28 through the air tube 32b. Next, from the state shown in Figure 6(b) to the state shown in Figure 7(a), when compressed air is supplied from the second solenoid valve 29 to the rod-side port 31c of the second air cylinder 31 via the air tube 32d, the second piston rod 31a of the second air cylinder 31 retracts, causing the pair of first air cylinders 30 to move upward. As a result, the grass held by the pair of gripping members 14, 14 is pulled out of the ground. The compressed air discharged from the head-side port 31b of the second air cylinder 31 is returned to the second solenoid valve 29 through the air tube 32c. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(b), when compressed air is supplied from the first solenoid valve 28 to the rod-side port 30c of the first air cylinder 30 via the air tube 32b, the first piston rod 30a of the first air cylinder 30 retracts, causing the pair of clamping members 14, 14 to move away from each other. As a result, the grass being gripped by the pair of clamping members 14, 14 is released. The compressed air discharged from the head-side port 30b of the first air cylinder 30 is returned to the first solenoid valve 28 through the air tube 32a.

[0030] In the weeding machine 1b with the above structure, the force with which the grass is gripped by the pair of gripping members 14, 14 and the force with which the gripped grass is pulled out can be adjusted by changing the stroke of the first piston rod 30a of the first air cylinder 30 and the second piston rod 31a of the second air cylinder 31. As a result, the function of gripping and pulling out grass is performed more reliably than in the weeding machine 1a. [Industrial applicability]

[0031] The weeding machine of the present invention can be used to remove weeds in confined spaces or in urban areas. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 1a, 1b...Weed puller 2...Central member 2a...Upper end 2b...Lower end 3...Handle 3a...Grip part 4...Base 4a...Mounting part 5...Weed puller 6...Connecting member 7...Frame 7a, 7b...Lower end 8...Wheel 8a...Axle 9...Driver link 9a...Rear end 9b...Front end 10...Wire 10a...Upper end 10b...Lower end 11...Operating lever 12a~12d...Cylindrical body 13...Rotating cam 14...Clamping member 15...Link member 15a...Lower end 15b...Upper end 15c...Pad mounting part 15d...Mounting hole 16...Lead pipe 16a...Damper 17...Mounting body 17a...Lower end 17b...Upper end 18...Connecting body 19...Operating piece 20...Pad holding member 20a...Shaft part 21…Pad component 21a…Front 21b…Recess 21c…Protrusion 22…Nut 23…Base 23a…Front 24…Weed puller 25…Frame 25a…Lower end 26, 27…Weed puller operation panel 28…First solenoid valve 29…Second solenoid valve 30…First air cylinder 30a…First piston rod 30b…Head side port 30c…Rod side port 31…Second air cylinder 31a…Second piston rod 31b…Head side port 31c…Rod side port 32a~32d…Air tube

Claims

1. It is a weeding machine that grabs and pulls out grass growing on the ground. A rod-shaped body with a handle attached to its upper end, A base attached to the lower end of this rod-shaped body, The weeding tool fixed to this base, The frame installed on the aforementioned base, This frame comprises a pair of wheels that are rotatably held in place, The aforementioned weeding tool is A pair of clamping members that are positioned so as to be able to come into contact with each other and grasp the grass by sandwiching it from both sides, A weeding machine characterized by comprising a weeding means for moving a pair of clamping members upward while the grass is being grasped.

2. A pair of link members, each to which the clamping member is attached, are rotatably supported by the base, It comprises a wire installed such that a pair of the aforementioned link members rotate when pulled, The aforementioned weed pulling means is The weeding machine according to claim 1, further comprising a cam mechanism that moves the clamping member upward by rotating the base, which is rotatably attached to the lower end of the rod-shaped body, in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel.

3. A pair of first air cylinders, each having a clamping member attached to the tip of a first piston rod, A pair of second air cylinders, each having a first air cylinder attached to the tip of a second piston rod that moves vertically, A pneumatic circuit for operating the first air cylinder and the second air cylinder, The weeding machine according to claim 1, further comprising an air pressure supply source that supplies compressed air to the air pressure circuit.

4. The clamping member is, A rubber pad member whose front surface is positioned to be in contact with the grass, The weeding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a pad holding member for holding the pad member.

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