Grass cutting and collection device

Abstract

To provide a mowing / collecting device capable of efficiently accumulating and collecting mown plants.SOLUTION: A mowing / collecting device 1 formed into a box-shaped storage container, comprises at least vent holes on a rear face and side faces, and an opening part 23 on a front face, where the opening part 23 includes control means 3 for controlling a flow of flowing-in plants. The arranged control means 3 has an L-shaped cross section in which an angle α formed by two sides is 50 to 120°, and is movably arranged in the height direction of the opening part. The storage container has a substantially pentagonal prism box shape including a ceiling member as a top face, a rear surface member as the rear face, a floor member as a bottom face, two side members as the side faces, and a lid member as the front face.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetation cutting and recovery device, and more particularly to a vegetation cutting and recovery device that recovers vegetation cut by a mower (cutting device) detachably attached to the end of the arm of a construction machine such as a power shovel. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of lawn mowers have been developed, including push mowers that are manually propelled forward and backward by the operator and ride-on lawn mowers that are driven by a driver in the cab. Push mowers are suitable for mowing small areas such as residential gardens, while ride-on lawn mowers are suitable for mowing large areas such as parks and sports fields. However, these lawn mowers are said to be difficult to use because they are prone to overturning on steeply sloping or uneven surfaces such as road or railroad slopes.

[0003] Therefore, to enable mowing on uneven or sloping ground, mowers and vegetation cutting and collection devices have been proposed that can be detachably attached to the end of the arm of a construction machine such as a power shovel to perform mowing. Because a large and heavy mower can be attached to the arm of a construction machine such as a power shovel, it is possible to attach a high-power mower and perform mowing work. However, when mowing with a high-power mower, the cut vegetation is likely to scatter over a wide area. As a result, it takes a lot of time to collect the scattered vegetation and transport it to a designated collection point. Therefore, to prevent the cut vegetation from scattering, a mower has been proposed that has a collection device detachably attached to the cutting part to collect the cut vegetation.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a "grass mower that can be attached to and detached from a power shovel." The grass mower described in Patent Document 1 includes an attachment part that can be attached and detached to the tip of a power shovel, a mowing part with a rotating mowing blade, a basket part that is pivotally attached to the mowing part and stores the cut grass, a hydraulic pump, an engine that drives the mowing blade and hydraulic pump, and a solenoid valve.

[0005] Patent Document 2 also describes a "vegetation cutting and recovery device." The vegetation cutting and recovery device described in Patent Document 2 is a vegetation cutting and recovery device that is detachably attached to a construction machine such as a power shovel and cuts down vegetation. The device is detachably attached to one side of a cover body that houses a rotary cutting unit equipped with multiple hammer knives, and includes a basket body that stores vegetation cut by the cutting unit, a pair of lids that are attached to the bottom of the basket body and rotate around a rotation axis, and a drive means for opening and closing the lids. The device stores vegetation cut by the rotary cutting unit in the basket body and can also release the stored vegetation. According to the technology described in Patent Document 2, cut vegetation is stored in the basket body through a rear opening of the rotary cutting unit, eliminating the need for a dedicated recovery device or manual recovery work.

[0006] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes a "cutting and collecting device" that collects vegetation cut by a brush cutter into a box-shaped storage container. The cutting and collecting device described in Patent Document 3 has two wall members that form the sides of the storage container, one ceiling member that forms the top surface of the storage container, one openable floor member that is rotatably attached to the front end of the ceiling member and forms the front and bottom surfaces of the storage container, and a fixed holding member that holds the storage container in contact with the brush cutter, and the openable floor member is rotated by one hydraulic cylinder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-079627 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-160769 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-43840 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, with the mowing and collecting devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the mowed and collected vegetation needs to be discharged from the collecting device. Since an increase in the number of discharge operations increases the workload, there is a demand for a mowing and collecting device that can reduce the number of times collected vegetation needs to be discharged.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a mowing and collecting device that can reduce the number of times collected vegetation is discharged compared to conventional devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the inventors of the present invention have studied factors that affect the number of times cut vegetation is discharged. First, in order to reduce the number of times cut vegetation is discharged, it is considered to increase the capacity (collection amount) of the cutting and collecting device. However, for example, the weight that can be attached to the tip of a power shovel is limited depending on the model, making it difficult to attach a larger collecting device with an increased capacity. Furthermore, there are cases where a power shovel is transported with a cutting device (grass cutter) and a cutting and collecting device attached. In such cases, the size that can be transported is limited by the bed of the transport vehicle, making it difficult to attach a large cutting and collecting device.

[0011] Therefore, we considered increasing the amount of grass and vegetation (capacity) that can be stored (collected) in the harvesting and collection device without changing its size (capacity).

[0012] In the conventional mowing and recovery device described above, vegetation is cut by the rotation of multiple hammer knives attached to a rotating drum, and the cut vegetation is released from an opening (discharge port) formed on the rear side of the mowing device (mower) using the airflow generated by the operation of the mower (mower). The airflow generated by the operation of the mower is primarily horizontal because it utilizes the rotation of the hammer knives. Therefore, in the conventional mowing and recovery device, vegetation released from the mower (mower) 2 and flowing through the opening of the mowing and recovery device 1 travels primarily horizontally (thick solid line) and ultimately accumulates (builds up) within the mowing and recovery device 1, as shown by the solid line in Figure 4(a). The dotted line in Figure 4(a) represents the flow of airflow. In the accumulation state (solid line) shown in Figure 4(a), only about half of the capacity of the mowing and recovery device 1 can accommodate the cut vegetation.

[0013] Therefore, the inventors came up with the idea of ​​installing a control means to change the flow (trajectory) of vegetation flowing into the reaping and collecting device 1 from a receiving port (opening) into an upward flow from a horizontal direction. They found that by installing a control means 3 at the opening, it is possible to effectively change the flow (trajectory) of vegetation flowing into the reaping and collecting device 1 (thick solid line) from a horizontal direction to an upward flow, as shown in Figure 4(b).

[0014] The present invention was completed based on these findings and further investigations. That is, the gist of the present invention is as follows. [1] A mowing and recovery device that collects and accumulates vegetation cut by a mowing device attached to the end of the arm of a power shovel, characterized in that the mowing and recovery device is a box-shaped storage container with ventilation holes on at least the rear and sides and an opening on the front, and a control means for controlling the flow of the vegetation that flows in is disposed in the opening. [2] The harvesting and collecting device described in [1], characterized in that the control means is a plate-like member having an L-shaped cross section and an angle α formed by two sides of the L-shape of 50 to 120°, and the plate-like member is arranged so as to be movable in the height direction of the opening. [3] The harvesting and collecting device described in [2], characterized in that the plate-shaped member is a member having the same length as the width of the opening. [4] The harvesting and collecting device described in [1] is characterized in that the harvesting and collecting device is a storage container having an approximately pentagonal box shape, consisting of a ceiling member that forms the upper surface, a rear member that forms the rear surface, a floor member that forms the lower surface, two side members that form the sides, and a lid member that forms the front surface, with the opening on the front. [5] The mowing and collecting device described in [4], characterized in that one of the two side members of the mowing and collecting device has a door for discharging the mowed vegetation. [6] The harvesting and collecting device described in [4], characterized in that the ceiling member, floor member and cover member are plate-shaped steel members, and the rear member and side member are punched metal. [7] A mowing device comprising a mowing device that is removably attached to the tip of the arm of a power shovel, and a mowing and recovery device that is attached to the rear side of the mowing device and recovers vegetation cut by the mowing device, wherein the mowing device has a box-shaped container that has a rotary mowing means inside with a number of hammer knives attached, and the box-shaped container has openings at the bottom and rear side, and the opening at the rear side is an opening for releasing vegetation cut by the rotary mowing means, and the mowing device is a mowing and recovery device described in any of [1] to [6]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, the amount of vegetation that can be accommodated in the harvesting and collection device in one harvesting operation is increased, the number of times that harvested vegetation needs to be discharged is reduced, and the overall workload of the harvesting and collection operation is reduced, resulting in significant industrial benefits. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic cross-sectional perspective view of an example of a reaping device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a reaping and collecting device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view showing an example of a state in which the reaping and collecting device and the reaping device are attached to each other; [Figure 4] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the flow and accumulation of vegetation that has flowed into the mowing and collecting device. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the shape of a control means. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] First, the harvesting and collecting device of the present invention will be described.

[0018] The reaping and recovering device 1 of the present invention is used in combination with a reaping device 2 that is removably attached to the end of the arm of a power shovel. The reaping and recovering device 1 of the present invention is attached to the rear side of the reaping device 2. The reaping and recovering device 1 may be attached to the reaping device 2 in a detachable manner using a holding member, or may be fixed by welding or the like.

[0019] The reaping and collecting device 1 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3 as being attached to the rear side of the reaping device 2. Reference numeral 3 denotes a control means. In FIG. 3, the collecting device is fixedly attached to the reaping device 2.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, the reaping and collecting device 1 of the present invention has an opening (receiving opening) 11 on the front, and the cut vegetation flows in through the opening 11 to be accumulated and collected in a box-shaped storage container 5. Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the reaping and collecting device 1.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the box-shaped storage container 5 is preferably a container having a roughly pentagonal box shape, consisting of a ceiling member 51 forming the top surface, a rear member 52 forming the rear surface, a floor member 53 forming the bottom surface, two side members 54 (not shown) forming the side surfaces, and a lid member 55 (not shown) forming the front surface, with an opening 11 on the front surface, from the standpoint of container strength. It is preferable that one of the two side members 54 has a discharge door for discharging accumulated plants. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned shape.

[0022] The box-shaped storage container 5 has a plurality of ventilation holes in the members that make up the container. The shape of the ventilation holes does not need to be particularly limited, and they may be a plurality of small-diameter holes or holes in a mesh pattern.

[0023] Vegetation cut by the reaping device 2 is released from opening 23 on the rear side of the reaping device 2 along with the airflow generated by the operation of the reaping device 2 and flows into opening (receiving opening) 11 on the front of the reaping and collecting device 1. The airflow is then released outside the system through ventilation holes in storage container 5, and the cut vegetation is accumulated and collected in storage container 5. For this reason, it is preferable to provide multiple ventilation holes in at least rear member 52 and side member 54. If the material used is a perforated metal or mesh steel plate, a mesh-like ventilation hole can be provided even if no ventilation holes are specifically formed.

[0024] During grass cutting work, pebbles and sand particles from the ground flow into the storage container 5 along with the cut vegetation. The stones and sand particles that flow in collide with the front surface of the storage container 5 and then fall to the bottom (floor). For this reason, it is preferable that the cover member 55 on the front surface of the storage container 5 and the floor member 53 on the bottom surface be made of steel plates (plate-shaped steel members) that have sufficient strength.

[0025] In the reaping and collecting device 1 of the present invention, a control means 3 for controlling the flow of vegetation that flows in is disposed in the front opening (receiving opening) 11. The control means 3 comes into contact with the flowing vegetation and air currents, and acts to change the flow of the vegetation from a horizontal direction to an upward direction. For this reason, the control means 3 is preferably a plate-like member 31 with an L-shaped cross section and a length equal to the width of the opening 11, as shown in Figure 5(a).

[0026] The air current (air flow) that carries the cut vegetation generated by the operation of the reaping device 2 is primarily horizontal because it utilizes the rotation of the hammer knife, etc. Therefore, without the control means 3, the flow (thick solid line) of vegetation flowing into the reaping and collecting device 1 through the opening 11 is primarily horizontal, as shown in FIG. 4(a). However, by providing the control means 3 at the opening 11, the vegetation that flows in collides with the control means 3 or has its flow changed by the control means 3, causing it to fly upward from the horizontal direction (thick solid line), as shown in FIG. 4(b). As a result, the vegetation that flows in can be efficiently piled up in the storage container 5, as shown in the accumulation state (solid line) in FIG. 4(b), and can accumulate (collect) until backflow (collapse) occurs. This increases the amount of cut vegetation accumulated (capacity) in the storage container 5. The plate-like member 31 serving as the control means 3 has the effect of narrowing the opening (receiving opening) 11, but also has the effect of preventing the backflow (collapse) of the accumulated matter (stored plants and trees).

[0027] To achieve the above-described function, the plate-shaped member 31 serving as the control means preferably has an L-shaped cross section, as shown in FIG. 5(b), with the angle α between the two sides of the L-shape preferably in the range of 50 to 120°. More preferably, it is 70 to 120°. When the angle α is 90°, it is preferable to use an equal-leg angle iron or an unequal-leg angle iron as specified in JIS G 3192. When the angle α is other than 90°, it is preferable to process a plate material or the like into a member with a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 5(b). While the material of the plate-shaped member does not need to be particularly limited as long as it has a predetermined strength, steel is economically advantageous. From the viewpoint of corrosion resistance, stainless steel plate is preferable. Furthermore, the plate-shaped member 31 serving as the control means 3 is preferably detachable and arranged so as to be movable in the height direction of the opening. The flow of cut vegetation varies depending on the type of vegetation being collected and its dryness, etc., and the heightwise position of the control plate needs to be adjusted to match the condition of the cut vegetation. Therefore, it is preferable to form the stop hole 32 in a shape extending in the height direction of the opening (an elliptical hole shape) as shown in Figure 5(a) so that the height direction arrangement of the plate-like member 31 can slide in the height direction of the opening 11.

[0028] It is preferable that the control means 3 (plate-shaped member) be disposed at an appropriate location between the reaping and collecting device 1 and the reaping device 2. In Figures 2 and 3, the control means 3 is disposed using the partition member 25 of the reaping device 2, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this.

[0029] The reaping device 2 is removably attached to a mounting portion (not shown) at the tip of the power shovel and cuts vegetation. The reaping device 2 is a so-called grass cutter that has a rotary cutting means 22, with a number of cutting blades called hammer knives 221 attached to the outer periphery of a drum 222, inside a box-shaped container 21 with an open bottom. The reaping device 2 cuts vegetation and releases the cut vegetation from an opening (discharge opening) 23 at the rear, and any conventional grass cutter can be used. The vegetation (cut vegetation) released from opening 23 flows into the reaping and recovery device 1, which is attached to the rear side of the reaping device 2, through an opening (receiving opening) 11 at the front. A hydraulic motor (not shown) that drives the drum of the rotary cutting means 22 is attached to the side of the box-shaped container 21. It is also preferable to provide chains 24 in a blind shape at the front and lower rear of the reaping device 2 to prevent the cut vegetation from scattering outside the box-shaped container.

[0030] By attaching the mowing and collecting device 1 of the present invention to the mowing device 2, and then attaching the mowing device 2 to the tip of a power shovel, and moving the power shovel while rotating the rotary mowing means 22, vegetation can be mowed in the same way as before. [Example]

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, mowing and collecting device 1, which has a plate-like member 31 with an L-shaped cross section (the angle formed by two sides: 90°) disposed in front opening 11, is attached to the rear side of mowing device 2, and mowing device 2 is further attached to the end of the arm of a power shovel via an attachment part (not shown). Using a mower (mowing device) 100, mowing work was carried out to remove vegetation, mainly dead grass of about 50 to 100 cm in height, and the cut vegetation was accumulated in mowing and collecting device 1, and then accumulated in storage container 5 of mowing and collecting device 1 until a backflow of vegetation occurred. Then, when a backflow of vegetation occurred (when the storage container was full), the amount of vegetation accumulated in the storage container was confirmed, and this was designated as an example of the present invention. On the other hand, a similar mowing operation was carried out using a grass cutter (grass cutting device) equipped with a cutting and collecting device that did not have a plate-shaped member 31 as the control means 3, and the amount of grass accumulated in the storage container was similarly confirmed at the time when the backflow of grass occurred (when it became full), and this was used as a comparative example.

[0032] As a result, the amount of vegetation accumulated in the example of the present invention was 120% of the amount of vegetation accumulated in the comparative example (100%). According to the present invention, the cut vegetation can be efficiently piled (accumulated), which means that the amount of vegetation accumulated increased by 20%. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Harvesting and collection device 11 Opening (receiving opening) 2. Mowing equipment (grass cutter) 21 Box-shaped container 22 Rotary reaping means 221 Hammer Knife 222 Drums 23 Opening (release opening) 24 chain 25 Partition material 3. Control measures 31 Plate-shaped member 32 Stopper hole 5. Storage container 100 Grass-cutting device (grass cutter)

Claims

[Claim 1] A mowing and recovery device that allows vegetation cut by a mowing device attached to the tip of the arm of a power shovel to flow into and accumulate and recover the vegetation, the mowing and recovery device being a box-shaped storage container with vents at least on the rear and sides and an opening on the front, and a control means for controlling the flow of the vegetation that flows into the opening, A harvesting and collecting device characterized in that the control means is a plate-like member having an L-shaped cross section and an angle α formed by two sides of the L-shape of 50 to 120 degrees, and the plate-like member is arranged so as to be movable in the height direction of the opening.

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