Mower Guide Member for Ball-Safe Grass Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mowers fail to prevent objects on the ground, such as golf balls, from contacting the blade and cause inefficiencies due to the need for separate ball collection before mowing, leading to longer operation times.
Innovation Solution
A mower equipped with a guide member that redirects objects away from the blade and wheels, combined with a collector that can operate simultaneously or sequentially to collect objects, allowing efficient grass mowing and object collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cover is provided to prevent balls from contacting the blade, then ball protection is improved, but the attachment structure becomes complex and side surfaces remain uncovered allowing balls to enter
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into multiple segments: a front cover covering the blade area, side covers extending from the front cover to cover side surfaces, and a rear cover. This segmentation allows comprehensive protection while maintaining a relatively simple attachment structure where each segment can be independently attached.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover extends in multiple spatial dimensions: front-to-back length, left-to-right width, and top-to-bottom height. The side covers specifically extend laterally to prevent balls from entering from the sides, adding dimensional coverage without significantly increasing attachment complexity.
2Reliability
If a collector operates before the mower to collect balls, then ball protection is improved, but the operation time for ground maintenance becomes longer
Solution Approach 1:
The mower and collector are merged into a single integrated vehicle platform. The mower includes both the mowing mechanism (blade) and the ball collection mechanism (container with receiving opening), allowing both functions to be performed simultaneously in one pass rather than requiring separate operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The collector continuously receives balls during the mowing operation through the receiving opening positioned above the container. This continuous action allows balls to be collected throughout the entire mowing process without interruption, eliminating the need for separate pre-collection operations.
3Reliability
If the mower travels only after ball collection, then ball damage is prevented, but productivity decreases due to sequential operations
Solution Approach 1:
The mower and collector are merged into a single integrated vehicle platform. The mower includes both the mowing mechanism (blade) and the ball collection mechanism (container with receiving opening), allowing both functions to be performed simultaneously in one pass rather than requiring separate operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle performs multiple functions simultaneously: mowing grass with the blade, collecting balls with the container, and protecting balls from damage through the protective cover and guide members. This multi-functionality increases productivity by eliminating the need for separate specialized vehicles or sequential operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A ground maintenance system having a mower that can include a first traveling unit which can travel on a ground, a first operating unit which can be joined to the first traveling unit and include a blade which can mow grass on the ground, and a guide member provided in front of the first traveling unit. While the first traveling unit travels forward, objects on the ground (for example, balls) in contact with the guide member can move along the guide member. The objects can move laterally and rearward away from the mower. In some embodiments, the ground maintenance system can further include a collector, attached to or separate from the mower, that can collect the objects on the ground.