EP2421682B1 - Animal shearing machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an animal clipper according to the preamble of claim 1. Such an animal clipper is known from WO 03/053641 A1 known.

For a long time electrically operated animal clippers of different types have been known from the state of the art.

For example, in the DE 11 96 994 A describes an animal clipping machine that is driven by an electric motor. The housing of the device, which also serves as a handle, has a shaving head at the front end. The shaving head consists of a fixed and a movable Sehneidkamm, which pivots with respect to the fixed cutting comb back and forth, The movable cutting comb is held and driven by a fork, which is movable around a joint back and forth. The drive of the movable cutting comb takes place in the meantime well-known way by the use of an eccentric. With the help of the eccentric, the rotational movement of a driving electric motor can be converted into the desired oscillating movement of the shaving head. The eccentric engages in a slot of the movably mounted fork. Since high drive torques are required in animal clippers due to the hair thickness and the density of the animals, the drive torque of the electric motor used is transmitted via a reduction gear to the eccentric. In the case of in DE 11 96 994 A disclosed animal clippers a spur gear is used for this purpose. The drive unit consisting of electric motor, gearbox, eccentric and flywheel is completely housed within the housing of the animal clipper. The electric motor is mounted in the housing in such a way that the shaft of the electric motor is arranged in the direction of the housing longitudinal axis. Drive shaft and output shaft of a spur gear parallel spaced to each other. The swing axle of the output shaft of the spur gear connected eccentric is aligned approximately perpendicular to the fork connected to the movable cutting comb.

However, the use of a spur gear has certain disadvantages. Helical gearboxes are known to be relatively loud. On the other hand, the space required for a spur gear is relatively large, which is why the housing of the animal clipper when using a spur gear can not be constructed according to the currently applicable ergonomic considerations or requirements or the required reduction is not achieved. This in DE 11 96 994 A shown spur gear is also laboriously mounted on the housing.

It is therefore now gone over to use a worm gear instead of the spur gear. In this case, the shaft of the electric motor is usually aligned so that it runs obliquely to the housing longitudinal axis. The worm wheel connected to the output shaft and the eccentric is driven by the electric motor via a worm connected to the motor shaft. The axis of the eccentric connected to the worm wheel is approximately perpendicular to the housing longitudinal axis and thereby extends approximately parallel to the oscillating axis of a rocker arm, which meanwhile instead of the in DE 11 96 994 A described fork is used to drive the movable cutting comb of the shaving head. Oscillating lever and cutting comb are not necessarily firmly connected to each other, but are usually in entraining engagement.

The advantages of a worm gear include, above all, a high possible reduction in a small footprint and a low operating noise level. Worm gears are also relatively simple. However, there are sometimes significant problems with the use of a worm gear. Thus, worm gears have a high sliding friction, resulting in high wear and high heating. As a result, the efficiency of the entire drive unit is relatively poor. The strong heating causes the devices can not be operated permanently and thus interruptions are necessary because the devices for both the human too hot for the animal. Due to the low efficiency, the realization of battery-operated animal clippers is also difficult, since the battery life of a battery of acceptable size for the shearing process is insufficient.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an animal clipper which operates with better energy efficiency and is therefore also suitable for battery operation with sufficiently long operating times.

The object is solved by the features of claim 1 of the present invention.

The use of a planetary gear in the animal clipper according to the invention offers various advantages. On the one hand, the transmission operates with a high efficiency which is significantly improved compared to the transmissions hitherto used in the prior art. On battery operation, this allows significantly longer uninterrupted work cycles. Associated with the high efficiency is also a low, substantially negligible, hardly measurable heating, which allows a long uninterrupted working with the shearing machine according to the invention. With the same shearing performance, the animal clipper according to the invention requires significantly reduced drive power.

The planetary gear used in the invention can also be realized with an extremely small space and thus space-saving housed in the housing of the animal clipper according to the invention.

In addition, the animal clipper of the invention differs from those of the prior art by a lower noise.

Furthermore, in the animal clipper according to the invention, the output shaft of the planetary gear is parallel, in particular coaxial, arranged to the shaft of the electric motor.

Another advantage is that housing shells can be used by worm gear driven shearing machines, whose internal structure is only slightly modify. The external appearance of an existing and proven product can thus be maintained if necessary. Also, many more parts of an existing animal razor design can continue to be used.

Particularly advantageous are planetary gear, which are designed as single-stage gearbox.

The use of a planetary gear as a reduction gear allows the shaft of the electric motor and the output shaft of the planetary gear are arranged in particular coaxially. This facilitates the integration of the engine and reduction gear to a structural unit, a motor / gear unit.

In order to realize a low-vibration operation, it can be provided in the animal clipper according to the invention that the motor / gear unit is mounted by means of one or more elastically deformable bearing elements in the housing, or the two housing shells typically used. Advantageously, rubber rings can be used here, in particular in the form of O-rings.

The elastically deformable bearing elements on the one hand, the operating noise of the animal clipper during operation further reduced, and on the other hand vibrations that are uncomfortable for the operator of the animal clipper during operation, almost impossible.

In an advantageous embodiment of the animal clipper according to the invention, the motor / gear unit comprises a flange on which at least one rubber ring is arranged. The flange is preferably formed so that it serves as a spacer between the planetary gear and the housing. Here it is favorable when the flange is oriented substantially perpendicular to the axis of the output shaft.

Preferably, the flange is arranged in the region of the planetary gear and is slightly wider in its circumference than the planetary gear itself. Between the gearbox flange and the housing is at least one of the rubber rings used for mounting the motor / gear unit in the housing. The gear flange thus serves as a spacer between planetary gear and housing. This allows air circulation between the housing and planetary gear or electric motor. This serves to ensure that the housing, which serves as a handle of the animal clipper, is not partially heated up.

In the planetary gear, a reduction ratio in the range of about 2: 1 to 8: 1, more preferably about 4: 1 to 5: 1 is preferably selected. In particular, a reduction ratio of about 4.4: 1 has proved to be favorable.

With a reduction ratio in the preferred range, an optimal compromise between high torque and high efficiency or low heating is achieved.

The shearing machine according to the invention can be combined with differently designed shaving heads. However, particularly preferred are shaving heads, in which the drivable shearing blade is driven to oscillate to a particular linear movement, wherein the output shaft of the planetary gear are coupled via an eccentric and a rocker arm with the drivable shearing blade.

According to the invention, the rocking lever has a front end which is coupled to the drivable shearing blade and a rear end which comprises a sliding element with which the eccentric is engaged. The rocker arm is rotatably mounted on the housing in a region between the front and the rear end about a swing axis.

Preferably, the output shaft of the planetary gear is arranged perpendicular to the swing axis of the eccentric. This ensures on the one hand a compact design, on the other hand, the friction losses, which are generated between the eccentric and the rocker arm and in the rocker arm about the swing axis, can be kept low.

The more precise the rocker arm is mounted, the lower the friction losses in the transmission of power from the drive shaft of the reduction gear to the drivable shearing blade and the better the shearing performance of the shaving head.

The rocker arm has a key function in power transmission and is extremely stressed. For this reason, the rocker arm is preferably made of a low-wear material, preferably a steel alloy, for example, a steel alloy with Cu and Mo as alloying components. The steel alloys preferably have a hardness of about 60 Rockwell.

More preferably, the rocker arm is produced as a sintered metal part, preferably sintered metal alloys of the DIN type SINT D39.

Further improvements in the characteristics of the rocker arm can be achieved by providing the rocker arm with a thin plastic coating. In particular, polymer materials based on highly fluorinated hydrocarbons, for example PTFE and TFE copolymers, are suitable as plastics.

For the trouble-free continuous operation of the animal clipper according to the invention is also of importance that the storage of the rocker arm on its swing axis substantially without play, especially in the axial direction, accomplished.

For this purpose, for example, may be provided on the swing axle, a groove into which a lock washer can be latched. Thus, the rocker arm on the swing axle can be kept substantially free of axial play. This has a positive effect on the sectional view of the shaving head, so that with a minimized expenditure of time an optically optimal shearing result can be achieved.

Preferably, the output shaft of the planetary gear is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. It is particularly advantageous if the output shaft of the planetary gear is aligned substantially coaxially to the longitudinal axis of the housing. This also contributes to a compact design of the animal clipper and thus ensures that existing housing shells can be used by animal clippers with worm gear.

Advantageously, the eccentric is formed by an eccentric cam, in particular a cylindrical eccentric cam whose axis is parallel to the output shaft of the transmission.

The sliding element of the rocker arm, in which engages the eccentric connected to the output shaft of the planetary gear, is formed as a perpendicular to the output shaft of the planetary gear and parallel to the swing axis of the rocker arm extending groove. As a result, a perfect power transmission between eccentric and rocker arm is guaranteed.

In this case, the surfaces of the groove walls are convexly curved, in particular cylindrically, so that the groove walls are only in one point in contact with the preferably cylindrical eccentric cup. Due to the clearance between the eccentric and groove a contact arises depending on the direction of vibration only between the eccentric cam and one of the two groove walls. The friction losses between eccentric and rocker arm are thus minimized, which has a further increase in efficiency and even lower heating of the animal clipper during operation result. Preferably, the shaving head is held to the housing via a releasable connection. Here, the output shaft of the reduction gear is releasably coupled to the drivable shearing blade. Here, it is preferably provided that the front end of the rocker arm and the drivable shearing blade are engaged with each other.

In the inventive animal clipper preferably a DC motor is used as electric motor is used, wherein the DC motor, preferably with rotational speeds ranging from about 5000 to 17,000 min ^-1, preferably about 8000 to 13,000 min ^-1, more preferably in the range of about 9,000 to 11,000 min ^-1 , is operable.

Particularly preferred DC motors are equipped with stainless steel brushes. This ensures a long service life.

Alternatively, brushless motors can be used, which are even more cost-effective to assess.

Electric motors with a motor power of about 8 to about 12 watts, especially about 10 watts, have proven to be favorable, especially for a battery operation.

The animal clipper according to the invention is particularly suitable for accumulator operation and therefore preferably comprises an energy source in the form of a rechargeable battery, which is preferably exchangeable. Particularly suitable are Li-ion batteries, since they have a high energy density.

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to drawings.

Figur 1

eine perspektvische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Tierschermaschine;

Figur 2

eine perspektivische Ansicht der Tierschermaschine aus Figur 1 mit abgehobener Gehäuseoberschale;

Figur 3

eine perspektivische Explosionsdarstellung der aus Elektromotor, Planetengetriebe, Exzenter und Schwinghebel bestehenden Antriebseinheit der Tierschermaschine der Figuren 1 und 2; und

Figur 4

eine teilweise Draufsicht auf die Tierschermaschine mit abgenommener Gehäuseoberschale der Figur 2.

Show it:

FIG. 1

a perspective view of an animal clipper according to the invention;

FIG. 2

a perspective view of the animal clipper FIG. 1 with lifted housing upper shell;

FIG. 3

an exploded perspective view of the consisting of electric motor, planetary gear, eccentric and rocker arm drive unit of the animal clipper of FIGS. 1 and 2 ; and

FIG. 4

a partial plan view of the animal clipper with removed housing upper shell of FIG. 2 ,

For the further explanations, the following applies: If reference signs are contained in a figure which are not mentioned further in the associated description of the figures, reference is made to the explanation thereof from the preceding description of the figures.

The FIG. 1 The housing 2 of the animal clipper 1 consists of a housing lower shell 4 and a housing upper shell 5. The housing 2 is ergonomically shaped waisted and serves as a handle, at the front end of the shaving head 6 is mounted. The shaving head 6 is also aligned according to ergonomic aspects of the lower housing shell 4 to the upper housing shell 5 slightly sloping rising. The fixed shearing blade 7 of the shaving head 6 is fixed, but releasably connected to the housing 2. The movable shearing blade 8 arranged above the stationary shearing blade 7 can be moved back and forth in a known manner in a linear movement relative to the stationary shearing blade 7. As further elements, the switch with the reference numeral 22 and the lid of the battery compartment with the reference numeral 23 are provided.

FIG. 2 shows a further oblique view of the animal clipper 1 of the invention FIG. 1 , where in FIG. 2 the housing upper shell not shown is to allow an insight into the interior of the animal clipper 1. The lid 23 of the battery compartment 24 is also omitted.

The movable shearing blade 8 is driven by the drive unit 21, which consists of the components electric motor 9, planetary gear 10, an eccentric and the rocker arm 12. The drive unit 21 is separately again in FIG. 3 displayed. There, the eccentric is provided with the reference numeral 11. The rocker arm 12 is rotatably supported via the swing axle 15, which is formed by a shaft, both in the housing lower shell 4 and in the housing upper shell 5, not shown, so that it can oscillate about the swing axle 15 back and forth. The oscillating axis 15 is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 3 of the housing 2 and is located approximately in the middle of the rocker arm 12. The movable shearing blade 8 (hereinafter also referred to as the top plate) is in entraining engagement with the first front end 13 of the rocking lever 12. The rocker arm 12 is in the region of the second lower end 14 of the in FIG. 3 driven eccentric 11 driven. The eccentric 11 is seated on the output shaft 19 of the planetary gear 10, which is connected to the electric motor 9 to a motor / gear unit. The shaft of the electric motor 9 is aligned coaxially with the drive shaft and the output shaft 19 of the planetary gear 10. Electric motor 9 and planetary gear 10 have the same outer diameter and thereby form a very compact motor / gear unit. At the end pointing in the direction of the shaving head 6 of the planetary gear 10, a flange 20 is attached, which is for example produced as a diecast part.

The motor / gear unit is mounted in the housing via two rubber O-rings 17. A rubber O-ring 17 is located between the housing and the flange 20. The flange 20 forms a spacer of the planetary gear 10 to the housing, wherein an air circulation around the planetary gear 10 and the electric motor 9 is made possible. The consisting of planetary gear 10 and electric motor 9 motor / gear unit is coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis 3 of the housing 2, whereby an extremely slim and ergonomically shaped Housing shape is possible. The battery compartment of the animal clipper 1 according to the invention is provided with the reference numeral 24.

In FIG. 3 is the electric motor 9, planetary gear 10, eccentric 11 and rocker arm 12 existing drive unit 21 of the animal clipper according to the invention from the FIGS. 1 and 2 shown in an exploded oblique view. The eccentric 11 of the drive unit 21 is formed by a cylindrical eccentric cam whose axis is parallel and eccentric to the axis of the output shaft 19 of the planetary gear 10. The eccentric cam is rotatably mounted on the output shaft 19 about its axis. The eccentric cam engages in a groove 16 of the rocker arm 12. For illustrative purposes, the rocker arm 12 has been moved forward along the axis of the output shaft 19. The groove 16 is inserted into a projection 18 in the region of the rear end 14 of the rocking lever 12, and perpendicular to the axis of the output shaft 19 and parallel to the swing axis 15. The walls of the groove 16 have cylindrical surfaces, whereby between the eccentric cam and the groove walls in each case only one point contact arises. The eccentric cam is approximately as wide as the groove 16, but there is a clearance fit between the eccentric cam and groove 16. The eccentric cam rolls on the cylindrical walls of the groove 16, since it is mounted rotatably about its own axis on the output shaft 19. Thus, the friction losses caused by the engagement of the eccentric cam with the rocker arm 12 in the implementation of a rotational movement of the output shaft 19 in a swinging movement of the rocker arm 12, kept low. In FIG. 3 Furthermore, it can be seen that the motor / gear unit consisting of electric motor 9 and planetary gear 10 can be rotatably mounted in the housing of the animal clipper by the octagonal and slightly rounded design of flange 20 without any further fastening means.

Based on FIG. 4 the operation of the animal clipper 1 according to the invention will be explained in more detail.

The rocker arm 12 drives the shaving head 6, by engaging in the corresponding recess 26 provided the top plate 8 of the shaving head 6 and the Upper plate 8 in the horizontal back and forth in rapid succession (horizontal oscillation). The target speed of this process is, for example, 2,300 strokes per minute ("strokes per minute"). Thus, the rocker arm 12 is the medium which transmits the power of the drive unit of the shearing machine directly to the shaving head 6. The more precise the rocker arm 12 can perform this power transmission, the lower the friction losses that can occur in this process, and the better the cutting performance of the shaving head 6. The rocker arm 12 is extremely stressed by this key function in power transmission. For this reason, the rocker arm 12 is made of a virtually wear-free material. The best results in continuous operation were achieved with a special sintered metal alloy of the DIN type SINT D39.

Under continuous load, an axial play of the rocker arm could occur, i. the rocker arm "moves" up and down under heavy load on the axle 15. To remedy this problem, a plugged onto the axis 15 lock washer 27 is provided, which engages in the groove 28 of the shaft 15 and thereby keeps the rocker arm 12 permanently in its optimum position. By this measure, the maximum power transmission from the drive unit to the shaving head 6 is permanently ensured even in continuous operation.

It should be noted that the cutting performance and thus the sectional image of the shorn animal coat depends primarily on the shaving head used. That is, the better the shaving head 6 can work, the better the result, both from a visual and a temporal point of view. The time required to achieve a particular shearing result is a decisive criterion for the professional user, especially with regard to the economic efficiency of the shearing machine.

Claims (15)

1. Animal shearing machine (1) with a housing (2), a shearing head (6) held on the housing (2) and a drive unit (21) arranged in the housing (2),
   wherein the drive unit (21) comprises an electric motor (9) with a shaft and a reduction gear (10) coupled to the shaft of the drive motor and having an output shaft (19),
   wherein the shearing head (6) has a stationary shearing blade (7) and a shearing blade (8) drivable for movement relative to the stationary shearing blade (7),
   wherein the output shaft (19) of the reduction gear (10) is coupled to the drivable shearing blade (8),
   wherein the reduction gear (10) is a planetary gear and the output shaft (19) of the reduction gear (10) is arranged parallel to the shaft of the electric motor (9),
   wherein the drivable shearing blade (8) is drivable oscillatingly and the output shaft (19) of the planetary gear is coupled to the drivable shearing blade (8) via an eccentric (11) and an oscillating lever (12),
   wherein the oscillating lever (12) has a front end coupled to the drivable shearing blade (8) and a rear end comprising a sliding element,
   wherein the oscillating lever (12) is mounted on the housing (2) in a region between the front and rear ends so as to be rotatable about an axis of oscillation (15), and
   wherein the eccentric (11) in the form of an eccentric cam is in engagement with the sliding element of the oscillating lever (12),
   characterized in that the sliding element is formed as a groove extending at right angles to the output shaft (19) of the planetary gear and parallel to the axis of oscillation (15) of the oscillating lever (12), and
   in that the groove has groove walls with convexly curved surfaces, each surface being in contact with the eccentric cam only at one point.
2. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the planetary gear is a one-step gear, and optionally the output shaft (19) of the planetary gear is arranged coaxially with the shaft of the electric motor (9) and/or the output shaft (19) is arranged parallel to, in particular, essentially coaxially with, a longitudinal axis of the housing (2).
3. Animal shearing machine in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drive unit comprises the electric motor and the planetary gear combined to form a motor/gear unit.
4. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the motor/gear unit is mounted in the housing (2) by means of elastically deformable bearing elements (17), the bearing elements (17) preferably comprising at least two rubber rings arranged between the motor/gear unit and the housing (2), and, further preferred, the motor/gear unit having, in particular, in the area of the gear, a flange on which one of the rubber rings is arranged, the flange serving as a spacer element between the planetary gear and the housing (2), and, in particular, the flange being arranged essentially at right angles to the axis of the output shaft (19) of the planetary gear.
5. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the planetary gear has a reduction ratio in the range of approximately 2 : 1 to 8 : 1, further preferred, approximately 4 : 1 to 5 : 1, in particular, approximately 4.4 : 1.
6. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the oscillating lever (12) is manufactured as a metal part, in particular, a sintered metal part, and the oscillating lever (12) is preferably provided with a coating consisting of a plastic material.
7. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the axis of oscillation (15) of the eccentric (11) is arranged essentially at right angles to the output shaft (19) of the planetary gear.
8. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the eccentric cam is essentially of cylindrical construction, and its axis is arranged essentially parallel to the axis of the output shaft (19).
9. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the convexly curved surfaces have a cylindrical shape.
10. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the shearing head (6) is held on the housing (2) by a releasable connection, and in that the output shaft (19) is coupled releasably to the drivable shearing blade (8), the front end of the oscillating lever (12) and the drivable shearing blade (8) preferably being in engagement with each other.
11. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the electric motor (9) is a direct current motor, the electric motor (9) preferably being operable at a rotational speed in the range of approximately 5,000 to 17,000 min^-1, preferably approximately 8,000 to 13,000 min^-1, in particular, approximately 9,000 to 11,000 min^-1.
12. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the direct current motor comprises precious metal brushes.
13. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the motor is a brushless direct current motor.
14. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the electric motor (9) has a power input of approximately 8 to approximately 12 watts.
15. Animal shearing machine (1) in accordance with any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the shearing machine comprises, in addition, a battery, in particular, a Li-ion battery.

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