FR2552619A1 - HEIGHT ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR GARDEN TOOLS - Google Patents

Abstract

THE INVENTION RELATES TO A GARDEN TOOL, SUCH AS A SCARIFIER OR A LAWN MOWER. THE TOOL INCLUDES A HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM PROVIDED WITH A CYLINDRICAL HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT ELEMENT ROTATED IN THE BODY OF THE TOOL AND CONNECTED BY ITS INNER END TO A ROLLER 40 OF THIS TOOL, INCLUDING THE ROTATION AXLE IS OFFSET WITH THAT OF THE CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT, SO THAT, BY ROTATION OF THE LATTER, THE HEIGHT OF THE TOOL BODY IN RELATION TO THE GROUND CAN BE ADJUSTED; A LOCKING PROJECT IS SHAPED ON A TAB OF THE CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT AND MAY ENGAGE IN SEVERAL RECESSES 37 OF THE TOOL BODY SO AS TO LOCK THE CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT IN SEVERAL DISTINCT ANGULAR POSITIONS, THE TAB IS PROVIDED WITH A BUTTON BY MEANS OF WHICH IT CAN BE LOWERED TO REMOVE THE LOCK AND ALLOW THE ROTATION OF THE CYLINDRICAL ELEMENT.

Description

1 J

  The present invention relates to a garden tool, for example a tool for scarifying or grass cutting, comprising a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of an operational part of the machine relative to the ground. A wide variety of height adjustment mechanisms have been designed, particularly for lawn mowers. In a common type of mechanism, the position of a roller or pair of wheels on which the machine is supported is controlled. to the body of the machine A simple form of a telmechanism consists in mounting a wheel at the top of a triangular plate; a second top of the plate is pivotally connected to the body of the machine and the third top carries a transverse pin which is slidable in a groove in the body of the machine when the plate pivots and which can be locked in position by Tightening a nut Although such an arrangement is simple and relatively inexpensive, it is not particularly easy for a user to operate. An object of the invention is to create a garden tool comprising a height adjustment mechanism which

  is simple to manufacture and use.

  According to the invention there is provided a garden tool comprising a wheel or roller for supporting the tool body on the ground and a height adjustment mechanism comprising a setting member rotatably mounted on the tool body. and a locking means for fixing the adjusting member in a plurality of different angular positions, the wheel or roller being connected to the adjusting member so that the axis of rotation of the wheel or roller is offset. relative to the axis of

  rotation of the adjustment element.

  A height adjustment mechanism of the type defined above can be manufactured in a simple manner and it can be a mechanism that is manipulative

simple for a user.

  The locking means may comprise an outwardly protruding portion of the adjusting member and is resiliently movable inwardly of the adjusting member to permit rotation thereof. Preferably, the blocking means is an integral part of the adjusting element. The blocking means may for example be placed on an elastically deformable tongue of the adjusting element. In one embodiment of the invention, the element of The adjustment is substantially cylindrical and the tongue extends longitudinally in its curved surface. Such an arrangement simplifies the manufacture of the height adjustment mechanism. The tongue can be pushed elastically.

  by a spring placed inside the cylinder.

  The locking means may comprise an actuating member operable to release the locking means. When the locking means is placed on an elastically deformable tongue, the actuating member may be placed on the tongue in

  a position adjacent to the blocking means.

  In the embodiment of the invention described above, the cylindrical adjusting element has a control knob integrated at one end and the tongue is joined to the rest of the adjusting element in an area adjacent to its other end. In this embodiment, the intermediate portion of the adjusting member is rotatably mounted on the tool body and the wheel or roller is coupled with the locking means being located adjacent to the control knob.

  to the adjusting element at said other end.

  The adjusting element can be shaped so

  to have more than one place for coupling with the wheel or roll.

  The adjustment element can be removed from the body

  tool and be disconnected from the wheel or roller.

  The present invention further relates to a height adjusting member for a garden tool, said adjusting member being shaped to be rotatably mounted on the tool body and having a locking means for securing the adjusting in several distinct angular positions relative to the tool body, and means for mounting a wheel or roll of the garden tool on the adjusting element with offset of its axis relative to the axis of rotation

of the adjustment element.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be highlighted, in the remainder of the description, given by way of non-limiting example, in

  Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lawn viewer having a height adjustment mechanism; Fig 2 is a side view of a height adjustment member used in the height adjustment mechanism; Fig 3 is an end view of the element of Fig 2; Fig 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig 3; Fig. 5 is a view from the other end of the element of Fig. 3; Fig 6 is a sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Fig 5; Figs 7a and 7b are respectively a side view of a portion of the lawn scarifier on which a modified height adjustment member will be mounted as well as an end view of this height adjustment member; Fig 8 is a sectional view taken on line VIII-VIII of Fig 7a; Figs 9a to 9c are views similar to Fig. 7a but with the height adjustment member mounted on the scarifier and shown in a different position in each figure; Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line X-X of Fig. 9b; Fig. 11 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 and showing another modification of the height adjustment element of Figs. 2 to 6; Fig. 12 is a view taken along the line XII-XII of Fig. 9; and Fig. 13 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 and showing the modified height adjustment element of

Figs 11 and 12.

  The lawn scarifier shown in FIG. 1 comprises a body 1, a handle 2 (the majority of which is not shown), a set of teeth 3 rotated in use by a motor (not shown), a pair of front wheels and a rear roller (not visible in FIG. 1 but shown at 40 in FIGS. 7, 9 and 10), the height of which can be adjusted by means of a pair of height adjustment mechanisms 6 placed on the sides opposite of the body 1; one of the mechanisms

  height adjustment is shown in Figure 1.

  The present invention relates mainly to the height adjustment mechanism and the construction of other parts.

  the tool will not be described in detail.

  Our European patent application, published in No 24696, describes a form of scarification tool on which the

  Height adjustment mechanism 6 can be used.

  The main component of each height adjustment mechanism 6 is a height adjusting element 7 connected to a respective end of the roll 40, as will be described in the following. One of the height adjustment elements is shown in FIGS. and the structure of the element will now be described. The element 7 has a generally cylindrical hollow shape and is molded in one piece of plastic material. At one end (which is in use the outer end), the element is closed top and shaped in form. of a control button 8 having in its curved surface a groove producing a ribbing effect facilitating the gripping of the button In the interface between the button and the rest of the element 7, there is provided a rim 9 A central portion 10 of the element 7 has a substantially circular outer cross-section, but a pair of projections 11 are formed along a common circumference of the element. These projections are placed in positions approximately diametrically opposite to each other. other, but they are shifted by an angle of about 7 to 8 from a direct opposition condition. Inside the element 7 are formed two cylindrical pockets 12, 13 whose open ends are directed towards the inner end of the element 7

  (That is, the end opposite the control button 8).

  The axes of these cylindrical pockets 12, 13 are parallel to the axis of the element 7 but offset with respect thereto, the pockets being disposed respectively on each side of the latter axis Only one of the pockets receives a mounting pivot roller 14 which is fitted inside the pocket In the case of an element 7 to be mounted on one side of the tool, the pivot 14 is fitted into the pocket 12 while, for an element 7 to mount on the

  opposite side of the tool, the pivot 14 is fitted into the pocket 13.

25526-19

  In use, the pivots 14, respectively located.

  on each side of the tool, are centrally located in the ends of the roller 40 and serve to rotate the roller in the tool, as will be described in more detail below. A longitudinally extending tongue 15 is formed in the periphery of the cylindrical member 7 by a pair of longitudinal slots 16 and a slot

  transverse 17 close to the outer end of the control knob 8 and ensuring the connection of the slots 16.

  The slots 16, 17 are formed through the wall of the cylindrical member 7 leaving the tongue 15 attached to the remainder of the element 7 in an area adjacent to the remote inner end of the control knob 8. However, the tongue 15 is in its natural state (shown in the drawings) and in most areas a gradual extension to the periphery of the element 7 At its distal end (the outer end), the tongue 16 cuts the surface rib 4 of the knob 8 and 20 the flange 9 and is provided with an outwardly projecting end flange 18 of rectangular shape and which constitutes a button (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5) by means of which the tongue 15 It can be lowered immediately inside the rim 18, there is provided a rim 19 much lower, which is joined to the flange 18 by two short side walls 20 As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the flange 19 is placed inside the co around the rim 9 The rim 19 serves as an element of

  blocking during a height adjustment as will be described later.

  Figures 7a and 8 show the part of the body 1 located on a side of the scarifier and in which must be mounted a height adjusting member 7 The body 1 has outer and inner walls 30, 31, parallel, spaced and having respective holes

  32 and 33 in which the element 7 is mounted in use.

  The hole 33 is simply circular in shape and receives, in use, in a rotating manner, the inner end

of the adjustment element 7.

  The hole 32 is generally circular, but is enlarged by two recesses 34 which are located approximately in mutually opposite positions but are spaced apart from a direct opposition relationship of an angle of about 7 to 8 around. the outer side 10 of the hole 32, the wall 30 is thickened so as to define an annular wall 35 The inner side of the wall 35 is provided with two recesses which constitute extensions of the recesses 34 and is provided at the outer end three further recesses 37 distributed at intervals of 90 around the wall and extending

  through the entire thickness of the wall.

  Figure 7b shows the inner end of the height adjuster 7 to be mounted on the side of the scarifier shown in Figures 7a and 8. Figure 7b is a view similar to that of Figure 7b. 5 but shows the element 7 in the orientation in which it is inserted into the holes 32, 33, as will be described later. The element 7 shown in FIG. 7b differs slightly from that shown in FIG. Figures 2 to 6 in that it comprises a spring 41 housed inside the hollow cylindrical body of the element

  and whose function will be specified in the following.

  For the moment, element 7 of FIG. 7b can be considered to be the same as that shown in FIG.

Figures 2 to 6.

  The manner in which element 7 is mounted on tool body 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. Element 7 is introduced from the outside into holes 32 and 33 of the body, the inner end of the element (i.e. that shown in Fig. 7b) being engaged first and in the orientation shown in Fig. 7b. The recesses 34 provided in the hole 32 correspond in shape and position to the It projects from the element 7 and consequently allows a complete introduction of the element 7 only in the aforementioned orientation, where the projections 11 are aligned with the recesses. For an adaptation to the rim 19, the distal end of the element 7 tongue is lowered by a user pressing the button 18 10 when the element 7 is being introduced and during this operation, the pivot 14 of the element 7 enters the hole in a cylindrical extension 14a, placed in the center of the the end face of the roller 40, thus ensuring the mounting of the roller 15 on the pivot A movement of the element 7 inwards is stopped when the flange 9 comes into contact with the outer end of the wall 35 In this position, the element 7 can rotate with the protrusions 11 which are now placed on the inner side of the wall 30 As soon as the element 7 has been rotated, it can no longer be removed from the tool body because of the contact

  protrusions 11 he with the wall 30.

  Each of the three circumferentially spaced recesses 37 can be fitted to the rim 19 as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 and, when the element 7 is rotated after being inserted, the rim 19 fits into the first of the three recesses mentioned above. (ie the recess "1" of Fig 9a) that it meets and thus ensures the blocking of the element 7 in this position To release the element, the user pushes the button 18 towards the interior, thus lowering the tongue 15 and by bringing out the flange 19 of the recess, which makes it possible to rotate the element 7

  until the rim 19 engages in the recess 35 following 37 (recess "21 indicated in Figure 9 b).

  The three recesses 37 circumferentially spaced therefore define three angular positions

  different in which the element 7 can be blocked.

  It should be noted that since the axis of the pivot 14 is eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the element 7, the pivot 14 is held in different positions relative to the tool body in each of the These three different positions are indicated in FIGS. 9 to 10 to 9c and are arranged to establish three different heights for the rear roller 40 with respect to the tool body, as shown in FIGS. is also indicated

in these figures.

  Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the element 7 made in the height position "2" of Fig. 9b; Fig. 10 therefore shows the rim 19 after it has been engaged in the recess 37 corresponding to the position "2" in the wall 35 and it shows that the tongue 15 associated with the button 18 is then in its normal position not lowered. Figure 10 also shows the aforementioned application of the flange 9 against the wall 35; the position of the inner end of the element 7 in the hole 33 of the inner wall, and the mounting of the roller 40 on the pivot 14 is also shown in Figure 10 a stiffening web 14 b (which appears also in FIG. 7 a) for the cylindrical extension 14 a of the roll, in which the

pivot 14 is placed.

  It has been mentioned above that element 7 has a spring 41 (shown in FIGS. 7b and 10).

  The function of this spring is to assist the natural resilience of the tongue 15 and to ensure that the tongue is effectively pushed to its normal undepressed position, thus ensuring effective engagement of the flange 19 in the appropriate recess. when the button 18 is released As indicated, the spring 41 has in the overall shape of "S", a branch of the "S" being placed below the tongue 15 and the end of this branch being bent and placed in below the button 18.

  As can be seen from the description above, a user adjusts the height of the tool by

  rotating the two elements 7 between the respective locking positions designated "1", "2" and "3" in FIGS. 7a and 9a to 9c. These indications, or similar marks, may be placed on the body In order to indicate the locking positions and the height adjustment that they provide more conveniently, the elements 7 placed on the two sides of the tool body are adjusted together, but the mounting of the roller on the pivots 14 is effected. in order to get a game

  enough for the height adjustment to be made on one side of the tool before the one on the other side.

  In the case of the scarification tool described above, adjusting the tool to the maximum height can cause the tooth assembly 3 to pass over the ground surface by primarily performing a mop-up action. the place of a scarification action; the medium setting produces a slight scarification action and the height adjustment

  minimum can produce a strong scarification action.

  If, for any reason, it becomes necessary to remove one or other of the height adjustment elements 7 or the roller 40, this operation is then performed by turning the element 7 to remove it from the normal height adjustment range and to bring it into the orientation shown in FIG. 7,

  then reversing the insertion process described above -

  The height adjustment mechanism described above is simple both for manufacture and use. Although in the embodiment described, three height adjustment positions are established, it is clear that the embodiment could easily be modified to obtain a greater number of setting positions. Also, the height adjustment can be

  applied to wheels instead of a roller.

  Figures 11, 12 and 13 show a straight section of the tongue 15, which gives this tongue greater rigidity and yet still allows the element 7 to be molded in one piece As shown more 11, the tongue has two longitudinal ribs 38 along its lateral edges. The outer surfaces of the ribs 36 are aligned with the outer surface of the element 7 while the remaining portion of the tongue is recessed internally to

from this surface.

Claims (19)

  Garden tool, characterized in that it comprises a wheel or roller (40) for supporting the tool body towards the ground, and a height adjustment mechanism comprising an adjusting element (7) rotatably mounted on the body (1) of the tool and a locking means (19) for locking the adjusting element (7) in a plurality of different angular positions, the wheel or roller (40) being coupled to the adjusting member 10 (7) such that the axis of rotation of the wheel or roller is offset relative to the axis of rotation of the adjustment element.   Tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means (19) is formed in the adjusting element (7) and can be engaged elastically in a plurality of recesses (37) of the tool body (1). ), each recess (37) defining a respective one of the distinct angular positions. 3 Tool according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking means (19) comprises an outwardly protruding portion of the adjusting member (7) and is resiliently movable inwardly   of the adjusting member (7) to allow rotation thereof.   Tool according to claim 3, characterized   in that the locking means (19) is an integral part of the adjusting element (7).   Tool according to claim 4, characterized in that the locking means (19) is placed on an elastically deformable tongue (15) which is formed in the adjustment element (7).   Tool according to claim 5, characterized in that the adjusting element (7) is substantially cylindrical and in that the tongue (15) extends   longitudinally in the curved surface thereof.   7 Tool according to claim 6, characterized in that the tongue 15 is pushed elastically by   a spring (41) housed inside the cylinder.   Tool according to any one of the claims   1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises an actuating element (7) which can operate in such a way as to release the locking means (19).   9 tool according to one of claims 5 and 8,   characterized in that the actuating element (19) is placed on the tongue (15) in an adjacent position by means of blocking.   Tool according to claim 6, characterized in that the cylindrical adjusting element has at one end an integrated control knob (18) and in that the tongue (15) is joined to the rest of the adjusting element (7). ) in an area adjacent to its other end, the locking means (19) being placed in a   position adjacent to the control knob (18).   Tool according to claim 10, characterized in that the intermediate portion of the adjusting element   (7) is rotatably mounted on the tool body (1).   12 Tool according to one of claims 10 or 11,   characterized in that the wheel or roller (40) is connected to the adjusting element (7) at said other end.   13 Tool according to any one of the claims   1 to 12, characterized in that the adjusting element (7) is shaped to have more than one location where the wheel or roller (40) can be coupled with it.   Tool according to any one of the claims   1 to 13, characterized in that the wheel or roller (40) is mounted on a pivot (14) which extends from the element   adjustment device (7) parallel to the axis of rotation of this adjustment element but which is mapped relative to this axis.   Tool according to one of claims 13 and 14,   characterized in that the adjusting element (7) is profiled   so as to include at least one other location of the pivot (14).   Tool according to one of the claims   1 to 15, characterized in that the adjusting element (7)   can be removed from the tool body (1) and can be uncoupled from the wheel or roller (40).   Tool according to claim 16, characterized in that the adjusting element (7) can be removed from the body   of tool (1) only in one orientation.   18 Height adjustment element for a garden tool, characterized in that it is profiled so as to be rotatably mounted on the tool body 1 and in that it comprises a locking means (19) serving to locking the adjusting member (7) in a plurality of different angular positions relative to the tool body (1), and means for mounting a wheel or roller (40) of the garden tool on the element of adjustment so that its axis is offset relative to the axis of rotation of the adjusting element (7).   Height adjusting element according to claim 18, characterized in that the element has a substantially cylindrical shape (18), in that it is provided with an integrated control button C 18) at one end, and in that it comprises at the other end a pivot (14) for mounting the wheel or roller (40) of the garden tool, the locking means (19) being placed on a   tongue (15) extending longitudinally and formed in the curved surface of the cylindrical member.