FR2775868A1 - Vegetation cutting machine with cuttings accelerator - Google Patents

Abstract

The vegetation cutting machine consists of a cutting head (6), with a housing (7), which carries at least one blade (8), a container (5) for the cuttings and a transfer system (12) to convey the cuttings from the cutting head to the cuttings container. Rotating wheels (16) are placed in the transfer duct to collect and accelerate the cuttings from the walls of the transfer ducts.

Description

CUTTING MACHINE FOR PLANTS WITH ACCELERATION DUCT

  The present invention relates to machines

cutting tools for plants.

  Among the machines in question, the invention relates more specifically to motorized lawn mowers or

  multiple units on which a user sits.

  Such cutting machines usually comprise a cutting device comprising a housing which carries at least one cutting blade, a storage enclosure receiving the cut grass, and a conduit for transferring the cut grass from the cutting housing to

the storage enclosure.

  During cutting work, the cut grass transfer duct is frequently obstructed by this grass, which forces the user to stop his work and dismantle some of the machine's component parts to access the duct and the lead. This work is generally not easy and involves a considerable loss of time as well as risks of injury. In addition, the cut grass is often wet or even wet, which favors the obturation of the transfer duct and implies maintenance operations which are all the more frequent. The object of the present invention is in particular to

overcome this drawback.

  To this end, according to the invention, a cutting machine of the kind in question is essentially characterized in that rotary scanning means are placed in the transfer duct, in order to accelerate and take off.

  the grass from the walls of the transfer duct.

  Thus, the transfer duct is infrequently obstructed since the grass cannot accumulate on part of its path between the cutting deck and the storage enclosure, thanks to simple mechanical means, efficient and inexpensive in energy. In preferred embodiments of the cutting machine according to the invention, one and / or the other of the following arrangements may optionally be used: - the scanning means comprise a rotary shaft from which extend radial arms; - The transfer duct has a bent section inside which the rotary shaft is centered; - The bent section divides the transfer duct into an upstream section connected to the cutter housing and into a downstream section connected to the storage enclosure, the upstream section being substantially horizontal and the downstream section being substantially vertical; - the bent section has a substantially circular longitudinal section; - The radial arms are flexible and have a length substantially equal to the radius of the bent section; - The free ends of the arms carry scraper means; - The cutting housing carries at least two cutting blades and each of said blades is rotatably mounted in a volute opening towards the surface to be cut and which has an outlet passage communicating with the upstream section of the transfer duct; - The outlet passages open into the transfer duct substantially parallel to each other; and - the cutting blades are driven by at least one motor which is installed inside the casing, between the

scrolls of cutting blades.

  Other features and benefits of

  the invention will appear during the description

  following detail of one of its embodiments, given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cutting machine according to one of the forms of carrying out the invention; and - Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conduit

  of the cutting machine of figure 1.

  As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, the invention applies to a motorized lawn mower 1 which comprises a chassis 2 carried by four driving wheels 3 (the fourth driving wheel not having been represented for reasons of clarity) and which support motor means 4, a storage enclosure taking the form of a bucket 5

as well as a cutting device 6.

  The bucket 5 is supported at the rear,

  above the motor means 4 while the cutting device 6 is placed in the front part, at a level much lower than that of the bucket 5, in order to follow the surface of the ground to

mow.

  The cutting device 6 consists of a casing 7 (shown in dashed lines) open at the bottom and in which are housed three cutting blades 8, of which only

  their drive shafts have been shown.

  Each of the cutting blades 8 is rotatably mounted in a volute-shaped enclosure 9 open at the bottom so as to open out towards the surface to be mowed and which has an outlet passage 10 oriented rearward relative to the direction of advance of the mower. A motor for driving the three cutting blades 8 is carried by the cutting casing 7, in a space between the upper face 11 of this casing and the scrolls 9. The three outlet passages 10 project from the rear face 21 of the cutting deck 7 in order to communicate with a transfer duct 12 which makes it possible to guide the cut grass from the cutting deck 7 to the enclosure of

storage 5.

  7th transfer duct 12, more particularly shown in FIG. 2, breaks down into an upstream section 13 and into a downstream section 14 which are separated by a bent section 15. The upstream section 13 is connected to the outlet passage 10 of the volutes 9 while the downstream section 14 opens into the bucket 5. The upstream section 13 is located in a substantially horizontal plane and the downstream section 14 is located in

a substantially vertical plane.

  In the bent section 15 are placed rotary sweeping means 16 intended to facilitate the change of direction of the cut grass during its movement from

the casing 7 as far as the bucket 5.

  The rotary scanning means 16 are mechanical means which consist of a simple rotary shaft 17 extending transversely in the bent section 15 and at

  from which protrudes a set of radial arms 18.

  The radial arms 18 consist of metal links connected to each other to form chains or alternatively of flexible blades which carry

  at their free ends 20 of the scrapers 19.

  The shaft 17 is driven in rotation by the motor means 4 which are placed outside the transfer duct 12 and which also serve to drive in

moving the mower 1.

  The bent section 15 is of substantially cylindrical shape, the length of which is substantially equal to the largest dimension of the sections 13 and 14, and extends transversely relative to the mower. This section is thus of circular longitudinal section, the radius of which is adapted so that the rotary shaft 17 is substantially situated at the level of the upper wall of the upstream duct 13 of

  so that this tree does not obstruct the cut grass.

  The device according to the present invention therefore makes it possible to obtain an extremely simple transfer duct since this duct only comprises the rotary shaft 17 and the radial arms 18 for chasing the grass which would tend to accumulate at the level of changes in direction, and in particular in the bottom of the bent section 15. The cut grass is, during its change of direction, re-accelerate by the flexible arms 18 while the scrapers 19 take off the grass which would tend to accumulate at the exit from the bent section. The action of the radial arms 18 consists in exerting a direct mechanical action on the blades of grass

  cut by pushing them, for example thanks to the scrapers 19.

  In addition, the outlet passages 10 of the scrolls 9 open substantially parallel to one another in the upstream section 13 in order to facilitate the entry of the cut grass into the transfer duct 12. The scrolls 9 isolate the cutting blades 8 relative to each other so that the grass cut by one of the blades does not tend to deflect the grass cut by another blade and thus cause an accumulation of grass in the cutting housing 9.

Claims (10)

  1. Cutting machine for plants comprising: - a cutting device (6) comprising a housing (7) which carries at least one cutting blade (8); - a storage enclosure (5) receiving the cut grass; and - a transfer duct (12) for the cut grass from the cutting deck (7) to the storage enclosure (5), characterized in that rotary scanning means (16) are placed in the cutting duct transfer (12), in order to accelerate and loosen the grass from the walls of the transfer (12).   2. Cutting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the scanning means (16) comprise a rotary shaft (17) from which extend radial arms (18).   3. Cutting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the transfer duct (12) comprises a bent section (15) inside which the rotary shaft (17) is centered.   4. Cutting machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the bent section (15) divides the transfer duct (12) into an upstream section (13) connected to the cutting housing (7) and into a downstream section (14) connected to the storage enclosure (5), the upstream section (13) being substantially horizontal and the downstream section (14) being substantially vertical.   5. Cutting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the bent section (15) is of section   substantially circular longitudinal.   6. Cutting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the radial arms (18) are flexible and have a length substantially equal to the radius of the section angled (15).   7. Cutting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the free ends (20) of the arms   carry scraper means (19).   8. Cutting machine according to any one of   Claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the housing   cutting (7) carries at least two cutting blades (8) and in that each of said blades (8) is rotatably mounted in a volute (9) opening out towards the surface to be cut and which has an communicating outlet passage (10) with the   upstream section (13) of the transfer duct (12).   9. Cutting machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the outlet passages (10) open into the transfer duct (12) substantially parallel to each other.   10. Cutting machine according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the cutting blades (8) are driven by at least one motor which is located inside the casing (7), between the volutes (9) of the blades cutting (8).