JP2023126618A - mower - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mower that can transmit power by a compact structure.SOLUTION: A mower includes: an installation part which is provided with an input axis and connected to a travelling body; a work part which has an axis of rotation provided with a mower blade, which can be moved to a rear position of the travelling body and to a position offset to a side for an advancing direction of the travelling body, and which can be rotated upward or downward by making a rotation center with a rotation axis that is parallel to the advancing direction of the travelling body; a first power transmission part which transmits power to the side of the work part from the travelling body received by the input axis; and a second power transmission part which transmits the power from the first power transmission part to the work part. The rotation axis is superposed on a part of the second power transmission part in a back face view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a lawn mower. In particular, the present invention relates to an offset type mower that is attached to the rear of a traveling machine body and performs mowing work on the side of the traveling machine body.

BACKGROUND ART Grass mowers are conventionally known as agricultural machines that cut grass to remove weeds from farm roads and wastelands. BACKGROUND ART Generally, mowing machines proceed with mowing work by pulling a working part with a traveling body such as a tractor. In recent years, offset type mowers have been known in which a working part that performs mowing work is movable to the side of the traveling machine body, and the mowing work is performed on the side of the traveling machine body (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP2012-39941A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-191864

The mowers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 both transmit the power of the traveling machine body to the working part by connecting the traveling machine body and the working part using a universal joint. The power transmitted to the working part is used as power for rotating the claw shaft of the working rotor.

However, as described in Patent Document 1, there is a limit to the bending angle of the universal joint, and accordingly, various limitations arise in the design of the working part. For example, regarding universal joints, it is generally known that when the torque is constant, the life of the universal joint becomes shorter as the bending angle of the universal joint increases.

In order to ensure the amount of offset of the working part while considering the life of the universal joint, it is possible to increase the length of the universal joint, but in that case, when working in a place close to the traveling aircraft, There is a problem in that the length of the universal joint becomes a hindrance, impairing the accessibility of work. Also, as the universal joint becomes longer, the entire center of gravity shifts backwards by the lengthened length, so if you move the working part to the rear of the traveling aircraft after completing work at an offset position, and the traveling aircraft advances, There is also the problem that the overall balance deteriorates and driving stability is impaired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mower that has a compact structure and is capable of transmitting power.

A mower according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a working part that performs mowing work by receiving power from a traveling machine body, and an offset mower that can move the working part to a position laterally offset with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling machine body. The power transmission unit includes a mechanism section and a power transmission section that transmits the power to the working section, and the power transmission section includes a roller chain wound between a pair of sprockets.

The mower according to the embodiment of the present invention described above is capable of transmitting power input from the traveling body to the working part with a compact structure.

It is a top view showing the composition of the lawn mower in a 1st embodiment. It is a side view showing the composition of the lawn mower in a 1st embodiment. It is a rear view showing the composition of the lawn mower in a 1st embodiment. It is a top view showing the composition of the power transmission part of the lawn mower in a 1st embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the mower during operation in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the mower in operation in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a state in which the working part of the mower according to the first embodiment is rotated downward (clockwise). FIG. 3 is a rear view showing a state in which the working part of the mower according to the first embodiment is rotated upward (counterclockwise). It is a top view which shows the structure of the power transmission part of the mower in 2nd Embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a lawn mower of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the mower of the present invention can be implemented in many different embodiments, and should not be construed as being limited to the description of the examples shown below. In the drawings referred to in this embodiment, the same parts or parts having similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted.

Furthermore, for convenience of explanation, words indicating directions such as upward, downward, forward, backward, rightward, and leftward are used; however, the direction in which gravity acts is downward, and the opposite direction is upward. Further, the direction in which the traveling aircraft moves is forward, and the opposite direction is backward. Further, when facing forward, the right side is the right side, and the left side is the left side.

<First embodiment>
[Mower configuration]
The general configuration of the mower 100 in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a mower 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the mower 100 of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the configuration of the mower 100 of the first embodiment.

The mower 100 in this embodiment includes a mounting section 10, an offset mechanism section 20, a power transmission section 30, a working section 40, and a rotation mechanism section 50. Specifically, the mower 100 is connected to a traveling machine 200, such as a tractor, by a mounting portion 10. The mounting section 10 and the working section 40 are connected via the offset mechanism section 20 and the power transmission section 30. Thereby, the mower 100 is towed as the traveling body 200 travels, and the mowing work by the working unit 40 is performed.

The mounting portion 10 is connected to a three-point link mechanism 220 (here, only the lower link is shown by a dotted line) provided between two rear tires 210 of a traveling body 200 such as a tractor. The three-point linkage 220 typically includes a top link, a lift rod, and a lower link. Since the three-point linkage mechanism 220 is a known mechanism, a description thereof will be omitted here.

The mounting part 10 includes a hitch frame 11 extending in the left-right direction, which is the width direction of the traveling body 200, and the hitch frame 11 is configured to be connectable to a three-point link mechanism 220 provided at the rear of the traveling body 200. . A gearbox (not shown) is provided at the lower center of the hitch frame 11, and an input shaft (not shown) that receives power from the traveling body 200 is provided to this gearbox. The input shaft is configured to transmit power from a PTO shaft 230 provided on the traveling body 200 via a universal joint (not shown).

The offset mechanism section 20 is a mechanism for performing offset movement of the working section 40. Specifically, the offset mechanism section 20 can move the working section 40 to a position offset laterally with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling body 200. The offset mechanism section 20 of this embodiment includes an offset frame 21, a link rod 22, a support frame 23, and an elastic member 24.

The offset frame 21 is a long frame made of a hollow member, and is arranged below the power transmission section 30. One end of the offset frame 21 is rotatably connected to the hitch frame 11 on a horizontal plane, and the other end is connected to the support frame 23.

The link rod 22 is a long member made of a cylindrical member, and has a length comparable to that of the offset frame 21. One end of the link rod 22 is rotatably connected to the hitch frame 11 on a horizontal plane, and the other end is connected to the support frame 23. Note that the connection positions of the offset frame 21 and the link rod 22 on the hitch frame 11 are different positions.

The support frame 23 is a short member made of a cylindrical member, and is a member that interconnects the offset frame 21 and the link rod 22. The offset frame 21 and the link rod 22 are both rotatably connected to the support frame 23 . Further, the support frame 23 is arranged substantially parallel to the hitch frame 11.

With the above configuration, the hitch frame 11, the offset frame 21, the link rod 22, and the support frame 23 constitute a parallelogram-shaped link mechanism with each side being a parallelogram. This link mechanism allows the offset mechanism section 20 to offset the working section 40.

The telescoping member 24 is a power source (actuator) for the offset mechanism section 20, and is composed of, for example, a gas cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like. One end of the telescopic member 24 is connected to the hitch frame 11, and the other end is connected to the rear side of the offset frame 21 (for example, near the connection part with the support frame 23). The offset mechanism section 20 is driven by the expansion and contraction of the extensible member 24, and the amount of offset (the amount of movement in the offset direction) of the working section 40 can be controlled.

The power transmission section 30 is a mechanism for transmitting power from the traveling body 200 received by an input shaft (not shown) of the mounting section 10 to the working section 40 side. The mower 100 of this embodiment uses a chain drive mechanism as the power transmission section 30 instead of a conventional universal joint. Specifically, the power transmission section 30 includes at least a driving sprocket 31, a driven sprocket 32, and a roller chain 33. The roller chain 33 is wound around the driving sprocket 31 and the driven sprocket 32.

The drive sprocket 31 is a gear that is actively rotated by power received from an input shaft. The driven sprocket 32 is a gear that passively rotates by rotational power transmitted from the driving sprocket 31 via the roller chain 33. The roller chain 33 is a mechanical element that transmits power and the like as tension. Details of the configuration of the power transmission section 30 will be described later.

The working part 40 is a part where mowing work is actually performed, and includes a working rotor 41, a rotor cover 42, two side plates 43, and a cutting blade drive part 44. In the working section 40, the mowing blade drive section 44 receives the power transmitted from the power transmission section 30 and drives the working rotor 41, thereby performing grass cutting work.

The work rotor 41 includes a rotating shaft 41a disposed between the side plates 43 and a plurality of cutting blades 41b provided radially on the rotating shaft 41a. The rotating shaft 41a is provided in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the traveling body 200. The work rotor 41 rotates a rotating shaft 41a and cuts weeds and the like with a cutting blade 41b.

The rotor cover 42 is a cover member disposed to cover the working rotor 41. The rotor cover 42 prevents the scattering of weeds cut by the cutting blade 41b, soil attached to the weeds, pebbles falling on the work surface (ground surface), and returns the cut weeds to the cutting blade 41b again. , has the effect of finely crushing.

The side plate 43 rotatably supports the rotating shaft 41a via a ball bearing or the like, and also supports the rotor cover 42. In this embodiment, a cutting blade drive section 44 is provided on the left side plate 43.

The cutting blade drive unit 44 transmits the rotational power transmitted from the traveling machine body 200 via the power transmission unit 30 to the rotating shaft 41a of the work rotor 41. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting blade drive unit 44 of this embodiment includes a drive pulley 44a, a driven pulley 44b, a belt 44c, and a tensioner 44d. The belt 44c is wound between the drive pulley 44a and the driven pulley 44b. The tensioner 44d is disposed on the side where the belt 44c is pushed out from the drive pulley 44a toward the driven pulley 44b, and applies tension to the belt 44c from the inside to the outside.

In the cutting blade drive section 44 having the above-described structure, the drive pulley 44a rotates by the rotational power transmitted from the power transmission section 30, and transmits the rotational power to the driven pulley 44b via the belt 44c. The driven pulley 44b transmits the rotational power given from the driving pulley 44a to the rotating shaft 41a, and drives the working rotor 41.

The rotation mechanism section 50 is a mechanism for rotating the working section 40 about the traveling direction of the traveling body 200 as the axis. The power output from the power transmission section 30 is transmitted to the cutting blade drive section 44 via the first transmission shaft 51, the rotation mechanism section 50, and the second transmission shaft 52. The rotation of the working part 40 will be described later.

(Configuration of power transmission section)
The configuration of the power transmission section 30 used in the mower 100 of this embodiment will be explained using FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the power transmission section 30 included in the mower 100 of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 4, a roller chain 33 is wound between a driving sprocket 31 and a driven sprocket 32. Note that a part of the roller chain 33 is omitted with dotted lines. Here, the portion of the roller chain 33 that moves from the driving sprocket 31 toward the driven sprocket 32 is the portion that is pushed by the driving sprocket 31. For convenience of explanation, this portion is referred to as the slack side 33a in this specification. Further, a portion of the roller chain 33 that moves from the driven sprocket 32 toward the driving sprocket 31 is a portion that is pulled by the driving sprocket 31. In this specification, this portion is referred to as the stretched side 33b.

The power transmission unit 30 of the present embodiment further includes a tensioner 34a disposed outside the slack side 33a of the roller chain 33, and a tensioner 34b disposed inside the slack side 33a of the roller chain 33. Note that the outside here means the outside of the annular roller chain 33 (an area not surrounded by the roller chain 33), and the inside means the inside of the roller chain 33.

The tensioner 34a is pulled by the elastic force of the elastic member 35, and applies tension to the roller chain 33 from the outside to the inside. In this embodiment, a tension coil spring is used as the elastic member 35, but other spring members may be used.

Tensioner 34b is arranged upstream of tensioner 34a (that is, closer to drive sprocket 31). The tensioner 34b is in a fixed position and functions as a guide member that fixes the trajectory of the roller chain 33. Therefore, when the tensioner 34a applies tension to the roller chain 33 from the outside to the inside, the tensioner 34b relatively applies tension to the roller chain 33 from the inside to the outside.

As described above, in this embodiment, by applying tension to the roller chain 33 using the tensioner 34a and the tensioner 34b, loosening of the roller chain 33 during power transmission is prevented, and rotational power is efficiently transmitted. be able to. Note that the tensioners 34a and 34b are not essential components and can be omitted, or a configuration in which only the tensioner 34a is provided may be used.

The driving sprocket 31, driven sprocket 32, roller chain 33, tensioner 34a, tensioner 34b, and elastic member 35 described above are housed inside a chain case 36, and the outside thereof is covered by a chain cover 37. The power transmission unit 30 is disposed on a support member (not shown) attached to the upper part of the offset frame 21 and moves together with the offset frame 21 . In other words, it can be said that the power transmission section 30 constitutes a part of the offset mechanism section 20 in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mower 100 of this embodiment transmits the power input from the traveling body 200 to the working part 40 using the power transmission part 30 that operates by a chain drive method. That is, unlike conventional mowers, there is no need to connect the mounting section 10 and the working section 40 with a universal joint. Therefore, it is possible to freely control the amount of offset of the working part 40 without being limited by the bending angle of the universal joint.

In addition, the advantage of not using a universal joint as the power transmission part is that it does not have the disadvantage of shortening the life of the power transmission part depending on the amount of offset of the working part, so it is possible to realize a highly durable mower. .

Furthermore, in the power transmission section 30 of this embodiment, the distance between the driving sprocket 31 and the driven sprocket 32 can be freely set, so there is no problem such as the length of the joint becoming an obstacle. Therefore, when working in a place close to the traveling machine body 200, there is no problem that the accessibility of the work deteriorates, and after the work at the offset position is finished, the working section 40 can be moved to the rear of the traveling machine body 200. If this is allowed to proceed, there will be no adverse effects such as worsening of the overall balance and loss of running stability.

Note that when a chain drive system is adopted as the power transmission section 30 as in this embodiment, there is also an advantage that the rotational speed of the work rotor 41 can be easily changed by changing the diameter of the sprocket. In other words, the rotational speed and torque of the working rotor 41 can be increased by simply replacing the sprocket.

As described above, the mower 100 in this embodiment can transmit the power input from the traveling body 200 to the working unit 40 with a compact structure.

(mower operation)
A state in which the working part 40 of the mower 100 in the first embodiment is offset will be described. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the normal working state of the mower 100 in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a rear view showing the configuration of the mower 100 of the first embodiment in a normal working state.

Here, "normal time" refers to a state in which the working unit 40 remains offset from the non-working state toward the working state. That is, it refers to a state in which the working part 40 is offset laterally with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling body 200 and is in a position substantially parallel to the horizontal plane. For example, a state in which mowing work is performed in a field scene in which the traveling body 200 travels corresponds to a normal working state.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, during mowing work, the offset mechanism section 20 is driven to offset the working section 40 to the right with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling body 200. Thereby, it is possible to perform grass mowing work at a position offset laterally with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling body 200.

At this time, the mower 100 of the present embodiment can offset the working part 40 to the extent that the power transmission part 30 and the working part 40 are connected substantially in a straight line. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is possible to perform mowing work while being offset to the right to a greater extent than the rear tires 210 of the traveling body 200. This is because, as described above, since a chain drive type mechanism is adopted as the power transmission section 30, it is not limited by the bending angle of the universal joint as in the conventional case.

Furthermore, the mower 100 of this embodiment rotates with the working part 40 being offset. FIG. 7 is a rear view showing a state in which the working part 40 of the mower 100 in the first embodiment is in a downwardly rotated position. FIG. 8 is a rear view showing a state in which the working part 40 of the mower 100 in the first embodiment is in an upwardly rotated position.

In the mower 100 shown in FIG. 7, the working part 40 is rotated downward (clockwise here) by the rotation mechanism part 50 in an offset state. As described above, the rotation mechanism section 50 is a mechanism for rotating the working section 40 around the axis in which the traveling body 200 moves. The state shown in FIG. 7 is a state in which the working unit 40 performs mowing work on a slope (slope) located below the traveling body 200.

The mower 100 of this embodiment adopts a chain drive system for the power transmission section 30, so that the amount of offset can be increased while maintaining durability, so it can work efficiently on the slope located below. It is possible to do so.

In the mower 100 shown in FIG. 8, the working part 40 is rotated upward (counterclockwise here) in an offset state. The state shown in FIG. 8 is a state in which the working unit 40 performs mowing work on a slope (slope) located above the traveling body 200. Even in this case, the mower 100 of this embodiment can efficiently work on the slope (slope) located above.

<Second embodiment>
In the mower of the second embodiment, the configuration of the power transmission section is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, in the mower of this embodiment, the power transmission section 30a includes a drive pulley 31a, a driven pulley 32a, and a belt 33A. In addition, in this embodiment, explanation will be given focusing on differences in configuration from the mower 100 of the first embodiment, and the same configurations may be denoted by the same reference numerals and explanations may be omitted.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of a power transmission section 30a included in the mower of the second embodiment. While the first embodiment employed a chain drive system, this embodiment employs a belt drive system. Even in this case, the power transmission section 30a can be constructed without using a conventional universal joint.

According to this embodiment, there is no need to worry about rusting like a chain, so it is possible to realize a mower that is easy to maintain. Furthermore, since the operating noise is lower than that of a chain drive system, it is possible to construct a grass mower with improved quietness.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Mounting part, 11... Hitch frame, 20... Offset mechanism part, 21... Offset frame, 22... Link rod, 23... Support frame, 24... Telescopic member, 30, 30a... Power transmission part, 31... Drive sprocket, 31a ... Drive pulley, 32... Driven sprocket, 32a... Driven pulley, 33... Roller chain, 33A... Belt, 34a, 34b... Tensioner, 35... Elastic member, 36... Chain case, 37... Chain cover, 40... Working part, 41 ...Work rotor, 41a... Rotation shaft, 41b... Cutting blade, 42... Rotor cover, 43... Side plate, 44... Cutting blade drive section, 44a... Drive pulley, 44b... Followed pulley, 44c... Belt, 44d... Tensioner, 50... Rotation mechanism section, 51... First transmission shaft, 52... Second transmission shaft, 200... Traveling body, 210... Rear tire, 220... Three-point link mechanism, 230... PTO axis

Claims (3)

a mounting part provided with an input shaft and connected to the traveling body;
It has a rotating shaft on which a cutting blade is provided, and can be moved to a rear position of the traveling machine body and a position laterally offset with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling machine body, a working part that can be rotated upward or downward around a rotation axis parallel to the direction of travel;
a first power transmission section that transmits power from the traveling aircraft body received by the input shaft to a side of the working section;
a second power transmission section that transmits power from the first power transmission section to the working section;
Equipped with
In the mower, the rotation shaft overlaps a part of the second power transmission section in a rear view. The mower according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis is located above the working part on a side opposite to a direction in which the working part is moved to the offset position. The mower according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the working section is capable of mowing work at a rear position of the traveling machine body and at a position laterally offset with respect to the traveling direction of the traveling machine body.

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