JP7046282B1 - Whole cup - Google Patents

Abstract

We provide a push-down type hole cup that can be attached to the putting green by the same drilling work as before. The casing 10 used for the hole cup 1 has the same diameter as that conventionally used, and has the same structural height. In a state where the pushing force is not applied to the flagpole 110, the saucer 20 is in a state of resting at a predetermined depth H. When the flagpole 110 is pushed down, the drive unit 70 operates to drive the link mechanism 50 to push up the saucer 20 upward, and a part of the saucer 20 protrudes above the putting green 100. When the flagpole is released, the pulling force applied to the tension spring 80 urges the pin holder 40 to raise the pin holder 40. The ascending of the pin holder 40 is stopped when the link mechanism 50 comes into contact with the bottom plate 61, and the saucer 20 comes to rest at a predetermined depth H.

Description

It relates to a hole cup for golf in which the saucer protrudes onto the putting green by pushing down the flagpole, and the golf ball can be released onto the putting green, and the saucer returns to the original position by releasing the pushed hand.

As the golf population declines, the golf rules have been significantly revised from January 1, 2019, with the intention of stopping serious golf churn and increasing the golf population by simplifying the rules. One of the aims of this revision is to simplify the previously complicated golf rules and make golf a sport that can be enjoyed more closely.

Under the conventional rules, when putting on the putting green, the flagpole had to be pulled out. If he putt and cupped in without pulling out the flagpole, he would be punished with two strokes.

With this rule revision, putting is now permitted with the flagpole raised even when playing on the putting green. If the golf ball hits the flagpole and the golf ball cups in, it is not punished. As a result, if there are players who are struggling around the putting green, they can start putting without waiting for everyone to turn on the green, which can be expected to shorten the playing time.

However, it is easier to pick up a cup-in golf ball with the flagpole upright because the gap for the hands is narrow and it is difficult to take out the golf ball, and it is easier to pull out the flagpole. If a golf ball is picked up with the flagpole upright, the putting green surface may be damaged and the soil on the edge of the hole may collapse due to the hand hitting the edge of the hole cup. This is because, according to the rules, the hole cup must be buried 1 inch below the putting green surface, so that the soil is exposed 1 inch below the putting green surface.

Following this revision of the rules, a hole cup has been proposed that allows you to easily take out a golf ball that has been cupped in with the flagpole raised from the viewpoint of improving play efficiency.

In Patent Document 1, a gear is used as a so-called push-down hole cup for golf, in which the saucer can be projected onto the putting green by pushing down the flagpole, and the saucer returns to the original position by releasing the hand that pushed down the flagpole. Various types such as a type, a hydraulic type, a magic hand type, and a pulley type have been proposed. Further, in Non-Patent Document 1, the pulley type is disclosed by specifically specifying the shape and dimensions. The outer diameter of these hole cups is the same as before, and they can be attached to the putting green using a hole cutter that is generally available.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-195431 WO2020 / 213429

https://lifton55.com/

However, it is considered that these push-down type hole cups have no choice but to be higher in structural height than the conventional hole cups. This is because a certain height is required to accommodate the components for raising and lowering the saucer in the hole cup. For example, the structural height of the hole cup disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 is 225 mm, which is about 65 mm higher than the structural height of the conventional hole cup (about 160 mm). Therefore, when using a general hole cutter to provide a hole for mounting a hole cup, the drilling work cannot be completed in one time, and it is necessary to perform additional drilling work after the first drilling work is completed. there were.

On the golf course, from the viewpoint of maintaining the putting green in good condition, almost every day, drilling work is performed on all putting greens and the position of the hole cup is changed. Also, depending on the golf course, the soil dressing of the putting green is thin, and if you try to make a hole deeper than a normal hole, it is assumed that the hole cannot be made because it is blocked by the bedrock existing in the lower layer of the soil dressing. .. Therefore, drilling deeper than the normal depth puts a heavy load on the operator.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to these problems, and provides a push-down type hole cup that can be attached to a putting green by the same drilling work as usual.

The invention for solving the above problems is a hole cup used in a golf course, from a cylindrical casing, a saucer that moves up and down inside the casing, a bottom plate connected to the casing, and a bottom plate. An internal space defined by a base with a guide plate protruding upward, a pin holder for fixing a flagpole that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction along the guide plate, and a casing, a base, and a saucer. The saucer is provided with a link mechanism housed in, a drive unit for driving the link mechanism, and a tension spring having one end connected to a pin holder and the other end connected to either a guide plate or a saucer. The saucer is the hole cup. When the flagpole is standing still at a predetermined depth from the putting green and a pushing force is applied to the flagpole, the driving unit drives the link mechanism and a part of the saucer is said to be. When the flagpole protrudes above the putting green and no pushing force is applied to the flagpole, the saucer descends due to the restoring force of the tension spring and stands still at a predetermined depth.

The hole cup can have the structural height of the hole cup substantially the same as the hole cup used on the golf course. The drilling work can be completed in one step using a general hole cutter. When taking out a golf ball that has been cupped in, it is possible to prevent the hand from hitting the edge of the hole cup and the soil at the edge of the hole from collapsing.

Preferably, the link mechanism is rotatably connected to a first link having one end rotatably connected to the guide plate, one end rotatably connected to the saucer, and the other end rotatably connected to the other end of the first link. The drive unit has a rack connected to a pin holder, a first gear fixed to one end of the first link, and is rotatably connected to a guide plate to mesh with the rack. It is characterized by having a second gear that meshes with the first gear.

When the flagpole is pushed down by hand, the rack descends downward. As the rack descends, the second gear and the first gear rotate. As the first gear rotates, the first link rotates in the ascending direction. A small downward displacement of the rack can be converted into a large upward rotational displacement of the first link. A small downward displacement of the rack can greatly raise the saucer.

Preferably, the casing and the bottom plate are detachably connected to each other. Since the casing and the bottom plate are detachably connected to each other, the conventionally used casing can be reused without being discarded.

Preferably, the saucer is stationary at a predetermined depth by the contact between the link mechanism and the bottom plate. It is not necessary to add a new configuration for resting the saucer at a predetermined depth.

Preferably, the saucer is characterized by having at least three rollers that roll up and down along the casing. The saucer can be raised and lowered smoothly.

Preferably, the outer cover has one end connected to the base and the other end connected to the saucer while surrounding the linkage and the drive unit, and one end connected to the pin holder and the other end connected to the saucer while surrounding the lower end of the flagpole. With a cover.

The link mechanism and the drive unit are housed inside the space defined by the base, the saucer, the outer cover, and the inner cover. Even if earth and sand get into the casing for some reason, the link mechanism and the drive unit are not affected by the earth and sand. Smooth operation of the link mechanism and the drive unit is ensured.

Preferably, the structural height is 150 to 170 mm. Since it is 170 mm, it can have substantially the same dimensions as the hole cup used on a golf course. Thereby, the drilling work can be completed in one time by using a general hole cutter.

(A) is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a saucer is stationary in a casing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (B) is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a part of the saucer is projected to the putting green by pushing the flagpole in the same manner. However, the flagpole is omitted. The same is a cross-sectional perspective view. It is a perspective view of the casing. It is a perspective view of the base. It is a perspective view of the parts constituting the saucer. It is a perspective view of the pin holder and the rack. It is a perspective view of the first link and the second link. It is a partial cross-sectional view of Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

Hereinafter, the hole cup 1 used in the golf course of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

The hole cup 1 has a cylindrical casing 10, a saucer 20 that moves up and down inside the casing 10, a bottom plate 61 connected to the casing 10, and a guide plate 62 that projects upward from the bottom plate 61. It is housed in an internal space defined by a base 60 having a base 60, a pin holder 40 for fixing a flagpole 110 that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction along a guide plate 62, and a casing 10, a base 60, and a saucer 20. It is provided with a link mechanism 50, a drive unit 70 for driving the link mechanism 50, and a tension spring 80 having one end connected to the pin holder 40 and the other end connected to either the guide plate 62 or the tray 20.

The saucer 20 stands still at a predetermined depth from the putting green 100 with the flagpole 110 standing on the hole cup 1, and when the flagpole 110 is pushed down, the drive unit 70 drives the link mechanism 50 to operate. Then, a part of the saucer 20 protrudes above the putting green 100, and then when the flagpole 110 is released and no load is applied, the saucer 20 descends due to the restoring force of the tension spring 80 and stands still at a predetermined depth. It is characterized by doing. Hereinafter, each element will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the hole cup 1 is embedded in the putting green 100 with the flagpole 110 erected. At this time, the saucer 20 is stationary at a predetermined depth H (hereinafter referred to as a depth H). When used on a golf course, the upper end of the casing 10 must be buried at least 1 inch deeper than the putting green 100 by regulation.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the hole cup 1 has a casing 10, a saucer 20 arranged in the internal space of the casing 10, a base 60 connected to the casing 10, a saucer 20, and a base 60. It has a link mechanism 50 connected to the link mechanism 50, a drive unit 70 for driving the link mechanism 50, and a tension spring 80.

As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 10 is a cylinder, and the external dimensions are the same as those of a general casing used in a golf course.

As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the casing 10 has the same shape and dimensions as a general casing usually used on a golf course. Specifically, the structural height HC of the casing 10 is 150 to 170 mm. In the first embodiment, 160 mm is exemplified as the structural height. It is possible to simplify the drilling work and to reuse the conventional casing used in the golf course without discarding it.

The saucer 20 receives the cupped golf ball in the hole cup 1, is accommodated in the internal space of the casing 10, and can move up and down in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the saucer 20 has a disk-shaped plate member 21 and an annular interpolating member 22 connected to the plate member 21 in a state where a part thereof is inserted into the plate member 21. .. When used on a golf course, the depth H (see FIG. 1A), which is the distance between the saucer 20 and the putting green 100, must be 4 inches or more.

As shown in FIG. 5, the dish member 21 has a passage hole 23 defined in the center thereof for passing the flagpole 110. It is preferable that the dish member 21 gently rises from the peripheral portion toward the central portion. When a part of the plate member 21 rises to a height protruding above the putting green 100, the cupped golf ball has a gently inclined surface provided on the upper surface of the plate member 21 in the direction from the center to the periphery. It is a structure that rolls out to the putting green 100 along the above.

The interpolation member 22 has a pair of protrusions 24 that project toward the dish member 21. A pair of connecting portions 54 that rotatably connect to one end of the pair of second links 52 are provided on the protruding portions 24, respectively. A hole 25 is provided in the central portion of the interpolation member 22 so that the second link 52 can rotate.

Four rollers 26 are mounted at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the interpolation member 22 in order to smoothly move the tray 20 up and down by rolling in the vertical direction along the inner surface of the casing 10. The frictional force generated between the casing 10 and the roller 26 constrains the circumferential movement of the roller 26. In the first embodiment, the number of rollers 26 mounted on the interpolation member 22 is four, but three or more rollers 26 may be mounted at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The interpolation member 22 is provided with a protrusion 27 for connecting to the dish member 21.

The pin holder 40 is a member that moves up and down along the guide plate 62 shown in FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. 6, a hole 43 for fixing the lower end portion of the flagpole 110 is defined. The inner diameter of the hole 43 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the flagpole 110. The flagpole 110 can be securely held in the hole 43 without rattling. A spacer (not shown) may be provided inside the hole 43, and the flagpole 110 may be held through the spacer. By inserting the flagpole 110 into the pin holder 40, the lower end portion of the flagpole 110 is held by the hole cup 1.

The link mechanism 50 has a pair of first links 51, 51 and a pair of second links 52, 52 (see FIG. 2). The first link 51 and the second link 52 are rotatably connected by a connecting portion 55. As shown in FIG. 7, the first gear 71 is mounted on the first link 51 at the position of the connecting portion 53. The first link 51 rotates about the connecting portion 53 in synchronization with the rotation of the first gear 71.

The upper end of the first link 51 is rotatably connected to the lower end of the second link 52 by the connecting portion 55, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the guide plate 62 via the connecting portion 53. The upper end of the second link 52 is rotatably connected to the interpolation member 22 by the connecting portion 54.

The base 60 is a plate material that is detachably connected to the casing 10 via a connecting member 64 while being housed in the casing 10 (see FIG. 2). In the first embodiment, the structural height HC of the casing 10 (see FIG. 3) is the structural height HS of the hole cup 1 (see FIG. 1A). This structural height HS is the height of the hole cup 1 when the saucer 20 is stationary at the depth H.

As shown in FIG. 4, the base 60 has a bottom plate 61 and a pair of guide plates 62, 62. The bottom plate 61 is a member of a substantially disk having a drain hole 65 at the center thereof. The guide plate 62 is a plate for guiding the ascending / descending of the pin holder 40, and protrudes upward from the bottom plate 61. It is detachably connected to the bottom plate 61 via a connecting member 63. A hole 85 is provided at a position corresponding to the connecting portion 53, and a hole 86 for rotatably connecting the second gear 72 is provided.

The connecting member 64 is detachably connected to the casing 10 by bolting the bottom plate 61 to the casing 10 via the connecting member 64. The connecting member 64 is an L-shaped member having an outer surface that is shaped along the inner surface of the casing 10 and has a hole 81b (see FIG. 4) at a position corresponding to the hole 81a (see FIG. 3) provided in the casing 10. ) Is provided. The connecting member 64 is also provided with a hole at a position corresponding to a hole (not shown) provided in the bottom plate 61.

The drive unit 70 is rotatably connected to the rack 73 connected to the pin holder 40, the first gear 71 fixed to one end of the first link 51 (see FIG. 7), and the guide plate 62 to the rack 73. It is composed of a second gear 72 that meshes with the first gear 71 and meshes with the first gear 71.

A pair of racks 73, 73 are fixed to the pin holder 40. The rack 73 is a plate-shaped member provided with a tooth profile 73a extending in the vertical direction. The slide recess 42 is defined by the rack 73 and the notch 41 provided in the pin holder 40. The slide recess 42 is for inserting the guide plate 62. The pin holder 40 moves up and down along the guide plate 62.

The second gear 72 is rotatably connected to the guide plate 62 in a state of being meshed with both the rack 73 and the first gear 71.

One end of the pair of tension springs 80, 80 is connected to the lower end of the pin holder 40, and the other end is connected to the upper end of the guide plate 62 (see FIG. 2). The tension spring 80 is a coil spring that is connected to the pin holder 40 and the guide plate 62 in a state where the tension spring 80 is longer than the natural length and a tension force is applied. The tension spring 80 always urges the pin holder 40 to push it upward. In the present embodiment, the other end of the tension spring 80 is connected to the guide plate 62, but it may be connected to the saucer 20.

The mechanism by which the saucer 20 moves up and down in the vertical direction will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b), and FIG.

In the stationary state of FIG. 1A, the pushing force is not applied to the flagpole 110, and the saucer 20 can be maintained in a stationary state at a predetermined depth H. Since the pin holder 40 is urged by the tension spring 80 to push it upward, it rises upward and the drive unit 40 tries to push the tray 20 downward. The angle between the first link 51 and the second link 53 becomes deeper, the link mechanism 50 and the bottom plate 61 come into contact with each other, and the action of the drive unit 70 stops the lowering of the saucer 20 and suppresses the ascending of the pin holder 40.

When the flagpole 110 is pushed down, the pin holder 40 descends along the guide plate 62. As the rack 73 descends, the second gear 72 and the first gear 71 rotate. The first link 51 rotates around the connecting portion 53 in synchronization with the rotation of the first gear 71, and the connecting portion 55 rises upward with the rotation. Since the frictional force generated between the roller 26 and the casing 10 suppresses the movement of the connecting portion 54 in the circumferential direction, the connecting portion 54 rises linearly with the rotation of the first link 51.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the dish member 21 partially rises to a height protruding upward of the putting green 100 due to the rise of the connecting portion 54. The golf ball contained in the hole cup 1 can be reliably discharged to the putting green 100.

In FIG. 1B, when the flagpole 110 is released and the force for pushing down the pin holder 40 is released, the pin holder 40 rises along the guide plate 62 due to the restoring force of the tension spring 80. As the rack 73 rises, the second gear 72 and the first gear 71 rotate. The first link 51 rotates around the connecting portion 53 in synchronization with the rotation of the first gear 71, and the connecting portion 55 descends downward with the rotation. The frictional force generated between the roller 26 and the casing 10 suppresses the movement of the connecting portion 54 in the circumferential direction. The connecting portion 54 descends linearly with the rotation of the first link 51. As for the ascending of the pin holder 40, when the link mechanism 50 comes into contact with the bottom plate 61, the descending of the saucer 20 is stopped and the pin holder 40 is stopped at the position of the depth H.

The usage mode of the hole cup 1 on the putting green 100 on the golf course will be described.

The hole cup 1 is embedded in the putting green 100 with the flagpole 110 erected.

When the golf ball is turned on to the putting green 100, each player enters the putting operation without removing the flagpole 110 from the hole cup 1. This is because recent revisions to the golf rules have made this possible.

After each player cups in, push down the flagpole 110 by hand. As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the dish member 21 projects onto the putting green 100, and the golf ball in the hole cup 1 is discharged to the putting green 100.

In FIG. 1 (b), when the flagpole 110 is released, the flagpole 110 rises due to the restoring force of the tension spring 80 and returns to the original position in FIG. 1 (a). It is not necessary to remove the flagpole 110 from the hole cup 1 and stand the removed flagpole 110 in the hole cup 1 again, and the play can be continued with the flagpole 110 raised. The play time can be shortened and the burden on the player can be reduced. The putting green 100 is less damaged.

The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

Since the first embodiment and the second embodiment have many common configurations, different configurations will be mainly described. The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment, and the 200-series reference numerals are given to different configurations.

The hole cup 201 of the second embodiment has a casing 10, a pin holder 40, a link mechanism 50, a base 60, a tension spring 80, a saucer 220, an outer cover 202, and an inner cover 203. The structural difference between the saucer 20 and the saucer 220 is the presence or absence of the roller 26. The saucer 220 of the second embodiment is different in that the roller attached to the saucer 20 is not attached.

The hole cup 201 has an outer cover 202 having one end connected to the base 60 and the other end connecting to the saucer 20 while surrounding the link mechanism 50 and the drive unit 70, and a pin holder 40 having one end surrounding the lower end of the flagpole 110. An inner cover 203, the other end of which is connected to the saucer 20, is provided.

The outer cover 202 is a cylinder having a bellows 202a that can be expanded and contracted up and down, and one end is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the bottom plate 61 and the other end is connected to the outer edge end of the saucer 220. The outer cover 202 can cover the outside of the link mechanism 50 and the drive unit 70. It is possible to prevent the intrusion of earth and sand and the like that enter the inside of the hole cup 201 through the gap between the casing 10 and the saucer 220.

The inner cover 203 is a cylinder having a diameter smaller than that of the outer cover 202 and having a bellows 203a that can be expanded and contracted up and down, which is arranged in the inner region of the outer cover 202. One end of the inner cover 203 is connected to the pin holder 40, and the other end is connected to the outer periphery of the passage hole 23 defined in the dish member 21. The outside of the flagpole 110 can be covered. It is possible to prevent the intrusion of earth and sand that enters the inside of the hole cup 201 from the passage hole 23.

By mounting the outer cover 202 and the inner cover 203, the link mechanism 50 and the drive unit 70 are doubly surrounded from the inside and outside, so that it is possible to prevent the intrusion of earth and sand into the link mechanism 50 and the drive unit 70. The bellows 202a and 203a can smoothly raise and lower the saucer 220.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, substitutions, and the like can be made without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the hole cup is embedded in the putting green of a golf course, but may be used as a putting green for practice. In this case, the rule does not apply, so it is not necessary to bury it more than 1 inch deeper than the putting green surface.

When the hole cup of the present invention is attached to the putting green of a golf course, the conventionally used casing can be reused without being discarded. In this way, it is possible to reduce the environmental load, so that it has great industrial applicability.

1: Hole cup 10: Casing 20: Reservoir 26: Roller 40: Pin holder 50: Link mechanism 51: First link 52: Second link 60: Base 61: Bottom plate 62: Guide plate 70: Drive unit 71: First Gear 72: Second gear 73: Rack 80: Tensile spring 100: Putting green 110: Flagpole H: Depth HS: Structural height

Claims (7)

A hole cup used on a golf course
Cylindrical casing and
A saucer that moves up and down inside the casing,
A base having a bottom plate connected to the casing and a guide plate protruding upward from the bottom plate, and
A pin holder for holding a flagpole that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction along the guide plate,
A link mechanism housed in an internal space defined by the casing, the base, and the saucer.
The drive unit that drives the link mechanism and
One end is provided with the pin holder and the other end is provided with a tension spring that connects to either the guide plate or the saucer.
The saucer stands still at a predetermined depth from the putting green with the flagpole standing on the hole cup, and when a pushing force is applied to the flagpole, the driving unit drives the link mechanism. When a part of the saucer protrudes above the putting green and no pushing force is applied to the flagpole, the saucer descends due to the restoring force of the tension spring and stands still at a predetermined depth. Whole cup. The link mechanism has a first link having one end rotatably connected to the guide plate, one end rotatably connected to the saucer, and the other end rotatably connected to the other end of the first link. Has a second link to connect,
The drive unit is rotatably connected to the guide plate with a rack connected to the pin holder, a first gear fixed to one end of the first link, and meshes with the rack. The hole cup according to claim 1, further comprising a second gear that meshes with one gear. The hole cup according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the casing and the bottom plate are detachably connected to each other. The hole cup according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the saucer stands still at a predetermined depth when the link mechanism and the bottom plate come into contact with each other. The hole cup according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the saucer has at least three rollers that roll up and down along the casing. An outer cover that surrounds the link mechanism and the drive unit, one end of which is connected to the base and the other end of which is connected to the saucer.
An inner cover that surrounds the lower end of the flagpole, one end of which is connected to the pin holder, and the other end of which is connected to the saucer.
The hole cup according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hole cup is provided. The hole cup according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the structural height is 160 to 170 mm.

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