JPH0220912Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a handle adjustment device for a working machine such as a lawnmower.

[Problems to be solved by conventional techniques and inventions] A power lawn mower is known that is equipped with an engine and drives a blade-shaped cutter to rotate in a horizontal plane, mowing the lawn while moving it over the lawn.

Such lawn mowers have a handle that extends rearward and upward from the main body to control direction, etc., but generally the height of the handle is uniquely set. Therefore, depending on the height of the worker, the height of the handle grip may be higher or lower, and it is highly necessary to adjust the height of the handle grip.

On the other hand, when mowing the edge of a lawn along a wall, the worker may have to hold his/her body along the wall in an awkward position, and depending on the location, the width of the worker's body may be In some cases, the edges may not be cut smoothly due to interference. Therefore, it would be convenient if the handle could be moved in the opposite direction within a horizontal plane so that the handle can be easily operated while the main body faces the edge of the lawn, and there is also a strong need to adjust the handle in the left-right direction.

By the way, the height and left/right direction adjustments of the handle described above can be easily achieved by using separate mechanisms, but according to this, the adjustment mechanism and its operation mechanism are two systems. As a result, the mechanical structure becomes more complicated, the number of parts increases, costs increase, and operations become more complicated.Especially when trying to make both adjustments, it is necessary to perform the operations individually at time intervals, which is inconvenient. be.

The above problems are common to working machines other than lawn mowers.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to simplify the structure of working machines such as power lawn mowers by integrating the vertical and horizontal adjustment mechanism of the handle and its operation mechanism into one system, compared to the conventional system which required two separate systems. An object of the present invention is to provide a handle adjustment device that is compact, shortens and facilitates operation, and reduces costs.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above problems, the present invention includes a fixed member fixed to the work machine body, a rotating member provided to be rotatable in the left and right directions with respect to the fixed member, and a handle pivotally connected to the movable member at a base so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction; an engaging body provided to be movable in the radial direction with respect to the rotary member; and a handle provided between the engaging body and the fixed member, a first engagement part that regulates and releases the left-right rotation of the member by engagement and disengagement; and a second engagement part that is provided between the engagement body and the handle base and regulates and releases the vertical rotation of the handle by engagement and disengagement. an engagement/disengagement operation mechanism provided between a joint portion, the engagement body, and the handle gripping portion, for simultaneously engaging and disengaging both the first and second engagement portions by radial movement of the engagement body with respect to the rotating member; A working machine handle adjustment device is characterized by:

[Operation] When the engaging body is moved radially outward with respect to the rotating member by operating the engaging/disengaging operation mechanism, the engaged state of both the first and second engaging portions is released, and the handle is moved relative to the rotating member. It is possible to rotate the handle in the vertical direction and to rotate the rotating member in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed member, that is, it is possible to adjust the handle in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction at the same time.

After adjusting the handle, when the engaging body is moved radially inward with respect to the rotating member and both the first and second engaging portions are engaged by operating the engaging/disengaging mechanism, the handle is moved in the vertical direction relative to the rotating member. The regulation and the horizontal direction regulation of the rotating member with respect to the fixed member are performed, that is, the vertical and horizontal direction regulation of the handle is performed simultaneously.

[Example] Examples will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show a power lawn mower as an example of a working machine to which the handle adjustment device of the present invention is applied. The recoil starter section 3 above is covered with a lower housing 4, a recoil starter cover, and an upper shroud 5 that constitutes a forced air cooling duct. A recoil starter knob 6 is exposed on the shroud 5,
A skirt-like upper cover 7 is provided below the housing 4, and a cutter 8 is provided so as to face inside the upper cover 7. The cutter 8 is rotationally driven in a horizontal plane by a vertical output shaft 201 hanging from the engine 2, and the lower edge of the front part of the upper cover 7 is higher than the rear part, so that the front part of the cutter 8 is exposed. The upper cover 7 is formed to have a larger diameter than the upper cover 8.
A small-diameter, deep-dish-shaped lower cover 9 is provided below the cutter 8, and grass is cut by the front part of the cutter between the upper and lower covers 7 and 9.

The work machine main body 10 is constructed as described above, and a handle post 11 that forms a bracket for the handle extends from the rear upper part of the housing 4. A front end portion of a handle pipe 12 is attached to the rear portion of the handle post 11 so as to be rotatable up and down and left and right as will be described later. A handle grip portion 14 having a substantially isosceles triangular shape in plan view is provided at the rear end of the handle pipe 12 via a holder 13, and a handle 15 is configured as described above.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 16 is a clutch lever that turns on/off the rotation of the cutter 8. By gripping and pulling the clutch lever 16, the clutch is turned on, rotating the cutter 8, and releasing the clutch lever 16. This constitutes a so-called deadman operating mechanism in which the clutch is turned off and the cutter drive is stopped. 17 connects the handle 15 to the handle post 1
1 is a handle adjustment lever that is operated to switch and rotate up and down and left and right as will be described later.

Below the handle post 11 of the above-mentioned handle 15, a bracket 19 for supporting two left and right wheels 18, 18 is protruded rearward. Wheels 18, 18 are supported. This wheel 1
The handle 15 extends rearward and upwardly through the space between 8 and 18. The wheels 18, 18 are arranged within the mowing width of the lawn grass so as not to protrude outward from the diameter of the cutter 8, so that the mown state of the lawn grass can be visually checked while moving. Further, the outer diameter of the wheel 18 is set to be approximately the same height as the height of the work machine main body 10, and the area around the work machine main body 10 including the wheel 18 portion is made compact.

Next, the handle adjustment device of the present invention will be explained based on FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the main mechanism of the handle adjustment device 30, FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of the same, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view with the regulating piece in FIG. 3 removed, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view of the substrate and engagement body portion in FIG. 4;

In FIGS. 3 and 5, 31 is a cylindrical base rod, and this base rod 31 is connected to the work machine main body 10.
The handle post 11 is integrally fixed to the rear part.
A substrate 32 serving as a fixing member is fixed substantially horizontally to the upper end of the base rod 31.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, this substrate 32 has a substantially semicircular shape in plan view, and is connected and supported at the center by the base rod 31, and has teeth on the circular outer periphery facing backward. 321 is formed. In the illustration, the teeth 321 are provided around the entire circumference, but they may be provided at a predetermined angle.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a cylindrical support rod 33 serving as a rotating member is fitted into the base rod 31 so as to be rotatable in the left and right direction.
protrudes by a predetermined amount onto the substrate 32, which serves as a fixing member. The front end of the handle pipe 12 faces above the support rod 33, and the left and right bifurcated hanging portions 3 of the support piece 34 are fixed to the front end of the handle pipe 12.
41, 341 (see FIG. 4) and the upper end of the support rod 33 therebetween are pivotally connected by a horizontal support shaft 35.

Therefore, the handle pipe 12, that is, the handle 15 is vertically rotatable about the support rod 35, which is a rotating member, about the support rod 35, and the handle 15 is connected to the fixed member via the support rod 33. It is rotatable in the left and right directions with respect to the base plate 32 that forms the base plate 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, a fan-shaped regulation piece 36 in side view is integrally provided on the outer surface of one hanging part 341 of the support piece 34 at the front end of the handle pipe 12 by welding or the like. A tooth portion 361 is formed on the arcuate outer peripheral portion of the regulating piece 36, through which the support shaft 35 passes, and faces rearward and downward.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a base piece 371 of a holder 37, which is approximately inverted L-shaped in side view, is fixed to the lower part of the support rod 33 that protrudes above the substrate 32. Piece 371 and the substrate 32
A collar 38 is interposed between them. The holder base piece 371 has a rearward extending portion 372 parallel to the substrate 32, and an upwardly extending raised portion 373 is bent and integrally formed at the rear of the extending portion 372. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an elongated hole 374 extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the extending portion 372 of the holder base piece 371, and a vertical pin 39 that engages with this elongated hole 374 is formed.
is provided.

The vertical pin 39 is inserted into the elongated hole 374 as shown in FIG.
It has a small diameter lower end part 391 that engages with a small diameter lower end part 391, a large diameter intermediate part 392 above it, and a small diameter upper half part 393 above it. A large diameter front end portion 401 is pivotally attached. The large-diameter intermediate portion 402 of the sliding pin 40 is slidably fitted into a guide hole 375 formed in the raised piece 373 of the holder 37, and a small-diameter rear portion 403 protrudes behind it.

Cam plates 41, 41 are arranged above and below the sliding pin 40 as shown in FIG. It is pivoted at 411,411. As shown in FIG. 4, the cam plate 41 has a substantially triangular shape in plan view, and a cam portion 412 near the base end 411
The contact plate 42 that comes into contact with the raised piece 3 of the holder 37
It is fixed around the guide hole 375 on the front surface of 73.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the base end 411 of the cam plate 41
The connecting pin 433 connects the distal end portion 413 extending to the side opposite to the holder and the inner 432 of the operation cable 43 with the outer 431 hooked to the supporting portion 376 extending to the side of the holder raised piece portion 373. Link.
Then, the other end of the inner 432 of the operation cable 43 is engaged with the handle adjustment lever 17 provided on the handle grip portion 14 side.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the vertical pin 3
A torsion spring 44 is wound around the large-diameter intermediate portion 392 of No. 9, and the torsion spring 44 is wound as shown in FIG.
One end 441 of the holder 37 is attached to the raised piece 373 of the holder 37.
The lower end is locked, and the other end 442 is locked to the outer edges of both the cam plates 41, 41. The torsion spring 44 biases the cam plates 41, 41 counterclockwise in FIG. 4, and the direction of this biasing force is the direction in which the engaging body 45 is released, which will be described later.

Further, behind the raised piece 373 of the holder 37, an engaging body 45 is disposed which is approximately inverted L-shaped in side view as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 and approximately inverted L-shaped in plan view as shown in FIG. .

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, this engaging body 45 has a predetermined width that faces the circular outer circumference of the base plate 32, which forms a fixing member at the lower end, and can engage with the teeth 321 of the base plate 32. A toothed portion 451 is provided, and a toothed portion 361 is provided on the upper side facing the regulating piece 36 and the arcuate outer periphery as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
The tooth portion 452 has a predetermined width that can be engaged with the tooth portion 452. Further, the small diameter rear portion 403 of the sliding pin 40 is fixed to the intermediate portion 453 of the engaging body 45 by welding or the like as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a guide rod 46 in the front and rear direction is fixedly installed on the upper front surface of the engaging body 45,
The guide cylinder 461 into which this guide rod 46 is slidably fitted is attached to the support rod 3 which constitutes a rotating member.
It is fixed on the top of 3.

Note that the operating cable 43 portion is omitted in FIGS. 3 and 5, and the guide rod 46 portion is omitted in FIG. 4.

As described above, the tooth portion 321 of the substrate 32 and the tooth portion 451 of the engaging body 45 forming the fixing member,
A first engaging portion is configured to restrict and release the left-right rotation of the support rod 33, which constitutes a rotating member, by engaging and disengaging, and the tooth portion 361 of the regulating piece 36 provided at the base of the handle 15 is configured. The tooth portion 452 of the engaging body 45 constitutes a second engaging portion that restricts and releases the vertical rotation of the handle 15 by engaging and disengaging.

Then, the holder 37 provided on the support rod 33, the engagement pin 39, the sliding pin 40, the cam plates 41, 41, the torsion spring 44, and the operation between the handle adjustment lever 17 and the cam plate 41 provided on the handle grip portion 14 side. The cable 43 connects both the first and second engaging portions to the engaging body 45 to the support rod 33.
An engagement/disengagement operation mechanism is configured that allows engagement/disengagement at the same time by movement in the radial direction.

The operation of the handle adjustment device 30 of the present invention constructed as described above will now be described.

First, the solid line state in FIGS. 3 to 6 shows the rotation restricted state of the handle 15. In FIG. 4, the tip 413 of the cam plate 41 is pulled to the right in the figure by the cable inner 432, Due to the contact between the cam portion 412 and the contact plate 42, the vertical pin 39 is located at the left end of the elongated hole 374 in the drawing, and the engaging body 45 is in the forward position via the sliding pin 40. Therefore, the substrate 3
The tooth portion 451 of the engaging body 45 engages with the tooth portion 321 of No. 2, and the tooth portion 452 of the engaging body 45 engages with the tooth portion 361 of the regulating piece 36. rotation is regulated.

In the above, when the handle adjustment lever 17 is tilted forward, for example, the cable inner 432 is loosened, and the cam plate 41 is swung counterclockwise in FIG. The cam portion 412 moves laterally while contacting the contact plate 42, thereby causing the vertical pin 39 to move sideways.
is guided by the elongated hole 374 and moves rearward. The sliding pin 40 supported by the vertical pin 39 also moves rearward while being guided by the guide hole 375, and thereby the engaging body 45 connected to the sliding pin 40 also moves rearward. The movement of this engaging body 45 is controlled by the guide rod 46.
guaranteed.

The state in which the engaging body 45 has moved backward is shown in imaginary lines in FIGS. 3 to 6, that is, the engagement of the tooth portion 451 of the engaging body 45 with the tooth portion 321 of the base plate 32 forming the fixing member is released. At the same time, the engagement of the teeth 452 of the engaging body 45 with the teeth 361 of the regulating piece 36 provided at the base of the handle 15 is released.

Therefore, the support rod 33, which is a rotating member with respect to the base rod 31 fixed to the work machine main body 10 side, is allowed to rotate in the left and right direction, and the handle 15 can be rotated up and down with the support rod 35 as a fulcrum. In other words, rotation of the handle 15 in the vertical and horizontal directions is permitted at the same time.

In this way, the restrictions on the vertical and horizontal rotations of the handle 15 are simultaneously released by a single operation, so that the vertical and horizontal positions of the handle 15 can be adjusted simultaneously.

After the desired handle adjustment as described above, by returning the handle adjustment lever 17 to its original position, the cam plate 41 is pulled backward by the cable inner 432 as shown by the solid line in FIGS. 3 to 6. ,
Engagement body 45 via engagement pin 39 and sliding pin 40
moves forward, and the teeth 321 of the base plate 32 and the teeth 451 of the engaging body 45 engage, and at the same time, the teeth 361 of the regulating piece 36 and the teeth 452 of the engaging body 45 engage and are held at that position. be done.

Therefore, rotation of the handle 15 in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted at the same time.

In the embodiment, the present invention is applied to a lawn mower, but the present invention can be applied to any working machine.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, according to the invention, both the first and second engaging parts can be simultaneously released and engaged by moving the engaging body in the radial direction with respect to the rotating member by operating the engaging/disengaging operation mechanism. It is possible to simultaneously allow and restrict vertical rotation of the handle relative to the rotating member and allow and restrict horizontal rotation of the rotating member relative to the fixed member, making it possible to adjust the handle vertically and horizontally. Regulations can be carried out at the same time.

Therefore, in working machines such as power lawn mowers, the handle can be easily adjusted vertically and horizontally to suit the worker's height and working conditions, improving work efficiency and making it possible to adjust the handle in the vertical direction. Since the horizontal adjustment mechanism and its operation mechanism are in one system, the structure is simpler and more compact than the conventional system which required two separate systems, and the operation time is shortened.
Facilitation and cost reduction can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing a power lawn mower as an example of a working machine to which the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a side view showing the main mechanism of the handle adjustment device of the present invention. , FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of the same part, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view with the regulating piece removed from FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway plan view of the base plate and engaging body portion in FIG. be. In addition, in the drawing, 10 is a working machine main body, 15 is a handle, 17 is a handle adjustment lever, 30 is a handle adjustment device, 32 is a fixed member, 33 is a rotating member, 3
7, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44 are engagement/disengagement operation mechanisms, 45 is an engagement body, 321, 451 is a first engagement portion, and 361, 452 is a second engagement portion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A fixing member fixed to the working machine body, a rotating member provided to be rotatable in left and right directions with respect to the fixing member,
a handle pivotally connected to the rotating member at its base so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction; an engaging body provided to be movable in the radial direction with respect to the rotating member; and a handle provided between the engaging body and the fixed member; a first engaging portion that restricts and releases the left-right rotation of the rotating member by engaging and disengaging;
provided between the engaging body and the handle base,
A second engaging part that restricts and releases vertical rotation of the handle by engaging and disengaging, and a second engaging part that is provided between the engaging body and the handle gripping part, and that connects both the first and second engaging parts to the rotating member. 1. A handle adjustment device for a work machine, comprising: an engagement/disengagement operation mechanism that simultaneously engages and disengages by moving the engaging body in a radial direction.