JPH02503990A - golf ball recovery machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention provides a plurality of independent golf ball collectors (eol lee-to-collectors). An improved golf ball retriever of the type using rs , each collector moves its surface around, and Each collector wheel independently traces the undulations of the above surface and automatically and a collector wheel adapted to collect golf balls from the golf ball.

Specification Background technology U.S. Pat. No. 2,605,005 discloses a A golf ball collecting machine having one or more golf ball collectors attached thereto is described. It is listed.

Each collector includes a pivot arm, one end of which It is rotatably connected to the frame. In addition to the above rotating arm, the collector wheel is Does it seem to rotate at the edge? This is installed.

Two semicircular golf ball guide grooves are concentric to each side of the collector wheel. The above rotating arm is fixed in a circle. The valley groove is located above the collector wheel above. An L-guide mouse (glJide m) located at the edge adjacent to the periphery that contacts the surface. out).

A golf ball on the surface is guided by a guide arm extending from the guide mouth. into the guide mouse. In a plane, the guide arm is It spreads outward in a V-shape in front of the mouth.

The above guide groove, guide mouse, and guide arm are firmly fixed to the above rotating arm. and the above of the wheel as it follows the undulations of the surface. Follow the perimeter where it touches the surface.

The golf ball is physically rolled in the guide groove by the rotating wheel. It will be done.

The collector used in this collection machine has a very complex structure. The guide arm is brought into contact with the surface of the collector wheel. at a certain distance from the surrounding area to be touched, i.e., the part that follows the undulations of the above surface. There is. As a result, when the collector wheel passes within the depression of the surface The guide arm tends to round off the surface.

Furthermore, the collector is configured such that the guide arm runs over the ball located in the recess. It has been isolated for a certain period of time so that people can pass through it.

U.S. Patent No. 2,792,955 includes the above collection of No. 2,605.005. A golf ball that physically rolls the golf ball within a guide groove, similar to the Kuta. A golf ball retrieval machine having a collector is described.

However, in this case the collectors are located close together. times A movable arm is also pivotally connected to the frame, but in this case: A disk is rotatably mounted on the shaft at the other end of the pivot arm. Air tap The wheel with ears (pneumat ic%heel) is placed sideways from the above disc. It is mounted at a fixed distance in the direction so as to rotate about the above axis. Ru. The wheel has a smaller diameter than the disc.

The surrounding guide groove is spaced apart from the wheel by a certain distance both radially and laterally. . The guide groove is adjacent to the periphery and in front of the disc that contacts the surface. Place the guide mouse in such a way that it extends. The above guide groove is above the above disc. Fixed with respect to the wheels.

The golf ball that has entered the guide groove is rolled within the groove by the wheel. Ru.

This salvage machine is also very fragile, with many parts that are easily damaged and difficult to repair. It has a complex structure. In addition, the guide mouse Cut the above surface into a circle while leaving a certain distance from the surrounding area that touches the above surface. Tend. The fine particles collected from the surface block the guide groove and , which can reduce the efficiency of the recovery machine. The narrow disc above is also the table above May cause damage to surfaces.

U.S. Patent Nos. 2,658,637 and 2,656,061 include golf ball rotation. Deposits are described, and they This will bias the direction. These collisions cause damage to the above surface. It gives

Therefore, the aforementioned recovery machines cannot properly follow uneven surfaces and especially The case guide cannot follow the above surface and tends to damage that surface. There is.

To that end, a golf ball rotation system that overcomes or substantially alleviates the deficiencies of the prior art described above is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a harvester.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are to provide a golf ball for moving around a surface. This is due to one broad aspect of the collection machine, and the above-mentioned collection machine is at least one collector rotatably mounted to the subframe; It has a wheel. The sub-frame has the undulations of the surface connected to the collector hole. Each guide that the eel follows is located in front of each collector wheel and As the collector moves around the surface, the associated collector wheel They are spaced apart at regular intervals to guide the golf ball. The above guide is for the above subframe. attached to the main frame or to the main frame, and the undulations of the surface. It is designed to follow.

Arrangements of two or more collectors may be rotatably coupled together. is advantageous. In one particularly advantageous version, the collector is moved from the surface to a position A locking means is provided to hold the collector wheel in place. The above lot The collecting means includes a bar located between the surface and the collector wheel. It is preferable to have the following.

The collector wheel is biasable with respect to the surface and the collector wheel is biasable with respect to the surface. The circumference of the wheel follows the surface. The above wheel is like its own weight or spring It can be biased using suitable biasing means.

However, preferably the collector wheel is configured to rotate the collector wheel. It is rotatably attached to the end of the arm and biased by its own weight against the above surface. be forced to The other end of the above collector wheel rotating arm is Preferably, it is adapted to be pivotally connected to the frame member.

The collector wheel described above can consist of a single or multi-piece structure. . When the wheel is of a unitary structure, the golf ball receiver (receiver) eei to □er) may be formed as a part of the rim portion of the wheel. However However, it is preferred that the wheel comprises a multi-part structure. The above wheel is It is advantageous to spend the evening with Bu and Rim. The hub forms the rim of the wheel Preferably, the disc-shaped member comprises two disc-shaped members having circumferential edges regularly spaced apart. stomach. The rim may be of a rigid construction in whole or in part. However, above The rim is formed at least in part from a flexible or elastic member. is preferred.

The golf ball receiver may be mounted as part of the rim of the collector wheel or It can be formed as a removable tire that can be fixed to the rim.

If the golf ball receiver is formed as part of the rim, the golf ball receiver is formed as part of the rim. The rim includes a continuous circumferential groove adapted to frictionally engage the golf ball. It is preferred to have an annel or an open slot. The wall of the groove above is Make sure that the golf ball is uneven so that it will frictionally engage the groove. or can be streaked. The wall of the above groove is inside from the above circumference. The golf ball is pushed into the groove like a wedge. It is advantageous to be able to

If the golf ball receiver is formed as a removable tire, the upper Place the tire in the groove of the rim or over the disc at a certain distance apart. It can be inserted as shown. The above tire has a thin wall having a roughly V-shaped cross section. It is a circular ring of elastic material surrounded by . The inner wall of the above tire has a golf ball on top. It narrows inward so that it can be wedged between the walls. is advantageous.

The golf ball receiving means firmly grips the golf ball or frictionally grips the golf ball. When engaging a golf ball with a The removing machine is equipped with an ejector. The above removing machine removes the above golf from the above collector. The top can be a stopper that engages the golf ball to remove the ball. The golf ball falls into the container. The above removing machine removes the above mentioned upper circumference of the above mentioned wheel. Preferably, the finger plate extends tangentially to the enclosure. Where grooves are used If so, the finger plate can extend into the groove. above finger The plate is in the shape of a letter ``■'' and is designed to rotate in the direction in which the golf ball will roll before falling into the container. There is a section along the line that communicates with the delivery chute. It is advantageous.

The guide of the golf ball may be biased by its own weight or by a biasing means such as a spring. Therefore, it can be biased toward the surface. However, the above golf ball Preferably, the lever is attached to the end of the guide pivot arm and is biased under its own weight.

The above guide is activated by a combination of its own weight and another biasing means such as a spring. It is advantageous to make it biased. The other end of the rotating arm of the above guide is a guide frame member. Preferably, it is rotatably connected to. Above guide frame member are the rotating arm of the collector wheel and the frame of the collector wheel. It can be a frame member or other frame member. The golf ball above The guide can include a single guide member or multiple guide members. the above The golf ball guide can be transferred along with the golf ball receiver (alie A guide mouse is preferably provided. The guide arm is the guide arm above. It is preferable to make it narrower to the user.

Support surface around the guide of the golf ball (bearing surface) can be in contact with a surface that moves around for only part of the time it travels, or Or you can follow the surface continuously. In this latter type, the A wheel or roller can be used.

The guide for the golf ball travels over the surface as it moves around. Preferably, one guide wheel can be provided. using two wheels It is preferable to use The above guide wheel should be placed on either side of the above guide mouse. or the guide mouth can be formed. in a certain model The above guides are adjacent to the above guides with their narrow ends located in the mouse It is of the type of two opposing truncated conical rollers. For other models, straight The guide plate is located in front of the guide wheel.

The guide plate is spaced a certain distance from the surface that moves about, and Preferably, the guide wheel moves up and down as it traces said surface.

In order that the present invention may be more easily understood and put into practice, the accompanying drawings have been included. Reference marks are attached to the surface.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a golf ball recovery machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a preferred golf ball collector according to the present invention. It is.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the golf ball collector, ie, the rear side of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the collector of FIG. 2.3.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view passing through the center of the collector of Figure 2.3, and Figure 6.7 is FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective view showing a further preferred embodiment of the recovery machine according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, first, in FIG. 1, the golf ball recovery machine IO is shown in a plan view. It is shown. In this illustrated example, the golf ball recovery I! 10 is towing Although it can be dragged behind a vehicle (not shown), the recovery machine of the present invention as if dragged or pushed across the It will be appreciated that it can be made to extend.

The recovery machine 10 includes a pull rod 11 and a main frame 12. gathered Five containers 13 for golf balls are attached to the main frame 12. It is. Wheels 14 are attached to both ends of shaft 15. Main page above The frame 12 includes a rear rail 16 extending across the collector 10.

A plurality of golf ball collectors 17 rotate independently with respect to the rail 16. Connect the above rail with pivot connections 18 so that It is rotatably connected to the lever 16. Each collector 17 has a golf ball guide 2. 0 and a collector wheel 19 located behind the golf ball removal Ia 21. Ru. The upper end of the recovery machine 10 is cut out to show the golf ball guide 20. It's dark. The collector wheel is the end of the collector wheel rotation arm 22. It is rotatably attached to the section.

Certain preferred golf ball collectors are described below with respect to Figures 2-5 of the drawings. It is.

Front and rear perspective views of golf ball collector 17 with reference to FIG. 2.3 are shown respectively. The golf ball collector I7 is placed all over the surface of the golf ball. Move around and collect golf balls from the surface and transfer said golf balls to a container It is done like this. The collector wheel 19 is the collector wheel shaft 2 3 is rotatably attached to the end of the collector wheel rotation arm 22. . When the collector wheel 19 is biased against the surface by its own weight, Both move up and down around the rotational connection part 18 attached to the frame member 24. to trace the undulations of the surface on which said collector wheel 19 is moved around. Ru.

The golf ball guide 25 is in contact with the surface of the collector wheel 19. It is located in front of the periphery 26. Golf ball above The guide 25 rotates on a rotation shaft 28 attached to the frame member 24. It is attached to the ball guide rotating arm 27.

The above-mentioned golf ball guide moves depending on its own weight and the combination of the biasing spring 29. The biasing springs 29 are biased against the surface being moved about. It is fixed at one end 30 to the collector wheel pivot arm 22. Above bias The other end 31 of the spring is fixed to a plate 32 (this is shown more clearly in FIG. ). When the guide rotation arm 27 rotates around 28, the spring roller 3 3 is taken by the spring roller housing 34 and runs along the spring roller housing 34. roll. Therefore, the spring roller housing is connected to the collector wheel rotating arm. The movement of the guide rotation arm 27 with respect to the arm 22 is restricted. It's illustrated uni, the supporting surface of the guide (guide bearing) ) is achieved by the guide wheel 501.

The golf ball guide 25 has a guide mouth on the board 32. ) 36. The plate 32 is The roller 33 is attached only to the spring end 31 of the spring roller housing 34. Move freely when moving back and forth within. In this way, the guide mouse 3 6 is held substantially in line around the periphery 26 of said collector wheel 19.

The collector wheel is a golf ball, in this case a grooved rim 37. A receiver is provided, and the rim 37 receives the golf ball passing through the guide mouth. Pushed in. Finger plate 3 of V-shaped cross section (one end of which is seen at 39) Eight types of golf ball removal means extend into the groove 37. Push into groove 37 The inserted golf ball is removed by the finger 38 and the golf ball is removed from the shoe. It rolls along a chute 40. The end 41 of the chute is usually located on the basket 53 (see Figure 6.7) where the golf balls that have been hit are stored. are doing.

The frame member 24 is such that the collector 17 is connected to the main frame 12 (see Fig. It is provided with a hole 42 so that it can be attached to the rear rail 16 of (see).

Referring to FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of the collector 17 of FIG. 2.3 is shown. and similar numbers are used to indicate similar features. as shown , the collector wheel has a three-part structure. removable tab two ears 44 having peripheral edges 43 mounted thereon and spaced apart; The disc-shaped member 42 is assembled to form the collector wheel. It is. The tire 44 is made of an elastic material and has the grooves 37 formed therein. Ru. The groove wall 45 is pinched inward, and the golf ball is forced into the groove 37. . The bearing 46 is housed within the hub 47.

The disc-shaped member is attached to a fixing bolt 48 (see Fig. 2-3) separated between the legs. Therefore, they are fixed together. In order to replace the tire 44, the shaft 23 is removed, and the bolt 48 is removed so that the disc-shaped member can be handled easily. Then, the tire 44 is replaced.

Referring to FIG. 5, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of the collector in FIG. I will now explain the operation of the rector. Similar numbers are used to indicate similar features. It is.

As illustrated, the collector 17 moves upward on a slightly inclined surface 49. It is shown. The golf ball 25 is placed around the collector wheel 19. 26 on the inclined surface. Therefore, the above guide wheel The wheel 50 is located at a constant distance from the undulations traced by the collector wheel 19. It follows the undulations of the surface at a distance.

The guide 25 is shown approaching the golf ball 51, and its path is Indicated by dot-dash outline . After the golf ball 5I passes through the guide mount 36, the golf ball 5I passes through the guide mount 36. The ball is pushed into said groove 37 and moves towards the finger plate 38 at position 52. carried upwards, as shown. Then, the finger plate 38 is After removing the golf ball in the recording groove 37, the golf ball is placed in the basket (Fig. (not shown) roll along the unit 40 as shown at position 53 so that it falls into the Ru.

Arrangement of the plate 32, spring 29, spring roller 33, and spring roller housing 34 is such as to maintain the relative positioning of the guide mouth 36 with respect to the groove 37. It has become a thing. Therefore, the guide wheel 51 allows the guide mouse to A substantially constant guiding geometry with respect to the groove 37 It is possible to move over undulations while maintaining the same eometry.

With reference to Figure 6.7, yet another embodiment of the invention is shown in a cutaway perspective view. . Although only the respective ends of the retrieval machine are shown, some such retrieval machines can be It is said that it can be attached end-on-end to the tether. That will be understood. FIG. 6 shows the golf ball recovery machine 10 in the recovery position. ing. That is, as the series of collector wheels 19 are moved around, contacting the surface. As seen in FIG. 6, the bar 54 is It runs along the back of the aircraft. Said recovery machine (only one is shown in Figure 6) The rod extensions 55 at each end of the rod extend from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. You can move the above stick with . Similarly, the collector 17 is connected to the rail 16 and pivoted upwardly about the portion rotatably connected to the above position shown in FIG. The collector 17 is not moved around by the support 54. It is held away from the surface where it is exposed. The above collector as shown in Figure 7 Position 17 is a moving position so that the recovery machine can be dragged quickly.

Some golf ball retrieval machines of the type shown in Figure 6.7 are arranged in tandem. An additional front support wheel 56 can be coupled and to facilitate this coupling. and an end bracket 57. Golf ball deflection plate (def 1e ctors) 58 is located in front of the wheel 56. The above collection machines are interchangeable. A suitable connection (not shown) is attached to the opposing bracket 570 for rotation relative to the can be used between sets.

The position of the wheel 14 in Figure 6.7 is coaxial with the axis of the collector wheel 19 mentioned above. be. As a result, the rotational movement of the recovery machine is improved, and the recovery machine does not have to rotate. damage to the lawn caused by the above collector wheel when It can be reduced.

Although the foregoing has been illustrated by the illustrated examples of the invention, modifications and variations of the invention Improvements lie within the broad scope and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from this.

Submission of translation of written amendment (Article 184-7, Paragraph 1 of the Patent Act) September 20, 1999

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Collect golf balls or equivalent with a dragable frame a retrieval device for use in a rotating disk or its equivalent positioned in parallel with said rotating disk; The frame is fixed to a separate axle, each axle is fixed to a frame, and each frame is fixed to a frame. The arm is vertically rotatable and the rotating disc or its equivalent is continuously a surrounding housing disposed in line with the guide means and having an upper circumferential housing; The guide means is adapted to guide a golf ball or the like into the housing. The guided golf ball is engaged with the housing and device by which it is transferred into a storage container.