JPH0673558B2 - Golf ball picking device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf ball pick-up device for collecting a golf ball on a driving range.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, there are various golf ball pick-up devices for collecting golf balls at a golf driving range. For example, a large number of discs are rotatably arranged at regular intervals in the rear part of an automobile, the discs are rotated as the automobile travels, and a golf ball on the ground is sandwiched between the discs and picked up. The format is one example.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) According to the conventional golf ball pick-up device of the type using the above-mentioned disc, since the disc is attached to the rear part of the automobile,
A golf ball may be stomped by the tire of an automobile before being collected by a disc, and the golf ball may be buried in the ground and cannot be collected. Further, since the large number of discs are supported by a single common shaft, if the ground is uneven, many discs will not come into contact with the ground and efficient collection of balls cannot be performed. It was Therefore, the conventional golf ball pick-up device of this type has a problem that the usable range is extremely limited on the condition that the ground is flat and the ground is hard enough to prevent the golf ball from slipping in. Furthermore, since it is not possible to change the direction of each ball pick-up unit, when the car turns, the entire ball pick-up unit is forcibly dragged along with the body of the car during the walking of the car. As a result, the ball pick-up unit rubs the ground in an oblique direction, which causes an excessive force on the ball pick-up device, the ball cannot be picked up smoothly, and the ground is damaged.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art, even if the ground is uneven, or even on soft ground, it is possible to reliably and efficiently recover the golf ball, And, when a car equipped with a golf ball pick-up device changes its direction, each ball pick-up unit is automatically directed to the traveling direction of the car,
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball pick-up device that does not apply excessive force to the ball pick-up device, can smoothly pick up the ball even when the car is turning, and does not damage the ground. .

(Means for Solving the Problem) A first invention according to the present application is to provide a connecting plate arranged in an automobile in a direction orthogonal to a traveling direction thereof, and to the connecting plate in a direction perpendicular to the connecting plate. A plurality of shafts rotatably provided side by side along the connecting plate, a trailing arm rotatably connected to each of these shafts in a vertical plane, and a trailing arm connected toward the rear of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and It has a ball pick-up unit respectively connected to the trailing arm.

A second invention according to the present application is a connecting body which is attached to a vehicle so as to project in the traveling direction thereof, and a parallel link mechanism which is connected to the connecting body and includes a connecting plate in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the vehicle. A plurality of shafts that are arranged side by side along the connecting plate so as to be rotatable relative to the connecting plate that constitutes this parallel link mechanism in the vertical direction, and each of these shafts can rotate within a vertical plane. And a trailing arm connected rearward in the traveling direction of the vehicle, a ball pick-up unit connected to each trailing arm, and a steering mechanism for inclining the parallel link mechanism according to the steering operation of the vehicle. It is characterized by having.

(Operation) According to the first aspect of the invention, since each ball pick-up unit is independently rotatably connected in the vertical plane via the trailing arm, each ball pick-up unit responds to unevenness of the ground. Move up and down. Also, since each ball pick-up unit is connected via a vertical shaft rotatably provided on the connecting plate and a trailing arm connected to this shaft, when the vehicle changes its traveling direction, The ball pick-up unit of each also automatically faces the traveling direction of the car.

Further, according to the second invention, the parallel link mechanism is tilted in accordance with the steering operation of the automobile, the connecting plate that constitutes the parallel link mechanism, and the vertical axis rotatably provided on the connecting plate, The individual ball pick-up units connected via a trailing arm connected to this shaft are all directed in the steering direction of the vehicle.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of a golf ball pick-up device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 25 denotes an automobile. A pair of left and right connecting bodies 10 are fixed to a bumper 18 fixed to the front part of the automobile 25 by a mounting plate 19 and bolts 20. A golf ball pick-up device 1 is supported. However, in the drawing, only the connecting body 10 on the right side when viewed from the front of the automobile 25 is drawn.

In FIGS. 1 and 8 to 10, a golf ball picking-up device 1 includes two discs 2 and 2 arranged facing each other with a constant gap slightly wider than the diameter of the golf ball. Elastic bodies 2 provided on the peripheral portions of the surfaces of the disks 2, 2 facing each other
It has a disc unit 30 consisting of two. Disc unit 30
Has an axis 16 in its center. The disc unit 30 constitutes a ball pickup unit.

In FIGS. 1 to 7, the disk unit 30 is its shaft.
A holding bar 3 rotatably supports 16 in a vertical plane. The holding bar 3 extends in the radial direction from between the pair of discs 2, 2 and holds the golf ball in the disc unit 30.
It integrally has a detaching member 4 for detaching from.
The detaching member 4 extends obliquely upward from between the pair of discs 2, 2 and a guide cylinder 23 for guiding the golf ball to the container 17 is integrally formed downward at the tip thereof. The disc unit 30 and the holding bar 3 constitute a disc unit assembly 35.

The disk unit assemblies 35 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the plurality of automobiles 25 and individually suspended. This independent suspension mechanism is configured as follows. The pair of connecting bodies 10
A rotary shaft 11 is vertically supported on each of the tip ends of the. One end of each arm 12 is fixed to the upper end of each rotary shaft 11. A vertical shaft 13 is provided at the tip of each arm 12 extending forward, and one end of a wire 14 is connected to each vertical shaft 13. The other end of each wire 14 is connected to the steering mechanism of the automobile 25, and the wire 14 is pulled according to the steering operation on the automobile 25 side to rotate the arm 12 left and right about the axis 11 in the horizontal plane. . A first connecting plate 9 is connected between the lower ends of the shafts 11. One end of the holding plate 7 is fixed to the lower end of each shaft 11. Therefore, the arm 12, the shaft 11 and the holding plate 7 are substantially integrally connected. Each holding plate 7 is arranged horizontally and in a state of protruding forward,
Between the left and right holding plates 7 as seen from the front of the second connecting plate 8 with both ends of the second connecting plate 8 through the vertical shaft 6.
Is rotatably connected with respect to. First connecting plate 9
A plurality of vertical shafts 28 are supported at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction. Similarly, the same number of vertical shafts 29 as the shafts 28 are rotatably supported in the longitudinal direction of the second connecting plate 8 at regular intervals. The same holding plate 7 as the holding plate 7 is connected between the one shaft 28 and the other one shaft 29. A parallel link mechanism 40 is formed by the first connecting plate 9, the second connecting plate 8, the shafts 11, 6, 28, 29 and the holding plate 7.
Is constituted by the steering mechanism of the automobile 25.
When 12 is rotated left and right, the second connecting plate 8 moves left and right in parallel to the first connecting plate 9, whereby each holding plate 7 moves left and right in the horizontal plane about the axis 28. It rotates and tilts with respect to the traveling direction of the automobile 25.

The pair of left and right shafts 6 and 29 extend downward. At the lower ends of the shafts 6 and 29, the tip ends of the holding bars 3 of the disc unit assemblies 35 are vertically supported by the fulcrum shaft 5. They are connected to each other so that they can rotate relative to each other. A ball shelter bar 15 is integrally provided on the side surface of each of the holding bars 3. The ball shelter bar 15 is arranged in front of the disc units 30 and downward between the disc units 30. The ball shelter bar 15 is for removing the golf ball 21 that tries to enter between the disc units 30 and driving it between the two discs 2 and 2 forming each disc unit 30.

The plurality of disc units 30 are arranged over a range wider than the width of the automobile 25.

Mounting arms 24 are fixed to the pair of connecting bodies 10 while extending downward, and a container 17 is fixed between the lower ends of the mounting arms 24. The container 17 is open below the outlet of the guide cylinder 23 of each disk unit 30.

The golf ball pick-up device described above can be made by appropriately combining materials such as metal, plastic, rubber, and sponge.

Now, when the vehicle 25 is moved forward, the disks 2 rotate while contacting the ground in a form of being pulled by the trailing arm-shaped holding bar 3, and the golf balls 21 scattered on the ground are shown in FIG. , Each disk unit as shown in FIG.
It is sandwiched between the elastic bodies 22 of the two discs 2 and 2 of 30. Since the golf ball 21 is sandwiched between the elastic bodies 22, both large balls and small balls can be reliably sandwiched. Disk 2,2
The golf ball 21 sandwiched between the elastic bodies 22 of the
It is lifted behind the discs 2 and 2 as it rotates.
The lifted golf ball 21 eventually hits the detaching member 4 and is pushed out of the discs 2, 2. The pushed golf ball 21 falls into the guide cylinder 23, is guided by the guide cylinder 23, is discharged on the container 17, and is housed in the container 17.
The golf ball 21 housed in the container 17 is carried and housed on a loading platform or the like of the automobile 25 by an appropriate carrying device. The golf ball 21 attempting to enter between the disc units 30 is eliminated by the ball shelter bar 15 as described above, and is driven between the two discs 2 and 2 forming each disc unit 30. .

The trailing arm-shaped holding bar 3 is connected to the shaft 6 or the shaft 29 rotatably provided in the vertical direction on the connecting plate 8 by the shaft 5, and the disk unit 30 is connected to the holding bar 3. As the vehicle 25 changes its traveling direction, each disk unit 30 automatically rotates in the horizontal plane about the axis 6 or 29 and changes its direction to the traveling direction of the vehicle 25. As a result, the golf ball in the traveling direction of the automobile can be efficiently collected.

When the traveling direction of the automobile 25 changes due to the operation of the steering device of the automobile 25, the parallel link mechanism 40 operates in conjunction with this and each disk unit 30 tilts in the traveling direction of the automobile 25. Golf balls scattered around
21 can be efficiently recovered.

Further, since each disc unit 30 is independently suspended by the trailing arm-shaped holding bar 3,
When the ground has unevenness, each disk unit 30 moves up and down individually according to the unevenness, and the golf ball 21 on the ground can be collected reliably and efficiently without being left over.

Since the plurality of disc units 30 are arranged over a range wider than the width of the automobile 25, the golf ball 21 on the ground on which the wheels of the automobile 25 pass has already been collected, and the uncollected golf ball 21 is the automobile 25. Can't be trampled on by the wheels of.

The other end of the wire 14 whose one end is connected to the steering mechanism may be connected to the connecting plate 8 or the shaft 6, or the outside holding plate 7
May be connected to.

The elastic body 22 does not necessarily have to be provided on both inner side surfaces of the pair of discs 2 and 2, and may be provided only on the inner side surface of one disc 2. In addition, if the circumference of the disk 2 on which the elastic body 22 is provided is bent inward, this bent edge portion is elastic.
22 It has the effect of preventing curling.

The container 17 containing the collected balls 21 may be held by the holding body 7 via a holding arm. In this case, since the container 17 also moves along with the horizontal movement of the holding body 7,
The connection between the holding arm and the container 17 needs to be relatively rotatable.

(Effect of the Invention) According to the first invention of the present application, since each ball pick-up unit is independently rotatably connected in the vertical plane via the trailing arm, each ball pick-up unit is not grounded. The golf ball can move up and down independently according to the unevenness of the golf ball and can be reliably collected without leaving the golf ball on the uneven ground. Also, since each ball pick-up unit is connected via a vertical shaft rotatably provided on the connecting plate and a trailing arm connected to this shaft, when the vehicle changes its traveling direction, Each of the ball pick-up units also automatically turns in the traveling direction of the automobile, and the golf balls scattered in the traveling direction of the automobile can be efficiently collected.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present application, the parallel link mechanism is tilted in accordance with the steering operation of the vehicle, and the connecting plate that constitutes the parallel link mechanism and the vertical direction rotatably provided on the connecting plate. The individual ball pick-up units connected via the shaft and the trailing arm connected to this shaft are simultaneously directed to the steering direction of the vehicle, so that the individual ball-pickup units are reliably directed to the traveling direction of the vehicle. As a result, golf balls scattered in the traveling direction of the automobile can be collected more efficiently.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a method and apparatus for picking up a golf ball according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same as above, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a different operation mode of the above embodiment, and FIG. Is a front view of the above embodiment, FIG. 5 is a side view showing an operation mode of the disk unit in the above embodiment, FIG. 6 is a front view of the same as above, and FIG. 7 is a line A-A in FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line, FIG. 8 is a front view showing an operation mode of the disk unit in the above embodiment,
The drawing is a front view of the disk unit, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2 ... Disc, 3 ... Holding bar, 4 ... Removal member, 10 ...
… Coupling, 11 …… Vertical axis, 15 …… Ball bar, 17…
… Container, 21 …… Golf ball, 22 …… Elastic body, 23 …… Guide cylinder, 25 …… Car, 35 …… Disc unit assembly,
40 ... Parallel link mechanism.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connecting plate (8) arranged in a vehicle in a direction orthogonal to its traveling direction, and a connecting plate (8) rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the connecting plate (8) and with respect to the connecting plate (8). A plurality of shafts (6, 29) arranged side by side along the connecting plate (8) and each of these shafts (6, 29) so as to be rotatable within a vertical plane and toward the rear in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A golf ball pick-up device comprising a trailing arm (3) connected to each other and a ball pick-up unit connected to each trailing arm (3). 2. The golf ball pick-up according to claim 1, wherein the ball pick-up unit comprises a disc unit composed of two discs which are arranged so as to face each other with a constant space and are rotatably provided. apparatus. 3. A connecting body (10) to be mounted on a vehicle so as to project in the traveling direction, and a connecting plate (8, 9) connected to the connecting body (10) in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the vehicle. And a parallel link mechanism that includes a parallel link mechanism that includes a parallel link mechanism that is rotatable in a direction vertical to the link plate that constitutes the parallel link mechanism, and that is rotatable with respect to the link plate.
A plurality of shafts (6, 29) arranged side by side along with each other, and a trailing rotatably connected to each of these shafts (6, 29) in the vertical plane and toward the rear in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A golf ball pick-up device comprising an arm (3), a ball pick-up unit connected to each trailing arm (3), and a steering mechanism for inclining the parallel link mechanism according to a steering operation of an automobile.