DE9422258U1 - Device for removing weed growth on plants such as paths, squares and parks - Google Patents

Description

Günther Weiss .**.t* ^J * *'\i «*·..··,

Rheingoldstraße 21 .· :*····· &idigr;··&iacgr;· ·*···· *

77855 Achern ·* ·· ·· * ··*

08- March 1994

Device for removing weeds from areas such as paths, squares and parks

The invention relates to a device for removing weed growth on paths, squares, parks, etc., which in particular have a covering of gravel, sand, crushed stone or the like, with a device carrier which has at least one movable component on which at least one tool to be brought into contact with the ground is mounted. - .

Over time, wild herbs and weeds grow on the above-mentioned sites and must be removed at regular intervals. In the past, chemical pesticides were used for this purpose or the wild herbs were burned, but these are now both prohibited, at least in the commercial and municipal sectors.

Therefore, devices have been developed for removing weeds that have rotating brushes to pull out the weeds. Another version has a brush that is arranged transversely to the

Rotating ** * auger arranged in the direction of travel of the device, which penetrates the ground to a small extent. However, both of the devices mentioned have the disadvantage that they scatter and transport the upper soil covering to the side, so that a considerable amount of rework is necessary. In addition, the cleaning performance of the devices mentioned is not sufficient.

DE-PS 356 512 discloses a device for controlling weeds which has a large number of blades which can be submerged under the surface of the soil. When the device is moved, the %>' blades are also moved, which is intended to cut off the weeds. However, it has been shown that the efficiency of such a device is very low.

From DE 32 11 152 A1 it is known to attach several tools in the form of knives to a common tool carrier. The tools are immersed in the ground, while the tool carrier rotates. However, this type of procedure causes the ground surface to be disturbed to a great extent, so that considerable rework is also necessary.

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.. :;- The invention is based on the object of providing a device for

type mentioned above, which eliminates the disadvantages of previous devices and, in particular, ensures a high cleaning effect with only minimal damage to the floor.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the tool has a shoe-like base part which is provided at its front edge extending in the direction of travel and

its side edges have cutting edges with which it is at least partially immersed in the ground, and that the tool executes an oscillating movement essentially transverse to the direction of travel.

During operation, the shoe-like base part with its cutting edges is submerged under the surface layer of the surface to be worked on. The movement of the base part transverse to the direction of travel can be achieved by a linear oscillation movement or an oscillating swivel. It has proven useful to provide a frequency of about 400 min" ¹ for this. The oscillation movement of the tool is preferably achieved by moving the component mounted on the device body back and forth essentially transversely to the direction of travel. The cutting edges of the shoe-like base part tear out the weeds without tearing them off or cutting them off. The weeds are thrown to the surface, while the gravel, sand, etc. immediately fall back down, so that separation is achieved as a result of the force of gravity.

Preferably, the tool is tilted downwards in the direction of travel, as this ensures that the tool is safely immersed in the ground.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the base part is essentially plate-shaped and the cutting edges are formed by downwardly bent edge sections of the base part.

A cavity can be formed below the plate-shaped base part, delimited by the downwardly bent edge areas. The shoe-like tool is thus concave. The back of the

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The tool is not bent downwards and is therefore open. The cutting edges can also be designed in such a way that they are formed, for example, by edges that are at an angle to one another and converge at the front, i.e. have a triangular to arched configuration, with these cutting edges being connected to the component that is being moved back and forth via a connecting area.

The shoe-like tool can be in the form of a spade or shovel with the curve upwards. It can also be shaped like a paw or claw or have the shape of a blade, knife or scraper. It can also be curved upwards.
15

Instead of a plate-shaped base part with downwardly curved edge areas, a solid component with tapered side edges can also be used.

It has also proven to be advantageous if the surfaces between the cutting edges are larger than the cross-section of the connecting areas of the tool via which the tool is connected to the component being moved back and forth. In this way, blockages caused by weeds that have been pushed out of the ground, which contain not only the roots but also the soil between and around the roots, can be prevented. Widths in the order of between 2 cm and 10 cm and lengths in the order of between 2 cm and 10 cm, preferably between 3 cm and 8 cm, have proven to be useful.

It is advisable to use several tools in the

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The tools are arranged next to each other in at least one row, transverse to the direction of travel or movement. The tools should be spaced apart so that the movement paths of two adjacent tools overlap each other. It has proven particularly advantageous if two rows of tools are arranged one behind the other at a distance. The tools in the front row can work in the opposite direction to the tools in the back row. In order to achieve pre-processing with the tools in the front row and final processing with the tools in the back row, the tools in the front row can be designed differently to the tools in the back row.
15

All the tools in a row can be attached to a beam that moves back and forth, or one or more tools can be attached to a separate beam or lever that moves back and forth. In the latter embodiment, it can be useful if two adjacent tools are provided in pairs on a lever that acts as a two-armed lever and can be pivoted about an axis that is arranged at least approximately perpendicular to the surface to be worked on, so that both a pair of tools in the front row and a pair of tools in the back row are provided on this lever and the tools execute a circular arc-like pivoting movement.
30

Especially in the case of devices in which more than two tools are arranged in a row, it has proven to be particularly advantageous if at least the tools are not rigid but are mounted relative to the device.

and/or are arranged so that they can be moved relative to the lever and/or the beam. However, the beams or the levers on which one or more tools are attached can also be arranged so that they can be moved or pivoted relative to the device or to other components to which the levers, beams or the like are attached. In this way, the tools can adapt to the unevenness of the ground. The device carrier preferably consists of several sections that can be pivoted relative to one another and are adjustable in a polygonal manner. In this way, the device carrier can be adapted to the profile of a path to be worked on.

The tools can be held so that their height can be adjusted relative to the components that are moved back and forth, e.g. a beam that moves back and forth. The components that are moved back and forth can also be adjusted in height themselves. It can also be provided that the tools are held so that they can swing or tilt relative to the components that are moved back and forth or the components relative to the device, e.g. transversely to their direction of movement.

It can be advantageous if the movable tools or reciprocating components are acted upon by a force accumulator in the direction of the ground. The force accumulator ensures that a certain pressure is exerted on the working surfaces of the tools and that the cutting edges penetrate the ground as evenly as possible. Depending on whether the entire reciprocating component or only the tool is held movable relative to the device, it can be useful if either the reciprocating components or the tools are actuated by the force accumulator.

are loaded. A weight, e.g. an additional weight or the weight of the components being moved back and forth, or a spring can be provided as the energy storage device. However, an energy storage device that works with a pressure medium, e.g. an energy storage device that works with a hydraulic medium or a hydraulic motor, can also serve as the energy storage device.

When using two-armed levers as a carrier for one pair of tools in the front row and one pair of tools in the rear row, it can be useful if the pivot axes of the levers on the outside of the device are mounted in a fixed position on the housing.

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^v " and the two-armed levers arranged between them are mounted so that they can be moved relative to the device. The arrangement can be such that one of the two-armed levers, e.g. one of the outer levers, can be driven by an oscillating drive of the device, the oscillating movement being transmitted to the other levers via a coupling. A cable stretched between the levers, a rod or a hydraulic system can be used as a coupling. It has also proven advantageous if the two-armed levers arranged between the two outer two-armed levers are guided so that they swing freely ,""■·:, and are supported on the device via a force accumulator.

Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawing. They show:

Figure 1 A device in view,

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Figure 2 Figure 3

Figure 4 Figure 5

Figure 6 Figure 6a

Figure 7

Figure 7a Figure 7b

Figure 8

Figure 9 Figure

Figure 10a The device, according to Figure 1 in plan view,

An enlarged view of section III-III in Figure l,

Section IV-IV in Figure 3,

An enlarged view of section V-V in Figure 2,

Section VI-VI in Figure 4,

A partially sectioned view of Figure 6,

An enlarged view of section VII-VII in Figure 2,

The section VIIa-VIIa in Figure 7,

A view in the direction of arrow VIIb in Figure 7a,

An enlarged view of section VIII-VIII in Figure 1,

The section IX-IX in Figure 8,

An enlarged view of area X in Figure 8,

A view from the direction of arrow Xa,

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Figure 10b Figure 11

Figure 11a Figure 11b Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 16 Figure 17

Figure 18 Figure 19 A view from the direction of arrow Xb,

A representation of section XI-Xl in Figure 9,

A section XIa-XIa in Figure 11, A section XIb-XIb in Figure 11,

A device according to another embodiment in view and half covered,

A top view of the device according to Figure 12,

A section XIV-xiv in Figure 13, A section XV-XV in Figure 14, A section XVI-XVI in Figure 15,

A view from the direction of arrow XVII-XVII in Figure 13,

An enlarged view of the cutting wheel according to Figure 17 and

A side view of the cutting wheel according to Figure 18.

Figures 1 and 2 show a device 1 for removing weeds, which is attached to the front area of a known self-propelled single-axle tractor that can be steered by means of handlebars, which has a boom 2 and a rotating drive shaft 3. The drive shaft 3 drives a gear arranged in a housing 4, which imparts a reciprocating movement to a crank rod 6 via a crank drive 5. The drive axle, the gear, the motor, the handlebars and the drive wheels arranged behind the area of the drive shaft 3 shown are not shown. The direction of travel is designated A.

A frame 7 is attached to the housing 4 and consists of lower cross members 8, 9 and an upper cross member 10, support struts 11, 12 and cross connections 13, 14. The frame 7 extends essentially perpendicular to the direction of travel A.

On the lower cross members 8,9, on each side of the device, a two-armed lever 15,16 is pivotably mounted via a bearing block 18,18a. The bearing block 18, which is shown in more detail in Figure 5, contains an upper and lower bearing 19,20, each with a roller bearing 21,22, via which a shaft 23 is pivotally mounted in the cross member 8.

The bearing block 18a for a shaft 23a on the other side of the device is constructed or arranged in a mirror image to the bearing block 18.

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Each of the two-armed levers 15,16 has a sleeve 24,24a at its front end and a corresponding sleeve 25,25a at its rear end, as can also be seen for the lever 16 in connection with Figures 3 and 4.

As can be seen from Figures 6 and 6a, the sleeve 25 surrounds a flange 27 via a rubber bearing 26.

a rod 28, which is thus angularly movable relative to the sleeve 24 and the two-armed lever 16. In each of the sleeves 24,25,24a,25a of the outer two-armed levers 15,16, a rod 28,29 or

28a,29a stored or held.

Cross braces 30,31 and 30a,31a connect the bars 28, 29 and 28a,29a to one another, so that a frame 32,32a is formed which can be pivoted around the shafts 23,23a in accordance with the arrows B,B.^A pivoting or swinging holder for the frames 32,32a is formed in accordance with the arrows C via a rubber bearing for the bars 28,29; 28a, 29, so that the tools 60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,60a,61a,62a,63a,64a,65a, 66a,67a attached to the frame 32,32a can adjust to uneven ground.

Between the two two-armed levers 15, 16 or the frames 32, 32a, two further two-armed levers 33, 33a are arranged, which each carry a cross strut 34, 35 or 34a, 35a at the front and rear ends, as can also be seen in connection with Figures 8 and 9 for the lever 33a.

Each of the levers 33,33a carries a sleeve 36,37 and 36a,37a respectively at its front and rear ends.

The frames 32,32a and the two-armed levers 16,15 also carry sleeves 38,39 and 38a,39a respectively.

As already mentioned, one end of the crank rod 6 is fixed to the crank mechanism 5. The other end of the crank rod 6 is articulated to the two-armed lever 16 via a joint connection 6a, whereby the oscillating movements of the crank mechanism 5 are transmitted to the lever or the frame 3 2 and pivoting movements are generated in accordance with the arrows B.

A rope, preferably a wire rope 40, is attached to the sleeve 38 via a clamp connection 41. The rope 40 runs to the sleeve 36, wraps around it (the rope is secured to the sleeve via a clamp connection 42), runs further to the sleeve 36a, to which it is clamped via a clamp connection 43, and from there further via a tension spring 44 to the sleeve 38, to which the rope 40 is secured via a clamp connection 45, as can also be seen from Figures 7, 7a and 7b.

A cable 47 is also attached to the sleeve 39 attached to the rear end of the two-armed lever 16 via a clamping connection 46 and runs around the sleeve 37 with the interposition of a tension spring 48, to which it is fixed via a clamping connection 49. From the sleeve 37 it runs to the sleeve 37a, to which it is fixed via a clamping connection 50. The cable 47 wraps around the sleeve 37a and runs from there to the sleeve

39a, where it is also clamped via a clamp connection 51.

The guidance of the cable 47 in the area of the arm 33a is shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10.

Via the lower cable 40 or 47, which is constantly tensioned by the springs 44,48, the pivoting movement is transmitted from the lever 16 to the other levers 33,33a,15 according to the arrows B, so that the levers 16,33,33a and 15 are coupled to one another.

While the two-armed levers 15 and 16 are mounted on the shafts 23 and 23a, respectively, the other levers 33, 33a are not mounted on the shaft 23 and 23a, respectively, but are held solely by the cable 40, 47. In the case of the freely suspended levers 33 and 33a, the guidance of the cable 40 and 47 is selected such that the cable 40, which runs from the left side to the sleeve 36a as shown in Figure 8, runs in from above, runs around the sleeve 36a and leaves the sleeve 36a below the incoming cable area. In the case of the other sleeve 37a, the cable 47 is guided - coming from the left to the sleeve 37a, wraps around it and runs over the incoming end to the sleeve 37 of the other lever 33.

With the lever 33, the cables 40 and 47 are guided in an analogous manner, i.e. the cable 40 runs analogously to the lever 33a, coming from the left, from above onto the sleeve 36, wraps around it and runs out below. With the sleeve

• 37 of the lever 33, the cable runs from the left in from below and from above to the right to the spring 48.
5

The levers 33 and 33a are supported on the lower cross members 8,9 with the interposition of a support spring 55,55a each and, due to the guidance by means of the cable, are variable in height as well as in their lateral position, whereby they can compensate for unevenness in the ground in a simple and effective manner.

- _: On each of the two-armed levers 15,16,33,33a, a pair of tools 60,61, 62,63;62a,63a and 60a,61a is attached at the front end in the direction of travel A, ie in the front row A1. In the rear row A2, the tools 64,65 and 66,67 as well as 66a,67a and 64a,65a are attached.

'Each of these shoe-like tools, of which the tool 63a shown in Figure 9 is described with reference to Figures 11, 11a and 11b, has a substantially plate-like base part 63b, the front area 63g and the side areas 63d of which are bent downwards, so that a cavity 63c is formed below the base 63b, which is delimited by the downwardly bent areas 63d and 63g. The rear side of the base part 63b is not bent downwards, so that the cavity 63c is open at the rear. The ends of the downwardly bent areas 63d and 63g form cutting-like contours directed towards the ground, which penetrate into the ground both when the vehicle is moving in the direction of travel A and when the pivoting movement B is carried out, and remove the weed growth by means of the

three sides, out of the ground and transport it upwards.

The plate-like base part 63b is connected via a connecting web 63e to a half-shell 63f, via which the tools 63 are fastened to the rods or cross struts 28,29,34,35;34a,35a,29a,28a.

As can be seen in particular from Figure 11b, the plate-like base part 63b of the tools 63a is slightly inclined forwards and downwards. The final layer (covering layer) of the floor surface 70 consists, according to Figure 11b, of a layer of approximately 3 to 5 cm of mountain sand, grit or the like. When the tool is moved back and forth, at least the front downwardly curved area 63g of the plate-like base part 63b dips slightly into the ground and the edges cut or scrape out the weeds in the ground together with the root balls. The weeds and roots dry out within a short time and are thus destroyed. If necessary, the weeds can be removed, for example, by brushing them away, brushing them to the side, vacuuming them or removing them, e.g. using appropriate units provided on the device.

The movement paths and the arrangement of two adjacent tools are chosen so that the movement paths overlap each other.

The tools of the front row Al and the rear row A2' are arranged and guided in such a way that each floor area is covered several times.

However, the levers 33, 33a shown in Figures 1 and 2 can also be mounted on shafts 23a, 23 in a similar way to the arms 15, 16, as is explained below using the example of the lever 33a with reference to Figures 12 to 19.

Figures 12 and 13 show, similarly to Figures 1 and 2, the device 1 in elevation and plan view, but the device is covered by a cover 80 shown approximately halfway. In the lower area of the cover 80 there are circumferential _rubber strips.

Figure 14 shows a view of the device 1 according to the section XIV - XIV of Figure 13.

In Figure 13, the lever 15 can be seen with the two sleeves 24a, 25a and the rods 28a, 29a - but without the cross struts 3la, 30a of Figure 1 - and with the tools 61a, 60a as well as 65a and 64a. The lever 33a is also provided with the struts 34a and 35a and the tools 63a, 62a as well as 67a, 66a. The lever 33a, like the lever 33 (not shown), is mounted in the cross member 9 so that it can rotate or pivot via a shaft 82 and can also be axially displaced in height. This is explained in more detail in connection with Figure 15, which shows a section along the line XV - XV of Figure 13. The lever 33a is screwed to the shaft 82 with the interposition of a rubber cushion 83. The screws 84a have a certain amount of play in the recesses of the lever 33a as well as in the through holes of a plate 84b connected to the shaft 84. The shaft 84 is supported by plain bearings 85, which provide both a rotatable and pivotable bearing

the shaft 84 as well as an axial displacement of the same in the cross member 9. The spring 55 is provided between the cross member 9 and the lever 33a, as in Figure 1. A friction damper element 86 is provided which is under tension and is applied to the shaft 84 to dampen axial vibrations as well as torsional vibrations.

Similar to how the rods 28a, 29a are held in the sleeves 25a, 24a of Figures 1, 2 via a rubber bearing, the struts 34a, 35a in Figures 12, 13 and 15 are also attached to the lever 33a and the lever 33 (not shown) via rubber bearings, as is explained in more detail with reference to Figures 16 and 17. For this purpose, the lever 33a has a front and a rear sleeve 87, 88, in which the cross struts 34a, 35a are held in a pendulum manner via the rubber bearing 89 (of which the sleeve 87 is shown in section in Figure 16), insofar as the material properties of the rubber used or the openings in the disks 87a, 87b allow this. Each of the cross struts 34a, 35a projects into the strut 33a with a square extension 90, which is formed on a disk 91 connected to the cross strut 35a, 34a. The extension 90 allows a pendulum movement of the struts 35a, 34a, but prevents the tools from tipping in one direction around the shaft 34a. The extensions 90 can also be elastically mounted, e.g. in rubber bearings, so that the shafts (34a in Figure 14) and thus the tools (66a in Figure 14) have a certain flexibility or ability to pivot around the shafts (34a in Figure 14) or in or against the direction of movement A.

In Figure 14, the sleeves 36a, 37a can be seen again, around which the cables 40 and 47 are looped.

The pivotable or rotatable mounting of the levers 33a, 33 in the cross member 9 ensures that the levers are mounted precisely and without vibration. The axially displaceable mounting and the pivotable mounting of the levers 33a, 33 relative to the shaft 84 and the pivotable mounting of the shafts 34a, 35a and 35, 34 ensure that the corresponding working elements can be optimally adapted to uneven ground.

Just like the levers 34a,35a, the rods 28a,29a, 28,29 can be provided with a projection 90, as shown in connection with the rod 34a. The projection 90 prevents the corresponding tools from tipping over, so that no cross struts 31a,30a,31,30 as in Figure 1 are necessary.

As can be seen from Figures 17, 18 and 19, the device 1 also has an edge cutting device 95 which can be attached to the housing 80 via a holding arm 96. A guide sleeve 97, here square in shape, is attached to the holding arm 96, in which a square bar 98 is slidably guided. This square bar can be fixed at a fixed distance from the holding ^arm 96 via an adjusting screw 99, so that the height of the cutting wheel or pre-skimmer 100, which is rotatably mounted at the lower end of the square bar, can be adjusted. A stripping plate or a share 101 is also attached to the square bar 98, which, when moved forward in the direction of arrow A, cuts the

Cutting wheel 100 transports cut-off pieces of grass to the center of the device. These grass and earth balls are then also "worked" by the tools, with grass and roots being largely separated from the earth.

Claims (24)

1. Device for removing weed growth on paths, squares, parks, etc., which in particular have a covering of gravel, sand, crushed stone or the like, with a device carrier which has at least one movable component on which at least one tool to be brought into contact with the ground is mounted, characterized in that the tool (60, 60a, G1, 61a, 62, 62a, 63, 63a, 64, 64a, 65, 65a, 66, 66a, 67, 67a) has a shoe-like base part ( 63b ) which has cutting edges on its front edge pointing in the direction of travel (A) and its side edges with which it is at least partially immersed in the ground, and that the tool executes an oscillating movement which runs essentially transversely to the direction of travel. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tool is inclined downwards in the direction of travel. 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the base part ( 63 b) is essentially plate-shaped and the cutting edges are formed by downwardly bent edge regions ( 63 d, 63 g) of the base part ( 63 b). 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that a cavity ( 63 c) delimited by the downwardly bent edge regions ( 63 d, 63 g) is formed below the plate-shaped base part ( 63 b). 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the side edges run substantially perpendicular to the front edge. 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that several tools are arranged next to one another in at least one row (A1, A2) essentially transversely to the direction of travel (A). 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least some of the tools are mounted so as to swing or tilt transversely to their direction of movement. 8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least some of the tools are displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the ground. 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the component mounted on the device carrier can be moved back and forth substantially transversely to the direction of travel. 10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the tools are held so that their height can be adjusted relative to the reciprocating component. 11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the reciprocating skin part is guided so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction. 12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that at least one of the tools is acted upon by a force accumulator in the direction of the ground. 13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the energy accumulator is a weight or a spring. 14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that two tools are arranged one behind the other at a distance in the direction of travel. 15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the two tools arranged one behind the other work in opposite directions. 16. Device according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that several tools are arranged next to one another in a front row (A1) and a rear row (A2) and that the tools of each row are driven synchronously. 17. Device according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that two adjacent tools are attached in pairs to one end of a two-armed lever which can be pivoted about an axis running at least approximately perpendicular to the ground to be worked. 18. Device according to claim 17, characterized in that both a pair of tools of the front row (A1) and a pair of tools of the rear row (A2) are arranged on the two-armed lever. 19. Device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the two-armed lever is mounted in a pendulum manner. 20. Device according to one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that at least some of the tools are guided and/or mounted in such a way that the cutting edge leading in the direction of the reciprocating movement penetrates further into the ground than the trailing cutting edge. 21. Device according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the device has at least one two-armed lever between two outer two-armed levers, each of which carries a pair of tools of the front row (A1) and a pair of tools of the rear row (A2). 22. Device according to one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that a pair of adjacent tools of the front and/or rear row are arranged on a common crossbar which can be pivoted at least approximately transversely to the plane traversed during the reciprocating movement. 23. Device according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that one of the two-armed levers can be driven by an oscillating drive of the device. 24. Device according to claim 23, characterized in that all two-armed levers are coupled to one another in terms of drive.