WO2001068201A1 - Method for marking boundary lines on turf or stabilised playing surfaces and machine therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for marking lines on turf or stabilised playing grounds, and a machine for implementing said method. The method consists in: producing a cut in the ground of width at least equal to the line to be marked; and setting in the cut a strip of turf (12) having the colour of the line to be marked. The invention is applicable to outdoor playing grounds.

Description

 Method for drawing game lines on turf or stabilized terrains, and machine for carrying out this method

The present invention relates to a method for drawing game lines on turf or stabilized terrains, as well as to a machine for carrying out this method.

On a playing field it is necessary to materialize the different playing lines such as, for a stabilized playing field or in natural or synthetic grass, the center line, the outside contour of the field, the central circle, the line of twenty- two meters, the line delimiting the repair area; the course of these lines is obviously a function of the game played: football, rugby, field hockey, for example. This materialization is generally carried out by a white line using paints, lime, plaster which are deposited by hand or by means of machines of the hand spreader type. Such an operation must be carried out before each competition and as close as possible to the start of it, in order to ensure perfect quality, particularly with regard to the intensity of the white color of such a line: this requires having personnel in the previous twenty-four hours this competition especially when the weather is raining.

One of the aims of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for tracing game lines on turf or stabilized terrain, which makes it possible to minimize the interventions described above.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a method which is simple and economical to implement.

As has been said, the present invention also relates to a machine for carrying out this process, which is easy to operate. These aims, as well as others which will appear hereinafter, are achieved by a method for drawing game lines on turf or stabilized terrain, which is characterized, according to the present invention, by the fact that it comprises the following steps: a) a groove is made in the ground with a width at least equal to that of the line to be traced, and b) a strip of grass of the color of the line to be traced is laid in the bleed, and buries the edges of the lawn strip.

Advantageously, a strip of synthetic turf with long looped fibers is used on the surface for turf pitches and short for stabilized ones. Preferably, the method according to the present invention further comprises a step c) during which a charge of sand is made to enter the loops of the turf, then a step d) during which the turf is filled with rubber aggregates.

The present invention also relates to a machine for implementing the above method which is constituted by a chassis provided with rolling means on a ground and with propelling means, which machine is characterized in that it comprises, arranged front to rear in its direction of travel, excavation means for making a groove in this soil and means for depositing a strip of grass in this groove. Advantageously, this machine also includes burial means for folding down the lateral edges of the support for the lawn strip.

Preferably, this machine also comprises means for depositing loads in the strip of lawn in place.

Advantageously, this machine comprises, in front, means for excavating guide means so as to carry out the determined route.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the chassis of this machine comprises a front chassis and a rear chassis which are articulated relative to each other in a known manner. These front and rear chassis optionally include means for moving them vertically relative to each other.

Advantageously, the excavation means are located on the front chassis and are constituted, on the one hand, by an excavator wheel composed of two cutting discs, distant from the width of the tracing to be carried out and, on the other hand, a cylinder fitted with removable and adjustable knives which will ensure the cavity or horizontal groove. The diameter of the cutting discs is larger than that of the cylinder.

Preferably, in front of the excavation means, the front frame comprises, firstly, a brush roller and, secondly, a swather blade. Advantageously, the means for depositing a strip of grass are located on the front chassis and comprise means for unwinding a roll of this strip, guide and support means and means for burying the lateral strips of this strip.

Preferably, the guide and support means are constituted by first guide rollers of this strip arranged on the front frame and by a second guide and support roller located under this front chassis.

The description which follows and which does not have any limiting character, must be read with reference to the appended figures, among which: FIG. 1 represents a schematic side view of a machine according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the machine according to Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of a lawn strip for implementing the method according to the present invention; and, Figure 4 is a vertical section of a sports field at a game line made according to the method of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, a machine for drawing game lines on stabilized or turf, natural or synthetic, for outdoor games consists of a frame 1 provided with rolling means on the ground and means of propulsion. According to the present invention, this machine comprises, arranged from front to rear in its direction of advance shown in FIG. 1 by the arrow F, excavation means for making a grooving in this soil and means for lay a strip of grass in this groove.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, the chassis 1 comprises a front chassis 2 and a rear chassis 3 which are articulated relative to one another in a known manner. In addition, these chassis include means making it possible to vertically move the front chassis 2 relative to the rear chassis 3.

The rear chassis 3 is provided with rolling means which comprise driving wheels 4 situated towards its front and steered wheels 5 situated towards its rear. It supports propulsion means 6, known in themselves, driving the drive wheels 4 in particular to allow movement of the machine in the desired direction and at the prescribed speed.

The front chassis 2 is provided with excavation means for making a groove in the ground of a sports field, which are constituted, on the one hand, by an excavating wheel 7 composed of two cutting discs, 7a and 7b, distant from the width of the tracing to be carried out and, on the other hand, a cylinder 8 equipped with removable and adjustable knives which will ensure the cavity or horizontal groove: the diameter of the discs 7a and 7b is larger than that of the cylinder 8.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front frame 2 comprises in front of the excavation means, firstly, a roller brush 9 which has the function of throwing the excavated products in front of it and, secondly, a swather blade 10 in front of which the excavated products are thrown by the brush roller 9 and which has the role of pushing these products laterally.

Thus, this machine makes it possible to make, in the ground of the sports field, a groove whose width is at least equal to that of the tracing, that is to say of the line of play to be traced.

So that this machine performs the bleeding in accordance with the layout, it comprises guide means located for example on the front frame 2, such as a “guide wire” arm 11 cooperating with a wire stretched along the layout to be produced. The front chassis 2 also includes means for depositing a strip of grass in this groove. This strip of grass 12, which materializes the playing line, is constituted, as shown in FIG. 3, by a support 13 comprising a central strip of turf 14 whose width is that of the playing line. This central strip 14 is constituted white curly fibers imitating the lawn. Thus a strip of turf to be laid comprises a central strip of turf 14 and lateral strips formed by the single support 13.

The means for depositing a strip of grass 12 comprise means for unwinding a roll of this strip, guide and support means and means for burying the lateral strips. The unwinding means traditionally comprise journal supports on which is mounted a shaft supporting a roll of grass strip 12 to be unwound.

The guide and support means are constituted, according to this embodiment, by first guide rollers 15 of this strip 12 disposed on the front frame 2 and by a second guide roller 16 located under the front frame

2: this second guide roller 16 also has a support function. These guide and support means thus ensure the supply and the horizontal laying of the lawn strip 12 on the bottom of the groove.

The front frame 2 also includes burial discs 17 located behind the second guide roller 16, with respect to the direction of advance indicated by the arrow F. These burial discs 17 have the role of burying the lateral edges of the support 13 of the web of grass 12 in the grooves cut by the two cutting discs 7a and 7b on either side of the groove: this ensures that the strip 12 is held in position on the bottom of the groove. Finally, the rear chassis 3 comprises at least one reservoir per filler material such as sand, rubber aggregates for example without this list being limiting. Each tank is provided with a device for metering and spreading the filler material considered in the lawn strip 12: this makes it possible, on the one hand, to provide playing comfort which is close to that of natural grass and, on the other hand, a long life to such a synthetic grass.

When one wants to make a game line on a sports field, there is a guide wire along the outline of this line and it is passed through the “guide wire” arm 11 of the machine according to the present invention. This advancing thanks to the propulsion means 6 driving the drive wheels 4, the excavation means are used to make a horizontal grooving at a given depth relative to the surface of the playing field. Simultaneously, the beam grass 12 is unrolled and arranged on the bottom of the groove while the edges of the latter are buried by the burial discs 17: the bottom of the groove is therefore covered by the strip of artificial grass 14 colored with the strip 12. The width of the bleeding is at most equal to the regulatory width of the line of play to be drawn.

Finally, sand in precise quantity for filling the fibers constituting this synthetic grass.

Claims

REENDICATIONS 1. - Method for drawing game lines on turf or stabilized land, characterized in that it comprises the following stages: a) a groove is made in the ground with a width at least equal to that of the line to b) and b) a strip of grass (12) of the color of the line to be traced is placed in the groove, and the edges of the strip of grass are buried. 2. - Method according to claim 1, characterized in that one uses a strip of grass (1) synthetic long looped fibers on the surface. 3. - Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a step c) during which a sand load is made to enter the loops of the lawn. 4. - Method according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a step d) during which the grass is filled with rubber aggregates. 5. - Machine for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, consisting of a chassis (1) provided with rolling means on a ground and propulsion means, characterized in that it comprises , arranged from front to rear in its direction of advance, excavation means for making a groove in this soil, a means for depositing a strip of grass in said groove and burial means for folding down the edges of the lawn strip. 6. - Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises means for depositing charges in the strip of lawn in place. 7. - Machine according to any one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises in front of the excavation means of the guide means so as to achieve the determined route. 8. - Machine according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the chassis (1) comprises a front chassis (2) and a rear chassis (3) which are articulated one relative to the other in a known manner. 9. - Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the front chassis (2) and rear (3) comprise means for moving them vertically relative to each other. 10. - Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the excavation means are located on the front frame (2) and consist, on the one hand, by an excavator wheel (7) composed of two cutting discs (7a and 7b), distant from the width of the tracing to be carried out and, on the other hand, from a cylinder (8) equipped with removable and adjustable knives which will ensure the cavity or horizontal groove. 11. - Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the diameter of the cutting discs (7a and 7b) is larger than that of the cylinder (8). 12 - Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that in front of the excavation means, the front frame (2) comprises, firstly, a brush roller (9) and, secondly, a swather blade ( 10). 13. - Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the means for depositing a lawn strip (12) are located on the front frame (2) and comprise means for unwinding a roll of said strip, means for guide and support and means for burying the lateral strips of said strip. 14. - Machine according to claim 13, characterized in that the guide and support means are constituted by first guide rollers (15) of this strip 12 arranged on the front frame (2) and by a second roller guide and support (16) located under said front frame (2).