Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-31
2002-08-13
Herrmann, Allan D. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Elements
C074S522500, C074S526000, C015S405000, C123S002000, C403S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06431024
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. . Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backpack-type working machine such as a power blower, a power sprayer, or a brush cutter that comprises a mechanical unit (fan, reduction gear or the like) and a power unit (engine) on a shouldering frame and operates the power unit and the like by using a control device on a swingable arm.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 2A and 2B
show a power blower for cleaning as an example of a backpack-type working machine. While these figures relate to the present invention, the configuration or usages described herein for the mechanical unit and power unit are identical to that of the prior art. As shown in
FIGS. 2A and 2B
, an exemplary power unit, an engine
3
, and an exemplary mechanical unit, a fan
5
, are mounted on a shouldering frame
2
with a shouldering belt
2
a
. A flexible tube
6
is connected to an outlet of the fan
5
and has a discharge port (not shown) of cleaning air at an end thereof. An operator trying to clean trash or fallen leaves in a wide place, holding a discharge duct (not shown) at the end of the tube
6
and directing it to a spot to be cleaned, moves around in order to gather the trash or the like. A throttle lever
40
is provided at an end of a controller
10
mounted on a side of the shouldering frame
2
. The operator controls the speed (the number of revolutions per unit of time) of the engine
5
by using the lever
40
.
FIGS. 6A and 6B
show a configuration in which a controller is attached to the conventional backpack-type working machine. This working machine is described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-6780. A holder
20
′ is fixed to a side (left-hand side of the operator) of the shouldering frame
2
′. A base of an arm
30
′ of the controller
10
′ is connected to the holder
20
′ by means of a bolt
36
′ and a nut
37
′ through a spring
38
′. The bolt
36
′ is a pivot around which the arm
30
′ swings. The spring
38
′ sets a connecting force between the base of the arm
30
′ and the holder
20
′ to allow the arm
30
′ to swing while being braked moderately. The operator shoulders the working machine, swings the arm
30
′ of the controller
10
′ directed upward as shown in
FIG. 6A
toward a horizontal point where the arm
30
′ is easy-to-handle as shown in
FIG. 6B
, and then operates the throttle lever
40
′ at the end thereof.
In the conventional working machine, the holder
20
′ fixed to the shouldering frame
2
′ or the like and the base of the arm
30
′ which swings as described above are connected such that their contact surfaces
23
′,
33
′ are in close contact with each other as shown in FIG.
6
A. For this reason, the arm
30
′ swings on the surface
23
′ of the holder
20
′, that is, around the bolt
36
′ orthogonal to the surface
23
′.
In the illustrated example of
FIGS. 6A and 6B
, the arm
30
′ extends in a direction not orthogonal to the bolt
36
′ around which the arm
30
′ swings. Therefore, the end portion (throttle lever
40
′) of the arm
30
′ moves as shown by a virtual line “y” of
FIGS. 6A and 6B
along with the swing of the arm
30
′, and the arm
30
′ swings such that it turns on a conical plane.
In the conventional backpack-type working machine in which the contact surface
23
′ of the fixed holder
20
′ and the contact surface
33
′ of the base of the swingable arm
30
′ closely contact each other as shown in
FIG. 6A
, there is a tendency that the arm
30
′ highly vibrates and a shocking external force is unintentionally applied on the holder
20
′ or the arm
30
′. The reason for the high vibration of the arm
30
′ is that vibration of an engine or the like tends to be transmitted to the arm
30
′ through contact portions of the holder
20
′ and the base of the arm
30
′ because their surfaces are in close contact with each other. When the arm
30
′ vibrates highly, an arm of the operator holding the arm
30
′ is exhausted. The reason why the arm
30
′ or the like is subject to the shocking external force is that the surface of the holder
20
′ and the surface of the base of the arm
30
′ are in close contact with each other and therefore they are under strong restraint, so that when the arm
30
′ is bumped into something and a force in a direction different from a normal swing direction (on a plane orthogonal to the bolt
36
′) is unintentionally applied on the arm
30
′, it concentrates on the contact portions (contact surfaces
23
′,
33
′). When the force is great, a part of the holder
20
′ or the base of the arm
30
′ might be deformed or broken off.
When the arm
30
′ extends in the direction not orthogonal to the bolt
36
′ around which the arm
30
′ swings as shown in
FIG. 6A
, the arm of the operator holding the arm
30
′ so as to operate the throttle lever
40
′ is unnaturally twisted when the operator swings the arm
30
′. When the end (throttle lever
40
′) of the arm
30
′ moves along the virtual line “y”, the operator's arm holding the arm
30
′ in the vicinity of the end moves on the conical plane along with the arm
30
′, so that the operator feels discomfort in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed for the purpose of obviating the aforesaid problem of the conventional working machine, and an object of the present invention is to provide a backpack-type working machine including a controller arm which is capable of absorbing a shocking external force satisfactorily, which makes an operator feel less exhausted, and is easy to handle.
In one aspect of a backpack-type working machine according to the present invention, the backpack-type working machine comprises a power unit (engine or motor) mounted on a shouldering frame, and a swingable arm having a control device such as a throttle lever or access dial, which is attached to a side of the backpack-type working machine(a right-hand or left-hand side of the operator), and is characterized in that (1) a base of the arm is connected to a holder provided integrally with a body of the machine, such as the shouldering frame, the engine, or the like, for supporting the arm at a swing center of the arm by using a pivot, such as a bolt or a pin around which the arm swings through an elastic body such as a spring or a rubber, and (2) the base of the arm and the holder are connected with each other such that the arm and the holder abut with each other at a part of an inclined surface formed between the arm and the holder, to allow the arm to move on a plane orthogonal to a direction, that is, a plane including a center line of the pivot in which the arm swings.
With this configuration, since the swingable arm is on the side of the machine and is provided with the control device, the operator shouldering the working machine can swing the arm to a point where the arm is easy to handle and control the power unit by using the control device. According to the configuration (1) mentioned above, the arm can swing around the pivot while being braked moderately by a force of the elastic body with the base connected to the holder.
Further, according to the configuration (2) mentioned above, in a case where an external force is applied on the arm in the direction different from the normal swing direction, no excess stress is generated at the arm or the holder portion. This is because when the external force including a force component in the direction orthogonal to the normal swing direction (on the plane including the center line of the pivot) is applied on the arm, the arm moves in the direction of the external force. More specifically, since the holder and the base of the arm are connected at
Miyamoto Junichi
Tsutsui Kunio
Yuasa Tsuneyoshi
Herrmann Allan D.
Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
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