U.S. patent application number 14/278401 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-27 for rotary drum type litter separating apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Kamio ABE, Yoshihiro KIMURA.
Application Number | 20140346092 14/278401 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51863384 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140346092 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KIMURA; Yoshihiro ; et
al. |
November 27, 2014 |
ROTARY DRUM TYPE LITTER SEPARATING APPARATUS
Abstract
In a rotary drum type litter separating apparatus including a
cylindrical unit supported rotatably and having a peripheral
surface formed in a mesh form as a part of the cylindrical unit,
the cylindrical unit includes a bottomed part which closes one end
of the cylindrical unit and a loaning/unloading port which opens
the other end of the cylindrical unit, and a mesh part which is a
detachable separate member is further attached to an outer
periphery of the cylindrical unit. The litter separating apparatus
is capable of separating various kinds of litter of different sizes
from sand, thereby reliably collecting the litter. Moreover, the
mesh part can be replaced easily. Thus, the workability is
improved, and the man-hour is reduced. Such litter separating
apparatus is capable of efficiently collecting various kinds and
different sizes of litter.
Inventors: |
KIMURA; Yoshihiro;
(WAKO-SHI, JP) ; ABE; Kamio; (WAKO-SHI,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
51863384 |
Appl. No.: |
14/278401 |
Filed: |
May 15, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
209/235 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B07B 1/4636 20130101;
B07B 1/22 20130101; E01H 12/002 20130101; E01H 12/00 20130101; B07B
1/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
209/235 |
International
Class: |
E01H 12/00 20060101
E01H012/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 24, 2013 |
JP |
2013-110404 |
Claims
1. A rotary drum type litter separating apparatus, comprising: a
cylindrical unit having a peripheral surface thereof formed in a
mesh form, said cylindrical unit including a bottomed part which
closes one end of the cylindrical unit and a loading/unloading port
which opens the other end of the cylindrical unit; and a mesh part
attached to an outer periphery of the cylindrical unit; wherein
said mesh part is a detachable separate member.
2. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
claim 1, wherein: said mesh part comprises hooks provided on
opposite end sides thereof; the mesh part is arranged such that
said mesh part wraps around the cylindrical unit; and the opposite
end sides of the mesh part are connected by using said hooks.
3. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
claim 1, wherein a mesh size of the mesh part is finer than a mesh
size of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit.
4. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
claim 2, wherein a mesh size of the mesh part is finer than a mesh
size of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit.
5. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
claim 1, further comprising a rotational drive mechanism provided
on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit around a central
portion in a height direction of the cylindrical unit; wherein the
mesh part is detachably attached to a portion of an outer periphery
of the cylindrical unit excluding the rotational drive
mechanism.
6. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
claim 2, further comprising a rotational drive mechanism provided
on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit around a central
portion in a height direction of the cylindrical unit; wherein the
mesh part is detachably attached to a portion of an outer periphery
of the cylindrical unit excluding the rotational drive
mechanism.
7. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
claim 3, further comprising a rotational drive mechanism provided
on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit around a central
portion in a height direction of the cylindrical unit; wherein the
mesh part is detachably attached to a portion of an outer periphery
of the cylindrical unit excluding the rotational drive
mechanism.
8. The rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according claim
1, further comprising a support frame; wherein said cylinder unit
is rotatably supported on said support frame.
9. A litter separating apparatus comprising: a support frame; a
cylindrical unit rotatably supported on said frame member, said
cylindrical unit having a peripheral surface thereof formed in a
mesh form; and a mesh part formed separately from the cylindrical
unit, and arranged such that said mesh part wraps around the
cylindrical unit, said mesh part being formed in a mesh form having
a mesh size different from a mesh size of the peripheral surface of
the cylindrical unit.
10. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
said cylindrical unit comprises a bottomed part which closes one
end of the cylindrical unit, and a loading/unloading port which
opens the other end of the cylindrical unit.
11. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:
said mesh part comprises a plurality of hooks provided on opposite
end sides thereof; opposite end sides of the mesh part are
connected to each other by using said hooks.
12. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a
mesh size of the mesh part is finer than a mesh size of the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit.
13. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 9, further
comprising a rotational drive mechanism arranged substantially
around a peripheral central portion of the cylindrical unit;
wherein the mesh part is arranged around an outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit excluding said peripheral central portion of the
cylindrical unit.
14. A litter separating apparatus, comprising a cylindrical unit
having an outer periphery thereof formed in a mesh form; a blade
arranged inside said cylindrical unit; and a mesh part formed in a
mesh form and arranged around the outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit; wherein said blade has a spiral shape.
15. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 14, wherein
said mesh part is formed separately from said cylindrical unit.
16. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 14, wherein
said blade includes a first flat portion; a first bent portion
connected to the first flat portion; a second flat portion
connected to the first bent portion; and a second bent portion
connected to the second flat portion.
17. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:
said cylindrical unit comprises a bottomed part which closes one
end of the cylindrical unit, and a loading/unloading port which
opens the other end of the cylindrical unit; and said blade is
arranged inside the cylindrical unit such that the first flat
portion and the second bent portion of said blade are disposed on
the loading/unloading port side and the bottomed part side,
respectively.
18. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 16, wherein
said blade is configured such that the first flat portion and the
second flat portion form an acute angle therebetween; and the
second flat portion and a tangent line of the second bent portion
at its tip also form an acute angle therebetween.
19. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 16, further
comprising another blade; wherein said blades are arranged
symmetrically with respect to a rotation axis of the cylindrical
unit, and are arranged obliquely with respect to a height direction
of the cylindrical unit.
20. The litter separating apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:
said first bent portion is bent from the first flat portion to the
second flat portion; and a length of the first flat portion and the
first bent portion in a height direction of the cylindrical unit is
less than a length of the second flat portion and the second bent
portion.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present invention claims priority under 35 USC 119 based
on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-110404, filed on May 24,
2013. The entire subject matter of this priority document,
including specification claims and drawings thereof, is
incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a rotary drum type litter
separating apparatus for collecting litter from a beach. More
particularly, present invention relation to a litter separating
apparatus having a plurality mesh parts of different mesh sizes for
separating litter of various kinds and different sizes from
sand.
[0004] 2. Description of the Background Art
[0005] There is a known beach cleaner, which is used as an
apparatus for collecting litter scattered on the sand ground of a
sea beach or the like. An example of such beach cleaner is
disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
2010-174518.
[0006] As described in the Japanese Patent Application Publication
No. 2010-174518, a mesh of a drum type sieving member is usually
formed of a single mesh. Thus, some types of litter may possibly
pass through the mesh, which makes efficient litter separation
impossible. Moreover, the drum type sieving member needs to be
replaced with a different sieving member from one situation to
another depending on the state of litter scattered on a sandy beach
or the like, which makes litter collection time-consuming.
[0007] The present invention has been made to overcome the
drawbacks of existing litter separating apparatus. Accordingly, it
is one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a
rotary drum type litter separating apparatus capable of efficiently
collecting various kinds and different sizes of litter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention
according to a first aspect thereof provides a rotary drum type
litter separating apparatus (10), including a cylindrical unit (50)
supported rotatably and having a peripheral surface formed in a
mesh form as a part of the cylindrical unit (50), in which the
cylindrical unit (50) includes a bottomed part (56) which closes
one end of the cylindrical unit (50) and a loading/unloading port
(58a) (also referred to as an opening) which opens the other end of
the cylindrical unit (50), and a mesh part (100) which is a
detachable separate member is further attached to an outer
periphery of the cylindrical unit (50).
[0009] The present invention according to a second aspect thereof
provides the rotary drum type litter separating apparatus (10), in
which the mesh part (100) is attached to the cylindrical unit such
that the mesh part wraps around the cylindrical unit (50), and
opposite end sides of the mesh part (100) are connected by using
hooks (102, 104) provided on the opposite end sides of the mesh
part (100).
[0010] The present invention according to a third aspect thereof
provides the rotary drum type litter separating apparatus (10), in
which a mesh size of the mesh part (100) is finer than a mesh size
of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit (50).
[0011] The present invention according to a fourth aspect thereof
provides the rotary drum type litter separating apparatus (10), in
which a rotational drive mechanism (52) is provided on the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit (50) substantially
around a central portion, specifically around the center, in a
height direction of the cylindrical unit (50), and the mesh part
(100) is detachably attached to a portion of an outer periphery of
the cylindrical unit (50) excluding the rotational drive mechanism
(52).
EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0012] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the
mesh part, which is a detachable separate member, is attached to
the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit having a peripheral
surface formed in a mesh form. Thus, by preparing in advance a
plurality of mesh parts of different mesh sizes and attaching a
mesh part suitable for the sizes of litter to be separated, it is
possible to separate the litter of various kinds and different
sizes from sand, thereby to reliably collect the litter. Moreover,
the mesh part can be replaced easily. Thus, the workability is
improved, and the man-hour is reduced.
[0013] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the
mesh part is attached in such a way as to wrap the cylindrical
unit, and the opposite end sides of the mesh part are connected by
using the hooks provided on the opposite end sides of the mesh
part. Thus, attachment and detachment of the mesh part is easy, and
the man-hour for such operations is reduced.
[0014] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the
mesh size of the mesh part is finer than the mesh size of the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit. Thus, by changing the
mesh size according to the sizes of litter to be separated, smaller
sized pieces of litter can be collected.
[0015] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the
rotational drive mechanism is arranged on the peripheral surface of
the cylindrical unit substantially around the central portion in
the height direction thereof, and the mesh part is detachably
attached to the portion of the outer periphery of the cylindrical
unit excluding the rotational drive mechanism. Thus, the width of
the mesh part is small, and a storage space therefor can be
slim.
[0016] For a more complete understanding of the present invention,
the reader is referred to the following detailed description
section, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in the
drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a litter separating
apparatus (beach cleaner) according to an illustrative embodiment,
and a towing vehicle, which tows the beach cleaner.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a view of the exterior of a rotary drum type
litter separating apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a view showing the relation between a rotational
drive mechanism and a drive gear, and a planet gear shown in FIG.
1.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cylindrical
unit.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a metallic blade.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a view showing the metallic blade as seen from a
direction X in FIG. 5.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a view showing the metallic blade as seen from a
direction Y in FIG. 5.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a view of a main part of the litter separating
apparatus as seen from an opening side.
[0025] FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of a mesh part
detachably attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit
shown in FIG. 4.
[0026] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing another example of the
mesh part detachably attached to the outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit shown in FIG. 4.
[0027] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of details of a part in FIG.
9.
[0028] FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a method of attaching the
mesh part.
[0029] FIG. 13 is a view showing a state where the mesh part is
attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0030] An illustrative embodiment of the present invention will be
described hereinafter in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings. Throughout this description, relative terms like "upper",
"lower", "above", "below", "front", "back", and the like are used
in reference to a vantage point of an operator of the vehicle,
seated on the driver's seat and facing forward. It should be
understood that these terms are used for purposes of illustration,
and are not intended to limit the invention.
[0031] A rotary drum type litter separating apparatus according to
the present invention will now be described in detail through an
illustrative embodiment with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a beach cleaner 12
including a rotary drum type litter separating apparatus 10
according to the illustrative embodiment. FIG. 1 also shows a
towing vehicle 14 which tows the beach cleaner 12. FIG. 2 is a view
of the exterior of the rotary drum type litter separating apparatus
10. Again, it may be noted that the terms front, rear, left, right,
upper, and lower are based on directions seen from the driver of
the towing vehicle 14, unless otherwise illustrated.
[0033] In the illustrative embodiment, an ATV (All-Terrain
Vehicle), which is a saddle-ride type rough-terrain vehicle, is
employed as the towing vehicle 14. The towing vehicle 14 includes:
a pair of left and right front wheels 20 provided to a front lower
portion of the body; a pair of left and right rear wheels 22
provided to a rear lower portion of the body; a pair of left and
right front fenders 24 provided above the front wheels 20; and a
pair of left and right rear fenders 26 provided above the rear
wheels 22.
[0034] A handlebar 28 with which the front wheels 20 can be steered
is provided above the front wheels 20. A front carrier 30 is
arranged in front of the handlebar 28, and a seat 32 and a rear
carrier 34 are arranged behind the handlebar 28.
[0035] Moreover, a pair of left and right step floors 36 for the
driver seated on the seat 32 to rest his or her feet are formed
between the handlebar 28 and the seat 32. The towing vehicle 14
rotates the rear wheels 22 with an engine (not shown) as a drive
source.
[0036] The beach cleaner 12 includes: a tow frame 40 connectable to
the towing vehicle 14; a pair of left and right wheels 42 provided
on the lower side of a rear portion of the tow frame 40; and a
support frame 44 which rotatably supports the rotary drum type
litter separating apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as the litter
separating apparatus) 10.
[0037] The litter separating apparatus 10 includes a cylindrical
unit 50 having a peripheral surface formed in a mesh form as a part
of the cylindrical unit 50. A rotational drive mechanism 52 is
provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit 50
around the central portion of the cylindrical unit 50 in its height
direction (the direction of its rotation axis). The rotational
drive mechanism 52 includes a plurality of engagement portions 54
each formed in a pipe shape along the height direction of the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit 50. The plurality of
engagement portions 54 is attached in such that the engagement
portions 54 from a loop around the outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit 50. The cylindrical unit 50 includes a circular
bottomed part 56 closing one end of the cylindrical unit 50, and an
annular rim plate 58 having an opening 58a (also referred to as a
loading/unloading port 58a) opening the other end of the
cylindrical unit 50.
[0038] The cylindrical unit 50 includes: a plurality of pipes 60
each provided along the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit 50
in the height direction; and a mesh part (first mesh part) 62
attached to the inner side of the plurality of pipes 60 and wrapped
in such a way as to cover the peripheral surface of the cylindrical
unit 50. The peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit 50 is
formed in a mesh form by the plurality of pipes 60 and the mesh
part 62.
[0039] The opening 58a functions as a loading port through which to
load sand and litter mixed therein (hereinafter, referred to as
mixed sand) into the cylindrical unit 50, and also functions as a
removing port through which to remove litter remaining in the
cylindrical unit 50.
[0040] The tow frame 40 rotatably supports an axel 64 connected to
the pair of left and right wheels 42, and a drive gear 66 is
connected to the axel 64. The support frame 44 is attached to the
tow frame 40 and rotatably supports the litter separating apparatus
10. The litter separating apparatus 10 is supported on the support
frame 44 with the opening 58a on the left side and the bottomed
part 56 on the right side.
[0041] The support frame 44 includes a front frame 68, a rear frame
70, a left frame 72, and a right frame 74 surrounding the litter
separating apparatus 10 from the front, rear, left, and right
sides. A roll 76 is rotatably attached to each of left and right
portions of the front frame 68 and the rear frame 70. The litter
separating apparatus 10 is rotatably supported by the four, front,
rear, left, and right rolls 76. A plurality of contact plates 78a,
78b to be in contact with the rolls 76 are attached to a left end
portion and a right end portion of the cylindrical unit 50. The
contact plates 78a, 78b are attached to the opposite end sides of
the cylindrical unit 50, respectively.
[0042] Two plate-shaped metallic blades 80 are provided inside the
cylindrical unit 50, and each metallic blade 80 is provided
extending from the opening 58a to the bottomed part 56 (see FIG.
2). One edge of each metallic blade 80 in its width direction is
provided along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit
50, while the other edge extends inward of the cylindrical unit 50.
The width of the metallic blade 80 is set to become smaller from
the opening 58a of the cylindrical unit 50 toward the bottomed part
56 thereof. In other words, the metallic blade 80 is formed in such
a way as to become wider toward the opening 58a. The two metallic
blades 80 are provided symmetrically with respect to the rotation
axis of the cylindrical unit 50, and are provided obliquely with
respect to the height direction of the cylindrical unit 50.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, a planet gear 82 is provided between the
rotational drive mechanism 52 and the drive gear 66. The planet
gear 82 meshes with the rotational drive mechanism 52 and the drive
gear 66. Thus, as the towing vehicle 14 tows the beach cleaner 12,
the wheels 42 of the beach cleaner 12 rotate, and the force of such
rotation is transmitted to the rotational drive mechanism 52
through the drive gear 66 and the planet gear 82, thereby rotating
the cylindrical unit 50 of the litter separating apparatus 10
toward the front of the towing vehicle 14.
[0044] Moreover, an operation lever 83 for manual
engaging-disengaging (connecting-disconnecting) operations between
the planet gear 82 and the rotational drive mechanism 52 and drive
gear 66 is provided at a rear end portion of the beach cleaner 12.
The planet gear 82 can be disconnected from and connected to the
rotational drive mechanism 52 and the drive gear 66 by operating
the operation lever 83. With the planet gear 82 disconnected from
the rotational drive mechanism 52 and the drive gear 66, the
cylindrical unit 50 of the litter separating apparatus 10 can be
manually rotated even when the towing vehicle 14 is stopped.
[0045] A cover member 84, which covers the litter separating
apparatus 10, is attached to the support frame 44 so as to prevent
a person from accidentally touching the litter separating apparatus
10 while the litter separating apparatus 10, i.e. the cylindrical
unit 50 is rotating.
[0046] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the
cylindrical unit 50. As the cylindrical unit 50 rotates, each
metallic blade 80 scoops up mixed sand inside the cylindrical unit
50, and the mixed sand thus scooped up falls off the metallic blade
80 when the metallic blade 80 reaches a certain level. Since the
peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit 50 is formed in a mesh
form, the mixed sand can be efficiently sieved with the help of the
falling of the mixed sand off the metallic blade 80. As a result,
the sand falls through the cylindrical unit 50, and only the litter
remains inside the cylindrical unit 50. In other words, the litter
and the sand are separated. It may be noted that the sieving
function (separating function) of the litter separating apparatus
may be enhanced by causing the mixed sand to fall from a higher
level.
[0047] A method of using the beach cleaner 12 will now be described
briefly.
[0048] Here, the tow frame 40 is connected to the towing vehicle
14, and mixed sand is loaded through the opening 58a of the
cylindrical unit 50. Then, the towing vehicle 14 travels to rotate
the cylindrical unit 50, so that the sand falls through the
cylindrical unit 50 and the litter remains inside the cylindrical
unit 50. Once the sand disappears from the inside of the
cylindrical unit 50, the litter is collected through the opening
58a. A litter collecting bag (not shown) for litter collection can
be attached to the opening 58a. Thus, the litter can be taken out
through the opening 58a, and the litter can be put into the litter
collecting bag. Moreover, since the opening 58a functions as a port
through which to load mixed sand and also functions as a port
through which to collect litter, the work efficiency is improved.
Moreover, since the cylindrical unit 50 is rotated using the towing
vehicle 14, there is no need to provide any drive source such as a
motor to the beach cleaner 12. Thus, an inexpensive and convenient
beach cleaner 12 can be provided.
[0049] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of each metallic blade 80. FIG.
6 shows the metallic blade 80 as seen from a direction X in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 shows the metallic blade 80 as seen from a direction Y in
FIG. 5.
[0050] Each metallic blade 80 has a spiral shape defined by a
quadric surface. Specifically, the metallic blade 80 has: a first
flat portion 90; a first bent portion 92 connected to the first
flat portion 90; a second flat portion 94 connected to the first
bent portion 92; and a second bent portion 96 connected to the
second flat portion 94.
[0051] The metallic blade 80 is arranged inside the cylindrical
unit 50 such that the first flat portion 90 and the second bent
portion 96 of the metallic blade 80 are disposed on the opening 58a
side and the bottomed part 56 side, respectively. The first bent
portion 92 and the second bent portion 96 form the metallic blade
80 in a spiral shape (twisted shape) defined by a quadric surface,
and provides variations in angle to the metallic blade 80, so that
the first flat portion 90 and the second flat portion 94 appear
differently from each other in angle and orientation (see FIG.
6).
[0052] The angle between the first flat portion 90 and the second
flat portion 94 (smaller angle) as seen from the direction X in
FIG. 5 is 58.degree.. The angle between the second flat portion 94
and a tangent line of the second bent portion 96 at its tip
(smaller angle) as seen from the direction Y in FIG. 5 is
59.9.degree.. In other words, the blade 80 is configured such that
the first flat portion 90 and the second flat portion 94 form an
acute angel therebetween; and the second flat 94 portion and a
tangent line of the second bent portion 96 at its tip also form an
acute angle.
[0053] FIG. 8 is a view of the chief part of the litter separating
apparatus 10 as seen from the opening 58a side. As shown in FIG. 8,
the angle between the first flat portion 90 and the circumferential
direction of the cylindrical unit 50 (smaller angle) is set to be
small, and the angle between the first flat portion 90 and the
height direction of the cylindrical unit 50 (smaller angle) is set
to be large.
[0054] On the other hand, the angle between the second flat portion
94 and the circumferential direction of the cylindrical unit 50
(smaller angle) is larger than that of the first flat portion 90,
and the angle between the second flat portion 94 and the height
direction of the cylindrical unit 50 (smaller angle) is smaller
than that of the first flat portion 90. The first bent portion 92
is twisted in such a way as to bend from the first flat portion 90
to the second flat portion 94. Moreover, a length L1 of the first
flat portion 90 and the first bent portion 92 in the height
direction of the cylindrical unit 50 is smaller than a length L2 of
the second flat portion 94 and the second bent portion 96.
[0055] With such construction, the first flat portion 90 and the
first bent portion 92 of each metallic blade 80 can quickly move
mixed sand near the opening 58a of the cylindrical unit 50 to a
slightly near side (the opening 58a side) of a center area of the
cylindrical unit 50 in the height direction. Accordingly, the mixed
sand near the opening 58a of the cylindrical unit 50 can be
prevented from dropping out of the cylindrical unit 50 through the
opening 58a. The first flat portion 90 and the first bent portion
92 have a function of quickly moving litter.
[0056] Moreover, the second flat portion 94 and the second bent
portion 96 of each metallic blade 80 can scoop up mixed sand and
drop the scooped mixed sand from a higher level. Accordingly, the
litter and the sand can be separated efficiently. The second flat
portion 94 and the second bent portion 96 have a function of
separating litter and sand.
[0057] Further, the width of each metallic blade 80 is set to
become smaller from the opening 58a of the cylindrical unit 50
toward the bottomed part 56 thereof. Thus, the amount of mixed sand
scooped up by the metallic blade 80 is the largest at a portion of
the second flat portion 94 on the opening 58a side (a substantially
center portion of the metallic blade 80), while the amount of mixed
sand scooped up by the metallic blade 80 is not so large at a
portion of the second flat portion 94 on the bottomed part 56 side
and the second bent portion 96 (a portion of the metallic blade 80
on the bottomed part 56 side). Accordingly, mixed sand tends to
gather around the center of the cylindrical unit 50 in the height
direction, which in turn makes it possible to prevent litter from
gathering on the far side, i.e. the bottomed part 56 side of the
cylindrical unit 50. Hence, the litter can be collected easily. As
described above, the litter separating apparatus 10 can separate
sand and litter efficiently.
[0058] Here, the mesh size of the mesh part 62 is set with the mesh
strength, rigidity, and other conditions taken into consideration.
Thus, when litter is relatively small (when litter is smaller than
the mesh size of the mesh part 62), the litter passes through the
mesh part 62 and the litter falls through the cylindrical unit 50
along with the sand. Thus, sand and relatively small-sized litter
cannot be separated.
[0059] For this reason, in the embodiment, a detachable mesh part
(second mesh part) 100 is attached to the outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit 50 to handle litter passing through the mesh part
62. The construction of detachable mesh part 100 will now be
described.
[0060] FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of the mesh
part 100 detachably attached to the outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit 50. The mesh part 100 is attached in such a way as
to wrap around the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit 50.
Specifically, portions of the outer periphery of the mesh potion 62
exposed to the outside. The mesh size of the mesh part 100 is finer
(smaller) than the mesh size of the mesh part 62. The mesh part 100
is attached to portions of the outer periphery of the cylindrical
unit 50 excluding the rotational drive mechanism 52. Specifically,
the mesh part 100 includes a mesh part 100a attached to the left of
the rotational drive mechanism 52 and a mesh part 100b attached to
the right of the rotational drive mechanism 52. The widths of the
mesh part 100a and the mesh part 100b are different but the other
parts of their constructions are the same.
[0061] The description will only be provided for the mesh part
100a.
[0062] Hooks 102, 104 are provided on one end side and the other
end side of the mesh part 100a in the longitudinal direction,
respectively. There are provided two hooks 102 and two hooks 104
along the transverse direction (width direction) of the mesh part
100a. It may be noted that there may instead be provided a single
hook 102a across the mesh part 100a in the transverse direction as
shown in FIG. 10.
[0063] Moreover, connection parts 106 for detachably connecting the
one end side and the other end side of the mesh part 100a are
provided at the one end of the mesh part 100a (see FIG. 11). Each
connection part 106 is formed of a fastener 108 including a lever
108a, and a substantially ring-shaped hanging part 110 provided to
the lever 108a.
[0064] As shown in FIG. 12, to attach the mesh part 100a to the
outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical unit 50, the hook 102
provided on the one end side of the mesh part 100a is hung onto any
one of the pipes 60 provided along the outer periphery of the
cylindrical unit 50, and then the mesh part 100a is wound around
the cylindrical unit 50 once to wrap the outer peripheral surface
of the cylindrical unit 50.
[0065] Then, the hanging part 110 is hung onto the hook 104
provided at the other end of the mesh part 100a, and thereafter the
lever 108a of the fastener 108 is pushed toward the mesh part 100a.
As a result, the one end side and the other end side of the mesh
part 100a are connected. FIG. 13 shows a state where the mesh part
100 (mesh parts 100a, 100b) is attached to the outer periphery of
the cylindrical unit 50.
[0066] It may be noted that although the hooks 104 and the
connection parts 106 are used to connect the opposite end sides of
the mesh part 100, the hooks 104 may simply be hung onto the mesh
of the mesh part 100 to connect the opposite end sides of the mesh
part 100. In this case, the connection parts 106 are not
needed.
[0067] As described above, according to the above embodiment, the
mesh part 100, which is a detachable separate member, is attached
to the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit 50 having a
peripheral surface formed in a mesh form. Thus, by preparing in
advance a plurality of mesh parts 100 of different mesh sizes and
attaching a mesh part 100 suitable for the sizes of litter to be
separated, it is possible to separate various kinds of litter of
different sizes from sand and reliably collect the litter.
Moreover, the mesh part 100 can be replaced easily. Accordingly,
the workability is improved, and the man-hour is reduced.
[0068] The mesh part 100 is attached in such a way as to wrap the
cylindrical unit 50, and the opposite end sides of the mesh part
100 are connected by using the hooks 102, 104 provided on the
opposite end sides of the mesh part 100. Thus, attachment and
detachment of the mesh part 100 is easy, and the man-hour for such
operations is reduced. The mesh size of the mesh part 100 is finer
than the mesh size of the peripheral surface of the cylindrical
unit 50 (the mesh size of the mesh part 62). Thus, smaller litter
can be collected.
[0069] The opening 58a functions as a port through which to load
mixed sand and as a port through which to collect litter. Thus, the
loading of mixed sand and the collecting of litter can be done at
the same position, and the work efficiency is improved. The
rotational drive mechanism 52 is provided on the peripheral surface
of the cylindrical unit 50 around the center thereof in the height
direction, and the mesh part 100 is detachably attached to the
portions of the outer periphery of the cylindrical unit 50
excluding the rotational drive mechanism 52. Thus, the widths of
the mesh parts 100a, 100b are small, and a storage space therefor
can be slim.
[0070] It may be noted that although the mesh part 100 is formed of
two members (mesh parts 100a, 100b) in the above embodiment, the
mesh part 100 can be formed of a single member on condition that
the rotational drive mechanism 52 is provided on an end portion of
the mesh part 62 exposed to the outside at such a position as to
abut one of the contact plates 78a, 78b, instead of being provided
on the exposed portion of the mesh part 62 around the center in the
height direction.
[0071] Moreover, a lid part that closes the opening 58a of the
cylindrical unit 50 may be attached when the litter separating
apparatus 10 is used. In this way, mixed sand inside the
cylindrical unit 50 can be reliably prevented from dropping out
through the opening 58a while the cylindrical unit 50 is
rotated.
EXPLANATION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0072] 10 LITTER SEPARATING APPARATUS FOR BEACH CLEANER [0073] 12
BEACH CLEANER [0074] 14 TOWING VEHICLE [0075] 40 TOW FRAME [0076]
42 WHEEL p1 44 SUPPORT FRAME p1 50 CYLINDRICAL UNIT p1 52
ROTATIONAL DRIVE MECHANISM p1 54 ENGAGEMENT PORTION p1 56 BOTTOMED
PART p1 58 RIM PLATE p1 58a OPENING p1 60 PIPE p1 62, 100, 100a,
100b MESH PART p1 64 AXEL p1 66 DRIVE GEAR p1 80 METALLIC BLADE p1
102, 104 HOOK p1 106 CONNECTION PART p1 108 FASTENER p1 108a LEVER
p1 110 HANGING PART.
[0077] Although present invention has been described herein with
respect to a number of specific illustrative embodiments, the
foregoing description is intended to illustrate, rather than to
limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will realize that
many modifications of the illustrative embodiment could be made
which would be operable. All such modifications, which are within
the scope of the claims, are intended to be within the scope and
spirit of the present invention.
* * * * *