Abstract:
An apparatus for clearing up, in particular for removing sand from, areas of grass includes a basic housing, rollers, a blower and a collection container. The apparatus has a low degree of design complexity such that areas of grass can be cleared up in a simple manner, it being possible, in particular, to easily remove sand and other foreign matter from greens of golf courses. The invention proposes providing a nozzle, through which the propelled air which is conveyed by means of the blower flows towards the area of grass, downstream of the blower in the direction of flow, wherein no cutting tool is provided. An inflow opening of an exhaust-air duct is arranged downstream of the nozzle, with a space being left free above the area of grass, in such a way that the air flows substantially horizontally over the area of grass in the space. A guide element which can be made to rest on the area of grass is provided in the region of the inflow opening, wherein the exhaust-air duct issues into the collection container for holding the sand and/or foreign matter which is removed from the area of grass.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning up grassy areas, in particular for removing sand from grassy areas. 
         [0002]    Such an apparatus is known from DE 196 35 310 A1, in accordance with which, it is embodied as a lawnmower having a cutting tool that rotates about a vertical axis. Arranged on the shaft of the cutting tool above the latter is a fan with the suction side in the direction toward the working area of the cutting tool. The grass that has been mowed by the cutting tool and debris that is present thereupon are suctioned by means of the fan and transported into a collection container. In addition, however, dirt or sand can be removed from the ground of a grassy area and transported in an undesired manner into the collection container. 
         [0003]    Stringent demands are imposed on golf courses in terms of the quality of the green, precisely cut grass of a specific length being just as important as a uniform base or as the ground having a uniform surface. Therefore, in caring for the green, sand is usefully added after the grass is cut and/or prior to tournaments in order to level or even out irregularities, undulations, holes, or the like. However, some of the sand remains trapped in the grass so that when the grass is cut again the cutting tool of a lawnmower dulls rapidly due to the hardness of the special sand that was used, and the cutting tool must be sharpened frequently because otherwise it is not possible to attain the best possible mowing of the green. The caretaking normally required in the past after sand was applied to the green has been very labor and time-intensive. 
         [0004]    Furthermore, known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,860 is another apparatus embodied as a lawnmower that has a cutting tool and a fan with a nozzle that is downstream in the direction of flow for collecting the cut material. The nozzle is arranged such that the stream of air is blown onto the grassy area quite steeply from above so that particles, in particular sand, that are much heavier compared to the cut material or the mowed grass cuttings are blown downward onto the ground or into the lawn, and not removed. 
         [0005]    Proceeding from this known state of the art, the underlying object of the invention is to embody an apparatus of the aforementioned type such that it is effective for cleaning up grassy areas with low complexity, and in particular, to remove sand and other debris from greens with out problem. The apparatus should be as gentle with the green as possible. Moreover, the apparatus should be embodied for removing pellets after aeration as well as sand, leaves, or other foreign matter from the green. Furthermore, the apparatus should have a simple and functionally appropriate structure and should facilitate simple handling. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The apparatus according to the invention is distinguished by a simple and functionally appropriate design, and facilitates the removal of excess sand from the grassy area or the green with no problem, especially after aeration. Since the grassy area or the green is not subjected to suction by means of the apparatus but rather is subjected to an air stream produced by means of a fan, the material, such as in particular the excess sand or other debris, is blown away and transported into the collection container, and the sand also remains primarily and reliably in the holes, irregularities, and the like already present in the ground. In contrast to the lawnmowers cited in the foregoing disclosures, the apparatus according to the invention does not contain a cutting tool, but rather, the air stream produced by means of the fan is blown across the green, in particular by a nozzle oriented in a pre-specified direction onto the surface of the green, and excess sand and other foreign matter or particles of debris are blown off of the grass by means of the defined pre-specified air stream. The inventive apparatus is embodied solely for removing sand or other foreign matter from the lawn surface, in particular greens on golf courses. The air stream transported out of the nozzle by means of the fan is conducted at a comparatively small angle onto the grassy area and passes thereover at least approximately tangentially in the free space between the nozzle and an exhaust air channel. 
         [0007]    In the inlet area, the exhaust air channel contains a flexibly arranged and/or flexibly embodied guide element that is positioned on the grass surface. A seal usefully results with respect to the surface of the grassy area by means of the guide element that is arranged in the area of the bottom of the exhaust air channel and/or that forms the latter there, so that the air stream flowing through the free space reliably transports the sand, which is significantly heavier than the grass cuttings, and other foreign matter into the exhaust air channel. The inlet opening of the exhaust air channel with the aforesaid guide element is arranged in the direction of travel upstream of the nozzle of a inflow channel and advantageously has a significantly larger inlet surface than the outlet surface and/or the nozzle cross-section of the aforesaid nozzle. 
         [0008]    Moreover, the weight distribution of the apparatus is advantageously pre-specified such that a rear roller, in the direction of travel, is significantly more loaded than a front roller. This weight distribution is caused in particular in that a drive motor and/or the fan are arranged in the rear part of the apparatus and/or in the area above and/or usefully also behind the rear roller. What this attains is that the grass and the layer of sand thereupon are only slightly loaded by the front roller, while the sand structure is highly densified by the rear roller and the surface of the grassy area is smoothed and/or advantageously rolled. Thus, there is no need for subsequent flat rolling of the grassy area, in particular the green on a golf course. It should in particular be noted that the nozzle and the guide element in the inlet area of the exhaust air channel and/or at least the rear roller extend largely across the entire width of the apparatus. 
         [0009]    Special further developments and embodiments of the invention are provided in the following description. 
         [0010]    The invention is explained in greater detail in the following using the exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings without this resulting in a limitation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic side view and partial cut-away of the inventive apparatus; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is another exemplary embodiment, depicted in a side view and partially cut away; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an enlargement of detail III in accordance with  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  provides a top view of the guide element comprising elastic plastic, in viewing direction IV in accordance with  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a schematic depiction and enlargement of a section in a vertical plane through the bottom of the grassy area; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a multiple arrangement having three apparatuses according to the invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the multiple arrangement of  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  depicts the apparatus with a basic housing  2  that has a width transverse to the plane of the drawing on the order of magnitude of 500 to 1000 mm, preferably 750 mm. The housing  2  possesses rollers  3 ,  4  by means of which the apparatus can be moved along on the ground or grassy area  5  indicated with the broken line. Provided in the housing  2  is a channel  7  having an inlet for the propelling air that is indicated with an arrow  6  and that opens into a nozzle  8 . The propelling air is blown into the channel  7  by means of a fan (not shown) that is arranged above the inlet opening of the channel  7 . The air flows out of the nozzle  8  as propelling air  9 , passes over the grassy area  5  largely tangentially, and travels into the inlet opening of the exhaust air channel, that will be explained in the following. The nozzle  8  extends largely across the entire width of the housing  2  and is arranged at a pre-specified angle  10  to the ground or to the bottom of the housing  2 . The aforesaid angle  10  advantageously ranges between 0° and 40°, usefully ranges between 5° and 35°, and in particular is on the order of magnitude of 10° to 30°. The apparatus, which for the sake of simplicity will hereinafter be called a “de-sander”, furthermore contains a receptacle housing  11  for the sand or debris, and furthermore provided in the receptacle housing  11  is a removable collection container  12  for the sand and/or debris. The receptacle housing  11  and, thus the collection container  12 , which is provided with a handle  13 , are closed at the top of the basic housing  2  by means of a pivotable cover  14  that can be pivoted up as needed for opening the receptacle housing  11  and for removing the collection container  12 , the cover  14  usefully having a handle  15  for lifting it up. 
         [0019]    Moreover, the de-sander, in particular the cover  14 , contains an outlet for exhaust air  18 . The de-sander, in particular its receptacle housing  11  or the basic housing  2 , contain, in the area of the inlet opening  19  of the exhaust air channel  16 , a guide element  20  that is embodied here as a guide sheet and over which the propelling air or the propelling stream  9  flows into the exhaust air channel  16 . In the embodiment depicted, the guide sheet  20  is flexibly or pivotably attached, about an axis of rotation  31 , to a fixing device  32 , in particular the basic housing  2 , by means of an articulation. A pre-specified free space  21  is disposed immediately above the ground or the grassy area  5  between the free end of the nozzle  8  and the guide sheet  20  of the exhaust air channel  16 . The inlet opening of the exhaust air channel  16  is arranged at least approximately in the same horizontal plane as the nozzle  8 . Thus, the propelling stream  9  exiting from the nozzle  8  flows over the grassy area  5  at a small angle and/or at least approximately tangentially and/or horizontally in the free space  21 . The inlet surface of the exhaust air channel  16  is preferably larger than the outlet surface of the nozzle  8  by a pre-specified amount, preferably at least by a factor of 2. The nozzle  8  and the exhaust air channel  16  and its guide element  20  that is flexibly arranged and/or embodied and/or the in-flow opening of the exhaust air channel  16  extend largely and/or at least approximately across the entire width of the apparatus. Thus, in accordance with the invention, the excess sand  23  or other foreign material present on the grassy surface  22  is blown out by means of the propelling stream  9  or the air exiting from the nozzle  8  and is transported into the exhaust air channel  16  via the guide element or guide sheet  20 . 
         [0020]    The apparatus can be moved across the grassy area  5  in the working direction indicated by means of the arrow  24 , whether manually or by means of a drive (not shown here) associated with the roller or rollers  4 . The cover  14  can be pivoted by means of a joint about a point of rotation or axis of rotation  26  with respect to the basic housing  2 , and the cover  14  furthermore contains outlet openings, in particular in the form of a perforated sheet  27 , for the exhaust air  18 . Due to gravity, the sand or other foreign material transported by means of the air falls downward into the collection container  12  according to the arrow  28  out of the air stream flowing past and above the collection container  12 , and is segregated. As indicated with the arrow  29 , the air then flows through the openings or the perforated sheet  27  of the cover  14  and flows to the outside as exhaust air  18 . 
         [0021]    The guide element or guide sheet  20  is a component of the exhaust air channel  16 , the guide sheet  20  and/or the exhaust air channel  16  being pivotably borne about an axis of rotation  31  in the basic housing  2 . The housing  2  contains the fixing device  32  for the joint or axis of rotation  31  for the guide sheet  20 . Thus, it is assured in a particularly advantageous manner that the guide sheet  20  is disposed so that it floats on the grassy area and thus the sand is blown off of the grass by means of the propelling stream  9  and transported into the exhaust air channel  16  without the grassy area being damaged. It should be expressly noted that the attachment and/or fixing device  32  and/or the axis of rotation  31  are arranged in the working direction  24  upstream of the area of the guide element or guide sheet  20  on the grassy area  5 , and thus the guide element or the guide sheet  20  is positioned free, in particular floating, on the grassy surface  5 . The housing  2  usefully contains an end stop or a support below the guide sheet  20  such that if the apparatus moves counter to the working direction  24  the guide sheet  20  cannot penetrate too deep into the grassy area  5  in an impermissible manner. Moreover, it should be noted that the basic housing  2  is embodied open on the bottom in the area of the aforesaid free space  21  and/or in the area in which the propelling air nozzle  8  ends and the inlet area of the exhaust air channel  16  and the guide sheet  20  are present so that the propelling stream  9  can flow in the manner explained and that can be seen in the drawing largely and/or essentially horizontal in the free space  21  between the nozzle  8  and the inlet opening into the exhaust air channel  16  across the grass surface  22  for the purpose of removing excess sand or other foreign matter. 
         [0022]    The receptacle housing  11  is fixed in the basic housing  2  by means of the bearing device  30 . Thus, for cleaning or servicing it is simple to remove the receptacle housing  11  from the basic housing  2  with no problem. The handle  15 , preferably arranged on the top of the cover  14 , can be used to pivot the cover  14  up and also to lift and remove the receptacle housing  11  together with the cover  14  out of the basic housing  2 . Moreover, the collection container  12  has the handle  13  in order to be able to lift the collection container  12  up and simply remove it for the purpose of emptying it when the cover  14  is open. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  depicts a special exemplary embodiment of the invention, in which the fan  34  arranged above the channel  7 , omitted from  FIG. 1 , is now therein depicted. Provided for the fan  34  is a drive motor  36  that is arranged in the rear area of the apparatus and/or behind the fan  34  as seen from the direction of travel  24 , and that is connected to the housing  2  by means of a support  38 . The axis of rotation  40  of the drive motor  36  or its drive shaft for the fan  34  is usefully arranged largely horizontally. For producing the air stream, described in the foregoing, and removing in particular the layer of sand  23  from the lawn or the grassy area or the green, the apparatus contains the fan  34 , which moves the propelling air  6  through the aforesaid channel  7  to the propelling air nozzle  8 . As can be seen, the angled bar  42  is provided on the rear end of the basic housing  2  so that an operator can push and steer the apparatus. Furthermore, provided in the area of the bar  42  on the basic housing  2  is the drive motor  36 , which is in particular embodied as a gas engine, but can just as well be embodied as an electric motor in the framework of the invention. 
         [0024]    The fan  34  and the drive motor  36  are arranged in the rear end area of the apparatus and/or above the rear roller  4 , so that the weight distribution is preferably such that the rear roller  4  is more heavily loaded than the front roller  3 . At least the rear roller  4  is embodied as a cylinder roller and/or it extends largely across the entire width, specifically in accordance with the drawing transverse to the plane of the drawing, so that the grassy area or the ground  5  is smoothed or rolled in the same work step as the cleaning. A safety bar  44  is connected, in particular is pivotably connected, to the housing  2 , in particular via the support  38 . The lower end  46  of the safety bar  44  is disposed at a pre-specified height above the ground  5 . The safety bar  44  provides support and/or prevents undesired tipping of the apparatus. The apparatus furthermore contains a usefully pivotable drive unit  48  having a drive roller  50 . The drive unit  50  is provided for the apparatus travel mode and contains an electric motor or is coupled or can be coupled to the drive motor  36  or its drive shaft via a drive connection (not shown in greater detail) such as, for instance, a V-belt. For travel mode, the drive roller  48  is positioned against the rear roller  4 , wherein due to the pivotable arrangement, adequate pressing force is provided in a simple manner for transmitting a driving torque onto the rear roller  4 . As indicated with the double arrow  52 , the drive unit  48  can be pivoted downward for travel mode as desired or can be pivoted upward for work mode. 
         [0025]    The guide element  20  is usefully made of an elastic and/or flexible material, in particular plastic, and arranged in the area of the in-flow opening  19  of the bottom of the exhaust air channel  16 . The elastically and/or flexibly embodied guide element  20  is preferably embodied as a guide comb unit and/or divided at its free ends by slits or the like transverse to the direction of travel  24 , for attaining certain positioning and/or sealing in the downward direction with respect to the layer of sand. The propelling stream  9  thus passes over the guide element  20  and blows the sand layer out of the free space  21 , so that it is blown as a sand/air mixture  54  through the exhaust air channel  16  into the collection container  12 . The collection container  12  is covered on top by a transparent plate, in particular made of glass, so that it is easy to check the fill level of the collection container  12 . The collection container  12  is detachably arranged immediately in the basic housing  2  and can be removed upward out of the housing as needed to be emptied. The collection container  12  usefully contains a handle  58  on both sides. In addition, see the information provided for  FIG. 1  regarding the other components of this apparatus. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is an enlargement of the detail II in  FIG. 2  with the flexible guide element and/or guide comb unit  20 , with slits running in opposition to the direction of work  24 , that is arranged in the inlet area on the bottom of the exhaust air channel  16 . As explained in the foregoing, the nozzle  8  is arranged inclined to the ground  5  at a pre-specified angle  10 , ranging from 0° to 40°, the propelling air  9  being blown into the free space  21  at the aforesaid angle  10 . The guide element  20  is arranged inclined to the ground  5  at another pre-specified angle  60 , specifically opposing the inclination of the nozzle  8 . The free end of the guide sheet  20  is positioned on the grass surface  22 . The layer of sand  23  is disposed on the grass surface  22  in the working direction  24  in front of the nozzle  8  and/or the free space  21 , while the layer of sand has been removed from the area of the grass surface over which the free space  21  has traveled and has been blown into the collection container  12  in the sand/air mixture in accordance with the arrow  54 . The free space  21  has a length  62  in the working direction  24 . This length usefully ranges from 10 to 150 mm. 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  depicts a view in viewing direction IV according to  FIG. 3  onto the flexible and/or elastic guide element  20  with the slits  65 , and it is also possible to see the end of the nozzle  8  and the lower part of the exhaust air channel  16 . The nozzle  8  and/or the exhaust air channel  16  and/or the guide element  20  have largely the same width  64 . The width  64  is largely equal to the total width of the apparatus and/or of the housing and usefully ranges from 500 to 1000 mm. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  provides a schematic depiction in a vertical plane of a section through the ground  5  and the grass surface  22  in order to clarify relationships. The grassy area  5  or the grass has a height  66  that largely ranges between 2 and 6 mm. The layer of sand  23  that is to be removed by means of the apparatus according to the invention is disposed on the grass surface  22 . 
         [0029]      FIGS. 6 and 7  respectively provide a side view and a top view of a special further development of the invention, specifically in a multi-apparatus arrangement having three of the apparatus described in the foregoing, each of which contains the basic housing  2 , the collection container  12 , the fan  34 , and the drive motor  36  of the fan. The apparatus or de-sanders are each connected in an articulated manner by means of connecting arrangements  68  to a common connector  70  that can be coupled to a transport vehicle by means of a coupling  72 . The connecting arrangements  68  usefully contain articulations  74 ,  75 ,  76  and rods  78 ,  79  or the like that are connected thereto and that can be detached as needed. The de-sanders furthermore each contains bars  80 , usefully arranged on the front of the basic housing  2 , that extend across a majority of the total width of the respective de-sanders. As can be seen from  FIG. 7 , the three de-sanders are arranged in the direction of travel in accordance with arrow  24  behind one another and staggered with respect to one another such that sand and/or other foreign matter can be removed from the grassy surface without leaving stripes. In accordance with  FIG. 7 , two de-sanders are spaced apart from one another laterally and connected to the common connector  70  at a slight distance corresponding to the relatively short length of the rod  79 , while the third, rear de-sander is coupled to the common connector  70  at a correspondingly longer distance therefrom in the “gap” between the two front de-sanders, specifically in the direction of travel  24  and “overlapping” with the two front de-sanders. 
         [0030]    It is understood that in the framework of the invention a different number of de-sanders, for instance five de-sanders, can be connected in a corresponding manner to a pulling or pushing machine, such as a compact tractor or transport vehicle, so that a corresponding width of the grassy area can be cleaned in one work step. If five de-sanders are used, for instance, three de-sanders are provided advantageously in a front row spaced apart from one another and the two other de-sanders are provided in a rear row offset to them in the “gaps”.
     2  Basic housing     3 ,  4  Roller     5  Ground/grassy area     6  Propelling air inlet     7  Channel     8  Nozzle     9  Propelling stream/air     10  Angle     11  Receptacle housing     12  Collection container     13  Handle for  12       14  Cover for  11       15  Handle for  14       16  Exhaust air channel     18  Exhaust air outlet     19  Inflow opening for  16       20  Guide element/guide sheet/guide comb unit for  16       21  Free space     22  Grass surface     23  Sand layer on lawn/grassy area     24  Working direction/arrow/direction of travel     26  Axis of rotation to  14       27  Opening/perforated sheet     28  Sand/arrow     29  Air/arrow     30  Bearing device for  11       31  Axis of rotation for  20       32  Fixing device for  20       34  Fan     36  Drive motor     38  Support for  36       40  Axis of rotation for  34 ,  36       42  Steering and/or operating bar     44  Safety bar     46  Lower end of  44       48  Drive unit     50  Drive roller     52  Double arrow     54  Sand/air mixture     56  Plate/glass plate     58  Handle for  12       60  Angle of  20       62  Length of  21       64  Width of  6 ,  16 ,  20       65  Slit     66  Height     68  Connecting arrangement     70  Connector     72  Coupling     73 - 76  Articulation     78 ,  79  Rod     80  Bar