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EP-4740723-A1 - MANUALLY GUIDED MOBILE DEVICE FOR LAND MAINTENANCE EQUIPPED WITH ROTATING HANDLEBAR

EP4740723A1EP 4740723 A1EP4740723 A1EP 4740723A1EP-4740723-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile device for the maintenance of lands comprising movement means for moving within a work area, a frame with tools for maintenance operations and a handle allowing an operator to guide the device. The handle includes a first member fixed to the frame and a second member with a gripping portion for the user, the latter rotatable with respect to the first member. The handle also comprises a joint with couplings that allow to lock or unlock the rotation between the two members in different angular positions, thanks to a tilting element that controls the engagement of the couplings. In accordance with further aspects, the device comprises a control lever rotatable relative to the frame to allow an operator to adjust an inclination of the handle.

Inventors

  • D'Agostini, Mauro
  • BACCHIN, Gian Luca
  • ZANOLIN, Alessandro

Assignees

  • Stiga S.P.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251107

Claims (15)

  1. Mobile device for the maintenance of lands, in particular lawns or gardens, comprising: - movement means (2) configured to allow a movement of the mobile device within a work area, - a frame (3) comprising at least one work tool for performing maintenance operations on the work area, - a handle (4) configured to allow an operator to guide and optionally move said mobile device within the work area, wherein said handle (4) comprises: o a first member (30) constrained to the frame (3), o a second member (31) comprising a gripping portion (6a) configured to be gripped by a user, said second member (31) being rotatably movable relative to the first member (30) about a joint axis (S), o a joint (32) which, at least in an unlocked condition, rotationally constrains the first member (30) to the second member (31), wherein the joint (32) comprises: - one or more couplings (33) configured to selectively engage the first member (30) to the second member (31) in a plurality of angular positions, preventing a relative rotation between the first member (30) and the second member (31) of the handle (4), - a tilting element (34) carrying said one or more couplings (33), the tilting element (34) being configured to oscillate with respect to the first member (30) and the second member (31) of the handle (4), positioning said one or more couplings (33) to engage or disengage the first member (30) to the second member (31).
  2. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the joint (32) comprises: - a first plate (35) carried on the first member (30) of the handle (4), - a second plate (36) carried by the second member (31) of the handle (4) and rotatably movable relative to the first member (30), wherein the first plate (35) and the second plate (36) of the handle (4) have respective abutment surfaces (35a, 36a) facing each other to define a rotation plane of the second plate (36), parallel to each of said abutment surfaces (35a, 36a) of the first plate (35) and of the second plate (36), wherein the tilting element (34) is rotatably movable about a rotation axis (X) parallel to the rotation plane, wherein the joint axis (S) is transverse, optionally orthogonal, to the rotation plane and/or to the rotation axis (X), wherein the tilting element (34) is carried by the second plate (36) of the joint (32), being thus movable about the joint axis (S) integrally with the second plate (36).
  3. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the joint (32), optionally the second plate (36), comprises a hollow casing (39) for housing therein each of said one or more couplings (33) and the tilting element (34).
  4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the joint (32) is movable between: - a locked position in which the tilting element (34) positions said one or more couplings (33) to engage the first member (30) of the handle (4) and lock it with respect to the second member (31), - an unlocked position in which the tilting element (34) moves said one or more couplings (33) away from the first member (30) to disengage it from the second member (31) and allow a relative rotation between the first and second member (30, 31).
  5. Device according to the preceding claim when dependent on claim 2, wherein the first plate (35) comprises: - a plurality of recesses (37) defining respective seats for engaging said one or more couplings (33), said recesses (37) being angularly offset from each other, optionally by an angle between 2° and 200°, even more optionally between 5° and 180°, - a sliding track (38) connecting the recesses (37) to each other and configured to guide, during the movement of the second plate (36) with respect to the first plate (35), said one or more couplings (33) between two adjacent recesses (37), wherein each of said one or more couplings (33), when it contacts the sliding track (38) during the movement of the second plate (36) with respect to the first plate (35), locks the joint (32) in the unlocked position, preventing it from passing to the locked position until it reaches a further recess (37) to which at least one, optionally each, of said one or more couplings (33) is engageable, wherein each recess (37) of said plurality and the sliding track (38) are made on the abutment surface (35a) of the first plate (35) of the first member (30) or on a side (35b) of the first plate (35) transverse to the abutment surface (35a), wherein each recess (37) has an opening of access (52) to the seat for housing the couplings (33), made on the abutment surface of the first plate (35) and adjacent to the sliding track (38), wherein the device further comprises a plurality of couplings (33), each configured to selectively engage the first member (30) to the second member (31) at a plurality of angular positions, wherein the first plate (35) of the first member (30) comprises, in each of said angular positions, recesses (37) in number equal to said plurality of couplings (33), optionally wherein the first plate (35) comprises two or more recesses for each angular position.
  6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said one or more couplings (33) are movable relative to each other between the first and the second member (30, 31), along a movement trajectory (D) having at least one straight section parallel to the joint axis (S) of the second member (31) or inclined by an acute angle not exceeding 10°, wherein when the present claim depends on claim 2, the movement trajectory (D) of said one or more couplings (33) is transverse to the rotation plane, wherein when the present claim depends on any one of the four preceding claims, the sliding track (38) has a contact surface transverse to the movement trajectory (D) of each of said one or more couplings (33).
  7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the joint (32) comprises one or more elastic elements (43), optionally one or more springs, acting on said one or more couplings (33) and/or the tilting element (34), wherein when the present claim depends on claim 6, said one or more elastic elements (43) are configured to cause a movement of each of said one or more couplings (33) and/or the tilting element (34) such as to involve the passage of the joint (32) from the unlocked position to the locked position, wherein when the present claim depends on claim 3, said one or more elastic elements (43) are located internally to the hollow casing (39) of the joint (32), wherein when the present claim depends on claim 5, the joint (32) comprises a plurality of elastic elements (43) in number equal to said plurality of couplings (33).
  8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the joint (32) comprises a drive (41) contactable by an operator for moving the tilting element (34) with respect to the first member (30) and the second member (31) of the handle (4), wherein when the present claim depends on claim 6, the drive (41) is configured to move the tilting element (34) in such a way as to cause the joint (32) to pass from the locked position to the unlocked position, wherein when the present claim depends on claim 3, the drive (41) defines an outer surface of the hollow casing (39) of the joint (32), wherein when the present claim depends on claim 2, the drive (41) is rotatably movable about a drive axis (A) parallel to the rotation plane, wherein the drive (41) comprises: - a gripping surface (16a) intended to be contacted by a user, - an activation portion (42) engageable with the tilting element (34), wherein said activation portion (42) is: - distinct from the tilting element (34) and intended to contact the same tilting element (34) when the gripping surface (16a) is contacted by the user, or - engaged to the tilting element (34) by means of a rotational or roto-translational constraint, wherein the activation portion (42) of the drive (41) is placed internally to the hollow casing (39) of the joint (32).
  9. Device according to the preceding claim when dependent on claim 2, wherein the tilting element (34) comprises: - a central body (44) rotationally constrained to the first plate (35) of the first member (30), - an interaction portion (46) connected to the central body (44) and configured to interact with the drive (41) to cause a movement of the same tilting element (34).
  10. Device according to any one of the two preceding claims, wherein the interaction portion (46) has an elongated body emerging from the central body (44) approaching the gripping surface (16a) of the drive (41), wherein the activation portion (42) of the drive (41) is a protrusion emerging from the gripping surface (16a) of the drive (41) approaching the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34), and wherein the elongated body of the interaction portion (46) is transverse to the protrusion of the activation portion (42), wherein said one or more couplings (33) are located at an end of the central body (44) opposite the interaction portion (46), said one or more couplings being made in one piece with the tilting element (34), wherein when the present claim depends on claim 7, said one or more elastic elements (43) act on the end of the central body (44) of the tilting element (34) where said one or more couplings (33) are located.
  11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims when dependent on claim 9, wherein the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34) has an elongated body engaged, at opposite ends: - to the central body (44) of the same tilting element (34) by means of a rotational constraint, - to the drive (41), optionally to the activation portion (42) of the drive (41), by means of a rotational or roto-translational constraint, wherein the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34) is spaced from the gripping surface (16a) of the same drive (41), said interaction portion (46) being located behind the central body (44) of the tilting element (34), on the opposite side to the gripping surface (16a) of the drive (41), wherein the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34) is configured to rotate relative to the central body (44) of the tilting element (34) and is configured to translate and rotate with respect to the drive (41), wherein the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34) comprises a pin (48) housed inside a slot (47) made on the drive (41), optionally on the activation portion (42), said pin being configured to rotate and translate inside the slot (47), wherein said one or more couplings (33) are located at an end of the central body (44) close to the interaction portion (46), said one or more couplings being made in one piece with the central body (44) of the tilting element (34), wherein when the present claim depends on claim 7, said one or more elastic elements (43) act on the end of the central body (44) of the tilting element (34) where said one or more couplings (33) are located.
  12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims when dependent on claim 9, wherein the interaction portion (46) has an elongated body emerging from the central body (44) away from the gripping surface (16a) of the drive (41), wherein the interaction portion (46) is engaged to the drive (41), optionally to the activation portion (42) of the drive (41), by means of a rotational or roto-translational constraint, wherein the activation portion (42) of the drive (41) is spaced from the gripping surface (16a) of the same drive (41), wherein the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34) is configured to rotate integrally with the central body (44) of the tilting element (34) and is configured to translate and rotate with respect to the drive (41), wherein the interaction portion (46) of the tilting element (34) comprises a pin (48) housed inside a slot (47) made on the drive (41), optionally on the activation portion (42), said pin being configured to rotate and translate inside the slot (47), wherein the tilting element (34) has an "L" or "V" shape, wherein the central body (44) defines a central area of the same tilting element (34), and wherein the interaction portion (46) is located at an end of the tilting element (34), wherein said one or more couplings (33) are located at an end of the central body (44) opposite the interaction portion (46), said one or more couplings being hinged to the central body (44) of the tilting element (34), optionally wherein said couplings (33) are interposed between the tilting element (34) and the contact surface (16a) of the drive (41), wherein when the present claim depends on claims 2 and 5, the second plate (36) of the second member (31) comprises at least one cylindrical cavity (49) defining a sliding seat of a respective one of said one or more couplings (33), wherein each cylindrical cavity (49) is terminally delimited, at opposite ends along one/the movement trajectory (D) of a respective one or more of said one or more couplings (33), by: - an opening (50) facing a respective recess (37) and configured to allow the passage of one of said one or more couplings (33) in engagement with a respective recess (37), - an end plate (51) defining an end-of-stroke of said coupling (33), wherein said end plate (51) is perforated to allow the passage of said coupling (33) in engagement with one/the end of the central body (44) of the tilting element (34) to which it is hinged, wherein when the present claim depends on claim 7, each of said one or more elastic elements (43) acts inside a cylindrical cavity (49) of the second plate (36) interposed between a respective one of said one or more couplings (33) and the end plate (51).
  13. Method for rotationally unlocking a handle (4) of a mobile device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said method comprises a step of contacting the joint (32) to cause a rotation of the tilting element (34) such as to disengage said one or more couplings (33) from the first member (30) and allow a rotation of the second member (31) relative to the first member (30).
  14. Method according to the preceding claim using the device according to claims 4 and 8, wherein the step of contacting the joint (32) comprises pressing the gripping surface (16a) of the drive (41) to cause a rotation of the tilting element (34) such as to disengage said one or more couplings (33) from the first member (30) of the handle (4).
  15. Method according to any one of the two preceding claims using the device according to claim 5, wherein subsequently to the step of contacting the joint (32), the method further comprises a step of rotating the second member (31) with respect to the first member (30) by sliding said one or more couplings (33) on the sliding track (38) until reaching recesses (37) to which said one or more couplings (33) engage.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a manually guided mobile device for the maintenance of lands, for example gardens, lawns or agricultural land. In particular, the mobile device may be a lawn mower having a work tool, for example the cutting blade. The present invention also relates to a method for the maintenance of lands by means of said mobile device. STATE OF THE ART In the field of gardening and maintenance of the land, mobile devices such as lawn mowers, soil tillers and aerators are commonly used to cover the entire intended working area. During the operation, some areas, such as perimeters, boundaries or central areas with obstacles, can be difficult to reach effectively, compromising the overall quality of the work. In manually guided devices, the operator may encounter difficulties in manoeuvring the device around such obstacles, due to the dimensions of the device in height or width, which may interfere with perimeter elements such as hedges. To facilitate use in perimeter areas, some existing solutions provide systems for adjusting the height or inclination of the handlebar. For example, in patent EP3466237A1 a lawn mower is described that integrates a handlebar composed of two members: a first element fixed to the frame of the lawn mower and a second element that can be gripped by the user. Among them, a joint is inserted that allows a rotation of the second member with respect to the first. This rotation is obtained by means of a mechanism of tensioning cables connected to the joint. When the user presses one of the buttons on the handlebar, the tensioning cables are activated, causing the disengagement of a locking element and thus allowing the rotation of the second member with respect to the first. This configuration offers some flexibility in the manoeuvrability of the device, but also has some limitations. The mechanical complexity of the tensioning cable system, in fact, can lead to problems of wear, breakage and require frequent maintenance interventions, reducing the reliability and overall life of the device. Solutions belonging to the state of the art can therefore be improved in certain respects. Continuing with the description of the state of the art, the adjustment of the height or inclination of the handlebar in the gardening devices represents a further critical aspect, and the existing solutions are often complex and impractical for the operator. For example, in European patent EP3099155B1 an inclination adjustment mechanism is described comprising a handlebar connected to the frame by a pin which fixes it in a specific position. To adjust the inclination, the operator must unscrew a locking knob and remove the pin, thus allowing the handlebar to be moved. Once the desired new inclination is reached, the pin must be reinserted and locked again to secure the handlebar firmly. The procedure of extraction and reinsertion of the pin, although effective in ensuring stability, requires careful manual intervention, slowing down the adjustment process and proving not easy for the user. These systems can therefore be improved in certain respects. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the drawbacks and/or limitations of the previous solutions. A first object is to simplify the operations of adjusting the handlebar, making the use of the mobile device more practical and easy for the operator. A further object is to ensure greater durability and reliability of the handlebar, reducing wear on mechanical components and the need for frequent maintenance interventions. A further object is to allow an intuitive and quick adjustment of the inclination of the handlebar, eliminating the complexity of manual unlocking and repositioning operations. A further object is to make available a device with a compact and resistant joint, able to integrate into the device without adding bulk. A further object is to allow the operator to easily adapt the handlebar to the specific conditions of the ground and the obstacles present, facilitating access and manoeuvrability even in the perimeter or border areas of the work area. A further object is to reduce operator fatigue, allowing a smooth and immediate adjustment of the handlebar, optimizing comfort and ergonomics during the use of the device. These objects and others, which will appear more from the following description, are substantially achieved by a mobile device for the maintenance of lands in accordance with one or more of the claims and/or the following aspects. SUMMARY Aspects of the invention are described here below. In a 1st aspect there is provided a mobile device for the maintenance of lands, in particular lawns or gardens, comprising: movement means (2) configured to allow a movement of the mobile device within a work area,a frame (3) comprising at least one work tool for performing maintenance operations on the work area. In a 1st-bis aspect according to the pr