Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ 373032
The present invention relates to a lawn mower of
the type which in operation is supported hy a cushion of
air and has a blade which is rotatable about a vertical axis,
and a fan wheel rotatable about the same axis. Moreover~
the fan wheel and the blade are shrouded by a hood with a
rim extending around the periphery of the hood, the hood
having at least one opening for air to the air cushion.
It is known to collect grass during cutting when
using mQwers of the above described type. This function is
illustrated in British Patent Appllcation No. 2,017,475 and
is achieved because the air stream building up the air
cushion is also used to transport the cut grass. The la~ter
is transferred to a separate bag attached to the rear of
the mower. In order to obtain a good function it is necessary
to shape appropriately the underside of the hood, as well
as the transportation channel.
The lawn mower constructed ln accordance with the
present ~nvention is an alternative to the device described
above and may be used without any major constructional
changes of a conventional air cushion mower and still give
an excellent collecting result. Accordin~ ~o the invention,
the air stream to the Ean wheel, before reachlng the fan
wheel, is used to pi~k up and transport grass, leaves etc.
from the ground to a discharge or collecting place.
In order that the invention will be more clearly
understood, it will now be disclosed in greater detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present inven-
tion showing a conventional air cushion mower which can be
provided with a cover, shown in a detached and upside-down
,
l ~71~3~
condition, in order to create the air stream shown by the
arrows in the Figure.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the same
mower provided with cover in place.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment
of the invention provided with a cover shown in a detailed
and upside-down condition, and the arrows showlng the paths
of air flow.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the mower comprises a
hood 10 which supports a housing 11 for an electric motor
(not shown). The hood has a rim 12, which extends around
the periphery of the mower, and a handle 13, which has a
switch 8 for the electric motor. The motor has a vertical
shaft l4 on which a~fan wheel 15 and a blade 16 are mounted.
~ The~fan wheel creates an alr cushion under the hood by draw-
ing air from the upper side of the~hood and~distributing
it to the underside thereof.~This air stream is taken in
through first slots 17 in~the housing 11 and through second
slots 18 between the housing ll and the hood 10, and lS led
to the fan wheel 15 through one or~more openings 19 in the
center of the hood 10. Cooling air to the motor is simultan-
eously sucked into a separate inlet 20 in the;upper part
of the housing 11 by the fan wheel 15, and this air stream
,
passes over the motor before it is delivered to the air
cushion.
Thus, the above device is a conventional air
cushion mower. However, by providing such a mower with a
cover 21 of particular shape, the air being sucked into the
fan wheel can be used to take up cut grass, leaves and the
like from a lawn and to transport it to a space within the
3 2
cover. This is achieved by an air stream as illustrated by
the arrows in FIG. 1. In order to provide such an air stream,
the cover has a nozzle opening 22, which when the cover is
fastened to the hood is adjacent the rim 12 of the hood 10.
Thi.s nozzle opening extends the complete width of the front
part of the mower. The cover 21, together with a portion
of the hood, forms a chamber 23 to which grass and leaves
are transported. In order to separate grass and leaves in
the chamber 23~ and to prevent them from entering the air
cushion~ the chamber 23 is provided with a filter 24. Air
frorn the chamber 23 is supplied to the air cushion via the
fan wheel lS.
In order not to hi.nder vertical movement of the
handle 13 there is a recess 25 in the rear part of the cover.
lS This recess 25 is llmi~ed by side walls 26 and an upper wall
27, which is shaped so that cooling air to the motor is taken
in the normal way d:irectly from the atmosphere. The chamber
23 is emptied by removing the cover 21 from the hood 10,
to which it is fastened by any suitable means 28.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodi.ment in which
like parts bear like reference numerals and wherein the cover
21' has a nozzle opening 22' which i5 disposed at a concen-
trated area in the rear part of the mower thereby creating
the air strea~ which is shown by the arrows in the Figure.
The object of this arrangement is to pick up cut grass, which
normal].y forms a windrow behind the mower a~ one of its
sides, since the cut grass, depending on the d:irection of
rotation of the blade ls thrown against one of the inner
side walls of the hood. By disposing the nozzle opening above
the area where ~he windrow normally is formed, the grass
0 3 2
is sucked into the chamber 23' to which it is delivered
before the air stream continues into the air cushion via
the fan wheel.
It is of course possible to place the nozzle open-
S ing at any suitable location on the mower, and to combine
the above nozzle openings in one and the same cover by pro-
viding the cover with means making it possible to block one
nozzle opening when the cover is open, or to have both nozzle
openings open simultaneously.
The use of conventional vacuum cleaner accessories
with the present invention would also be possible by means
of a suitable adaptor.
Although two embodiments of the present invention
have been disclosed and described herein, it will be apparent ?
that other variations and modifications may be made therein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined in the following claims.
