Mowed grass amount detecting apparatus for grass collection container of Grass Mowing Machine

• US 8,006,473 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kubota Corporation
• Inventors: Yamashita, Nobuyuki, Nishihara, Hironobu, Kuramoto, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Will; Thomas B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Misa; Joan D
• Application Number:
  US12/372,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20090320433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 56/102.R, 56/166, 561/94, 562/02, 562/03, 563/202, 56D/IG.15, 340/612, 340/686, 340/686.1, 200/47, 200/61.2, 200/61.21, 116/303, 732/90.R
• US Class Current: 56/202
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/0631 Control devices specially adapted therefor

Abstract

A mowed grass amount detecting apparatus for a grass collection container of a grass mowing includes a pivotal sensor plate (62) constituting a portion of a boundary wall for holding the mowed grass charged into the grass collection container. The pivotal sensor plate has a receiving face which receives the weight of mowed grass. The apparatus also includes a detecting unit (66) for detecting an amount of pivotal movement of the sensor plate (62) from a home position. The receiving face of the pivotal sensor plate (62) is configured so as to close a sensor opening portion formed downwardly of a mowed grass charging portion of the grass collection container communicated and connected with the conveying duct, so that the receiving face of the pivotal sensor plate receives the weight of mowed grass held within the grass collection container (32) through the sensor opening portion.

Claims

1. A mowed grass amount detecting apparatus in a grass collection container of a grass mowing machine, the grass collection container receiving grass mowed by a mower unit through a conveying duct, the apparatus comprising:

a frame structure attached to the grass collection container downwardly from a mowed grass charging portion of said grass collection container communicated and connected with the conveying duct, the frame structure defining an inner space with an outer opening end serving as a sensor disposing region of a sensor opening portion and a remaining portion of the inner space serving as a mowed grass entering region of the sensor opening portion;

a pivotal sensor plate attached at a bottom portion thereof to a pair of right and left support portions provided at a bottom end of the frame structure, the pivotal sensor plate constituting a portion of a boundary wall for holding the mowed grass charged into the grass collection container, the pivotal sensor plate having a receiving face that is configured to close the sensor opening portion and which receives the weight of mowed grass;

a spring disposed in a space on an outer side of the receiving face for urging said sensor plate in a direction toward a home-position; and

a detecting unit for detecting an amount of pivotal movement of said sensor plate from said home-position;

wherein said receiving face of the pivotal sensor plate receives the weight of mowed grass held within the grass collection container through said sensor opening portion such that the pivotal sensor plate changes in position relative to the detecting unit.

2. The mowed grass amount detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lateral width of said sensor opening portion is substantially equal to the lateral width of the exit of said conveying duct at the mowed grass charging portion.

3. The mowed grass amount detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said receiving face of the pivotal sensor plate forms a lowermost portion of a vertical face which rises from a lowermost edge of an inclined bottom face of said grass collection container.