This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-142671, filed Jun. 15, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
This application relates generally to an engine-powered tool such as an engine-powered cutter, and more particularly to an engine-powered tool equipped with a pre-air cleaner chamber upstream of the air cleaner chamber.
When cutting concrete or the like with an engine-powered tool such as an engine-powered cutter, particulates such as concrete powder fly in large quantities around the engine-powered tool. When these flying particulates enter the air filter of the engine tool, the air filter clogs up, reducing engine performance. For that reason, it is necessary for the operator to frequently change or clean the air filter, and this places a large burden on the operator. Hence, the air cleaner noted in the disclosure of Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. S63-200658 is provided with a general cyclone mechanism upstream of the air filter, so that particulates in the air are removed upstream of the air filter.
At the very minimum, this cyclone mechanism requires an air intake pipe for guiding the air in a direction tangent to the cylindrical part, and an air outflow tube for taking air with few particulates out from the center of the cylindrical part. As a result, the structure becomes complex and the parts numerous, assembly work becomes troublesome and production costs rise.
In consideration of the foregoing, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an engine-powered tool that has a simple structure to reduce manufacturing costs, and which can reduce the frequency of air filter maintenance by curtailing clogging of the air filter.
In order to achieve the above objective, the engine-powered tool according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with:
an engine-powered tool having a rotating blade; a housing that houses an engine for driving the rotating blade and that is provided to the rear of the rotating blade; an air cleaner chamber provided in the housing to the rear of the engine; a pre-air cleaner chamber provided in the housing on the upstream side of the air cleaner chamber and having an air exhaust opening for exhausting air into the air cleaner chamber formed in a side wall and a divider wall extending downward beyond the bottom edge of the air exhaust opening from the side wall above the air exhaust opening between the air inflow opening through which air flows in and the air exhaust opening; and a dust collection unit provided in the lower side of the pre-air cleaner chamber so as to be free to open and close.
In addition, the divider wall preferably extends downward toward the inside of the pre-air cleaner chamber from the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed so as to cover the air exhaust opening.
Furthermore, the air exhaust opening is preferably covered by the divider wall and the two sides walls adjacent to the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed, so as to open only downward in the pre-air cleaner chamber.
In addition, the junction between the divider wall and the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed may be at a position below the bottom edge of the air inflow opening.
Furthermore, the pre-air cleaner chamber is provided in the side of the housing between the engine and the air cleaner chamber in the front-to-back direction of the engine-powered tool, and the air cleaner chamber and the pre-air cleaner chamber may be adjacent to each other, separated by the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed.
In addition, the air inflow opening may be formed in one side wall adjacent to the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed.
Furthermore, an other side wall adjacent to the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed is composed of a side of the housing, and the one side wall adjacent to the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed may be provided opposite this other side wall.
In addition the divider wall may be connected to the side wall in which the air exhaust opening is formed, the one side wall and the other side wall; and a screw for fastening a fastener anchoring the dust collection unit in the housing may be formed in the area where the lower edge of the divider wall and the side of the housing connect.
Furthermore, a plurality of air exhaust openings may be provided.
In addition, a plurality of divider walls may be provided so as to respectively correspond to the plurality of air exhaust openings.
Furthermore, the opening and closing part of the dust collection unit may a portion of the housing.
In addition, the air cleaner chamber may constitute a portion of the housing and be provided with an air cleaner cover removably attached to the housing, and the air cleaner cover may be joined together with the opening and closing part of the dust collection unit.
Furthermore, a liquid supply unit capable of supplying liquid to the rotating blade may be provided.
In addition, the dust collection unit may be connected by a fastening member to the housing so as to be capable of opening and closing.
In order to achieve the above objective, the engine-powered tool according to a second aspect of the present invention is provided with:
an engine-powered tool having a rotating blade; a housing that houses an engine for driving the rotating blade and that is provided to the rear of the rotating blade; a handle provided on top of the housing; an air cleaner chamber provided in the housing to the rear of the engine; a pre-air cleaner chamber positioned in the housing and between the engine and the air cleaner chamber and beneath the handle, and having an air inflow opening where air flows in, an air exhaust opening for exhausting air to the air cleaner chamber and side walls that partition the pre-air cleaner chamber; a divider wall provided inside the pre-air cleaner chamber and between the air inflow opening and the air exhaust opening, and which together with the side walls that delineate the air cleaner chamber and the pre-air cleaner chamber forms a passage opening toward the side opposite the handle; and a release unit capable of moving in the housing between a first position constituting one part of the side walls and a second position that releases the outside of the pre-air cleaner chamber to enable the dust accumulated in the pre-air cleaner chamber to be exhausted to the outside.
In order to achieve the above objective, the engine-powered tool according to a third aspect of the present invention is provided with:
an engine-powered tool having a rotating blade; a housing that houses an engine for driving the rotating blade and that is provided to the rear of the rotating blade; a front handle and a rear handled provided on the housing; an air cleaner chamber provided in the housing to the rear of the engine; a pre-air cleaner chamber positioned between the engine and the air cleaner chamber, and having an air inflow opening where air flows in, an air exhaust opening for exhausting air to the air cleaner chamber and side walls that partition the pre-air cleaner chamber; a divider wall provided inside the pre-air cleaner chamber and between the air inflow opening and the air exhaust opening, and which together with the side walls that delineate the air cleaner chamber and the pre-air cleaner chamber forms a passage opening toward the bottom when the tool is held by the front handle and the rear handle; and a release unit capable of moving in the housing between a first position constituting one part of the side walls and a second position that releases the outside of the pre-air cleaner chamber to enable the dust accumulated in the pre-air cleaner chamber to be exhausted to the outside.
With the present invention, particulates are removed from the air upstream of the air filter by a divider wall in the pre-air cleaner chamber of the engine-powered tool, and the removed particulates are confined in a dust collection chamber. Consequently, manufacturing costs are reduced through this simple structure, while the frequency of air filter maintenance can also be reduced by curtailing clogging of the air filter.
A more complete understanding of this application can be obtained when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
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With an engine-powered cutter composed in this manner, air passes through the air intake opening 40 from the outside of the housing 18 and is guided to the inside of the housing 18, as illustrated by the dotted line arrow in
In this kind of air flow, when the flow of air is temporarily diverted downward by the divider wall 58 provided in the pre-air cleaner chamber 38, some of the particulates with heavy densities relative to the air that are contained in the air drop to the bottom of and accumulate in the dust collection chamber 46 due to their weight. Through this, it is possible to remove some of the particulates in the air from the air, making it possible to reduce the quantity of actual particulates entering the air cleaner chamber 34. Accordingly, with this simple composition that holds down manufacturing costs by providing the divider wall 58 in the pre-air cleaner chamber 38, it is possible to reduce the frequency of maintenance on the air filter 32. In addition, because the lower edge of the divider wall 58 extends beyond the lower edge of the air exhaust opening 44 in the pre-air cleaner chamber 38, the air changes direction from downward to upward at the lower edge of the divider wall 58. Consequently, it is possible to efficiently cause particulates in the air to fall into the dust collection chamber 46, making it possible to further reduce the volume of real particulates entering the air cleaner chamber 34. Moreover, this makes it possible to further reduce the frequency of maintenance on the air filter 32.
Furthermore, the divider wall 58 extends downward so as to cover the air exhaust opening 44, and is enclosed by the outside wall 52 and the inside wall 56 so as to be open only downward. Consequently, only air that has changed direction from downward to upward by the lower edge of the divider wall 58 passes through the air exhaust opening 44. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently cause particulates in the air to fall into the dust collection chamber 46, making it possible to further reduce the volume of real particulates entering the air cleaner chamber 34. Moreover, this makes it possible to further reduce the frequency of maintenance on the air filter 32.
In addition, the lower edge of the air inflow opening 42 is positioned upward from the junction between the divider wall 58 and the rear partition 54. Consequently, the route followed by air in the downward direction is lengthened, so it is possible to efficiently cause particulates in the air to fall into the dust collection chamber 46, making it possible to further reduce the volume of real particulates entering the air cleaner chamber 34. Moreover, this makes it possible to further reduce the frequency of maintenance on the air filter 32.
Furthermore, the pre-air cleaner chamber 38 and the air cleaner chamber 34 are positioned adjacent to each other, separated by the rear partition 54 in which the air exhaust opening 44 is formed, so it is possible to greatly simplify the structure. Consequently, no additional parts are needed to link the pre-air cleaner chamber 38 and the air cleaner chamber 34, making it possible to reduce costs.
In addition, air guided from the air intake opening 40 flows from the air inflow opening 42 into the pre-air cleaner chamber 38 positioned on the side of the housing 18 opposite the side on which the air intake opening 40 is provided. Consequently, the air can cool the engine 16 and the carburetor 30 when passing through the housing 18.
Furthermore, the dust collection chamber 46 is anchored by the screw member 48 to the engine-powered cutter 10, so the operator, by manipulating the screw member 48 can easily remove the dust collection chamber 46 from the engine-powered cutter 10. Furthermore, the operator, after removing the dust collection chamber 46, can quickly and completely clean out the particulates accumulated in the bottom thereof by simply turning over the bottom surface of the dust collection chamber 46 to face the ground. Consequently, it is possible to further reduce maintenance efforts. Moreover, in the event that the dust collection chamber 46 is damaged, the operator need only change parts, making it possible to reduce the operator's burden.
In addition, the holder 76 is formed on the screw member 48, so it is possible for the operator to rotate the screw member 48 while holding the holder 76. Accordingly, the operator can easily remove the screw member without needing special tools for rotating the screw member 48, greatly improving operability when attaching or detaching the dust collection chamber 46. In addition, the male screw 72 of the screw member 48 is made of metal, so it is possible to significantly increase strength in comparison to using plastic or the like. Furthermore, the dust collection chamber 46 is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material, so the operator can easily see the particulate accumulation status from the outside and can easily tell when it is time to clean the dust collection chamber 46.
In the above embodiment, the divider wall 58 is connected to the inside wall 56 and the outside wall 52 and is also connected near the top edge of the air exhaust opening 44 in the rear partition 54. However, it would also be fine to have a composition in which the divider wall 58 is connected to the inside wall 56, the outside wall 52 and the rear partition 54 above the top edge of the air exhaust opening 44. In addition, it would be fine to have a composition in which the divider wall 58 is connected to the inside wall 56, the outside wall 52 and the ceiling of the pre-air cleaner chamber 38. In these cases as well, the same effects as in the above-described case can be obtained.
In addition, instead of the divider wall 58 being connected to the inside wall 56 and the outside wall 52, separate walls may be formed on the inside of the outside wall 52 (the inside wall 56 side) and the inside of the inside wall 56 (the outside wall 52 side), and for the divider wall 58, the wall on the inside of the outside wall 52 and the wall on the inside of the inside wall 56 to cover the air exhaust opening 44 so that this is only open toward the bottom of the pre-air cleaner chamber 38. In this case as well, the same effects as in the above-described case can be obtained. It would also be fine to form a wall only on the inside of the inside wall 56, or only on the inside of the outside wall 52.
Furthermore, the divider wall 58 (or the walls on the inside of the inside wall 56 and the inside of the outside wall 52 when such walls are formed) may be composed as a separate component and fastened and anchored by an adhesive so as to cover the air exhaust opening 44 in the pre-air cleaner chamber 38. In this case, the same effects as in the above-described case can be obtained, and moreover the structure of the pre-air cleaner chamber 38 becomes simpler, enabling manufacturing costs to be further reduced.
In the above-described embodiment, a single air exhaust opening 44 is formed in the rear partition 54 between the pre-air cleaner chamber 38 and the air cleaner chamber 34, but this is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. For example, as shown in
In addition, in the above-described embodiments the divider wall 58, the first divider wall 158a and the second divider wall 158b are plate-shaped members having roughly arc-shaped cross sections, as shown in
In addition, in the above-described embodiments the dust collection chamber 46 has a drawer-like structure and can be attached or detached by sliding the chamber relative to the housing 18, but the dust collection chamber 46 is not limited to this structure. For example, the space in the housing 18 in the lower side of the air cleaner chamber 38 could be structured as the dust collection chamber. In this case, a portion of the housing 18 (dust collection chamber) in the lower side of the pre-air cleaner chamber 38 may be structured as a lid member capable of opening and closing by means of a hinge or the like. In addition, this lid member may be structured so as to be attached and detached by means of a screw, a clip or the like. Through this, it is possible to easily remove particulates that accumulate in the dust collection chamber.
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The above-described embodiments were all described for the case wherein the present invention is applied to an engine-powered cutter, but the present invention is not limited to application to an engine-powered cutter but may also be applied to chainsaws, weed whackers or other engine-powered tools.
Having described and illustrated the principles of this application by reference to one (or more) preferred embodiment(s), it should be apparent that the preferred embodiment(s) may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the principles disclosed herein and that it is intended that the application be construed as including all such modifications and variations insofar as they come within the spirit and scope of the subject matter disclosed herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-142671 | Jun 2009 | JP | national |