JP3462039B2 - Elevating pitcher mound - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for a multi-purpose ground, and is capable of raising and lowering a mound when it is used for baseball and a mound when used for baseball. Regarding the pitcher mound.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Up-and-down pitcher mounds of this kind have already been proposed. For example, the actual exploitation Sho 63-169
No. 180 is an underground storage system, in which the mound is stored in a hole provided in the ground, and in the case of baseball, this mound is raised, and in the case of other competitions, the mound is lowered. Then, the upper surface is covered with another plate-shaped object. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-52251 discloses a raised type in which a base plate which can be raised and lowered is provided in a hole of a ground,
Put a certain amount of soil on this base plate, lower the base plate in other competitions to make the ground flush, and raise the base plate in baseball to form a mound with raised soil It is a method to do.

[0003]

However, all of the conventional methods have drawbacks and are not practically sufficient. In an underground storage method such as the Japanese Utility Model No. 63-16918, workability is poor because a plate-like object to cover the hole must be prepared separately. Further, in a simple uplifting method such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-52251, a predetermined amount of soil simply appears and disappears. Therefore, when forming a mound or flattening the surface during immersion, manual ground leveling work is performed. Is essential, and it is necessary to install and remove the pitcher plate after each conversion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above points, the present invention is to provide an up-and-down type pitcher mound which can be easily converted into and out of a house and does not require manual work such as ground leveling.
The present invention also provides an up-and-down pitcher mound that has an accurate shape with a slope that conforms to the baseball rules and that does not feel uncomfortable compared to a normal mound.

[0005]

The technical means of the liftable pitcher mound of the present invention is a mound that is divided into polygonal holes formed in the ground and that conforms to the planar shape of the holes as a whole. The base body, a plurality of earthing trays placed on the upper surface of each divided base body, and an elevating and lowering drive device provided in the center portion of the lower surface of the mound base body are provided. It is composed of a divided base body and a plurality of divided base bodies forming a peripheral portion, and the central divided base body and each peripheral divided base body are hinge-connected.

The side wall of the earthing tray is preferably made of soft synthetic resin. Further, it is preferable that the lifting drive device is composed of a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic cylinder, and a pilot check valve is incorporated. Further, a roller may be attached to the lower surface of the outer edge of the peripheral divided base body, and this roller may be placed on the upper surface of the hydraulic cylinder.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a liftable pitcher mound according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, 1 is a ground ground. In the embodiment, the surface is paved with a polyurethane mat 2 or artificial grass. Reference numeral 3 denotes a polygonal hole (a dodecagonal shape in the embodiment) formed at the position of the pitcher mound, and the wall surface of this hole is solidified with a concrete layer 4.

Reference numeral 5 is a mound substrate, which in the embodiment is a frame structure made by assembling stainless steel mold members. The mound substrate 5 is divided into an appropriate number. The number of divisions is arbitrary, but in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the whole is made into a dodecagonal shape in accordance with the hole 3, and one in the center 5a and nine in the peripheral portion 5b. Is divided into 10 in total. Further, the central divided base body 5a and each peripheral divided base body 5b are connected by a hinge 6.

Reference numeral 7 is a hydraulic cylinder, which is erected at the center of the hole 3 and has its rod tip connected to the center of the lower surface of the central base body 5a. Therefore, when oil is sent from the hydraulic pump 8 to the hydraulic cylinder 7, the rod extends and the central base 5
a is pushed up. Reference numeral 9 denotes a guide post made of a double pipe that can be freely inserted and removed, and is provided at the four corners of the central base body 5a to assist the guide so that the central base body 5a can be smoothly moved up and down. A pilot check valve (not shown) is incorporated in the oil feed passage from the hydraulic pump 8 to the hydraulic cylinder 7, and the position can be maintained in a predetermined extended state, whereby the raised mound is It will be stably fixed and held in this state.

Numeral 10 is a roller provided near the outer edge of the peripheral body 5b, which serves as a fulcrum of movement and is placed on the upper surface of the hydraulic cylinder 11. Since the roller 10 is only in contact with the upper surface of the cylinder 11, it can freely move in the horizontal direction, and therefore, it is possible to absorb a slight positional movement at the peripheral portion as the mound body 5 moves up and down. Oil is sent from the hydraulic pump 8 to the hydraulic cylinder 11.
This hydraulic cylinder 11 is moved up and down by the thickness of the mat 2, and is necessary because the mat 2 is used in the embodiment, and is unnecessary when the mat is not used.
It is also possible to replace with a fixed pedestal.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a soiling tray, which is placed and fixed on the upper surface of the mound substrate 5. In the embodiment, the material of the tray 12 has a bottom surface made of a stainless steel plate and side surfaces made of a soft synthetic resin such as polyurethane. Since the bottom is made of stainless steel, it has sufficient strength.Since the sides are made of soft synthetic resin, it can be deformed appropriately, and when the mound rises, the space between both side walls of the central tray and the peripheral tray There is an advantage that the gap that occurs in 1 is automatically eliminated. Tray 12
Is usually provided for each divided substrate 5, but it is also possible to place a plurality of trays on one divided substrate 5 like the peripheral tray on the right side of the drawing. It is also possible to provide a soil partition 13 inside the tray 12 like a peripheral tray on the left side in the drawing.

In the tray 12, soil 14 having a quality suitable for a pitcher mound is placed. Further, the pitcher plate 15 is embedded in the central tray.
In addition, in order to facilitate the internal inspection of the holes, the mounting structure of one tray may be a structure that is easily attached and detached, and this may be used as the inspection port. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the embodiment, when the mound is immersed, the polyurethane mat 1 is placed on the upper surface.
6 is laid so that it has the same surface configuration as the other ground planes.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be freely modified and implemented within the scope of the claims. In particular, the detailed structure of the mound base, the number of divisions, the shape of the earthing tray, the material, the number of divisions,
The mounting system and the like, as well as the type and structure of the lifting drive device, are free.

[0014]

The lifting pitcher mound of the present invention is
Since the operation of appearing and disappearing the mound is automatically performed without requiring manual operation, the ground can be easily switched in a short time of usually about 1 to 2 minutes, and remote operation is also possible.
Further, in the present invention, since the mound has a divided structure, it is possible to easily form a mound having a formal shape having a gradient according to the rule. Further, since the present invention is a method of raising and lowering the pitcher mound by the amount corresponding to the gradient, the structure is simple, a large-scale structure is not required, and the work can be performed more easily than the conventional transportable type. Labor saving and
It's safe.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the side wall of the tray is made of soft synthetic resin and can be deformed to some extent, the gap between the trays generated at the time of bulging is naturally filled, and the seam is not conspicuous. Does not give a sense of discomfort due to the difference with the mound.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the hydraulic system is used, the retracting operation and the structure of the apparatus are simple, and it is highly practical. In addition, since the pilot check valve is incorporated, the mound shape in the raised state is obtained. It can be held stably and does not lose its shape over time.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the peripheral fulcrum of the mound base is a roller, the lifting operation is smooth, and the roller is mounted on the hydraulic cylinder so that the position can be moved up and down. It can also be used for grounds using mats.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a liftable pitcher mound of the present invention in a raised state.

FIG. 2 is a plan view.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view in an immersed state.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a lifting drive unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a connection state of the mound division bases.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 holes 5 mound base 6 hinges 7 hydraulic cylinder 8 hydraulic pump 9 guide columns 10 roller 11 hydraulic cylinder 12 Soil tray

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63C 19/00 A63B 71/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A polygonal hole formed in the ground,
A mound base that is divided and wholly conforms to the planar shape of the hole, a plurality of earthing trays that are placed on the upper surface of each divided base, and a lifting drive device that is provided at the center of the lower surface of the mound base. The mound base body comprises one divided base body forming a central portion and a plurality of divided base bodies forming a peripheral portion, and the central portion divided base body and each peripheral portion divided base body are connected by a hinge. Lifting pitcher mound. 2. The lifting pitcher mound according to claim 1, wherein the side wall of the earthing tray is made of soft synthetic resin. 3. The lifting pitcher mound according to claim 1, wherein the lifting drive device comprises a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic cylinder, and a pilot check valve is incorporated therein. 4. The liftable pitcher mound according to claim 1, wherein a roller is attached to the lower surface of the outer edge portion of the peripheral portion divided base body, and the roller is mounted on the upper surface of the hydraulic cylinder.