Vertically oriented debris blower assembly mounted to outdoor power equipment unit

Abstract

A blower assembly for use with an outdoor power equipment unit comprises a turbine blower having a rotatable outlet duct that is carried on a blower frame in a vertically upright orientation with the fan section of the turbine blower being above the outlet duct. The turbine blower is laterally offset from a longitudinal centerline of the unit such that the height of the turbine blower is not positioned directly in front of the operator to leave the operator with a substantially unobstructed line of sight in a directly forward direction. The outlet duct has an open mouth through which the air flow is directed for clearing or blowing debris from a ground surface. An air egress opening is provided in a lower surface of the outlet duct adjacent the open mouth to allow a portion of the air flow exiting the open mouth to be directed more downwardly towards the ground than a remaining portion of the air flow.

1 . A blower assembly for use with an outdoor power equipment unit having a self-propelled traction frame carrying a plurality of ground engaging wheels such that the traction frame is capable of rolling movement over the ground during operation of the traction frame, the traction frame having an operator's station for carrying an operator thereon with the operator guiding and controlling the traction frame, which comprises:
 (a) a blower frame carried on a front end of the traction frame with the blower frame being located forwardly of the operator's station;   (b) a debris blower, which comprises:
 (i) a fan section having a rotatable vane array that rotates about a rotational axis, the rotation of the vane array pulling air in through an inlet at one end of the fan section, generating an axial air flow within the fan section, and discharging the axial air flow through an outlet at an opposite end of the fan section; and 
 (ii) an outlet duct cooperating with the fan section, wherein the outlet duct is rotatably coupled to the outlet of the fan section for receiving the axial air flow from the fan section to discharge the axial air flow onto the ground for blowing ground lying debris in a desired direction, the outlet duct comprising a pipe section having an angled bend between an air flow receiving end and an open mouth thereof through which the air flow is discharged; and 
   (c) a mount for supporting the debris blower on the blower frame in a substantially vertically extending orientation with the fan section of the debris blower being located above the outlet duct, the blower frame and mount being configured to position the substantially vertically extending debris blower on a laterally offset orientation sufficiently to one side of a longitudinal centerline of the outdoor power equipment unit passing through the operator's station such that the operator has a directly forward line of sight that is substantially unobstructed by the debris blower when the operator is located at the operator's station.   
     
     
         2 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the blower frame has a lateral wheelbase of a predetermined width as determined by at least one ground engaging member on the blower frame carried thereon for providing the blower frame with a rolling engagement with the ground that is separate from a rolling engagement of the traction frame with the ground, wherein the blower frame is substantially centered on the longitudinal centerline of the outdoor power equipment unit by substantially centering the lateral wheelbase of the blower frame on the longitudinal centerline of the outdoor power equipment unit, and wherein the laterally offset orientation of the debris blower is achieved by having the mount angled relative to the blower frame such that the mount extends laterally to the one side of the longitudinal centerline of the outdoor power equipment unit. 
     
     
         3 . The blower assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one ground engaging member on the blower frame comprises a pair of laterally spaced ground engaging wheels on the blower frame with the lateral wheelbase comprising a lateral distance between the two wheels. 
     
     
         4 . The blower assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the mount extends between the blower frame and the debris blower at a generally midpoint position of the debris blower connecting to the debris blower substantially in an intermediate location where the fan section and outlet duct are adjacent one another. 
     
     
         5 . The blower assembly of  claim 4 , wherein a portion of a mechanical drive system that powers the rotatable vane array is housed within the mount. 
     
     
         6 . The blower assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the portion of the mechanical drive system that is housed within the mount comprises a belt and pulley drive system having a driven pulley connected to a shaft that rotatably drives the rotatable vane array. 
     
     
         7 . The blower assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the debris blower comprises a turbine debris blower having a fixed vane array in addition to the rotatable vane array with the rotatable vane array being located above the fixed vane array, and wherein the shaft the rotatably drives the rotatable vane array passes upwardly through the fan section with the driven pulley connected to a lower end of the shaft which lower end is located beneath the fixed vane array. 
     
     
         8 . The blower assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the mechanical drive system further includes one or more connecting drive shafts that couple the portion of the mechanical drive system that is housed within the mount to a power take off shaft on the traction frame such that the debris blower is powered by a power source on the traction frame that in turn powers the power take off shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pipe section that forms the outlet duct is in the form of an elongated cylindrical pipe having an elbow shape which is curved about a radius to form the angled bend therein, wherein the air receiving upper end of the pipe section extends vertically to join with the fan section and the open mouth of the outlet duct extends substantially horizontally, and wherein the fan section has an outer fan casing that has an elongated, vertically extending, cylindrical shape. 
     
     
         10 . The blower assembly of  claim 9 , wherein cross-sections taken through the pipe section and through the outer fan casing of the fan section orthogonally to the centerlines or axes along which the pipe section and fan section are elongated would have substantially the same circular cross-sectional shapes and diameters. 
     
     
         11 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the pipe section defining the open mouth is substantially closed around its periphery except for an air egress opening that is additionally provided in a lowermost surface of the portion of the pipe section defining the open mouth adjacent to the open mouth, the air egress opening allowing a portion of the air flow exiting from the open mouth to be directed downwardly through the air egress opening towards the ground while a remaining portion of the air flow exits through the open mouth. 
     
     
         12 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outdoor power equipment unit is a mower for cutting grass. 
     
     
         13 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the blower assembly is selectively installable and removable from the outdoor power equipment unit. 
     
     
         14 . The blower assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the blower assembly includes a support stand having a ground engaging foot that is attached to the blower frame, wherein the foot of the support stand engages against the ground to support the blower assembly in an upright, self-supporting orientation in a non-operative storage position of the blower assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The blower assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the ground engaging foot of the support stand is mounted on a front end of a horizontal mounting arm that is releasably connected within a horizontal hub on the blower frame to attach the support stand to the blower frame in the non-operative storage position of the blower assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The blower assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the blower frame includes a vertical hub into which the mounting arm of the support stand may be dropped such that the mounting arm extends vertically when received in the vertical hub to carry the support stand on the blower frame with the ground engaging foot out of contact with the ground in an operative use position of the blower assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The blower assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the ground engaging foot of the support stand rests atop a portion of the blower frame when the support stand has the mounting arm thereof resting within the vertical hub. 
     
     
         18 . The blower assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the ground engaging foot is part of a jack that may be selectively operated to raise and lower the foot relative to the mounting arm to cause the foot to come into engagement with the ground in the non-operative storage position of the blower assembly. 
     
     
         19 . A blower assembly for use with an outdoor power equipment unit having a self-propelled traction frame, which comprises:
 (a) a debris blower, which comprises:
 (i) a fan section having a rotatable vane array that rotates about a rotational axis, the rotation of the vane array pulling air in through an inlet at one end of the fan section, generating an axial air flow within the fan section, and discharging the axial air flow through an outlet at an opposite end of the fan section; 
 (ii) an outlet duct cooperating with the fan section, wherein the outlet duct is rotatably coupled to the outlet of the fan section for receiving the axial air flow from the fan section to discharge the axial air flow onto the ground for blowing ground lying debris in a desired direction, the outlet duct comprising a pipe section having an angled bend between an air flow receiving end and an open mouth thereof through which the air flow is discharged; and 
 (iii) wherein the debris blower is carried on the traction frame in a substantially vertical orientation with the fan section of the debris blower being located above the outlet duct; and 
   (b) wherein an air egress opening is provided in a lowermost surface of the pipe section adjacent to the open mouth, the air egress opening allowing a portion of the air flow exiting from the open mouth to be directed downwardly through the air egress opening towards the ground while a remaining portion of the air flow exits through the open mouth.   
     
     
         20 . A blower assembly for use with an outdoor power equipment unit having a self-propelled traction frame carrying a plurality of ground engaging wheels such that the traction frame is capable of rolling movement over the ground during operation of the traction frame, which comprises:
 (a) a blower frame having at least one rotatable ground engaging member carried thereon for providing the blower frame with a rolling engagement with the ground that is separate from a rolling engagement of the traction frame with the ground, wherein the blower frame is carried on the traction frame by an attachment system having a mode that permits the blower frame during operation of the blower assembly to move vertically up and down relative to the traction frame independently of the traction frame;   (b) a debris blower, which comprises:
 (i) a fan section having a rotatable vane array that rotates about a rotational axis, the rotation of the vane array pulling air in through an inlet at one end of the fan section, generating an axial air flow within the fan section, and discharging the axial air flow through an outlet at an opposite end of the fan section; and 
 (ii) an outlet duct cooperating with the fan section, wherein the outlet duct is rotatably coupled to the outlet of the fan section for receiving the axial air flow from the fan section to discharge the axial air flow onto the ground for blowing ground lying debris in a desired direction, the outlet duct comprising a pipe section having an angled bend between an air flow receiving end and an open mouth thereof through which the air flow is discharged; 
   (c) a mount for supporting the debris blower on the blower frame in a substantially vertically extending orientation with the fan section of the debris blower being located above the outlet duct; and   (d) wherein the at least one ground engaging member on the blower frame is adjustable in height relative to the blower frame to raise and lower the blower frame to different heights above the ground to vary the distance of the outlet duct of the blower relative to the ground.