Fixed device for removing snow from inclined roofs and solar panels

Abstract

The invention relates to a stationary device for removing snow from preferably smooth inclined surfaces, mainly inclined roofs and solar panel surfaces, comprising at least one rotatably mounted shaft, on which conveying elements (1, 2) and / or ejector elements (3, 9) are arranged, and at least one drive system, on which conveying elements (1, 2) and / or ejector elements (3, 9) are arranged, and a drive system operatively connected in a mechanical manner to at least one of the or each of the shafts mounted in a rotatable manner, and by means of which the at least one of the or each of the shafts can be rotated in any direction of rotation. The device is preferably connected to a device for detecting the depth of the accumulated snow and can be operated in a manual, automatic and / or sensor-controlled manner via a control unit. The invention also relates to the use of the device to safely remove snow from inclined surfaces such as inclined roofs, solar roofs or solar panels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for conveying and / or throwing snow, which is based on elements arranged in a modular manner on a rotatably mounted shaft and is adapted and configured for fixed use to remove snow from inclined surfaces, in particular roof surfaces and solar panels. Background Art

[0002] In regions that are usually snowy in winter, the snow load on building roofs is a constant hazard. On the one hand, the weight of the snow may cause static problems to the roof and, in extreme cases, lead to roof collapse; on the other hand, the collapse of accumulated snow from the roof can cause damage to the building and, in particular, result in injury to people located below the roof.

[0003] Another problem is that windows incorporated into the roof surface can no longer perform their normal functions when covered with snow, i.e., these windows can no longer let in sufficient light into the rooms below and, consequently, such skylights can no longer be opened for ventilation.

[0004] Moreover, finally, solar panels incorporated into or installed on the roofs of buildings are also affected when covered with snow and are partially or completely hindered in their functions. In addition, it is not uncommon for solar panels, solar tiles or modern solar roofs to be severely damaged by snow loads, especially in mountainous regions.

[0005] Therefore, in the prior art, many methods and devices that are expected to solve these problems are known. These devices include systems for ablation, melting and / or flushing snow loads from below, and also include mechanical clearing systems with screw conveyors that are movably mounted in longitudinal tracks located on the roof and that clean the roof of the house in a vertical or horizontal direction to transport the snow in the desired direction.

[0006] The disadvantages of the known mechanical snow removal systems with screw conveyors installed on roofs are as follows: on the one hand, the snow is always conveyed in only one predetermined direction, i.e., horizontally or vertically, so that new snow can only be collected at the starting point of the screw conveyor and further conveyed. On the other hand, for linear moving devices, guide tracks arranged at the edges and / or in the center need to be installed on the roof. In addition, in the case of large conveying distances, such as in the case of the huge (solar) roof surfaces of modern agricultural livestock houses, stadiums, industrial plants and similar auditorium-like buildings, a substructure for adapting to temporary storage must be built, which is easier to achieve for fixed-mounted snow removal systems than for linear moving systems, and the roof surface is moved up and down or back and forth along the roof run.

[0007] The present invention attempts to overcome these disadvantages by providing a stationary snow removal system based on a rotary conveying element, in particular a screw conveyor, preferably in combination with a discharge element, in particular a vane wheel or honeycomb wheel (Zellenrad) or a curved discharge, which rotary conveying element can be arranged in a modular manner on one or more drive shafts as required.

[0008] A snow removal machine device similar to the present invention for removing the snow load on a roof is described in Japanese Patent Application No. JP2015017377A. The system disclosed in this patent application includes a screw conveyor that is mounted in a linearly movable manner in two guide rails arranged at the edge of an inclined roof of a house and is moved along these guide rails from top to bottom by a drive device, that is, from the roof gable along the eaves or gutter direction or in the opposite direction, so as to horizontally transport the snow in the opposite directions (i.e., to the left and to the right). This is achieved by a two-part screw conveyor, the parts of which are arranged on a shaft such that one part conveys to the left while the other part conveys to the right. Summary of the Invention

[0009] On the contrary, the object of the present invention is to provide a stationary cleaning system that is generally arranged at the lower or lower end of an inclined or sloped surface, which inclined or sloped surface is preferably a smooth surface, such as an inclined roof, a solar roof, or a surface of a smaller, medium-sized, or larger solar panel installed on a roof, and the cleaning system does not or does not only transport the snow in the lateral direction to the left or right from the roof or solar panel surface, but is capable of preferably throwing the snow, for example, downward, in a metered form, that is, in a targeted and controllable amount and speed, from, for example, a house roof, an auditorium roof, or a solar panel surface installed thereon.

[0010] According to the present invention, this is achieved by a device that includes an elongated shaft, wherein a conveying element and / or a discharge element is arranged on the shaft and is stably connected to the shaft, wherein the conveying element is in the form of a left-handed conveying screw and a right-handed conveying screw, and the discharge element is in the form of, for example, an impeller or a honeycomb wheel or a curved discharge.

[0011] In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, a plurality of helical elements are arranged in a modular manner such that two adjacent helical elements are always conveyed towards or away from each other. Since each individual helical element can only collect snow at one of its two ends, a device according to the invention having a plurality of helical elements and preferably having a discharge element arranged between the plurality of helical elements can collect, convey and clean more snow than can be achieved by a conventional device consisting of only one screw conveyor and conveying only in one direction.

[0012] The present invention does not require any guide tracks, which are required in the prior art for mobile snow removal machines and must be attached to the roof surface to be cleaned. However, the device according to the invention may include connecting means for fixedly attaching to the inclined surface to be cleaned (usually an inclined roof), and the device according to the invention is always fixedly positioned stably in the required position during normal use, wherein the shaft is rotatably mounted at both of its ends in common supports, and this is also the case in the case of a plurality of shafts, each of which carries a conveying element and / or a discharge element.

[0013] A powered drive device suitable for the corresponding purpose and known in the prior art causes a rotatably mounted shaft, on which a snow conveyor module and / or a snow thrower module is fixed, to rotate. The drive device is, for example, a belt drive device, a gear drive device, a toothed belt drive device or a chain drive device.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the electric drive device is equipped with a control unit, which can be manually controlled by the user, if necessary with the aid of a specially developed mobile phone App. In particular, it is thus possible to rotate each shaft or the plurality of shafts clockwise or counterclockwise as required. The direction of rotation can also be switched at fixed time intervals according to a preset pattern or manually after user intervention. Similarly, the duration of rotation of the shaft and preferably the rotational speed of the shaft can be changed manually or automatically (e.g., by sensor control via a snow depth sensor, a grating, a camera or any other suitable sensor element known to those skilled in the art). Usually, even during heavy snowfall, the device for snow removal according to the invention does not operate continuously, but operates at a preselectable automatic interval or manually as required, in order to be able to accumulate at least a minimum snow cover of a few centimeters, which is usually at least 10 cm to 15 cm.

[0015] In one embodiment, at least one pairwise combination of the auger modules to be conveyed towards each other is separated from each other by a discharge element arranged therebetween, which discharge element is, for example, an impeller, a honeycomb wheel or a curved discharge known in the prior art, and which discharge element can throw the snow conveyed towards the discharge element simultaneously from both sides, for example, downwards from a roof. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the meaning can be inferred from the context, the terms "discharger, discharge element or discharge module" shall be understood to mean an impeller, a honeycomb wheel, a curved discharge, and any type of discharge known from the prior art of snow blowers.

[0016] The shafts carrying the auger modules and / or the discharge modules generally have a polygonal cross-section, i.e., a triangular, quadrilateral or polygonal cross-section, while the auger modules and / or the discharge modules have an adapted hollow longitudinal axis corresponding to the cross-section of the shaft, which longitudinal axis enables the auger modules and / or the discharge modules to be easily slipped onto the shaft. Due to the polygonal cross-section of the shaft, the auger modules and / or the discharge modules mounted on the shaft are fixed in a stable position without any additional aids and all rotate together at the rotational speed of the rotating shaft. Alternatively, each of the auger modules and / or the discharge modules may also include longitudinal halves that surround the shaft and are then connected to each other by means of connecting elements and are thus simultaneously connected to the shaft in a positionally stable manner. Although this variant has a higher manufacturing cost, this variant does not require a shaft with a polygonal cross-section and also facilitates the replacement of individual elements in case of failure.

[0017] A particular advantage of the present invention is that the auger modules can be selected and arranged as required according to given regional, spatial and / or precipitation-related requirements and given roof conditions. This includes the number, length and geometry of the individual auger modules, as well as the right-handed or left-handed conveying direction of the individual auger modules, the pitch (steepness) of the auger wings, the rotational diameter of the auger wings and / or the impeller, the number of direction changes to be provided, and the number and position of the discharge elements that may be incorporated or specially arranged for targeted metered throwing of the snow downwards. The auger modules may have a cylindrical or conical geometry, where the conical auger module offers the advantage that the conical auger module can collect snow over a larger area rather than only being able to collect snow at the end of the auger, i.e., starting from the narrower end of the auger and collecting the snow along the conveying direction towards the wider end of the auger.

[0018] The term "rotational diameter" shall be understood as the diameter of an imaginary circle which is maximally described by the outermost edges of the helical or ejector blades during the rotation of the shafts of the conveying elements and / or ejector elements provided according to the invention.

[0019] The snow removal device according to the invention for pitched or sloping roofs or other inclined surfaces, such as solar panels (thermal and photovoltaic) mounted on the roof or for skylights, utilizes the sliding of the snow load triggered spontaneously or manually on these surfaces. Since the heat radiation of the roof causes the underside of the snow load to start melting and form a sliding film, this sliding film can trigger the snow load to slide down due to gravity. However, solar radiation can also cause the top layer of the snow load to start melting, and the resulting melt water can pass through the underlying layers and reach the roof, thereby also forming a sliding film that causes the snow load to start sliding. In addition, various possible solutions are also known in the prior art, such as causing the formation of such a sliding film specifically on the underside of the snow load, or artificially triggering the sliding of the snow load by other methods, such as by generating vibrations or applying ultrasonic waves.

[0020] If reasonable and required, the snow removal device according to the invention can also be fixedly installed at any other position along the inclined surface to be cleared, such as the inclined part of the roof surface. This can be a supplement or alternative to the way of being arranged at the lower edge of the surface to be cleared (usually the roof or solar panel surface), and is mostly arranged in a horizontal orientation and substantially parallel to the lower edge of the surface to be cleared.

[0021] In the case of placing two or more snow removal devices according to the invention on a single surface to be cleared, such as a roof surface, these snow removal devices can be aligned such that the shafts equipped with snow conveying elements and / or ejector elements are parallel to each other and parallel to the lower edge of the roof or the surface.

[0022] However, arranging the device according to the invention in a substantially diagonal manner on the surface to be cleared also has particular advantages, because in this way - similar to the process of an avalanche triggered by a skier - the snow load can be diagonally cut and thereby cause the snow to slide. In combination with the device according to the invention horizontally aligned at the lower edge of the surface and / or with another snow removal device arranged diagonally but in the opposite direction to the first device, a high level of efficiency and safety can be achieved, which can be very helpful, especially in urban areas with high-rise buildings.

[0023] In the case of two snow removal devices arranged diagonally in opposite directions and intersecting each other, one snow removal device can be designed in the form of two layers and may be connected to the other continuous device in a supporting and / or bracing manner.

[0024] However, two or more devices according to the invention can also be arranged such that, for example, two shafts equipped with conveyor elements and / or ejector elements form an upwardly or downwardly pointing "V" shape, wherein at least one ejector element can be arranged at the lowest point, optionally in combination with a guide plate which can help to direct the snow in a targeted manner in the desired direction.

[0025] Shafts of different lengths can be used here, such that the "V" - shaped arrangement becomes asymmetric and has a longer side and a shorter side. Generally, two or more snow - clearing devices can be arranged independently of one another parallel to the lower edge of the surface to be cleared, or arranged at different angles to one another and / or arranged at different angles to the lower edge of the surface to be cleared. These snow - clearing devices can also be shorter than the maximum width of the inclined slope to be cleared and, for example, arranged in a herringbone pattern, overlapping one another partially. However, preferably, each such snow - clearing device is at least at one end in the region of the side edge of the surface to be cleared (such as a roof surface), so that it can be fastened and driven from the region of this side edge. For a person skilled in the art, other possible arrangements of two or more devices according to the invention on the surface to be cleared can be directly inspired by the description without creative work.

[0026] The device according to the invention can also include a guide plate which is rigid or mounted in a movable manner, by means of which the throwing direction of the snow load can be pre - selected permanently or as required in a variably adjustable manner.

[0027] For this purpose, an additional guide plate can be provided as a protective plate to prevent even a small amount of snow from accidentally falling from the roof surface during conveyance by the conveyor screw. For example, this can be of great significance for high - rise buildings in urban areas. The additional guide plate spans a part or the entire length of the shaft in the longitudinal direction and is properly mounted between the shaft and the lower edge of the roof or panel surface to be cleared. The additional guide plate should exceed the height of the conveyor element and the ejector element by at least 10% to 50% in order to provide reliable protection.

[0028] In the case of bridging a large roof area, two or more shafts can be rotatably connected to one another in a straight - line alignment via an intermediate support at the end faces and also be supported at the same time.

[0029] In a further embodiment of the snow removal device according to the invention, two or more shafts equipped with screws and / or ejector elements (in particular impellers) can be arranged vertically one above the other, and can be connected to a common drive system or to respective drive systems, so that in this way it is possible to successfully and in a precisely metered manner clean a snow depth of, for example, 30 cm, in particular a snow depth of 50 cm to 100 cm. Thus, the spacing between the shafts can be greater than the maximum screw diameter and / or ejector diameter (= rotational diameter), such that the screw modules and / or ejector modules (in particular impeller modules) arranged vertically one above the other can never come into contact with each other, and a continuous gap or passage extending between the shafts remains. However, the shafts can also be arranged at a distance from each other less than the rotational diameter, and the screws and / or impellers can engage with each other "comb-like".

[0030] In a further embodiment of the snow removal device, at least one shaft that is fixedly mounted or needs to be fixedly mounted can be equipped only with an ejector element, such as an impeller, without a screw module. Wherein, depending on the snow removal task, the axial length of the impeller, the number, length and geometry of the blades of each impeller, and the number of impellers on the shaft can all be adjusted and varied accordingly. This also applies to ejector types with curved blades. In a typical embodiment, such an impeller has a rotational diameter of 10 cm to 25 cm, an axial length of 10 cm to 200 cm, and the number of blades of each impeller is 2 to 6.

[0031] Such a snow removal device according to the invention for inclined roof surfaces or other inclined surfaces can also be designed in the form of two or more shafts arranged vertically one above the other and equipped with impellers. The shafts can likewise be arranged at a distance from each other less than or greater than the rotational diameter, and thus the impellers can engage with each other "comb-like" or not.

[0032] The shaft, the helical element module and / or the impeller of the snow removal device according to the invention can be made of metal (especially light metal), or plastic, or a combination of these materials. Similarly, all the helical element modules and / or the impellers can be arranged adjacent to each other on one shaft or each shaft without gaps, or all or some of the helical element modules and / or the impellers are spaced apart from each other. The arrangement structure with at least partially spaced conveying elements according to the latter case may be particularly advantageous for the combination of two or more shafts arranged parallel to each other at a certain interval and distributed on the relevant (roof) surface. This is especially the case when the conveying elements of two adjacent shafts, that is, the helical element modules and / or the impellers, are arranged in a staggered manner so that the conveying elements fill or span the gap with the corresponding other shaft. This can save materials, and thus reduce weight and cost, but the fixed snow removal system according to the invention still has high functionality and high efficiency.

[0033] In addition, the helical element module arranged on the shaft can include a cylindrical helix, or a conical helix, or a combination of a cylindrical helix and a conical helix. According to the invention, the ejector element can be arranged at the edge of one end or both ends of the equipped shaft, but the ejector element can also be arranged between two helices to be conveyed towards each other. In a typical embodiment of the device according to the invention, where the device has only one shaft or, if necessary, two shafts arranged one above the other, the conveying elements and the ejector elements are arranged and aligned on one shaft or each shaft so that each screw conveyor conveys towards the ejector element. In the simplest case, the device consists of a shaft with only one screw conveyor and one ejector.

[0034] In the case where two or more devices according to the invention are arranged in a "V" shape or a herringbone shape on the surface to be cleaned, it may be sufficient to equip only the device arranged at the bottom, preferably spanning the entire width of the surface to be cleaned, with one or more ejector elements, while the other shafts arranged higher above the surface to be cleaned can be equipped only with screw conveyors.

[0035] In a further embodiment of the invention, the conveying elements and / or the ejector elements are provided with special defined surfaces, which can largely prevent the snow to be conveyed from adhering or "caking". The anti-sticking coatings based on hydrophobic materials known in the prior art, such as the coatings known in the winter sports field, also include water-repellent microstructured coatings or nanostructured coatings and other coatings known in the prior art for reducing the sliding friction of snow, ice and water on a smooth surface (such as the bottom of a ski).

[0036] As an alternative or supplement to the anti-sticking coating of the conveying element and / or the ejector element, the device according to the invention can be equipped with an electric heater, which can also prevent the compressed snow and / or ice from "caking". For example, the heater can be designed in the form of a strip heater, which is laid inside a hollow shaft equipped with a conveying element and / or an ejector element. Preferably, the heater can be controlled manually and is equipped with an adjustable thermostat if necessary.

[0037] For example, for the use of snow removal from the surface of a solar panel, the device according to the invention can be equipped with a vibration device or connected to a vibration device, which triggers the sliding of the snow by generating vibrations at the solar panel. Alternatively, the device can be equipped with an ultrasonic generator or connected to an ultrasonic generator, which can also promote the sliding of the snow load on an inclined and smooth surface by generating vibrations in the ultrasonic range. In principle, the device according to the invention can be equipped with any device known in the prior art for forcing the snow to slide on a smooth surface or operatively connected to such a device, in particular connected to a device for generating a water film between an inclined surface and the snow load resting on the inclined surface, and connected to a device for generating vibrations on the inclined surface to be cleaned. Description of the Drawings

[0038] Figure 1 A part of the screw module is exemplarily shown in side view A and sectional view B, wherein the screw module has right-handed screw blades and the conveying direction is to the right in the case of counterclockwise rotation.

[0039] Figure 2 As Figure 1 An example of a part of the screw module is shown in side view A and sectional view B in the same way, but the screw module has left-handed screw blades and the conveying direction is opposite (to the left) when rotating counterclockwise.

[0040] Figure 3 A part of a three-blade ejector module (such as an impeller) is exemplarily shown in side view A and sectional view B.

[0041] Figure 4 A part of a double shaft is exemplarily shown in side view A and sectional view B, which double shaft has two shafts arranged vertically one above the other and screw blades meshing with each other in a comb-like manner.

[0042] Figure 5 A part of a double shaft is exemplarily shown in side view A and sectional view B, which double shaft has two shafts arranged vertically one above the other and an ejector module (such as an impeller module) meshing with each other in a comb-like manner.

[0043] Figure 6 A partial view of a snow removal device according to the present invention is shown exemplarily in a side view. The snow removal device has an ejector and screw modules directly adjacent to the ejector on both sides. The screw modules convey in opposite directions, for example, when rotating counterclockwise, they convey towards the ejector.

[0044] Figure 7 A polygonal shaft having a hexagonal cross-section is shown in side view A and cross-sectional view B to accommodate the screw module and / or the ejector module.

[0045] Figure 8 A type of curved ejector is shown, that is, an ejector having curved shovel-shaped blades in an oblique view.

[0046] Figure 9 A snow removal device according to the present invention is shown, which has a plurality of screw modules and an ejector disposed between the plurality of screw modules.

[0047] FIG. 10 exemplarily shows various possible arrangements of arranging one or more devices according to the present invention on an inclined surface (such as an inclined roof):

[0048] a Arranging a single snow removal device according to the present invention in an area at the lower edge of an inclined surface (such as a house roof), which is usually rectangular or square;

[0049] b Arranging two snow removal devices parallel to each other and parallel to the lower edge of such a surface (such as a roof surface);

[0050] c Arranging a snow removal device according to the present invention having two shafts vertically arranged one above the other in an orientation parallel to the lower edge of such a surface (such as a roof surface);

[0051] d Arranging two snow removal devices such that one of the two snow removal devices forms an angle of 20 degrees to 45 degrees with the lower edge of such a surface (such as a roof surface), and the other snow removal device is parallel to the lower edge of such a surface (such as a roof surface);

[0052] e Arranging a plurality of (such as three) snow removal devices having equal or different lengths, preferably arranged in a horizontally overlapping manner, where the plurality of snow removal devices are in different positions but are generally parallel to each other and parallel to the lower edge of such a surface (such as a roof surface);

[0053] Arrange a plurality (e.g., three) of snow removal devices with equal or different lengths, wherein two of the plurality of snow removal devices are arranged above a third snow removal device in the shape of a "V", and the third snow removal device is arranged in the area of the lower edge of such a surface (e.g., a roof surface) and is aligned parallel to the edge;

[0054] Arrange a plurality (e.g., three) of snow removal devices with equal or different lengths, wherein two of the plurality of snow removal devices are arranged above a third snow removal device in the shape of an arrow or an inverted "V", and the third snow removal device is arranged in the area of the lower edge of such a surface (e.g., a roof surface) and is aligned parallel to the edge;

[0055] Arrange a plurality (e.g., four) of snow removal devices with equal or different lengths, wherein three of the plurality of snow removal devices are arranged diagonally or approximately diagonally above a fourth snow removal device, and the fourth snow removal device is located in the area of the lower edge of such a surface (e.g., a roof surface) and is aligned parallel to the edge. Detailed implementation

[0056] On a shaft 7 having a polygonal (especially triangular, quadrilateral, pentagonal, hexagonal or octagonal) cross-section, at least two conveying elements in the form of screw modules 1 and 2 and / or a discharger element 3 in the form of an impeller or a curved discharger 9 are arranged and stably fixed in position.

[0057] In an embodiment 6 of the present invention, two screw modules 1, 2 and a discharger 3 are arranged as a combination on the shaft 7 such that the left-handed screw module 2 is directly adjacent to the discharger 3 through an end face, while the right-handed second screw module 1 is adjacent to the other side of the discharger 3 through an end face ( Figure 6 ). In normal use, the shaft is rotatably mounted on both sides by conventional supports (e.g., ball bearings), and the shaft is connected to a controllable drive unit at least at one end, and the controllable drive unit can rotate the shaft. Depending on the rotation direction of the shaft, the snow to be conveyed is either conveyed towards the discharger arranged between the two screws or conveyed away from the discharger.

[0058] In a typical embodiment 10 of the present invention, the shaft 7 has two or more such screw-discharger-screw triple combinations, which may have different axial lengths.

[0059] In yet another embodiment of the invention, only a single, generally substantially full-span ejector module 3 (such as an impeller or honeycomb wheel) is arranged on the shaft 7, and no auger conveyor is provided. However, typically, such a pure ejector system includes two or more ejector modules 3, 9, which are arranged directly adjacent to each other or spaced apart from each other on the shaft 7.

[0060] In order to protect a snow-covered house roof, solar panel, solar roof or other inclined surface from winter snow loads in an energy-saving, safe and still efficient manner, the combination of an auger module and an ejector module according to the invention is generally stably positioned and installed at the lower edge of an inclined (usually rectangular or square) surface (such as an inclined roof), and by the controllable rotation of the shaft, the snow is conveyed to the ejector in a metered manner and thrown out by the ejector or thrown downward from the roof, panel or other inclined surface.

[0061] Since the shaft 7 preferably has a polygonal cross-section, the auger element and / or ejector element having the required axial length and required geometry can be simply slipped onto the shaft via a corresponding hollow shaft 8 that matches the cross-section of the shaft, and only needs to be fixed in the regions of the two ends of the shaft to prevent lateral displacement on the shaft.

[0062] In an alternative embodiment, the shaft has an oval cross-section, so that the conveying element and the ejector element can be installed just as simply as in the case of a shaft with a polygonal cross-section.

[0063] In another embodiment, the shaft has a circular cross-section, so that additional connecting devices, such as clamping connectors or threaded parts, are required to stably position and fix the conveying element and the ejector element on the shaft. The disadvantage of this embodiment is that it increases the cost and may also make it more difficult to replace any damaged elements, unless the conveying element and / or the ejector element are designed as a split semi-shell assembly (Halbschalenfabrikat) and can be placed around the shaft and connected by connecting devices to form a complete element. Generally, the conveying element and / or the ejector element are also stably positioned and fixed on the shaft at this time.

[0064] In a further embodiment, the snow removal system consists of a shaft with a conveying element that is permanently fixed to the shaft, for example glued or welded to the shaft.

[0065] In particular embodiments 4 and 5, two or more shafts according to the present invention, equipped with screws and / or ejectors, may also be arranged vertically one above the other, so that in this way, snow depths of, for example, 30 cm and greater (especially 30 cm to 100 cm) can be cleared successfully and with precise metering. Here, the spacing between the shafts can exceed the screw diameter or the impeller diameter (= rotational diameter), so that the superimposed screws and / or impellers do not touch each other, and a continuous, horizontally extending gap or passage is left, or the spacing between the shafts is less than the rotational diameter, and thus the screws and / or impellers engage with each other "comb-like".

[0066] Figure 4 A partial section of such a two-shaft system 4 with screw modules 1, 2 engaging with each other comb-like is shown. In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one shaft 7 to be fixedly installed or already fixedly installed may be equipped only with ejectors 3, 9, without screw modules 1, 2. This variant of the stationary snow removal device can also be designed in the form of two or more shafts arranged vertically one above the other, which are equipped with ejectors 3, 9. Figure 5 Exemplarily and schematically, a part of such a two-shaft system 5 with only ejector elements is shown, where, in this case, the shafts are arranged at a spacing from each other that is less than the rotational diameter, and thus the ejector elements (such as impellers) engage with each other comb-like. In this way, even snow loads with a snow depth of 30 cm or greater, especially 30 cm to 100 cm, can be thrown or removed from an inclined roof surface, a solar panel surface or other inclined surfaces in a targeted and precisely metered manner. In cases where it is not necessarily required to convey the snow to one side of a suitable or designated discharge point or collection point, a pure ejector system, especially a pure ejector system in the form of a two-shaft system 20 or a multi-shaft system 5, is an excellent variant of the stationary snow removal device according to the present invention.

[0067] Generally speaking, it should be noted that the various embodiments of the stationary snow removal system according to the present invention are not only used to remove snow loads, but also, in particular, to hold snow loads on inclined surfaces. This is especially true for the two-shaft system 4 and the multi-shaft system 5 according to the present invention. This holding function enables the snow cover to be held back until the snow can be cleared without danger or as efficiently as possible.

[0068] Since the snow removal device according to the invention is mainly used on the inclined roofs of various residential buildings and auditoriums, as well as on the surfaces of solar panels and solar roofs which are usually joined together, the shaft and the corresponding snow conveying elements are preferably made of lightweight materials, in particular of suitable plastics or light metals or of combinations of these materials. Without considering static problems and / or in the case of spanning longer distances by a single shaft, other materials can of course also be used, such as stainless steel, especially in the case of the shaft.

[0069] If the roof area of a large object needs to be equipped with a snow removal system according to the invention, it may be necessary to provide intermediate supports for one or more shafts to ensure smooth operation under given conditions. The combination of two or more shafts - which are rotatably connected to each other in an axially aligned manner via intermediate supports and supported on the end faces - can be relatively easily realized by using the technology of the stationary snow removal device according to the invention, and is naturally much simpler and cheaper than the snow removal systems known in the prior art that can move linearly.

[0070] In one embodiment of the snow removal device according to the invention which is mainly used for large joined roof surfaces, the combination of two or more shafts connected to each other in an axially aligned manner on the end faces includes one or more additional drive units, which are generally arranged in the axial direction between every two shafts and at the same time serve as supports and bearings for these shafts at their end faces. Each such inserted drive unit is preferably equipped with commercially available devices that enable it to support and drive the two shafts connected to the drive unit independently of each other. With this system of the snow removal device, it is also possible to clean the snow from the individual areas of the roof surface or other surfaces, for example, in a manner independent of other areas.

[0071] A particular advantage of the invention is that the stationary snow removal system can be easily adapted to the corresponding requirements. Due to the preferred modular design based on a simple plug-in system, the number, length, geometric shape and size of the screw modules and / or ejector modules can be adjusted according to the corresponding requirements of the length of the roof surface, solar panel surface or other inclined surface for which snow removal is required. This includes both the conveying direction of the snow volume in the case of safe discharge and the arrangement of the impellers, so that the snow can be discharged or accumulated in a metered and safe manner. By reversing the rotation direction of the shaft, a self-cleaning effect of the conveying elements can also be achieved, especially in the case of a two-shaft system and a multi-shaft system.

[0072] List of reference numerals

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[0074]

Claims

1. A device for snow removal from an inclined surface, preferably a smooth surface, in particular for snow removal from an inclined roof, a solar roof and a solar panel surface, the device comprising at least one shaft (7) mounted in a rotatable manner and at least one drive system, on which shaft (7) conveying elements (1, 2) and / or ejector elements (3, 9) are arranged for carrying away the snow load, the drive system being connected in a mechanically operating manner to at least one or each of the rotatably mounted shafts (7), and at least one or each of the shafts (7) being able to be rotated in either direction of rotation by means of the drive system. It is characterized in that The device is designed as a stationary system and does not contain means that will cause at least one or each of the shafts to move linearly in either direction during normal use of the device, wherein the following conveying elements are arranged in a positionally stable manner on at least one or each of the shafts (7): a) at least two conveying elements in the form of screw element modules (1, 2) having different helix directions and conveying directions, but without ejectors (3, 9); or b) at least one ejector (3, 9), preferably two or more ejectors (3, 9), but without a screw conveyor; or c) at least one screw conveyor (1, 2) in combination with at least one ejector (3, 9), wherein the helix direction of at least one of the screw conveyors is selected such that the screw conveyor conveys towards at least one ejector.

2. The device (6) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The device has on at least one or each shaft at least one assembly consisting of the following: two screw conveyors (1, 2) having different helix directions and an ejector (3, 9) arranged between the two screw conveyors (1, 2), preferably, the device has on at least one or each shaft a plurality of assemblies consisting of the following: two screw conveyors (1, 2) having different helix directions and an ejector (3, 9) arranged between the two screw conveyors (1, 2).

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, All the conveying elements and / or ejector elements on the shaft are arranged directly adjacent to each other on the shaft.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The device has two or more shafts equipped with conveying elements and / or ejector elements, and the two or more shafts are rotatably connected to and supported by each other in the axial direction via a support arranged between the two or more shafts on the end face.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that, One or each of the supports arranged between the two or more shafts is designed as a drive system that supports and drives each of the two shafts connected to the drive system independently of each other, preferably, the drive system can be independently controlled.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The device has two or more shafts (7) equipped with conveying elements (1, 2) and / or ejector elements (3, 9), the shafts (7) being arranged vertically one above the other, the vertical spacing between the shafts being greater than or less than the maximum diameter of an imaginary circle formed by the conveying elements and / or the ejector elements at the outer edges of the conveying elements and / or the ejector elements during rotation of the shafts.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The spacing between the shafts is less than the diameter of the circle, and the conveying elements (1, 2) and / or the ejector elements (3, 9) are arranged to mesh with each other in a comb-like manner.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that At least one of the shafts (7) or each shaft (7) has a circular, oval or polygonal cross-section, and each conveying element (1, 2) and / or ejector element (3, 9) has a corresponding hollow shaft (8) adapted to the cross-section of the shaft.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The device has means for fastening to the inclined surface in a position-stable and fixed manner, preferably the inclined surface is a smooth surface, in particular the device has means for fastening to a roof, a solar roof, a skylight or a solar panel surface in a position-stable and fixed manner.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The device is equipped with means for substantially preventing snow and ice from undesirably adhering to the conveying elements and / or the ejector elements, in particular the device is equipped with an anti-stick coating for the conveying elements and / or an anti-stick coating for the ejector elements and / or is equipped with a heater, for example the device is equipped with a belt heater arranged inside the shaft (7).

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that The device is equipped with means for triggering the sliding of the snow load on the inclined surface, in particular the device is equipped with a shaking device, a vibration device, an ultrasonic device or a spraying device.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The device is connected to means for detecting the depth of the snow cover on the inclined surface, in particular the means are a pressure-sensitive sensor, an optical measurement system, a grating or a camera, wherein each drive system is equipped with means for a manual operating mode, an automatic operating mode and / or a sensor-controlled operating mode.

13. Use of at least one device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 for removing a snow load from an inclined surface, preferably the inclined surface is a smooth surface, in particular the inclined surface is an inclined roof, a solar roof, a skylight and a solar panel surface.

14. The use according to claim 13, wherein The first device is installed in the region of the lower end of the inclined surface in a horizontally aligned manner, preferably the inclined surface is a smooth surface, in particular the first device is installed in the region of the lower end of an inclined roof, a solar roof or a solar panel surface in a horizontally aligned manner, and each additional device is arranged at a predetermined distance from the first device, and each additional device is either arranged parallel to the first device or arranged at an angle to the first device, in particular the angle is from 20 degrees to 45 degrees.

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