Snowplow with deflecting blades
The snow plow's innovative design featuring independently swiveling plug-in segments rotating around two axes addresses the challenge of efficiently evading soil obstacles, achieving quick, low-noise, and low-wear movements while ensuring rapid return to the clearing position.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- DE202017007718
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2016-11-17
- Filing Date
- 2017-11-17
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2027-11-30
AI Technical Summary
Existing snow plows face challenges in efficiently evading soil obstacles without moving excessive weight, which can impair the function of attached snow dust protection and result in increased noise and wear during evasive movements.
The snow plow is designed with independently swiveling plug-in segments that rotate around two axes, allowing for a coordinated overlay of rotary movements to achieve a quick, low-noise, and low-wear evasive movement, while ensuring rapid return to the clearing position.
This design optimizes the evasive movement of the snow plow by allowing for rapid backward and upward movement of the lowest edge, reducing noise and wear, and ensuring quick retraction into the clearing position, thus enhancing operational efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a snow plough with a plough frame that can be raised and lowered and coupled to a carrier vehicle, on which plough frame a ploughshare is held by means of at least one connecting element, said ploughshare being formed from at least two ploughshare segments, wherein at least one ploughshare segment is pivotally mounted independently of the at least one further ploughshare segment from a clearing position in which its lowermost edge is in a lowermost position, against the restoring force of a restoring device, into a pivoted-up position in which its lowermost edge is in an uppermost position, according to the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] The snow plow is traditionally mounted on the front of a carrier vehicle and is used to clear snow from traffic areas. The plow blade, which pushes the snow to the side, is attached to a plow frame, which in turn can be raised and lowered and coupled to the carrier vehicle. The plow frame and thus the plow blade can be lowered from a raised position to a working position using a lifting cylinder to clear snow. Furthermore, additional pivoting cylinders can be provided to change the inclination of the plow blade around a horizontal axis or the angle around a vertical axis.
[0003] To avoid ground obstacles, the ploughshare is usually spring-loaded. This allows the ploughshare to deflect when the lowest edge of the ploughshare, also known as the scraper, hits the ground obstacle, and also returns the ploughshare to its working position once the ground obstacle has been passed. This deflection of the ploughshare is also known as "disengaging." The disadvantage of this design is that the entire ploughshare, and thus a considerable amount of weight, must be moved. Furthermore, it is not possible to attach a tarpaulin-like snow dust guard to the top edge of the ploughshare, as this would move with the ploughshare when disengaging, impairing its function.
[0004] It was therefore proposed to construct the ploughshare from at least two ploughshare segments, with only one ploughshare segment being equipped with the release function and thus being able to pivot independently of the other ploughshare segments. For example, two lateral ploughshare segments could be equipped with a release function, thus pivoting independently of a central ploughshare segment, or a lower ploughshare segment could be pivoted independently of an upper ploughshare segment. This way, fewer masses need to be moved, allowing for easier release. Furthermore, an upper edge of the ploughshare remains stationary when other ploughshare segments are released and can therefore be used to attach a snow dust guard or the like.
[0005] The release movement must be carried out in such a way that the releasing ploughshare segment performs the evasive movement for its lowest edge quickly, quietly, and with little wear. For example, a flap-like design is conventionally used, with a ploughshare segment pivoted on the plough frame. The return element is usually in the form of a spring, which moves the ploughshare segment back into the clearing position. As is well known, the return force of a spring is linearly proportional to stretching or compression; therefore, with slight deflection from a rest position, it initially appears "soft" with a lower return force, and with increasing deflection and a higher return force, it becomes increasingly "harder." For the evasive movement, it would be advantageous if the return force were smaller to enable rapid release of the ploughshare segment.On the other hand, the return movement should also be carried out quickly, for which a high return force would be advantageous. Therefore, existing designs attempt to optimize the spring design accordingly, but this results in either the evasive movement or the return behavior suffering.
[0006] It is therefore the aim of the invention to optimize the evasive movement of ploughshare segments with respect to ground obstacles in such a way that the evasive movement of the respective ploughshare segment is carried out quickly, with little noise and with little wear, and that a rapid return of the raised ploughshare segment is ensured.
[0007] This object is achieved by the features of claim 1. Claim 1 relates to a snow plough with a plough frame which can be raised and lowered and coupled to a carrier vehicle, on which plough frame a ploughshare is held by means of at least one connecting element, which ploughshare is formed from at least two ploughshare segments, wherein at least one ploughshare segment is pivotally mounted independently of the at least one further ploughshare segment from a clearing position in which its lowermost edge is in a lowermost position, against the restoring force of a restoring device into a pivoted-up position in which its lowermost edge is in an uppermost position.According to the invention, the independently pivotable ploughshare segment is mounted at a first end of the connecting element so as to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation, and the connecting element is mounted at its second end on the plough frame so as to be rotatable about a second axis of rotation, wherein a link guide is provided for the pivoting movement from the clearing position into the pivoted-up position, which is formed by a link arranged on the independently pivotable ploughshare segment and extending in an arc around the first axis of rotation, as well as a roller arranged on the plough frame which is guided in the link.
[0008] The evasive movement is thus formed by the superposition of a rotational movement around the first axis of rotation and a rotational movement around the second axis of rotation, each of which is coordinated via the linkage. The first axis of rotation is located in front of the second axis of rotation, as seen in the direction of travel, so that the rotational movement around the first axis of rotation and that around the second axis of rotation are carried out in opposite directions. When driving over a ground obstacle, primarily horizontal forces act on the movably mounted ploughshare segment, which initially cause a rotational movement around the first axis of rotation, which is then converted into a rotational movement around the second axis of rotation via the linkage.Although both rotational movements individually cause the lowest edge of the movable ploughshare segment to move backwards and upwards, it can be simplified to say that the first rotational movement enables the lowest edge to move quickly backwards and the second rotational movement enables the ploughshare segment to be raised quickly.
[0009] In a corresponding manner, the link guide can also be used for a guided, rapid return of the ploughshare segment to the clearing position. For this purpose, the return device is preferably a compression spring which is attached via a pivot bearing to the independently pivoting ploughshare segment or to the connecting element, the normal distance of which from the first axis of rotation is greater in the clearing position than in the upwardly pivoted position. The normal distance is the distance of the pivot bearing of the spring from a vertical plane containing the first axis of rotation. The force acting on the compression spring is thus applied via a torque which acts around the first axis of rotation and is thus greater in the clearing position than in the upwardly pivoted position. The compression spring therefore initially appears "softer", which achieves rapid disengagement.In the raised position, the compression spring appears “harder”, which causes a rapid return to the clearing position.
[0010] The arc length of the link is advantageously selected such that the tangents to the link from the first axis of rotation to an upper stop point of the link in the clearing position and to a lower stop point of the link in the clearing position enclose an approximately straight angle of about 180°.
[0011] The curved guide rail for guiding the roller is positioned in such a way that the distance between the first pivot axis and the roller axis continuously decreases as the pivoting ploughshare segment moves from the clearing position to the raised position. The distance between the first pivot axis and the roller axis is therefore greater in the clearing position than in the raised position. In the clearing position, the roller rests against the upper stop point of the guide rail, and the first pivot axis is at its lowest position. In the raised position, the ploughshare segment has been pivoted so that the roller rests against the opposite end of the guide rail, namely the lower stop point of the guide rail in the clearing position. If, as suggested, the distance between the first pivot axis and the roller axis continuously decreases, the first pivot axis moves upwards during the evasive movement, so that the ploughshare segment is also pulled up.This also reduces the above-described normal distance between the rotary bearing of the compression spring of the return device and the first axis of rotation.
[0012] Furthermore, it is proposed that the guide rail comprise a roller guided in a guide rail, the outer casing of which is designed to be elastic. The elastic casing reduces wear and noise during the release movement and can be made of a weather-resistant plastic material, for example. For the same purpose, the bearing points around the first axis of rotation and / or the second axis of rotation can also be designed as elastic bearings.
[0013] The connecting element could be guided on the plow frame side in an additional guide, which guides the connecting element in a rotational movement around the second rotational axis. However, a simple structural implementation is preferably achieved by designing the connecting element as a link, with the first rotational axis being arranged at a first end of the link and the second rotational axis being arranged at a second end of the link.
[0014] The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment with the aid of the accompanying figures. Fig. 1 a side view of an embodiment of a ploughshare according to the invention with an independently pivotable ploughshare segment in the clearing position, Fig. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of a ploughshare according to the invention with an independently pivotable ploughshare segment in a slightly raised position compared to the clearing position, and Fig. 3 a side view of an embodiment of a ploughshare according to the invention with an independently pivotable ploughshare segment in the raised position compared to the clearing position.
[0015] The Fig. 1 to 3 each show a ploughshare 1, which is held on a plough frame 2, which in turn is connected to a quick-change plate 3 so that it can be raised and lowered. The plough frame 2 is fastened to a carrier vehicle via the quick-change plate 3. The plough frame 2 is pivotally connected to the quick-change plate 3 via a lower pair of links 4, about horizontal and vertical axes of rotation. The plough frame 2 can be tilted upwards and downwards about a horizontal axis of rotation via a longitudinally adjustable upper pair of links 5. The plough frame 2 and thus the ploughshare 1 can also be tilted upwards and downwards using a (in the Fig. 1 to 3), which connects the plough frame 2 to the quick-change plate 3, can be lowered from a raised position to a working position in order to clear snow. Furthermore, additional pivoting cylinders can be provided, for example, in the plough frame 2, in order to change the setting angle of the ploughshare 1 about a vertical axis. The design of the plough frame 2 and its connection to the quick-change plate 3 can, of course, vary. In the illustrated embodiment, the ploughshare 1 is formed from a lower ploughshare segment 1a and an upper ploughshare segment 1b, with the lower ploughshare segment 1a being pivotably mounted independently of the upper ploughshare segment 1b. The pivotable mounting is achieved via at least one link 6.The lower ploughshare segment 1a is mounted at a first end of the link 6, namely the front end of the link 6 as viewed in the direction of travel, for rotation about a first axis of rotation D1. The link 6 is mounted at its second end, namely the rear end of the link 6 as viewed in the direction of travel, on the plough frame 2 for rotation about a second axis of rotation D2. Furthermore, a roller 7 is mounted on the plough frame 2 for rotation about a roller axis R, which engages in a guide 8 arranged on the lower ploughshare segment 1a. The guide 8 is designed approximately as a recess in a plate part protruding from the lower ploughshare segment 1a opposite to the direction of travel. The roller 7 is provided with a roller casing 9 made of an elastic material. The lower ploughshare segment 1a is further provided with a scraper bar 10 on its lowermost edge 13. The upper ploughshare segment 1b is provided with a snow dust guard 14 on an uppermost edge.
[0016] Furthermore, a compression spring 11 is attached to the lower ploughshare segment 1a via a pivot bearing 12, which is supported at its other end on the plough frame 2. The compression spring 11 serves as a return device and holds the lower ploughshare segment 1a in a lower position, which is also referred to below as the clearing position. In the clearing position, the lowermost edge 13 of the lower ploughshare segment 1a is in a lowest position (see Fig. 1). In the event of ground obstacles, the lower ploughshare segment 1a evades the obstacles by means of an evasive movement in which the lowest edge 13 moves backwards against the direction of travel and upwards until it has reached a raised position in which the lowest edge 13 of the lower ploughshare segment 1a is in an uppermost position (see Fig. 3). The compression spring 11 is compressed and develops a restoring force that moves the lower ploughshare segment 1a back into the clearing position.
[0017] This evasive movement is guided by the guide rail 8, as will be explained below. The guide rail 8 extends in an arc around the first rotational axis D1, with the arc length of the guide rail 8 being selected such that the tangents to the guide rail 8 from the first rotational axis D1 to an upper stop point of the guide rail 8 in the clearing position and to a lower stop point 8 of the guide rail in the clearing position enclose an approximately straight angle of approximately 180°. The arc-shaped guide rail 8 for guiding the roller 7 extends such that the distance between the first rotational axis D1 and the roller axis R continuously decreases during the evasive movement of the lower ploughshare segment 1a from the clearing position to the upwardly pivoted position. The distance between the first rotational axis D1 and the roller axis R is thus greater in the clearing position than in the upwardly pivoted position. In the clearing position, the roller 7 rests against the upper stop point of the guide rail 8 (see Fig. 1), and the first pivot axis D1 assumes a lowest position. In the raised position, the lower ploughshare segment 1a has been pivoted so that the roller 7 rests against the opposite end of the guide 8 (see Fig. 3), namely at the lower stop point of the link 8 in the clearing position. If the distance between the first rotational axis D1 and the roller axis R continuously decreases, the first rotational axis D1 moves upwards in the course of the evasive movement, so that the lower ploughshare segment 1a is also pulled up.
[0018] This also reduces the normal distance of the pivot bearing 12 of the compression spring 11 of the return device to the first rotational axis D1. The normal distance is the distance of the pivot bearing 12 of the compression spring 11 from a vertical plane containing the first rotational axis D1. The force acting on the compression spring 11 is thus applied via a torque acting around the first rotational axis D1 and is thus in the clearing position ( Fig. 1) larger than in the raised position ( Fig.3). The compression spring 11 therefore initially appears "softer," which ensures rapid disengagement. In the raised position, the compression spring 11 appears "harder," which ensures a faster return to the clearing position. In this way, the evasive movement of the lower ploughshare segment 1a relative to ground obstacles is optimized by, on the one hand, ensuring that the evasive movement of the lower ploughshare segment 1a is carried out quickly, quietly, and with low wear, and, on the other hand, ensuring a rapid return of the raised ploughshare segment 1a.
Claims
[1] Snow plough with a plough frame (2) which can be raised and lowered and which can be coupled to a carrier vehicle, on which plough frame (2) a ploughshare (1) is held by means of at least one connecting element (6), which ploughshare is formed from at least two ploughshare segments (1a, 1b), wherein at least one ploughshare segment (1a) is pivotally mounted independently of the at least one further ploughshare segment (1b) from a clearing position in which its lowermost edge (13) is in a lowermost position, against the restoring force of a restoring device into a pivoted-up position in which its lowermost edge (13) is in an uppermost position, characterized byin that the independently pivotable ploughshare segment (1a) is mounted at a first end of the connecting element (6) so as to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation (D1), and the connecting element (6) is mounted at its second end on the plough frame (2) so as to be rotatable about a second axis of rotation (D2), wherein a link guide (7, 8) is provided for the pivoting movement from the clearing position into the pivoted-up position, which link is formed by a link (8) arranged on the independently pivotable ploughshare segment (1a) and extending in an arc around the first axis of rotation (D1), and by a roller (7) arranged on the plough frame (2) which is guided in the link (8). [2] Snow plough according to claim 1, characterized bythat the return device is a compression spring (11) which is fastened via a pivot bearing (12) to the independently pivotable ploughshare segment (1a) or to the connecting element (6), the normal distance of which from the first axis of rotation (D1) is greater in the clearing position than in the pivoted-up position. [3] Snow plough according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the normal distance between the first rotation axis (D1) and the roller axis (R) is greater in the clearing position than in the swung-up position. [4] Snow plough according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the link guide (7, 8) comprises a roller (7) guided in a link (8), the casing of which is designed to be elastic. [5] Snow plough according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the bearing points around the first axis of rotation (D1) and / or the second axis of rotation (D2) are designed as elastic bearings. [6] Snow plough according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the connecting element (6) is designed as a handlebar, wherein the first axis of rotation (D1) is arranged at a first end of the handlebar, and the second axis of rotation (D2) is arranged at a second end of the handlebar.