Water flow direction switching device

Abstract

To provide a water flow direction switching device for allowing a control plate to smoothly operate without being affected by a projection and a foreign matter existing on a bottom surface of a snow discharging ditch.SOLUTION: A water flow direction switching device includes a control plate 1 for controlling a flow direction of flowing water by operation, wherein the control plate 1 is configured in a vertical plate and configured to be supported by vertical shafts 2, be rotated by operation of a driving device 3 and block an inflow port of a predetermined snow discharging ditch 60 at a branch point 61, a deformation part 4 is provided to project downward along the lower edge of the control plate 1 in the lower part of the control plate 1, and when coming in contact with a projection and a foreign matter 30 existing on a bottom surface 60a of the snow discharging ditch 60, the deformation part 4 deforms or moves to retreat and has such flexibility as to avoid / pass through or get over the projection and the foreign matter 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water flow direction switching device that is provided at a branching point of a snow drainage gutter and controls the flow direction of running water at the branching point. [Background technology]

[0002] In areas with heavy snowfall, it is difficult to melt the accumulated snow using only snow melting pipes, so snow removal facilities called "snow drainage channels" have been developed to remove the snow that cannot be melted.

[0003] This snow drainage ditch uses running water from a river or other source; simply by dumping the accumulated snow into it, the flowing water will carry the snow downstream to the river or other source where it will be removed.

[0004] These snow drainage ditches are installed in all directions throughout the region, with many branching points so that anyone in the region can use them, but because a certain amount of water is required to transport large blocks of snow, when the snow drainage ditches are used, control plates (waterstops) are used at each branching point to control the flow of water, which stops the flow of water into one snow drainage ditches and directs all the water into the other snow drainage ditches. By unifying the flow of water (making it a single stream), the amount of water flowing is ensured, and the position of the control plates can be changed depending on the time to change the water flow section, so that the snow drainage ditches can be used by the entire region.

[0005] However, the task of changing the position of the control plate to control the flow of running water described above requires inserting and removing the heavy waterstop plate vertically, which is a very labor-intensive and troublesome job. In addition, the task requires long hours of work in the early morning in winter or during the day on weekdays, placing a heavy burden on the workers.

[0006] In the past, with the aim of reducing such troublesome work, devices have been proposed to facilitate changing the position of a control plate (a gate body in Patent Document 1, and a dam plate in Patent Document 2), i.e., to switch the water flow section, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 (hereinafter referred to as "conventional examples"). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-309664 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-104480 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the above-mentioned conventional example, the control plate is attached to a vertical shaft and its position is changed by rotating it, thereby making it easy to switch the control plate.

[0009] In a configuration in which the control plate is attached to a vertical axis and moves in a rotating manner, as in this conventional example, the control plate moves along the bottom surface of the snow flow gutter. However, since the bottom surface of the snow flow gutter is not necessarily flat, if there is a protrusion within the range of movement of the control plate, the lower end of the control plate may get caught on the protrusion, preventing it from moving to the specified position or causing the control plate to be damaged due to the load placed on it. Therefore, conventionally, it is necessary to position the control plate at an appropriate distance from the bottom surface of the snow flow gutter to prevent it from getting caught on the protrusion.

[0010] However, if a gap 22 is provided between the control plate 20 and the bottom surface 21 of the snow flow groove as shown in Figure 7(a), foreign objects 23 such as pebbles that have moved through the snow flow groove may become caught in this gap 22, as shown in Figure 7(b), and this foreign object 23 may act like a door stopper, hindering the movement of the control plate 20, resulting in a malfunction.

[0011] Furthermore, if the gap 22 is made larger to prevent foreign matter 23 from getting caught in it, the control plate 20 will no longer be able to function as a water stop, and the amount of water flowing into the open snow drainage ditch will decrease, which may hinder snow melting operations in the snow drainage ditch.

[0012] The present invention has been developed in consideration of the current situation, and its object is to provide a water flow direction changing device in which the control plate operates smoothly without being affected by protrusions or foreign objects on the bottom surface of the snow flow gutter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The gist of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] A water flow direction switching device is provided at a branching point 61 of a snow flow groove 60 and controls the flow direction of the flowing water at the branching point 61, and is equipped with a control plate 1 which is actuated to control the flow direction of the flowing water, the control plate 1 being configured as a vertical plate and supported by a vertical shaft 2, and configured to rotate by actuation of a drive device 3 to close the inlet of a specified snow flow groove 60 at the branching point 61, and further, a deformation portion 4 is provided at the lower part of the control plate 1 along the lower edge of the control plate 1 to protrude downward, and this deformation portion 4 has flexibility which allows it to deform or move away when it comes into contact with a convex portion or foreign object 30 present on a bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60, thereby avoiding or climbing over the convex portion or foreign object 30. It is composed of a brush made of a flexible or elastic material. The present invention relates to a water flow direction switching device.

[0015] In addition, claims 1st article In the water flow direction changing device described above, the control plate 1 is configured so that the deformation portion 4 moves while sliding against the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60.

[0016] Also, claim 1 ,2 In the water flow direction switching device described in any one of the above, the deformation portion 4 is provided so as to be movable up and down along the plate surface of the control plate 1. Effect of the Invention

[0017] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it provides a water flow direction switching device in which the control plate operates smoothly without being affected by protrusions or foreign objects present on the bottom surface of the snow flow gutter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a deformation portion of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the use state (installation state) of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view showing a usage state (switching operation of the control plate) of this embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory side view showing another example of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing the function of a deformation portion of the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a defect in a conventional example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described below with reference to the drawings to illustrate the operation of the present invention.

[0020] In the present invention, a flexible deformation portion 4 is protruded downward along the lower edge of the control plate 1, so that even if a convex portion or foreign object 30 is present in the movable area of ​​the control plate 1 and the deformable portion 4 comes into contact with it, the deformable portion 4 can deform or move away to avoid or overcome the convex portion or foreign object 30, thereby allowing the control plate 1 to operate smoothly without being affected by the convex portions or foreign objects 30 present on the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60.

[0021] Furthermore, as described above, even if there are protrusions or foreign objects 30 on the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow ditch 60, the movement of the control plate 1 is not hindered by the protrusions or foreign objects 30, so the control plate 1 can be installed without leaving a gap between the control plate 1 and the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow ditch 60.As a result, the amount of flowing water outflowing from the snow flow ditch 60 to be dammed can be reduced compared to the case where a gap is left, and a sufficient flow rate of flowing water can be allowed to pass through the snow flow ditch 60 to be opened without interfering with snow melting work. EXAMPLES

[0022] A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] This embodiment is a water flow direction switching device that is installed at a branching point 61 of a snow flow ditch 60 and controls the flow direction of the flowing water at this branching point 61, and is equipped with a control plate 1 that controls the flow of the flowing water when activated, and is configured to block one snow flow ditch 60 with this control plate 1, thereby controlling the flow direction of the flowing water so that the flowing water flows into the other snow flow ditch 60.

[0024] Specifically, this embodiment comprises a control plate 1 and a drive device 3 for actuating this control plate 1, as shown in FIG.

[0025] Each component of this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0026] The control plate 1 is configured as a vertical plate supported on a vertical shaft 2 and is configured to rotate by the operation of a drive device 3 to close the inlet of a specified snow flow groove 60 at a branch point 61 of the snow flow groove 60.

[0027] Specifically, the control plate 1 of this embodiment is composed of a fixed plate portion 1a fixed to the wall surface of the snow flow groove 60, and a movable plate portion 1b freely rotatably attached to this fixed plate portion 1a, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

[0028] The fixing plate portion 1a is set to an appropriate height according to the height dimension of the inlet (opening) of the snow flow groove 60, and is configured so as to be fixed to the wall surface of the snow flow groove 60 using an appropriate fixing means such as a bolt.

[0029] In addition, the movable plate portion 1b is made of a square metal plate material that can almost completely block the inlet (opening) of the snow flow groove 60, and the base end side (downstream side in the flow direction of the flowing water) is attached to the fixed plate portion 1a via a hinge 2 as a vertical axis 2 so as to be freely rotatable horizontally.

[0030] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable plate portion 1b in this embodiment has a deforming portion 4 protruding downward along its lower edge, and this deforming portion 4 is configured so that even if there are protrusions or foreign objects 30 on the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60, which corresponds to the movable area of ​​the movable plate portion 1b, the movable plate portion 1b can avoid or overcome these protrusions or foreign objects 30 and move (operate) smoothly without being affected (without being hindered in its operation) by the protrusions or foreign objects 30.

[0031] Specifically, the deforming portion 4 is configured to have the flexibility to deform or move away when it comes into contact with a protrusion or foreign object 30 present on the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60, thereby enabling it to avoid or climb over the protrusion or foreign object 30. This deforming portion 4 is configured to come into contact with the protrusion or foreign object 30 and deform or move away to avoid or climb over the protrusion or foreign object 30, thereby allowing the movable plate portion 1b to move smoothly without being affected by the protrusion or foreign object 30 (without its operation being hindered).

[0032] In detail, the deformation part 4 is preferably made of a flexible or elastic material, and in this embodiment, the deformation part 4 is made of a brush (hair length: about 3 to 7 cm) as shown in the figure. Note that the deformation part 4 may be made of something other than a brush, for example, it may be made of a rubber plate.

[0033] In addition, the deformation portion 4 is configured so that there is no gap between the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60 and the tip portion (brush tip portion) comes into contact with the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60, and when the control plate 1 moves, it moves while sliding against the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60.

[0034] In addition, the deformation portion 4 is arranged to be freely movable up and down along the plate surface of the movable plate portion 1b, and the movable plate portion 1b is configured so that the height dimension can be freely adjusted according to the depth of the snow flow groove 60 by the up and down movement of this deformation portion 4.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, an attachment portion 4a that can slide freely in the vertical direction is provided on the lower part of the movable plate portion 1b, and the deformation portion 4 is attached to this attachment portion 4a, so that the deformation portion 4 moves up and down as the attachment portion 4a moves up and down.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the movable plate portion 1b of this embodiment has an opening 5 formed in its plate surface.

[0037] Specifically, the opening 5 is set to a size of 1 / 5 to 1 / 10 of the size (area) of the movable plate portion 1b, and is provided on the upper side of the movable plate portion 1b.

[0038] In this embodiment, by providing an opening 5 in the control plate 1 (movable plate portion 1b), when the amount of water flowing through the snow gutter 60 increases and the load (resistance) on the movable plate portion 1b becomes large, this opening 5 becomes an overflow port, allowing the flowing water to escape, reducing the resistance that the movable plate portion 1b experiences when moving, thereby enabling smooth switching operation.

[0039] The opening 5 may be configured so that the position of the lower edge of the opening is changeable.

[0040] Specifically, a shutter member is provided below the opening 5 and is slidable upward, and by moving (pulling up) this shutter member upward, the lower edge position of the opening 5 moves upward, making it possible to adjust the timing of overflow. Note that the position of the opening lower edge may be changed by, for example, attaching a blank plate to the lower edge side, in addition to the shutter member.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable plate portion 1b of this embodiment is provided with snow-cutting plates 6 on both sides of the plate surface.

[0042] Specifically, the snow cutting plate 6 is disposed in an almost horizontal position and protrudes outward from the plate surface of the movable plate portion 1b, and in this embodiment, as the snow clumps moving in the snow flow groove 60 move along the movable plate portion 1b, the snow cutting plate 6 cuts into the snow clumps, making them easier to break up, thereby minimizing the occurrence of clogging in the snow flow groove 60 due to snow clumps.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 1, the movable plate portion 1b of this embodiment is provided with a connecting portion 7 to which a rod 3a of a driving device 3, which will be described later, is connected.

[0044] Specifically, the connecting portion 7 includes a shaft portion 7a to which the tip end of the rod 3a is pivotally attached, and is provided on the upper portion of the movable plate portion 1b.

[0045] More specifically, the shaft portion 7a is set to a length longer than the height dimension of the tip of the rod 3a, and is configured so that the connection position of the rod 3a can be adjusted in the vertical direction to match the size of the snow flow groove 60.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the movable plate portion 1b of this embodiment is provided with a cover 8 at its tip portion (the end portion not connected to the fixed plate portion 1a).

[0047] Specifically, the cover 8 extends along the tip edge of the movable plate portion 1b and protrudes inward (toward the wall surface facing the wall surface of the snow flow groove 60 to which the fixed plate portion 1a is fixed) at a predetermined angle relative to the movable plate portion 1b, as shown in Figure 3.

[0048] In this embodiment, this cover 8 is configured to prevent damage to the deformable portion 4 due to contact with the wall surface when the movable plate portion 1b moves to the wall surface opposite to the wall surface of the snow flow groove 60 to which the fixed plate portion 1a is fixed, as shown in Figure 3.

[0049] The driving device 3 is configured by a stroke motor having a rod 3a that is provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward as shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, in this embodiment, the "driving device 3" will be referred to as the "stroke motor 3").

[0050] Specifically, the stroke motor 3 is mounted on a support member 9 that is installed between the wall surfaces of the snow flow groove 60, as shown in Figure 3, and more specifically, the stroke motor 3 is axially mounted on the support member 9 and is capable of rotating horizontally.

[0051] In detail, in this embodiment, the stroke motor 3 is mounted on the support member 9 so as to be freely rotatable horizontally, and further, the rod 3a of the stroke motor 3 is rotatably attached to the connecting portion 7 (shaft portion 7a) of the control plate 1 (movable plate portion 1b). As shown in FIG. 4, the linear motion (extending and retracting motion) of the rod 3a of the stroke motor 3 does not place a load on either the movable plate portion 1b or the stroke motor 3, and the movable plate portion 1b can be smoothly rotated.

[0052] Furthermore, the support member 9 that supports the stroke motor 3 is configured so that its length in the width direction can be adjusted, and is configured so that it can be attached to a variety of snow-draining grooves 60 having different groove widths.

[0053] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the support member 9 in this embodiment consists of a pair of fixed support members 9a provided (fixedly provided) on both the left and right sides of the snow flow groove 60, respectively, and an erection support member 9b installed between these fixed support members 9a. The fixed support member 9a is formed in a crank shape, and the erection support member 9b is formed in a flat plate shape with an appropriate width dimension set. The erection support member 9b is placed on the horizontal plate portions of the pair of fixed support members 9a and installed between them. The fixed support members 9a and the erection support members 9b are fixed with fixing members such as screws and bolts through long screw holes provided in the erection support members 9b. With the above configuration, the support member 9 in this embodiment can be adjusted in width within a range approximately equal to the width dimension of the horizontal plate portions of the fixed support members 9a.

[0054] In addition, the fixed support member 9a is not limited to the crank shape as in this embodiment, and may be configured, for example, as a simple L-shape, with the vertical plate portion directly engaged (fixed) to the wall portion of the snow flow groove 60.

[0055] Furthermore, the fixed support member 9a may be configured to be integrally formed with the fixed plate portion 1a.

[0056] This embodiment also has a control plate operation determination function for determining whether or not the movable plate portion 1b has normally rotated to a predetermined position.

[0057] Specifically, the control plate operation determination function is configured to determine, based on the position of the rod 3a of the stroke motor 3, whether or not the movable plate portion 1b has normally rotated to a predetermined position.

[0058] More specifically, the control plate operation judgment function of this embodiment is configured to make the above-mentioned judgment by determining the operating position of the rod 3a using two rod detection means 10a, 10b provided in the cylinder section 3b that guides the rod 3a of the stroke motor 3.

[0059] In other words, the control plate operation judgment function of this embodiment is configured so that when the movable plate portion 1b is operated to introduce flowing water into one snow flow groove 60A, if both rod detection means 10a, 10b detect the rod 3a, it is judged that the movable plate portion 1b has operated normally, and when the movable plate portion 1b is operated to introduce flowing water into the other snow flow groove 60B, it is judged that the movable plate portion 1b has operated normally if both rod detection means 10a, 10b do not detect the rod 3a.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the control plate operation judgment function judges that there is an abnormality in the operation of the movable plate portion 1b, i.e., if it judges that the movable plate portion 1b has not moved to the specified position, it is configured to repeatedly move the rod 3a of the stroke motor 3 back and forth to rotate (open and close) the movable plate portion 1b several times, and then judge again whether the operation is normal or abnormal (because if the abnormality is due to snow tongs in the movable plate portion 1b, this may be resolved by the above operation).

[0061] In addition to the above, the control plate operation determination function may be configured such that, for example, a limit switch is provided at the tip of movable plate portion 1b, and movable plate portion 1b moves to a predetermined position due to normal operation, and the limit switch provided on movable plate portion 1b comes into contact with the wall surface of snow drainage ditch 60 and is operated to switch ON, thereby determining that movable plate portion 1b has operated normally. Also, a limit switch may be provided on the wall surface side of snow drainage ditch 60, and when movable plate portion 1b operates normally, it comes into contact with this limit switch and switches ON, and by confirming the ON / OFF state of this limit switch, it is determined whether movable plate portion 1b has operated normally.

[0062] In addition, this embodiment is configured so that the operation is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

[0063] The control unit is equipped with a control circuit and a manual operation unit, is connected to this embodiment, and transmits an operation command signal to this embodiment, and this embodiment is configured so that the movable plate portion 1b operates based on the control command from this control unit.

[0064] Furthermore, this embodiment is configured so that the control unit can be switched to manual operation, and the movement of the movable plate portion 1b can be manually controlled by operating the manual operation portion.

[0065] 5, the control plate 1 may have a fixed plate portion 1a formed of a rod-like body that penetrates between the top plate and the bottom of the snow drainage groove 60. Also, the support member 9 may have a hanging member 9c (e.g., a fully threaded bolt) suspended from the top plate of the snow drainage groove 60, a mounting member 9d provided on the hanging member 9c, and the stroke motor 3 attached to the mounting member 9d as shown in the figure.

[0066] The effects of the present embodiment configured as above will be described below.

[0067] In this embodiment, the drive unit 3 is constructed of a stroke motor 3, and therefore has excellent operability and durability, and can perform a stable switching operation.

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, the deforming portion 4 protrudes downward along the lower edge of the movable plate portion 1b, so that even if there are protrusions or foreign objects 30 in the movable area of ​​the movable plate portion 1b that are smaller in diameter than the dimension between the lower edge of the movable plate portion 1b and the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60 and the deforming portion 4 comes into contact with these, as shown in Figure 6, the deforming portion 4 can deform or move away to avoid or overcome the protrusions or foreign objects 30, thereby allowing the movable plate portion 1b to operate smoothly without being affected by the protrusions or foreign objects 30 present on the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow groove 60.

[0069] Furthermore, as described above, even if a protrusion or foreign object 30 is present on the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow gutter 60, the movement of the movable plate portion 1b is not hindered by the protrusion or foreign object 30, so there is no need to provide a gap between the movable plate portion 1b and the bottom surface 60a of the snow flow gutter 60.As a result, the amount of flowing water outflowing from the snow flow gutter 60 to be dammed can be reduced compared to the case where a gap is provided, and a sufficient flow rate of flowing water can be allowed to pass through the snow flow gutter 60 to be opened without interfering with snow melting work.

[0070] Moreover, in this embodiment, since the deformation portion 4 is arranged to be freely movable up and down, the height dimension can be freely adjusted according to the depth of the snow flow groove 60, thereby making it possible to install it in a variety of snow flow grooves 60 of different depths.

[0071] In addition, in this embodiment, since an opening 5 is provided in the movable plate portion 1b, when the amount of water flowing through the snow flow groove 60 increases and the load (resistance) on the movable plate portion 1b becomes large, this opening 5 becomes an overflow port, and the flowing water escapes, reducing the resistance that the movable plate portion 1b experiences when moving, and the switching operation of the movable plate portion 1b becomes smooth.

[0072] In addition, in this embodiment, a snow cutting plate 6 is provided on the movable plate portion 1b, and the snow cutting plate 6 cuts into the snow blocks when passing through the branching point 61, making the blocks easier to break down, thereby making it possible to prevent blockages caused by snow blocks as much as possible.

[0073] In addition, this embodiment is equipped with a control plate operation judgment function that judges whether the movable plate portion 1b has rotated normally to a specified position. Therefore, if the control plate operation judgment function detects an operation abnormality, the movable plate portion 1b will automatically perform repeated rotational operation (opening and closing operation). Therefore, if the cause of the operation abnormality is snow tongs, the abnormality will be automatically eliminated by this rotational operation.

[0074] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 Control board 2 Vertical axis 3. Drive unit 4. Deformation section 30 Foreign object 60 Snow Drainage Ditch 60a (Bottom of snow drainage ditch) 61 Branching Point

Claims

1. A water flow direction switching device is installed at a branching point of a snow flow gutter to control the flow direction of flowing water at the branching point, the water flow direction switching device comprising a control plate which controls the flow direction of the flowing water by being activated, the control plate being configured as a vertical plate and supported on a vertical axis, and being configured to rotate by the activation of a drive device to block the inlet of a specified snow flow gutter at the branching point, and further comprising a deforming portion which protrudes downwardly along the lower edge of the control plate at the lower part of the control plate, and the deforming portion has the flexibility to deform or move away when it comes into contact with a convex portion or foreign object on the bottom surface of the snow flow gutter, thereby avoiding or climbing over the convex portion or foreign object.

2. 2. The water flow direction switching device according to claim 1, wherein the deformation portion is made of a flexible material or an elastic material.

3. 3. The water flow direction switching device according to claim 2, wherein the deformation portion is formed of a brush.

4. A water flow direction changing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control plate is configured so that the deformation portion moves while sliding against the bottom surface of the snow flow groove.

5. 4. The water flow direction switching device according to claim 1, wherein the deformation portion is provided so as to be movable up and down along the plate surface of the control plate.

6. 5. The water flow direction switching device according to claim 4, wherein the deformation portion is provided so as to be movable up and down along a plate surface of the control plate.

Images