Snow blower

Abstract

To solve the problem that snow cutting by an auger becomes difficult and troubles such as snow clogging and engine stop are liable to occur due to snow removing load excess in the case of firm, heavy and hard rough snow and ice plate snow in early spring by a rotary snow bower.SOLUTION: Tooth-shaped parts biting into the snow on the spiral outer periphery of the auger blade are alternately bent to the blower direction side (inside) and the opposite side (outside) to form a saw-toothed (clam) shape, or the tooth-shaped parts are alternately bent to the inside or the outside to form a single tooth-shaped (clam) shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a small rotary walk-behind snow remover used primarily by individuals, farms, stores, offices, small and medium-sized businesses, etc., and relates to improving the efficiency of snow removal operations. [Background technology]

[0002] Small walk-behind snowplows are now widely used in snowy regions for individual small-lot applications, separate from large snowplows used on national and prefectural public roads and public facilities. In mountainous and foothill areas where large snowplows cannot enter, they are now in high demand, almost like a necessity in snowy regions. In particular, rotary snowplows, which use spiral rotating teeth, i.e. auger blades, to scrape, break up, and collect accumulated snow, collect it in a blower that ejects the snow, and release it from a semi-cylindrical chute that determines the ejection direction, have higher snow-removing capabilities than other types and are overwhelmingly more widely used. This type has matured structurally and mechanically for over half a century, and has not changed in appearance to this day. This application returns to the origins of mechanical snow removal and concerns improvements to the mechanism of a mature snowplow. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4494724 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4961017 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6148107 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6719700 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Construction machinery construction VOL.66 NO.11 [Non-Patent Document 2] JWA Release 2012.2.9 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The snow removal period in snowy regions lasts for about half a year, although it varies slightly depending on the region. As a result, the snow quality and snow accumulation change from moment to moment, and the snow removal conditions change accordingly. With new snow and powdery snow in the first half of the snow accumulation period, snow tends to adhere to the auger blades, and eventually the entire snow removal section becomes clogged with snow, making snow removal difficult. With hard granular snow and icy snow in the second half of the snow accumulation period, it becomes difficult to remove snow with the auger, and the engine may stop due to the snow removal load exceeding. In the middle of the snow accumulation period, these problems occur in combination. Even when using a snow removal machine for snow removal work, there are endless problems throughout the season. The applicant and other engineers involved in snow removal machine manufacturing are constantly fighting against snow. The applicant previously solved the problem of snow adhesion and snow clogging caused by new snow and powdery snow in the first half of the snow accumulation period by creating a "snow block" (Patent Document 3). This application follows on from that and challenges the heavy and hard snow quality in the second half of the snow accumulation period.

[0006] In the case of heavy, hard snow in early spring, experienced workers constantly adjust the speed to avoid exceeding the snow removal load, but they also need to constantly pay attention to the direction of snow throwing and the attitude of the snowplow, which can be said to be a difficult operation for beginners and inexperienced workers. Although there are some models that automatically control this (Patent Document 1), there have been almost no efforts to improve the auger blades, which are the main part of snow removal. Although there have been a few (Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3), the shape of the auger blades themselves has hardly changed since the current snowplows were developed. This application focuses on the auger blades, which are considered to be mature, from the basics of snow removal, and realizes an auger blade that can fully handle heavy, hard snow in the latter half of the snowfall season, solves problems caused by exceeding the snow removal load in early spring, and, in combination with the previously developed technology, realizes a snowplow that can be used stably throughout the season. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The means taken in this invention to solve the above-mentioned problems is, in a walk-behind rotary snowplow equipped with a prime mover such as an engine or power motor, and whose snow removal section is made up of an auger blade that cuts and collects snow, a blower that ejects snow, and a chute that determines the direction the snow is thrown, the tooth-like portions of the spiral outer periphery of the auger blade that dig into the snow are bent alternately toward the blower side (inward) and the opposite side (outward) to form a sawtooth-like shape, or all of the tooth-like portions, or one or at any intervals, are bent inward or outward to form a sawtooth-like shape. Effect of the Invention

[0008] By implementing the above-mentioned means, the present invention has the following effects.

[0009] Even in the heavy, hard snow conditions and snow accumulation conditions of the latter half of the snow season, not only has the snow-cutting performance been improved, but the discharge performance, such as shoveling and raking, has also been improved, which has significantly reduced the occurrence of snow removal load exceeding the capacity, and significantly reduced the interruption of snow removal work due to problems such as snow clogging and engine stalls. As a result, snow removal work can be continued stably, improving the efficiency of snow removal work. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a walk-behind rotary snow removal machine. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional auger blade portion of a snow removal unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the state in which a clasp is attached to the tooth-like portion of the auger blade of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the angle (clam width) of the auger blade of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing snow removal by a clam-shaped auger blade. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] There is no problem if the tooth vibration width of the auger blade teeth is alternated between the inside and outside, but if the tooth vibration width is only on the inside or only on the outside, the principle of the tooth vibration effect means that the teeth must be vibrated every other time in order to achieve the effect. EXAMPLES

[0012] The snow removal section of the snow removal machine related to the present invention will be described. Figure 1 shows an overall view of the snow removal machine as seen from the snow removal section side. Figure 2 shows the configuration of the snow removal section (auger). Snow is removed by rotating the auger 1, which has spiral blade teeth, and driving it forward, penetrating the area where snow has accumulated. The auger 1 scrapes off the snow and collects it in the central blower 2, which then throws the snow from chute 3 to the left, right, near, or far away, or wherever the operator desires (Figure 1).

[0013] The auger 1 has auger blades 11 welded and fixed around the auger shaft 12 with blade reinforcement plates, and one end of the auger shaft 12 is flange-fixed to the left and right output shafts of the bevel gear type auger mission 14, in pairs and symmetrically. The auger blades 11 are made of soft steel plates and treated as expendable parts, without increasing their strength or hardness unnecessarily for the purposes of road surface protection and power train protection, since they only need to scrape off accumulated snow. The auger blades 11 not only serve as blade teeth to scrape off and break up accumulated snow, but also function as a spiral conveyor to transport the scraped snow to the center of the auger and the blower 2 at the back of the auger mission 14, using the auger case 15 surface and the snow scraping surface as a guide. The blower 2 uses the rotational centrifugal force and the compressed air force of the centrifugal compressor to eject the snow scraped and collected by the auger blades 11 to the circumferential outlet of the blower case 21, and throws the snow using the semi-cylindrical chute 3 as a guide. The Chute 3 can be adjusted left and right and up and down (near and far) so you can freely set the location where snow is thrown.

[0014] The auger 1 is configured symmetrically when viewed from the front with the auger mission 14 at the center, and in Figure 2 the different symbols are used (i.e. the left part L, the right part R). From the perspective of snow-cutting effectiveness, conveyor transport effectiveness, manufacturing technology, etc., the shape of the auger blades 11 has currently been selected to have a two-row configuration that is almost symmetrical about the axis of the auger shaft 12. With this configuration, the blades rotate in a direction that bites into the snow surface from top to bottom, and as the snow is cut, it is transported (raised) to the center of the auger 1 and then to the blower 2.

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. One of the outer circumferential tooth-shaped parts of the auger blade 11 is bent toward the auger mission (inward) (i.e., auger tooth inward bend 111), and the other is bent toward the opposite side of the auger mission (outward) (i.e., auger tooth outward bend 112), and these are alternately formed along the outer periphery of the auger blade. The figure shows an example where the bending angle is approximately 20°. The width of the clam of a general saw is 1 / 4 to 3 / 4 of the thickness of the body plate, and if we follow this example, it will be about 2° to 3°, and we cannot even tell whether it is bent or not, so the effectiveness seems very questionable. On the other hand, the clam width of a separate ice saw is made larger, so we used this as a reference.

[0016] Figure 5 shows the test evaluation of the clam-shaped auger blade. First, a video observation was made from the front to see if there was a difference in the snow-clearing performance of the auger blades with and without clams (top image). Unfortunately, however, there was no clear difference in appearance between the left side without clams and the right side with clams. Second, snow removal work was actually performed to see how effective the clam-shaped auger blades are, and it was clearly felt that the snow removal speed could be increased (bottom image). To the experienced worker, the snow removal load felt lighter with clams than without clams, and the comparative experience test clearly showed the effect. Also, when an unskilled worker tried it, the engine would always shut down or stall due to overload, but this time it was able to continue working without that happening. It was clear that the work speed and work ability were definitely improved, even if the difference in appearance was not obvious.

[0017] The clams of the saw reduce the frictional resistance between the body and the workpiece (wood, etc.) and thus eliminate excess cutting resistance, something that anyone who has used a saw knows. One of the reasons why the snow removal load felt lighter and the work speed increased is thought to be the reduction in cutting resistance during snow removal. This is also true for saws, but this can only be understood as a personal experience unless you actually try the work. Following this discovery, it was thought that the auger blades were also reduced in the large amount of side pressure that is applied to them when they operate as a spiral conveyor that scrapes, rakes, and collects the snow into the central blower 2 after shaving off the hardened snow, which is their main function. This also contributes greatly to the snow removal load resistance. It seemed that the reduction in snow removal resistance alone would not make the snow removal load feel lighter and the work speed increased. The idea from the clams on the teeth of the saw was spot on.

[0018] Curiously, the shape of the auger blades, which the applicant focused on in the history of rotary snowplows, especially the teeth, have hardly changed at all. Looking at the history of snowplow development, snowplows started out as large machines that maintained and secured major social arteries such as railways, highways, and other transportation and logistics lines. Therefore, the main target for snow removal was the beginning of the snowfall season in the first half of winter, and in terms of snow quality, it was up to the level of fresh snow and compact snow (Non-Patent Document 2), and the main focus was on the ability to break up and shovel it in, while it is thought that snow removal performance for the compact snow, granular snow, and icy snow in the early spring of the second half of winter was not given much importance. This is because snow removal on railways and roads ended with the end of the snowfall season, and the heavy, hard, packed snowfall of early spring was not the target for snow removal.

[0019] In contrast, small walk-behind snowplows for individual small areas, which have recently become popular and have the same mechanical structure as large snowplows but are smaller in size, are in operation throughout the winter and into early spring when snow still remains. They start up all at once when it starts to snow, just like large snowplows, but due to differences in snow removal capacity, they do not start all at once but gradually. They also only start up to the minimum area necessary for daily life, and are usually left in open spaces and left there until the snow melts in early spring, but as the area of ​​life expands towards spring, snow removal work becomes necessary multiple times each time. In particular, in the agricultural industry, the remaining snow must be removed all at once, as it is necessary to prepare the arable land until the spring cultivation season. Even in the early spring, the snow that has been falling for several months is compacted and heavy, and the lower it is, the harder it is. Depending on the region and user, some people place more importance on snow removal performance in the latter half of winter.

[0020] The applicant first conceived this simple invention as a measure against the heavy, hard snow that packs down in early spring, and naturally, started with the idea of ​​a sawtooth blade as a way to reduce snow-clearing resistance. However, he had doubts because the object to be cleared, the method of clearing, and the shape are all very different, but he discovered that it was more effective than he expected, and that it also reduced the resistance to the blower 2 caused by the lateral pressure on the auger blades. The common sense that the only way to improve snow removal performance in early spring is to increase the output (engine horsepower) was broken by boldly reconsidering the conventional structure, which was also considered to be mature, and it was possible to improve performance. Large machines with limited uses may be mature, but he realized that there is still room for research, development, and growth in small machines with a wide range of uses.

[0021] In the embodiment, the auger teeth are alternately bent inwardly and outwardly for large models, but as the snow removal resistance decreases for medium and small models, there is no need for a set shape with alternating bends on both sides, and snow removal performance can be improved with a set shape that is bent inwardly or outwardly only. In that case, however, the set shape will not be achieved unless every other tooth is formed.

[0022] As described above, this invention has made it possible to complete a snow removal machine for the heavy, hard snow that accumulates from the latter half of winter to early spring. Combined with the snow block technology for the new snow in the early winter, it has made it possible to realize a snow removal machine that can be used stably throughout the season. It has also broken long-standing conventional wisdom and paved the way for the evolution of snow removal machines. This invention has reduced the number of accidents that cause work to be interrupted, from the harsh working conditions of the midwinter to the heavy work conditions of early spring, thereby contributing to work comfort. [Industrial Applicability]

[0023] Although the present invention is directed to a small walk-behind rotary snowplow, it can also be used with large machines for snow removal work in early spring (for example, removing snow from mountain roads). [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 1. Snow Removal Department 11 Ogre Wings 111 Auger teeth internal bend (Auger mission side) 112 Auger teeth external bend (opposite side of auger mission) 12 Auger Shaft 14 Ogre Mission 15 Auger Case 2 Blower 21 Blower case 3 Shooter

Claims

[Claim 1] This walk-behind small rotary snowplow is equipped with a prime mover such as an engine or power motor, and has a snow removal section 1 consisting of an auger blade 11 that scrapes and collects snow, a blower 2 that ejects snow, and a chute 3 that determines the direction of snow throw. In this walk-behind small rotary snowplow, the tooth-like portions of the spiral outer periphery of the auger blade 11 are alternately bent toward the blower 2 side (inward) and the opposite side (outward) to form a sawtooth-like shape, or all, or one or any number of tooth-like portions at any interval are bent inward or outward to form a sawtooth-like shape.

Images