Snow melting mat and snow melting method

Abstract

To provide a snow melting mat and a snow melting method that can melt snow that comes into contact with or is pressed against side walls, and accumulates on a base surface leaning against the side walls, while suppressing occurrence of snow igloos.SOLUTION: A snow melting mat 1 is a snow melting mat for melting snow that comes into contact with or is pressed against side walls, and leans against the side walls and accumulates on a base surface. The snow melting mat is provided in an L-shape so as to cover the surfaces from the base surface to the side walls, and has a plurality of band members 2A, 2B, and 2C in each of which a medium passage through which a medium flows is formed along a longitudinal direction, and connecting members 3A, 3A', 3B, 3B', 3C, and 3C' that arrange the band members 2A, 2B, and 2C in a width direction and connect them at one end in the longitudinal direction, allowing the medium to flow into or out of the medium passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a snow melting mat and a snow melting method, and in particular to a snow melting mat and a snow melting method that prevent the snow igloo phenomenon.In this specification, a dome-shaped mass of snow formed by melting accumulated snow is referred to as a "kamakura," and the phenomenon of the formation of a "kamakura" is referred to as the "kamakura phenomenon." [Background technology]

[0002] In snowy regions, snow removal work is carried out to prevent road hazards caused by accumulated snow. Snow removal work is carried out using shovels, snow blowers, snow plows, etc., but after the snow is removed, it ends up piled up on the side of the road, in gardens, in the corners of parking lots, etc. The piled up snow often becomes compacted and remains unmelted for a long time, which can cause inconveniences such as taking up space.

[0003] Snow can also accumulate near the entrances to tunnels. For example, when clearing snow from the road leading to a tunnel, snowplows push aside the snow on the road up to the tunnel, but some of the snow that gets pushed aside finds its way into the tunnel, causing snow to accumulate near the entrances. As more snow gets in with each snow removal operation, the amount of accumulated snow increases, potentially obstructing traffic through the tunnel.

[0004] One way to melt this accumulated snow is to use sprinkler pipes, but burying the pipes in the road surface is a major undertaking, and there are also problems with the sprinklered water pooling up.

[0005] On the other hand, a simple method is to use a snow-melting mat. Known snow-melting mats include heating types with a heater or the like embedded inside (e.g., Patent Document 1) and medium-permeable types that allow a medium such as water to pass through inside (e.g., Patent Document 2). Snow-melting mats are used by being laid on a base surface such as the ground, and by heating the snow-melting surface, they can melt the snow that adheres to the snow-melting surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-53186 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-56589 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, when a snow-melting mat is laid on the base surface, snow accumulation on the mat can cause a snow igloo phenomenon, which can prevent the snow from melting sufficiently. This snow igloo phenomenon will be explained using Figure 10.

[0008] Figure 10 shows a state in which snow 10 has been piled up on the base surface 12 by contacting or being pressed against a side wall 13, leaning against the side wall 13, due to snow removal by a snowplow or the like. If a snow melting mat 11 is placed in advance under the piled up snow 10 in this way, the snow 10 around the snow melting mat 11 will melt, but the snow 10 away from the snow melting mat 11 will remain in its original state and gradually harden under its own weight. As a result, only the snow around the snow melting mat 11 will melt, forming a space, which becomes a snow hut 14. When a snow hut 14 is formed, the snow melting function of the snow melting mat 11 is significantly reduced, and it will take time for the piled up snow 10 to melt.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a snow-melting mat and a snow-melting method that can melt snow that accumulates on a base surface by coming into contact with or being pressed against a side wall and leaning against the side wall, while suppressing the formation of snow igloos. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The snow melting mat of the present invention is a snow melting mat that comes into contact with or is pressed against a side wall and leans against the side wall to melt snow that accumulates on a base surface, and is characterized in that the snow melting mat is provided in an L-shape from the base surface to the side wall so as to cover their surfaces. In this invention, the "L-shape" refers to the shape of the snow melting mat when viewed from the direction in which the base surface and side wall extend, and the angle and length of the L are not strict. Furthermore, the "base surface" refers to a surface on which snow accumulates, such as a road surface, ground, concrete surface, or building floor.

[0011] The snow melting mat has a plurality of band members with a medium passage formed along the longitudinal direction through which the medium flows, and a connecting member that aligns the band members in the width direction and connects them at one end in the longitudinal direction, allowing the medium to flow into or out of the medium passage, and it is preferable that the snow melting mat is arranged so that the width direction of the band members is L-shaped overall and the longitudinal direction of the band members is horizontal.

[0012] The snow-melting mat may have a plurality of connection units, each of which has a plurality of the belt members connected by the connection members, and the connection units may be connected to each other by a connection flow path member that is permeable to the medium.

[0013] The interval between adjacent band members between the connection units may be greater than the interval between the band members in each of the connection units.

[0014] The snow-melting mat is characterized by having an outflow pipe that allows the medium that has passed through the snow-melting mat to flow out between the base surface and the snow-melting mat.

[0015] The snow melting method of the present invention is a method for melting snow that has accumulated on a base surface by coming into contact with or being pressed against a side wall and leaning against the side wall, and is characterized in that a snow melting mat is provided in an L-shape from the base surface to the side wall so as to cover the surfaces thereof. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] By having the above-described configuration, the snow-melting mat of the present invention can melt snow that comes into contact with or is pressed against the side walls during snow removal, etc., and accumulates on the base surface by leaning against the side walls, while preventing the formation of snow huts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of a snow melting mat according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 2A and 2B are a partially enlarged view and a cross-sectional view of the snow-melting mat of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the installation state of the snow melting mat of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the snow melting mat of FIG. 1 in use. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a plan view of another embodiment of the snow melting mat according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view of another embodiment of the snow melting mat according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of another embodiment of the snow melting mat according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the snow melting mat according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the snow melting mat according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the snow hut phenomenon. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The snow melting mat of the present invention is a snow melting mat that is used to melt snow that has accumulated on the base surface by contacting or pressing against a side wall and leaning against the side wall. This snow melting mat can be used in any location where snow accumulates as described above due to snow removal, such as under the eaves of a house, next to a store, office, or facility, on the side of a road, or near the entrance to a tunnel.

[0019] A snow melting mat according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the snow melting mat. The snow melting mat 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a medium-permeable type snow melting mat that allows a medium such as water to pass through the inside. The medium is introduced into the snow melting mat 1 by pumping it up with a pump, for example. The medium may be a liquid such as water or ethylene glycol. The water may be well water, groundwater, spring water, river water, or the like, which allows water to be used inexpensively and snow to melt easily and energy-efficiently. The water temperature is, for example, 10°C to 15°C, and may be heated as needed with a heating device such as a heater.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, snow melting mat 1 has multiple belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C with medium passages formed along the longitudinal direction, through which the medium flows. Snow melting mat 1 is configured with these belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C arranged in parallel in the width direction (11 in Figure 1). In the plan view of Figure 1, multiple belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C are arranged on the same plane. The main plane of snow melting mat 1 is made up of the surfaces of belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C, and these surfaces function as the snow melting surface.

[0021] 1, the longitudinal direction of the belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C is indicated as the Y-axis direction, and the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is indicated as the X-axis direction, as in Fig. 2 and Figs. 5 to 7 described later.

[0022] In FIG. 1, the snow melting mat 1 is made up of a plurality of connecting units U each of which is made up of connecting members. A , U B , U C For example, the connecting unit U A In the figure, five band members 2A are connected by connecting members 3A and 3A'. Specifically, the connecting member 3A connects the five band members 2A at one longitudinal end side while allowing the medium to flow into the medium passage of each band member 2A, and the connecting member 3A' connects the five band members 2A at the other longitudinal end side while allowing the medium to flow out of the medium passage of each band member 2A. The connecting members 3A and 3A' are spaced apart and face each other in the Y-axis direction with the band member 2A in between.

[0023] Connecting unit UB In the example, two belt members 2B are connected by a pair of connecting members 3B and 3B'. C In the figure, four belt members 2C are connected by a pair of connecting members 3C, 3C'.

[0024] The connection structure using the connecting member will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2(a) shows an enlarged view of the periphery of the connecting member 3B. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the connecting member 3B has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a space formed inside. The connecting member 3B may be a plastic member or a rubber member. For example, if the connecting member 3B is a plastic member, it is an integrally molded product formed integrally using a plastic material.

[0025] One side of the rectangular parallelepiped connecting member 3B is open, and one end of the band member 2B is inserted through this opening. The insertion sections into which the band members 2B are inserted are partitioned by partition walls 34. The connecting member 3B is also provided with a step portion 35 that abuts against the end face of one end of the band member 2B. The abutment of the end face of the band member 2B controls the insertion length and improves adhesion with the connecting member 3B. The connecting member 3B and the band member 2B are fixed by inserting the band member 2B into the connecting member 3B and then applying an adhesive to bond them together.

[0026] The connecting member 3B has an inlet portion 31 at one end in the X-axis direction and an outlet portion 32 at the other end. A flow path 33 is formed in the connecting member 3B, which is connected to the inlet portion 31 and the outlet portion 32 and penetrates in the X-axis direction. The flow path 33 further has two branch paths branching in the Y-axis direction, and is connected so that the medium flows from each branch path into the medium passage of each belt member 2B.

[0027] FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line SS, which is a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the band member 2B. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the band member 2B has a substrate 21 that is rectangular in cross section. A plurality of medium passages 22 are formed at equal intervals in the substrate 21. The medium passages 22 penetrate the interior of the band member 2B along the longitudinal direction of the band member 2B and open at both ends of the band member 2B. The cross-sectional shape of the medium passages 22 is not particularly limited, and may be formed into a circular shape, a polygonal shape, or an elliptical shape. The number of medium passages 22 formed in the band member 2B may be one or more (for example, seven in FIG. 2).

[0028] The base material 21 of the belt member 2B is made of a material that can transfer heat from the medium to the snow melting surface 21a. By transferring heat to the snow melting surface 21a, the snow that has accumulated there can be melted by heat exchange. The material of the base material 21 is not particularly limited, but it can be made of an elastic material whose main components are, for example, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene) rubber, SBR (styrene butadiene rubber) rubber, TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), or the like. Since it will be used as a snow melting mat, it is preferable that the base material 21 have excellent weather resistance and abrasion resistance.

[0029] The base material 21 may also contain various compounding agents. Examples of compounding agents include thermally conductive fillers such as carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, metal particles, aluminum oxide, and magnesium oxide. The inclusion of thermally conductive fillers can improve the thermal conductivity of the base material 21. In addition, other compounding agents such as vulcanizing agents, flame retardants, plasticizers, antiaging agents (antioxidants), and colorants may also be included as appropriate.

[0030] The size of the belt member 2B is, for example, approximately 1000 mm to 5000 mm in length, approximately 50 mm to 100 mm in width, and approximately 5 mm to 20 mm in thickness. The length can be adjusted by connecting the belt members in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, if the thickness of the belt member 2B is relatively thin, for example, 10 mm or less, the snow melting mat is less bulky when rolled up and is easy to handle. In FIG. 2(b), the medium passage 22 is formed at the center of the thickness of the belt member 2B.

[0031] The connecting unit U shown in Figure 2 B In the snow melting mat 1, gaps are formed between the belt members 2B arranged in parallel in the width direction. For example, snow melted on the snow melting surface 21a is drained below the snow melting mat 1 through these gaps.

[0032] In Figure 2, the connecting unit U B The inflow side connecting member 3B has been described above, but the outflow side connecting member 3B' also has the same basic configuration. A , U C Regarding the above, the basic configuration may be the same except that the number of band members is different.

[0033] Returning to Figure 1, connecting unit U A and connecting unit U B are connected in parallel by two connecting flow path members 4a, 4a'. Specifically, the connecting member 3A and the connecting member 3B are connected by the connecting flow path member 4a, and the connecting member 3A' and the connecting member 3B' are connected by the connecting flow path member 4a'. Similarly, the connecting unit U B and connecting unit U C are connected in parallel by two connecting flow path members 4b and 4b'.

[0034] The connecting flow path members 4a, 4a', 4b, 4b' are permeable to the medium and are made of, for example, rubber pipes, plastic pipes, steel pipes, pipe joints, etc. Rubber pipes that are easily elastically deformed are preferred because they allow the connecting flow path members to be easily deformed flexibly to fit the shape of the installation location of the snow melting mat 1. For example, the rubber pipe serving as the connecting flow path member 4a is connected by inserting it into the outlet portion of the connecting member 3A and the inlet portion of the connecting member 3B, respectively (see, for example, FIG. 2).

[0035] In the snow melting mat 1, a gap is formed between the adjacent belt members between the connecting units. A , U B The widthwise interval between the adjacent band members 2A and 2B is d1, and the connecting unit UB In this example, if the widthwise distance between adjacent band members 2B and 2B is d2, then d1 is larger than d2 (d1>d2). For example, d1 is approximately 10 mm to 100 mm, while d2 is less than 10 mm. By connecting adjacent band members between connecting units with a certain amount of space between them, it becomes easier to bend each connecting unit to form an angle, making it easier to adjust the L-shaped angle depending on the installation location.

[0036] In FIG. 1, the flow of water, which is the medium, in the snow melting mat 1 is indicated by dashed-dotted arrows. First, water flows from inlet 31 of connecting member 3A into the interior of connecting member 3A and flows into each medium passage of band member 2A connected to connecting member 3A. Water in each medium passage flows longitudinally toward connecting member 3A'. Water that flows into connecting member 3A also flows into connecting member 3B via connecting flow path member 4a and flows into each medium passage of band member 2B connected to connecting member 3B. Water that flows into connecting member 3B also flows into connecting member 3C via connecting flow path member 4b and flows into each medium passage of band member 2C connected to connecting member 3C. In this snow melting mat 1, it is assumed that water flows in parallel through the medium passages of band members 2A-2C.

[0037] Then, the water that has flowed through the medium passages of the belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C to the ends flows toward the outflow portion 32 of the connecting member 3C' and is finally discharged from the outflow portion 32. The medium discharged from the outflow portion 32 may be allowed to flow directly into a drain or the like.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, in a plan view of the snow melting mat 1, an inlet section 31 that flows into the snow melting mat 1 and an outlet section 32 that flows out of the snow melting mat 1 are arranged diagonally. By arranging it in this way, it becomes easier to spread the medium over the entire snow melting mat 1.

[0039] Figure 3 shows the above-mentioned snow-melting mat installed near the entrance to a tunnel. Figure 3(a) is a view from the direction in which the tunnel extends, and Figure 3(b) is a view of the tunnel side wall from the roadway side. In Figure 3, a tunnel 9 has a side road 91 (e.g., a footpath or inspection corridor) formed on the side of a roadway 93, separated by a drainage ditch 94. A tunnel side wall 92 rises from this side road 91. The surface (road surface) of this side road 91 corresponds to the base surface in this invention.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3(a), the snow melting mat 1 is provided in an L-shape so as to cover the surfaces from the side road 91 to the tunnel side wall 92. Specifically, the connecting unit U A is laid horizontally to cover the surface of the side road 91, and the connecting unit U B is installed at an angle to the side road 91 so as to cover the surface near the boundary between the side road 91 and the tunnel side wall 92, and the connecting unit U C The snow melting mat 1 is placed vertically so as to cover the wall surface of the tunnel side wall 92. The snow melting mat 1 is fixed to the tunnel side wall 92 and the side road 91 using, for example, anchors.

[0041] As shown in Figure 3(a), each connecting unit U A ~U C are each flat, but are arranged at an angle to each other by the connecting flow path member described above. In this case, the snow melting mat 1 is arranged so that the width direction of the belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C follows an L shape overall. Also, the longitudinal direction of the belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C is arranged so that it follows the horizontal direction (see Figure 3(b)). Therefore, the medium passages of the belt members 2A, 2B, and 2C extend horizontally, which makes it easier for the medium to flow smoothly through the medium passages and also prevents the medium passages from being bent.

[0042] In Figure 3, the water flows through the base surface of the connecting unit U A From the side wall side connection unit C It is installed so that it flows towards the

[0043] The state in which snow has accumulated on the snow melting mat thus installed is shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the connecting unit U B and connecting unit U C Therefore, the snow 10 can be brought into contact with the snow melting surface at any time, and the snow melting mat 1 can continuously perform its snow melting function.

[0044] 3 and 4 are described assuming the vicinity of a tunnel entrance. Near the entrance of a tunnel, there is no space for snowplows to temporarily store or store snow, so the snow accumulates and may obstruct traffic. Emergency equipment installed on sidewalks may also be buried, potentially rendering it unusable in an emergency. As described above, the snow-melting mat of the present invention can efficiently melt snow accumulated in the area, contributing to the stable running of vehicles and the stable use of communication equipment in an emergency.

[0045] 5 shows a plan view of another embodiment of the snow melting mat of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the snow melting mat 5 is made up of a connecting unit U A ~U C Specifically, the lengths of the belt members are longer in the order of belt member 2A, belt member 2B, and belt member 2C. C The belt member in the direction of the arrow is longer than the other. In addition, the connecting flow path members 4a, 4a', 4b, and 4b' are bent to connect the connecting members to each other due to the difference in length. The snow melting mat 5 is also installed as shown in Figure 3.

[0046] To effectively utilize the snow-melting capacity of a medium-permeable snow-melting mat, it is desirable to increase the flow rate of the medium (L / min) per unit cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path. This is because a higher flow rate of the medium improves the efficiency of heat exchange from the walls of the medium-permeable path. On the other hand, if the flow rate per unit cross-sectional area is low, not only will heat exchange be insufficient, but there is also the risk of clogging with foreign matter or the medium itself freezing. One possible way to increase the flow rate of the medium is to increase the capacity of the supply pump, but this is not a desirable measure from an energy-saving perspective.

[0047] Fig. 6 shows a snow melting mat of the present invention that aims to improve the flow rate per unit cross-sectional area. Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the snow melting mat. This snow melting mat 6 differs from the snow melting mat 1 of Fig. 1 in that the connecting flow path members 4a and 4b' are omitted. Note that "omission" here means that the connecting flow path members 4a and 4b' are omitted as members that form a flow path for the medium; they may also exist as connecting members that connect the connecting members together without forming a flow path for the medium.

[0048] In the snow melting mat 6, the connecting member 3A' and the connecting member 3B' are connected by a connecting flow path member 4a' through which the medium can pass, and the connecting member 3B and the connecting member 3C are connected by a connecting flow path member 4b through which the medium can pass.

[0049] The flow of water in the snow melting mat 6 will be explained. First, water flows from the inlet portion 31 of connecting member 3A into connecting member 3A, and flows downward in each medium passage of band member 2A. Then, water that has flowed to connecting member 3A' flows into connecting member 3B' via connecting flow path member 4a', and flows upward in each medium passage of band member 2B. Then, water that has flowed to connecting member 3B flows into connecting member 3C via connecting flow path member 4b, and flows downward in each medium passage of band member 2C, and is finally discharged from the outlet portion 32 of connecting member 3C'. That is, in the snow melting mat 6, water flows sequentially through the medium passages of band member 2A, band member 2B, and band member 2C.

[0050] In this way, the snow melting mat 6 is configured so that the medium flows in series through the medium passages of the belt members of each connected unit. By configuring it in this way, the cross-sectional area of ​​the medium passage is smaller and the flow rate of the medium is increased compared to the snow melting mat 1 in Figure 1. As a result, the flow rate of the medium per unit cross-sectional area in the passage can be increased. This is expected to further improve snow melting capacity.

[0051] Next, Fig. 7 explains the configuration in which the medium flows in series through the medium passages of each belt member in the connecting unit. Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the snow melting mat. Note that this figure corresponds to Fig. 2(a), and only the differences will be explained, and the rest will be omitted.

[0052] Connecting unit U B In Figure ', connecting member 3B has an inlet portion 31 at one end in the X-axis direction and an outlet portion 32 at the other end. In connecting member 3B, the flow path does not penetrate in the X-axis direction, but is divided into flow path 33a connected to inlet portion 31 and flow path 33b connected to outlet portion 32. In this case, the medium that flows in from inlet portion 31 flows from flow path 33a into the medium passage of one band member 2B and flows toward the bottom of the figure. Then, when the medium reaches the end of that medium passage, it next flows into the medium passage of the other adjacent band member 2B and flows toward the top of the figure. Then, from the end of that medium passage, it passes through flow path 33b and flows out of outlet portion 32.

[0053] In this way, by making the medium flow in series through the medium passage paths of each band member (band members 2B and 2B in FIG. 7), the flow rate of the medium per unit cross-sectional area in the flow path can be increased.

[0054] Connecting unit U BIn the connecting member 3B of ', the configuration for dividing the flow paths 33a, 33b for each belt member is not particularly limited, and may be divided by a partition wall 34, as shown in FIG. 7, for example. Alternatively, a partition member that is detachable from the connecting member 3B may be used to divide the flow paths by inserting the partition member into the connecting member 3B. For example, it is preferable that the configuration be such that the flow of the medium can be changed from parallel (the configuration of FIG. 2(a)) to serial (the configuration of FIG. 7) in accordance with the supply pump and piping equipment used at the installation location of the snow melting mat. This makes it possible to easily set the flow rate of the medium supplied to the snow melting mat to a recommended flow rate depending on the situation.

[0055] The configurations described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 may be combined as appropriate.

[0056] Next, Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of the snow melting mat of the present invention. The snow melting mat 7 of Fig. 8 is made up of a connecting unit U A The stopper 71 is provided at the end in the width direction of the connecting unit U. A The stopper 71 is connected to the belt member 2A at the end of the snow-melting mat 7. The stopper 71 is long and extends along the longitudinal direction of the belt member 2A of the snow-melting mat 7, and serves to prevent snow from moving to the side opposite the tunnel side wall 92 (towards the roadway 93 in Figure 8). In other words, the stopper 71 prevents snow from sliding sideways and collapsing onto the roadway 93 side, thereby preventing it from obstructing vehicle traffic.

[0057] 8, stopper 71 has a mounting portion 71a that is placed on side road 91 and a wall portion 71b that rises vertically from mounting portion 71a. The bottom surface of mounting portion 71a is preferably treated with an anti-slip coating. The height of wall portion 71b is preferably higher than the height of accumulated snow. For example, wall portion 71b may be configured to be adjustable in height so that the height of wall portion 71b can be changed depending on the height of the snow.

[0058] The snow melting mat 7 is also designed so that meltwater W produced by melting snow can be collected by the stoppers 71. As mentioned above, gaps are formed between the belt members, and the meltwater W can easily collect and soak the upper part of the snow melting mat 7 laid on the side road 91. By allowing the meltwater W to soak evenly into the lower and upper parts of the snow melting mat 7 in this way, the surface of the snow melting mat 7 becomes submerged in water, which can promote the melting of snow.

[0059] Furthermore, the snow melting mat 7 has an outflow pipe 72 that allows a medium such as water that has passed through the snow melting mat 7 to flow out between the side road 91 and the snow melting mat 7. In FIG. 8, the outflow pipe 72 is connected to the connecting unit U B and the tunnel side wall 92, and allows water to flow out between the side road 91 and the snow melting mat 7. The medium that passes through the snow melting mat 7 after heat dissipation has not yet frozen, and it can be said that it still has the energy to melt the snow. Therefore, by utilizing this energy and installing an outflow pipe 72 so that it comes into contact with the accumulated snow, the snow melting capacity of the snow melting mat 7 can be improved by reusing the medium that passes through the snow melting mat 7 and is discharged.

[0060] For example, if the base surface has a slope, it is preferable to provide the outflow pipe 72 at a position higher on the slope to facilitate the flow of the medium passing through.

[0061] The snow melting mat of the present invention is not limited to the configuration described above.

[0062] For example, in the snow melting mat described above, the configuration of the connecting units is basically the same, but this is not limiting, and different configurations may be adopted. For example, the configuration of the connecting member may be different for each connecting unit, and the connecting unit (for example, U A ) is made of rubber material, and other connecting units (e.g., U B , U C ) may be made of plastic material. Also, some of the connecting units may use existing snow melting mats and connect them with connecting flow path members.

[0063] The number of belt members in the entire snow melting mat and in each connecting unit is not limited to the above numbers. Also, the number of connecting units is not limited to three, but may be one, four or more.

[0064] In the snow melting mat, a holding member may be separately provided to hold the relative positions of adjacent belt members in each connecting unit. For example, the holding member may be disposed across the plurality of belt members so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the belt members.

[0065] Furthermore, the snow-melting structure of the snow-melting mat is not limited to a permeable type that allows a medium such as water to pass through inside, but can also be a heating type that has a heater or the like embedded inside, which can prevent the formation of snow huts.

[0066] The snow melting mat of the present invention may also be composed of multiple snow melting members. This snow melting mat is shown in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 9, snow melting mat 8 is composed of sheet-like snow melting members 8A and 8B. This snow melting mat 8 is also installed in an L-shape, covering the surfaces from side road 91 to tunnel side wall 92. Specifically, snow melting member 8A is laid down so as to cover the surface of side road 91 and the surface near the boundary between side road 91 and tunnel side wall 92, and snow melting member 8B is leaned against the surface near the boundary and the wall surface of tunnel side wall 92. This snow melting mat 8 is installed so that the two snow melting members 8A and 8B overlap at the base of their L-shape.

[0067] The snow melting members 8A and 8B may have the same or different configurations. The snow melting members 8A and 8B may have the same or different configurations. The snow melting members 8A and 8B may have the same or different configurations as the connecting unit units shown in FIG. 1. For example, the snow melting member 8A may have the same or different configurations as the connecting unit units shown in FIG. A The snow melting member 8B is configured as the connecting unit U shown in FIG. C It may be configured as follows.

[0068] The application of the snow melting mat of the present invention is not limited to inside a tunnel. Also, although the above drawings show the base surface as a horizontal surface and the side walls as vertical surfaces, the base surface and side walls to which the snow melting mat of the present invention is applied are not limited to such configurations.

[0069] The snow melting method of the present invention is a method for melting snow that has accumulated on the base surface by coming into contact with or being pressed against the side wall and leaning against the side wall, and is a method in which the snow melting mat described above is provided in an L-shape from the base surface to the side wall so as to cover the surfaces of both. The above-mentioned contents can be adopted as appropriate.

[0070] Furthermore, if the snow melting mat has the above configuration, it can be installed on-site while adjusting the dimensions. As shown in Figure 1, by connecting multiple belt members at each header using connecting members, the width dimensions of the snow melting mat and connecting unit can be adjusted to n times the width of the belt members.

[0071] In this way, according to the present invention, heat from the snow melting mat can be efficiently transferred without forming a snow igloo. Specifically, by making the snow melting surface of the snow melting mat come into contact with the foothold on one side of the snow igloo, the foothold is prevented from forming, and snow melts and falls constantly, allowing the heat from the snow melting mat to further melt the snow. In this way, snow igloo countermeasures can be implemented to accommodate various snow accumulation shapes, and the system is easy to install and takes energy conservation into consideration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1: Snow melting mat 2A, 2B, 2C: Band members 21: Base material 21a: Snow melting surface 22: Communication path 3A, 3A', 3B, 3B', 3C, 3C': Connection member 31:Inflow part 32: Outlet 33: Flow path 34: Bulkhead 35: Step 4a, 4a', 4b, 4b': connecting flow path members 5: Snow melting mat 6: Snow melting mat 7: Snow melting mat 71: Stopper 71a: Placement section 71b: Wall part 72:Outflow pipe 8: Snow melting mat 8A: Snow melting material 8B: Snow melting material 9: Tunnel 91: Side road 92: Tunnel side wall 93: Roadway 94: Drain 10: Snow U A , U B , U B ', U C :Connecting unit

Claims

1. A snow melting mat for melting snow accumulated on a base surface by contacting or pressing against a side wall and leaning against the side wall, The snow-melting mat is characterized in that it is provided in an L-shape from the base surface to the side wall so as to cover the surfaces thereof.

2. The snow melting mat has a plurality of belt members in which a medium passage through which a medium flows is formed along the longitudinal direction, and a connecting member that aligns the belt members in the width direction and connects them at one end in the longitudinal direction, allowing the medium to flow in or out of the medium passage, 2. The snow-melting mat according to claim 1, wherein the width direction of the belt member is L-shaped overall, and the longitudinal direction of the belt member is horizontal.

3. The snow melting mat described in claim 2, characterized in that it has a plurality of connecting units in which a plurality of the belt members are connected by the connecting members, and the connecting units are connected to each other by a connecting flow path member that allows the medium to pass through.

4. 4. The snow melting mat according to claim 3, wherein the interval between adjacent belt members between the connecting units is greater than the interval between the belt members in each connecting unit.

5. 3. The snow-melting mat according to claim 2, further comprising an outlet pipe for allowing the medium that has passed through the snow-melting mat to flow out between the base surface and the snow-melting mat.

6. A snow melting method for melting snow that accumulates on a base surface by contacting or pressing against a side wall and leaning against the side wall, comprising: A snow melting method characterized by providing a snow melting mat in an L-shape from the base surface to the side wall so as to cover the surfaces thereof.

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