Snow removal control device, snow depth measurement device, and snow depth measurement system

Abstract

This invention provides a snow removal control device and a snow depth measurement system that can measure the amount of fresh snow without the need for snow removal. [Solution] A snow removal control device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first control unit that controls a dropping mechanism for dropping snow accumulated on a snow plate, which is provided at a predetermined height, based on the detection result of a detection unit that detects the amount of snow accumulated or the time of snow accumulation of snow accumulated on the snow plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a snow removal control device, a snow accumulation amount measuring device, and a snow accumulation amount measuring system for measuring and melting the amount of accumulated snow.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, measurement of the amount of snow accumulation has been performed using a snow depth gauge such as an ultrasonic type or an optical type. For example, in Patent Document 1, there is described an optical snow depth gauge in which a plurality of sets of light emitters and light receivers are provided side by side in the vertical direction inside a detection pole installed on the ground, and snow accumulation is detected based on whether the light emitted from the light emitter is received by the light receiver.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of Patent Document 1, when measuring the depth of newly accumulated snow, since the lower layer of snow that has passed through time is compressed by the weight of the upper layer of snow and its height decreases, it was necessary for an operator to shovel the snow after the measurement.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a snow removal control device, a snow accumulation amount measuring device, and a snow accumulation amount measuring system that can measure the amount of newly accumulated snow without shoveling the snow.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A snow removal control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first control unit. The first control unit controls a dropping mechanism that drops the snow accumulated on a snow plate, based on the detection result of a detection unit that detects the amount of snow or the time of snow accumulation on the snow plate, which is installed at a predetermined height.

[0007] The system may further include a second control unit that controls a snow-melting section, which melts the snow that has fallen using the above-described falling mechanism, based on predetermined conditions.

[0008] The system further comprises a determination unit that determines whether the accumulated snow has fallen by the above-mentioned falling mechanism, The second control unit may control the snow melting unit to melt the fallen snow based on the determination result of the determination unit.

[0009] The detection unit may also detect the height of the snow accumulated on the snow plate.

[0010] The above-described dropping mechanism may also involve tilting the snow-retaining plate, which is installed horizontally, at a predetermined angle to drop the accumulated snow.

[0011] A snow depth measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a snow plate installed at a predetermined height, and a dropping mechanism that drops the snow accumulated on the snow plate when the amount of snow accumulated on the snow plate exceeds a predetermined amount.

[0012] A snow depth measurement system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a snow depth measurement device and a snow removal control device. The snow depth measuring device described above comprises a snow plate installed at a predetermined height and a detection unit for detecting the amount of snow accumulated on the snow plate. The snow removal control device has a control unit that controls a dropping mechanism for dropping snow accumulated on the snow plate, based on the detection result of the detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the amount of fresh snow can be measured without shoveling snow. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a snow depth measurement system relating to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the operation of the snow depth measurement system. (A) shows the snow depth being measured, (B) shows the snow being removed, and (C) shows the snow being melted. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart for measuring snow depth. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] (Snow depth measurement system) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a snow depth measurement system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing the operation of the snow depth measurement system 100, where (A) is a diagram showing the measurement of the snow depth, (B) is a diagram showing the removal of the accumulated snow Y, and (C) is a diagram showing the melting of the removed snow Y'. The snow depth measurement system 100 of this embodiment comprises a snow depth measurement device 10 and a snow removal control device 20. The snow depth measurement system 100 of this embodiment is configured to measure the amount of snow Y accumulated on a snow plate S and to melt the snow Y.

[0017] (Snow depth measurement device) The snow depth measuring device 10 includes a detection unit 11, a snow melting unit 12, and a communication unit 14. The snow depth measuring device 10 is installed, for example, in areas with heavy snowfall (e.g., mountainous areas), and is configured to measure the amount (depth, weight), snow accumulation time, and snow quality of snow accumulated via a snow plate. In this embodiment, the snow depth measuring device 10 is installed on the ground G, but it is not limited to this and may be installed outdoors or on a rooftop.

[0018] The snow accumulation measuring device 10 further includes a snow accumulation plate S on which fallen snow accumulates, a cylindrical support member 10A provided with the snow accumulation plate S at a predetermined height position, a falling mechanism R for dropping the snow Y accumulated on the snow accumulation plate S, and a snow melting table T including a snow melting unit 12 for melting the snow Y' dropped by the falling mechanism R.

[0019] The support member 10A has a square tube 101A having a rectangular (angular) cylindrical shape and a snow discharge portion 102A provided on the square tube 101A (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the support member 10A is angular, but of course it is not limited to this, and it may be circular or the like.

[0020] The square tube 101A has a cavity in a direction orthogonal to the ground G, and the falling mechanism R described later is provided in the cavity. The square tube 101A may be supported or suspended by a wall or the like not shown, or two sides of the square tube 101A (the front and the back in FIG. 2) may be provided on the ground G and supported. The height of the square tube 101A is approximately 3 to 4 m from the ground G, but of course it is not limited to this. Also, the square tube 101A extends to a position higher than the snow accumulation plate S described later.

[0021] The snow discharge portion 102A is provided on the ground G (snow melting table T) side of the square tube 101A and inclines from a direction orthogonal to the ground G to the side opposite to the cavity (snow melting table T). The snow discharge portion 102A faces a part of the snow melting table T described later in a direction orthogonal to the ground G.

[0022] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) to (C), the snow accumulation plate S is, for example, a square metal plate of 1 m × 1 m. The snow accumulation plate S is arranged inside the square tube 101A in a direction orthogonal to the ground G. In the present embodiment, a through hole (about several millimeters in diameter) penetrating in a direction orthogonal to the ground G may be provided in the snow accumulation plate S. Thereby, the remaining snow adhering inside the square tube 101A melts to generate water, or water inflow due to rainfall or dew condensation due to a temperature difference causes moisture to stay on the snow accumulation plate S, which can be suppressed by the through hole. Also, by providing the through hole, the occurrence of rust and the freezing of moisture under sub-zero temperatures to cause errors or the like can be suppressed.

[0023] The dropping mechanism R causes the snow Y accumulated on the snow plate S to fall. The dropping mechanism R is, for example, a mechanism that connects one end of the snow plate S (left side in Figure 2) to the rectangular tube 101A with a hinge, and suspends the other end of the snow plate S (right side in Figure 2) with a wire (not shown) or the like (for example, using a pulley). In other words, the dropping mechanism R is configured to suspend the snow plate S by the wire so that it is parallel to the ground S (see Figures 2(A) and (C)), or to lower it so that it is parallel to the direction perpendicular to the ground S (by tilting the snow plate S, which is installed horizontally, at a predetermined angle). In this embodiment, the snow was dropped from the snow plate S using a pulley and wire (not shown), but of course, it is not limited to this, and various mechanisms may be used.

[0024] The snow melting unit 12 melts the snow Y' that falls from the snow plate S by the falling mechanism R. In this embodiment, the snow melting unit 12 is a heater (for example, capable of heating up to 60°C), but of course, it is not limited to a configuration that melts snow by heating, and may be a snow melting device that melts snow by spraying water. The snow melting unit 12 is configured so that the heater temperature or the amount of water sprayed can be controlled by a snow melting control signal, which will be described later.

[0025] The snow-melting table T has a top plate T1 that includes a square snow-melting section 12 measuring approximately 1m x 1m, and legs T2 that support the top plate T1. The height of the legs T2 is approximately 50cm, but is not limited to this.

[0026] The detection unit 11 also detects the amount of snow (snow height or snow weight) or the time of snow accumulation on the snow plate S.

[0027] The detection unit 11 is provided facing the snow plate S, as shown in Figure 2(A). The detection unit 11 may also be provided on a support member 10A (not shown) or on a wall (not shown). The detection unit 11 is configured to emit radio waves for measurement toward the snow plate S and to receive reflected waves of the radio waves from the accumulated snow Y. In this embodiment, the detection unit 11 consists of a single transceiver installed in the air, and typically includes a single transmitter and a single receiver. Typically, millimeter waves are used as the radio waves for measurement, but are not limited to this, and ultrasonic waves may also be used.

[0028] Furthermore, the detection unit 11 is installed approximately 3 to 4 m above the snow plate S (ground G), but is not limited to this. Also, although the detection unit 11 measures using radio waves, it is not limited to this, and the amount of snow (snow height) may be detected using camera images (by marking a scale on the support member 10A and detecting how far the snow has accumulated on the scale), or the amount of snow (snow weight) may be detected by installing a weight sensor inside the snow plate S.

[0029] The communication unit 13 is configured to communicate with the snow removal control device 20 by wire or wireless connection. The communication unit 13 transmits the detection result from the detection unit 11 to the snow removal control device 20 and receives control signals from the first control unit 231 and the second control unit 232, which will be described later. The snow melting unit 12 is temperature-controlled based on the control signals, which will be described later.

[0030] (Snow removal control device) The snow removal control device 20 is typically composed of a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, etc. The snow removal control device 20 has an acquisition unit 21, a determination unit 22, a control unit 23, a calculation unit 24, a storage unit 25, and a transmission unit 26. In this embodiment, the snow removal control device 20 is provided around the support member 10A, but of course it is not limited to this and may be provided externally.

[0031] The acquisition unit 21 acquires the detection results (snow depth, snow depth) detected by the detection unit 11 and stores the information regarding the snow depth and snow depth in the storage unit 25.

[0032] The determination unit 22 includes a first determination unit 221 that determines whether the amount of snow or the snow cover time acquired by the acquisition unit 21 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and a second determination unit 222 that determines whether snow has fallen.

[0033] In this embodiment, the predetermined threshold for snow depth (snow depth) is 5 cm, but of course it is not limited to this. The predetermined threshold for snow depth (snow depth weight) is 5 kg, but of course it is not limited to this. The predetermined threshold for snow depth (snow depth time) is 10 minutes, but of course it is not limited to this.

[0034] In this embodiment, the second determination unit 222 determines whether a first control signal for driving the dropping mechanism R has been generated. Of course, it is not limited to this, and for example, the second determination unit 222 may determine whether snow has fallen onto the snow melting table T. In other words, the snow melting table T may be further provided with a weight detection unit for measuring the weight of the snow, and based on the detection result of the weight detection unit, it may be determined whether snow has fallen onto the snow melting table T (for example, whether it weighs 5 kg or more).

[0035] The control unit 23 includes a first control unit 231 that generates a first control signal to control the snow depth measuring device 10's drop mechanism R based on the determination result of the determination unit 22. The control unit 23 also includes a second control unit 232 that generates a second control signal to control the snow melting unit 12.

[0036] The first control unit 231 generates a first control signal to drive the dropping mechanism R if the determination result of the determination unit 22 (first determination unit 221) is above a predetermined threshold. In this embodiment, if the first control unit 231 determines that 5 cm of snow has accumulated on the snow plate S, it generates the first control signal and uses the dropping mechanism R to tilt the snow plate S (second state) as shown in Figure 2(B) and drop the accumulated snow. After tilting the snow plate S, the first control unit 231 also lifts the snow plate S so that it is parallel to the ground G (first state) as shown in Figure 2(C).

[0037] The second control unit 232 generates a second control signal to control the snow melting unit 12 based on the determination result of the determination unit 22 (second determination unit 222). If the second determination unit 222 generates the first control signal, the second control unit 232 generates the second control signal to drive the snow melting unit 12 (to melt the fallen snow). The second control unit 232 may also predetermine the time for driving the snow melting unit 12 (for example, 5 minutes), or it may drive it until the weight detected on the snow melting table T falls below a predetermined level.

[0038] The calculation unit 24 calculates the total amount of snow accumulated on the snow plate S. The calculation unit 24 adds the amount of snow detected by the detection unit 11 when the first control signal is generated by the first control unit 231 to the cumulative snow amount.

[0039] The storage unit 25 is composed of a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 25 stores programs and calculation parameters for executing the various functions described above in the determination unit 22, control unit 23, and calculation unit 24. The storage unit 25 is not limited to being built into the snow removal control device 20; it may be a separate storage device from the snow removal control device 20, or it may be a cloud server or the like that can be connected via a network.

[0040] The transmitting unit 26 is configured to transmit a first control signal and a second control signal between the snow depth measuring devices 10. The communication method is not particularly limited and may be wired or wireless.

[0041] (Method for measuring snow depth) Next, we will describe the typical operation of the snow depth measurement system 100 configured as described above. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the overall snow depth measurement.

[0042] First, the acquisition unit 21 acquires the amount of snow detected by the detection unit 11 (step 101). The acquisition unit 21 acquires information regarding the amount (depth) of snow accumulated on the snow plate S.

[0043] Next, the memory unit 25 stores the amount of snow (depth) accumulated on the snow plate S, which is the amount of snow acquired by the acquisition unit 21 (step 102).

[0044] Next, the first determination unit 221 determines whether the acquired snow depth is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step 103). In this embodiment, the predetermined threshold is set to 5 cm. If the snow depth is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (YES in S103), the process proceeds to the next step.

[0045] Next, the first control unit 231 generates a first control signal to drive the drop mechanism R if the amount of snow is above a predetermined threshold (step 104). As a result, the snow accumulated on the snow plate S falls off due to the drop mechanism R.

[0046] Next, if the second determination unit 222 determines that the first control signal has been generated, the second control unit 232 generates a second control signal to activate the snow melting unit 12 (step 105). In this embodiment, the second control unit 232 drives the snow melting unit 12 for, for example, 10 minutes.

[0047] Next, the calculation unit 24 adds the snow depth to the cumulative snow depth (step 106).

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, the amount of fresh snow can be measured at all times without having to shovel snow.

[0049] In other words, when the amount of snow or the time of snow accumulation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the snow removal control device 20 tilts the snow plate S to release the accumulated snow, removes the snow, and then accumulates snow on the snow plate S again, detecting the amount of snow or the time of snow accumulation. This eliminates the need for snow removal work after measuring the amount of snow accumulation. Here, "fresh snow" refers to snow that has just fallen and is not compressed.

[0050] Furthermore, regarding the measurement of snow depth, if the measured snow depth exceeds a predetermined threshold (in this embodiment, a snow depth of 5 cm), the measured snow depth is added to the cumulative snow depth. This prevents the snow depth (snow height) from decreasing due to the compression of the snow in the lower layers by the weight of the snow. In other words, in this embodiment, snow can be removed before it hardens, and fresh snow can always be measured.

[0051] Furthermore, the snow depth measuring device 10 has a snow melting section 12 that melts the snow that falls due to the falling mechanism R. This prevents the snow plate S from becoming tilted due to the accumulation of fallen snow.

[0052] Furthermore, the support member 10A has a snow removal section 102A. This makes it possible to prevent snow from entering the snow melting table T from the outside, and allows fallen snow to melt smoothly.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, information regarding the temporal changes in snow depth can be obtained. This makes it possible to obtain information such as which time periods saw the heaviest snowfall.

[0054] <Variation> In the above embodiment, the top plate T1 of the snow melting table T was a plate parallel to the ground G, but of course, it is not limited to this, and may be inclined outwards toward the ground G. This makes it easier for the snow melted on the snow melting table T to be discharged from the snow discharge section 102A. Also, in this embodiment, the snow depth measuring device 10 was installed on the ground G, but of course, it is not limited to this, and may be mounted on a mobile device (such as a car or ship). This allows for free selection of the measurement location.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the snow depth detection unit 11 uses one sensor on the snow plate S, but of course, it is not limited to this, and two or more sensors may be provided on the snow plate S. This makes it possible to reduce errors caused by unevenness in the snow that occur when detecting at only one location.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the rectangular tube 101A extends to a position higher than the position where the snow-receiving plate S is installed. This makes it possible to suppress snow that has accumulated from the outside from avalanching into the structure.

[0057] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the dropping mechanism R caused the accumulated snow to fall by tilting the snow plate S, but of course, it is not limited to this, and the mechanism may also cause the snow to fall by rotating the snow plate S axially in the left-right direction in Figure 2(A). Alternatively, the dropping mechanism R may be a mechanism (like a wiper) that moves a plate portion having a predetermined height on the snow plate S in a direction perpendicular to the snow plate S (a direction perpendicular to the ground G) to cause the accumulated snow to fall.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first control unit 231 controlled the dropping mechanism R, but of course, it is not limited to this. For example, the dropping mechanism R may be a deer scarer structure. That is, the dropping mechanism is structured to drop the snow accumulated on the snow plate S when the amount of snow accumulated on the snow plate S exceeds a predetermined amount. Also, if the dropping mechanism is a deer scarer structure, the detection unit 11 may be used to detect the amount of snow, or a counting unit may be provided to count the number of times the dropping mechanism has dropped snow (for example, a weight sensor may be provided on the snow melting table T, and if the weight sensor detects a weight of a predetermined amount or more, it may count). In this case, the cumulative amount of snow is calculated as the number of times multiplied by the amount of snow. As a result, there is no need to provide a control mechanism to control the snow plate, and therefore costs can be reduced.

[0059] In this embodiment, snow depth is described as the height of the accumulated snow, but of course, it is not limited to this, and weight may also be measured. Furthermore, a snow quality calculation unit may be provided to calculate the density and snow quality by measuring the height and weight. In addition, snow depth and snow weight may be measured by terminal devices (such as PCs and smartphones).

[0060] This allows for the use of warnings such as "be careful of freezing" due to the presence of wet snow. Furthermore, snow quality can be calculated not only from density but also from relative permittivity.

[0061] In this embodiment, the temperature of the snow melting section 12 is not controlled, but it may be possible to control the temperature of the snow melting section 12 (for example, based on the ambient temperature or the amount of snow that has fallen onto the snow melting table T). This makes it possible to reduce the amount of snow remaining on the snow melting table T. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10...Snow depth measurement device 20... Snow removal control device 21…Acquisition part 22…Judgment section 23…Control Unit 24...Calculation section 25...Storage section 26...Transmitter S...Snow board T... Snow melting table

Claims

1. A first control unit controls a dropping mechanism that drops snow accumulated on a snow-retaining plate, based on the detection result of a detection unit that detects the amount of snow or the time of snow accumulation on the snow-retaining plate, which is installed at a predetermined height. A snow removal control device equipped with the following.

2. A snow removal control device according to claim 1, The system further comprises a second control unit that controls a snow-melting unit, which melts snow that has fallen by the aforementioned falling mechanism, based on predetermined conditions. Snow removal control device.

3. A snow removal control device according to claim 2, The system further comprises a determination unit that determines whether the accumulated snow has fallen due to the aforementioned falling mechanism, The second control unit controls the snow melting unit to melt the fallen snow based on the determination result of the determination unit. Snow removal control device.

4. A snow removal control device according to claim 1, The detection unit detects the height of the snow accumulated on the snow plate. Snow removal control device.

5. A snow removal control device according to claim 1, The aforementioned dropping mechanism tilts the snow-receiving plate, which is installed horizontally, at a predetermined angle to drop the accumulated snow. Snow depth measurement device.

6. A snow-retaining plate installed at a predetermined height, When the amount of snow accumulated on the snow-retaining plate exceeds a predetermined amount, a dropping mechanism is used to remove the snow accumulated on the snow-retaining plate. A snow depth measuring device equipped with the following features.

7. A snow depth measuring device having a snow plate installed at a predetermined height, a detection unit for detecting the amount of snow accumulated on the snow plate, and a dropping mechanism for dropping the snow accumulated on the snow plate, A snow removal control device having a control unit that controls the falling mechanism based on the detection result of the detection unit, A snow depth measurement system equipped with the following features.

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