Self-propelled snowmaking machine

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled snow machine capable of easily adjusting the inclination of a loading platform even when stopped on an inclined surface. [Solution] Self-propelled snow machine 1 is provided with a lift device 13 that tilts loading platform 31 between loading platform 31 and chassis 32 of traveling device 3 to adjust the inclination of loading platform 31. Even when performing snow making operations with traveling device 3 stopped on a slope, lift device 13 adjusts the inclination of loading platform 31, allowing snow machine 5 to be easily placed in a nearly horizontal position for use.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a self-propelled snow machine that has a snow machine mounted on the carrier of a running device. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-72279 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-137730 (Patent Document 2) disclose conventional self-propelled snow machines used in Japan. In conventional self-propelled snow machines, the platform of the traveling device is kept horizontal relative to the traveling device. The snow machine on the platform oscillates within a range determined by a oscillating mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-72279 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-137730 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the snow machine is used with the loading platform tilted significantly from horizontal, snow can stick to unexpected parts of the snow machine, forming clumps of snow that can cause the snow machine to stop. For this reason, in the past, the running gear itself was partially lifted using a jack or other device to ensure the loading platform was level. This resulted in the problem of time-consuming setup of the self-propelled snow machine.

[0005] The object of this invention is to provide a self-propelled snow machine whose loading platform can be easily adjusted even when the machine is stopped on a slope. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This invention concerns a self-propelled snow machine with a snow machine mounted on the bed of a traveling device. The self-propelled snow machine of this invention has a lift device between the bed and the chassis of the traveling device that tilts the bed to adjust its inclination. According to this invention, even when snow is being made to fall while the traveling device is parked on an inclined surface, the lift device can easily adjust the inclination of the bed to bring the snow machine to a nearly horizontal position for use. This reduces the preparation time before starting snow making. Furthermore, if the traveling device is an electrically operated traveling device, the snow machine is an electrically operated snow machine, and the lift device is an electrically operated lift device, there is no need for exhaust gases or frequent oil changes, as in conventional snow machines, thereby meeting the needs of an eco-friendly society.

[0007] The loading platform may be mounted on the chassis so as to rotate within a predetermined angular range around an axis extending along one side of the chassis. In this case, the lift device may be configured with a cylinder device disposed between the chassis and the loading platform and configured to rotate the loading platform within a predetermined angular range around the axis. With this configuration, the inclination of the loading platform can be adjusted simply by operating the cylinder device by adjusting the stopping position of the traveling device. Note that the loading platform may be configured such that one side of the driver's seat is rotatably supported on the axis. In other words, the loading platform may be mounted on the chassis so as to rotate within a predetermined angular range around an axis extending along one side of the chassis of the traveling device. In this case, the electric lift device may be configured with an electric cylinder device that rotates the loading platform around the axis. With this configuration, the inclination of the loading platform is adjusted around a single axis, making adjustment easy. With this configuration, the inclination of the loading platform is adjusted around a single axis, making adjustment easy.

[0008] A capacitor is attached to the chassis of the electric traveling device to power the electric traveling device, the electric snow machine, and the electric cylinder device. One or more connectors may be connected to the power supply circuit including the capacitor for connecting the capacitor to external devices. By providing such connectors, the capacitor of the self-propelled snow machine can be used as a power source for external devices, making it useful as a temporary power source during events or disasters.

[0009] It is also preferable that the loading platform be equipped with mounting fixtures for attaching solar panels after the snow machine is removed. With such mounting fixtures, the loading platform can be equipped with solar panels and used as a generator vehicle during periods when the snow machine is not in use. In this case, it is also preferable that the power supply circuit includes a charging circuit that charges the storage battery with the output of the solar panel. This allows the storage battery to be easily charged with the output of the solar panel, allowing the self-propelled snow machine to be used effectively even during seasons when the snow machine is not in use.

[0010] The electric travel device preferably includes one or more electric motors as a drive source for travel, and a brake mechanism is preferably disposed between the output shaft of the electric motor and the gear device to stop rotation of the output shaft when the supply of power from the storage battery to the drive source for travel is stopped. By providing such an electric brake mechanism, the brakes are always applied when the electric snow machine is used to make snow, ensuring safety.

[0011] The electric traveling device may be equipped with an endless track as a traveling means. If the electric traveling device is equipped with an endless track called a caterpillar (trademark) or crawler as a traveling means, it can travel not only on slopes but also on rough roads, which is very convenient. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a self-propelled snow machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of a self-propelled snow machine with the loading platform raised. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-propelled snow machine with the loading platform raised. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the self-propelled snow machine of the present embodiment is motorized. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram used to explain a power usage monitoring system for a self-propelled snow machine when multiple self-propelled snow machines are placed on a slope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1 to 3 are a side view of a self-propelled snow machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and a side view and perspective view of the self-propelled snow machine 1 with the carrier raised. In these figures, the self-propelled snow machine 1 comprises an electric travel device 3 as a travel device capable of freely traveling on snowy surfaces, and an electric snow machine 5 mounted on the carrier 31 of the electric travel device 3. The electric travel device 3 is provided with a pair of endless tracks 33, also known as caterpillars (trademarks) or crawlers, as a travel means under a chassis 32. As shown in Fig. 3, electric motors 34, 34 serving as a drive source for the pair of endless tracks 33, are disposed under the chassis 32, and electric brake means 35, 35 are attached to the electric motors 34, 34. The electric brake means 35, 35, have a structure similar to a disc brake and stop the rotation of the output shaft when the supply of power from a storage battery (described later) is stopped. By providing such an electric braking means 35, the brakes are always applied when the electric snow machine is used to make snow, ensuring safety.

[0014] Mounted on the chassis 32 of the electric traveling device 3 are a battery 7 composed of multiple lithium-ion batteries or the like, a control box 9 containing a charging circuit for the battery 7, a power supply circuit equipped with a power switching device, and a switching command generator that issues switching commands to the power switching device, and an inverter box 11 that supplies power to the snow driving source and the driving source for traveling. The configuration of the control box 9 will be described later.

[0015] The electric snow machine 5 includes a nozzle device 53 mounted on an electric compressor 51 via a support mechanism 52. The nozzle device 53 includes a cylindrical duct 53A, and an electric blower 53B is located at the rear end of the interior of the duct 53A (upwind side) to blow air toward the front of the duct 53A. The duct 53A of the nozzle device 53 includes a single-fluid nozzle that sprays only water from its nozzle, and a two-fluid nozzle of a well-known configuration that sprays both water and air from the same nozzle. Air is blown toward these nozzles from the electric blower 53B located downwind. Compressed air generated by the electric compressor 51 is then supplied to the two-fluid nozzle. The support mechanism 52 functions to electrically tilt or rotate the duct 53A.

[0016] As shown by dashed lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lift device 13 is disposed between the loading platform 31 and the chassis 32 of the electric traveling device 3, tilting the loading platform 31 to adjust the inclination of the loading platform 31. Note that the lift device 13 is not shown in FIG. 3. The loading platform 31 is attached to the chassis 32 so as to rotate within a predetermined angular range around a shaft 36 extending along one side of the chassis 32. The lift device 13 may be configured as an electric cylinder device disposed between the chassis 32 and the loading platform 31, and rotates the loading platform 31 within a predetermined angular range around the shaft 36 disposed in front of the driver's seat. In this embodiment, the driver's seat is located on the loading platform 31, but it goes without saying that the driver's seat may be disposed on the chassis 32 and the loading platform may be disposed behind the driver's seat.

[0017] By providing such a lift device 13, even when snow making work is performed with the electric traveling device 3 stopped on the slope of a slope, the electric snow machine 5 can be easily placed in a nearly horizontal position by adjusting the inclination of the loading platform 31 with the lift device 13. This reduces the preparation time required before starting snow making work.

[0018] In this embodiment, the lift device 13 is configured using an electric cylinder device with one degree of freedom that rotates the loading platform 31 within a predetermined angular range around an axis 36 extending along one side of the chassis 32. However, by adjusting the stopping posture of the electric traveling device 3 on an inclined slope, the inclination of the loading platform can be adjusted simply by operating the electric cylinder device. With this configuration, the inclination of the loading platform is adjusted around one axis that constitutes one degree of freedom, making the adjustment process easy. Furthermore, with this configuration, the inclination of the loading platform is adjusted around one axis, making the adjustment process easy. Note that the lift device 13 is not limited to a one-degree-of-freedom lift structure (e.g., a structure that rotates in only one direction around one axis), and of course, a two-degree-of-freedom lift structure (a structure that rotates in two directions around two axes) or a three-degree-of-freedom lift structure (a structure that rotates in three directions around three axes) may also be adopted, although this increases the cost.

[0019] Furthermore, in the self-propelled snow machine 1 of this embodiment, mounting fixtures 37 are mounted on the four corners of the loading platform 31 for attaching solar panels (not shown) after the electric snow machine 5 has been removed. In this way, during seasons when the electric snow machine 5 is not in use, solar panels can be mounted on the loading platform 31 using the mounting fixtures 37, and the self-propelled snow machine 1 can be converted into a generator vehicle. As a result, the base material of the self-propelled snow machine 1 can be used effectively all year round.

[0020] Figure 4 shows the configuration of an electrically powered self-propelled snow machine 1 according to this embodiment. The electric traveling device 3 includes a control box 9 (Figs. 2 and 3) that is equipped with a power supply circuit 16 including a storage battery 7 as a power source, a charging circuit 14 for the storage battery 7, a rectifier 12, a voltage monitoring circuit 18, and a power switching device 15, and a switching command generator 17 that issues a switching command to the power switching device 15, and an inverter box 11 that is equipped with inverter circuits 11A and 11B that supply power to a snow-making drive source 20 and a traveling drive source 19.

[0021] When a supply destination switching command is input from switching command generator 17, power switching device 15 performs a switching operation so that when electric travel device 3 is traveling, power is supplied from battery 7 to traveling drive source 19 of electric travel device 3, and when snow making work is being performed, power is supplied from battery 7 to snow making drive source 20 of electric snow machine 5. In this embodiment, when power is being supplied from commercial AC power source, power switching device 15 supplies the output of rectifier 12 to snow making drive source 20.

[0022] This embodiment meets social needs by eliminating the need for exhaust gases and frequent oil changes, as was the case with conventional systems. Furthermore, by configuring the driving of the electric traveling device 3 and the operation of the electric snow machine 5 to be performed independently, it is possible to prevent the capacity of the storage battery 7 from decreasing, thereby enabling long-term snow-making operations using the storage battery 7.

[0023] In this embodiment, power supply circuit 16 is configured to be able to use commercial AC power as the power source for snow-making drive source 20 via power switching device 15. In this case, when commercial AC power is connected to power supply circuit 16 via power outlet PC, power switching device 15 is configured to switch the power source for snow-making drive source 20 from rectifier 12, which converts AC power from commercial AC power to DC, to capacitor 7 upon receiving a snow-making power switching command from switching command generator 17. This eliminates the need to always use capacitor 7 for snow-making work, and allows snow-making work to be performed using commercial AC power when available. Note that commercial AC power here is not limited to AC commercial power, but also includes DC commercial power obtained by rectifying commercial AC power and output power from solar power generation. Therefore, charging circuit 14 for capacitor 7 includes a rectifier circuit when the commercial power source is AC, and a connection circuit when the commercial power source is DC.

[0024] As shown in Figure 5, multiple self-propelled snow machines 1 are typically used lined up on a slope. Therefore, when the ambient temperature is high, the power consumption of multiple self-propelled snow machines 1 increases. By incorporating a voltage monitoring circuit 18 in the power supply circuit 16, the self-propelled snow machine 1 can indirectly predict increases or decreases in the commercial AC power consumption. As power consumption increases, the voltage monitored by the voltage monitoring circuit 18 also drops significantly. Therefore, a snow power switch command is output from the voltage monitoring circuit 18 in the power supply circuit 16 when the voltage supplied from the commercial AC power source drops below a predetermined voltage. Therefore, when the voltage drop on the self-propelled snow machine 1 indicates that the commercial AC power consumption is increasing at a rate that exceeds the power contract amount, the snow machine can switch to snow making operation using the capacitor 7. This allows the electric snow machine 1 to quickly switch its power source.

[0025] One or more connectors 21 for connecting external devices to the capacitor 7 are connected to the power supply circuit 16. By providing such connectors 21, the capacitor 7 of the self-propelled snow machine 1 can be used as a power source for external devices, and can therefore be used as a temporary power source during events or disasters.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during seasons when the electric snow machine 5 is not in use, the electric snow machine 5 can be removed from the loading platform 31 and a solar panel 38 can be mounted on the loading platform 31 using the mounting bracket 37. Therefore, the voltage monitoring circuit 18 in the power supply circuit 16 is given the function of monitoring the output of the solar panel 38 when it is installed. When the output of the solar panel 18 that it monitors becomes large, the voltage monitoring circuit 18 outputs a charge command to the charging circuit 14 so that the capacitor 7 is charged with the output of the solar panel 18. As a result, by mounting the solar panel 18 in place of the electric snow machine 5, the self-propelled snow machine 1 can be converted into a generator vehicle.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, the self-propelled snow machine 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a power usage monitoring device PM that monitors the power usage of a commercial power supply network PN installed on a slope where multiple electric snow machines, including the electric snow machines 5 of the multiple self-propelled snow machines 1, are installed, and can be used as a power usage monitoring system for self-propelled snow machines to ensure that the power usage on the commercial power supply network PN does not exceed the contracted power amount. In this system, a snow power source switching command is output from the power usage monitoring device PM when the power usage approaches the contracted power amount. In this way, even when multiple self-propelled snow machines are used, they can be used to their full potential within the contracted power amount.

[0028] In this case, the power usage monitoring device PM outputs signals in sequence, starting with the self-propelled snow machine located farthest from the power supply cubicle PSC of the commercial power supply network PN, to other self-propelled snow machines located closer to the power supply cubicle PSC, so that the amount of power usage stays within the contracted amount of power. In this way, the self-propelled snow machines in the positions where the voltage drops most quickly can be switched to snowmaking operation using the capacitor 7, thereby keeping the amount of power usage within the contracted amount of power and extending the snowmaking operation time. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] According to this device, even when snow removal work is performed with the traveling device stopped on a slope, the snow machine can be easily placed in a nearly horizontal position by adjusting the inclination of the loading platform of the lift device, thereby shortening the preparation time before starting snow removal work. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Self-propelled snow machine 3 Electric running device 5 Electric snow machine 7. Capacitor 9 Control Box 11 Inverter Box 12 Rectifier 13 Lifting device 14 Charging circuit 15 Power switching device 16 Power circuit 17 Switching command generator 18 Voltage monitoring circuit 19. Driving source 20 Snow driving source 31 Cargo bed 32 chassis 33 Endless track 34 Electric motor (driving source) 35 Electric braking means 37 Mounting fixture 38 Solar Panels 51 Electric Compressor 52 Support mechanism 53 Nozzle device 53A Duct 53B Electric blower

Claims

1. A self-propelled snow machine having a snow machine mounted on the carrier of a traveling device, The traveling device is an electric traveling device that operates using electricity, The snow machine is an electric snow machine that operates on electricity, The electric travel device is equipped with a power storage device as a power source and a power supply circuit including a charging circuit for the power storage device, an electric lift device that tilts the loading platform so as to adjust the inclination of the loading platform is disposed between the loading platform and a chassis of the electric traveling device; The electric travel device includes one or more electric motors as a driving source for travel, A self-propelled snow machine characterized in that a brake means is disposed between the output shaft of the electric motor and the gear device, which holds the rotation of the output shaft in a stopped state when the supply of power from the storage battery to the driving source for traveling is stopped.

2. A self-propelled snow machine having a snow machine mounted on the carrier of a traveling device, The traveling device is an electric traveling device that operates using electricity, The snow machine is an electric snow machine that operates on electricity, The electric travel device is equipped with a power storage device as a power source and a power supply circuit including a charging circuit for the power storage device, an electric lift device that tilts the loading platform so as to adjust the inclination of the loading platform is disposed between the loading platform and a chassis of the electric traveling device; the platform is attached to the chassis of the electric traveling device so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range around an axis extending along one side of the chassis, the electric lift device is an electric cylinder device that rotates the platform around the axis, a capacitor that serves as a power source for the electric traveling device, the electric snow machine, and the electric cylinder device, mounted on the chassis of the electric traveling device;

3. 3. The self-propelled snow machine according to claim 1, wherein one or more connectors for connecting an external device to the capacitor are connected to the power supply circuit including the capacitor.

4. 3. The self-propelled snow machine according to claim 1, wherein the electric travel device comprises a caterpillar track as a travel means.

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