Parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device

Abstract

To provide a parallelogram shape snow melting tool using a vehicle for high lift work or a drone.SOLUTION: A parallelogram electric heat plate heater 1, a remote control switch 6, a power source battery 7 are provided at a hollow frame 13 in a trapezoid shape and are loaded on a drone by a mounting bracket 10 for a gimbal connection. A heater surface is erected vertically on a roof with 16.7° in 3 / 10 gradient and 21.8° in 4 / 10 gradient to maneuver the drone. It is moved horizontally from a floated position above the roof in approximately 30 cm toward snow at an angle matching the gradient of the roof from the end of a roof eaves. After the snow is melted in a few seconds, it moves further horizontally. When it is moved to the end of opposite side of the eaves and snow melting on a first row is finished, then it is moved in the depth a stage above the eaves and snow of a second row is melted in a direction opposite to that of the first row. This is repeated at a third row, a fourth row toward the top of the roof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0003]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting tool having a shape at an angle substantially the same as the slope of a roof for melting and removing snow on the roof of a high-altitude work vehicle or a drone by heating.

Background Art

[0002] Snow removal work in snowy regions can be extremely laborious depending on the amount of snow and the quality of the snow such as wet and heavy snow. Heavy snowfalls that occur every few years or locally cause significant damage. Even in northern regions such as Hokkaido where light snow with little moisture falls and is scattered by the wind, and there is no need to remove the snow on the roof, due to climate change and global warming, wet and heavy snow has started to accumulate, and it has become necessary to remove the snow on the roof. Human casualties due to falls during roof snow removal, the fall of snow from the eaves, and overwork during snow removal work continue. With the decline in the birth rate and the aging of the population, the number of young people has decreased, and in some regions, the elderly have to remove the snow on the roof and do snow removal and snow disposal by themselves, resulting in an increase in accidents. Snow removal work, especially roof snow removal, has become increasingly harsh. The roads also become congested due to vehicle slips and stacks, and the snow damage is serious, but the snow removal and snow disposal work has advanced with the popularization of large heavy machinery. However, in individual residential areas, manpower is still relied on, and the snow on the roof is removed with a scoop or a snow blower and discharged into small rivers or side ditches. However, during the snowfall period, small rivers and side ditches are quickly filled with snow and do not flow, and there is no place to discard the snow, and it accumulates like a mountain, and the sidewalks and school roads are difficult to pass through. <​The standard price for roof snow removal (FY2017, Ono City, Fukui Prefecture) is 14,800 yen per 76 square meters (approximately 23 tsubo) of roof area. This price does not include the cost of disposing of the removed snow. As a general rule, workers bring their own lunch and equipment, and the client is responsible for their own transportation costs. The period when roof snow removal is needed coincides with many other times of the year, and due to the declining birthrate and aging population, there are fewer workers willing to undertake roof snow removal, often resulting in waiting lists of 10 days or more. As more elderly people are forced to go up onto roofs, accidents are constant, and fatal accidents occur every year. The price of the work is rising year by year, and in some cases, the price has nearly doubled due to the introduction of an hourly rate system. Disposing of the removed snow is also costly and time-consuming, especially if there are no snow drainage channels or designated snow disposal sites, as it must be transported by truck to publicly designated snow disposal sites. Due to the labor shortage, roof snow removal is delayed, resulting in broken eaves, and an increasing number of houses are being repaired with blue tarpaulins until spring. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] The objective is to provide a parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device that uses a folding boom of an aerial work platform or a drone, which reduces the heavy labor involved in snow removal and disposal caused by heavy snowfall, and allows women, the elderly, and young people to avoid dangerous work such as removing snow from roofs, while also solving the problem of snow disposal shortages by melting and reducing snow with a parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1). [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As Example 1, the folding boom mounting bracket (14) of Claim 1 of the present invention is used to attach a hollow-shaped retaining handle (3) to the tip of a folding boom of an aerial work platform or the like. The waterproof insulating cord (2) of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is extended to the driver's seat of the aerial work platform or the like and connected to a remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit and a power supply (7). In front of the house where snow is to be removed from the roof, the folding boom is raised and the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) attached to one end of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3) is positioned approximately 30 centimeters above the roof at an angle matching the slope of the roof, from either the left or right end of the eaves. The remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit is turned on and the heater is slowly moved horizontally toward the snow. After the snow melts in a few seconds, the heater is moved further horizontally. Once the first row of snow has been melted by moving the device to the opposite end of the eaves, the parallelogram electric heating plate heater (1) is moved one level higher and further back from the eaves, and slowly moved horizontally towards the snow to melt the second row in the opposite direction to the first row. Then, this process is repeated for the third and fourth rows towards the top of the roof. This process is repeated by moving the folding boom of the aerial work platform horizontally or by moving the aerial work platform back and forth.

[0006] As Example 2, the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) according to Claim 2 of the present invention is mounted vertically on a drone with a roof slope of approximately 16.7 degrees (3-inch slope) to 21.8 degrees (4-inch slope) relative to the horizontal plane. The drone is operated to confirm that the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is positioned approximately 30 centimeters above the roof at an angle matching the roof slope, starting from either the left or right end of the eaves. The remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit is turned on and the device is slowly moved horizontally toward the snow. After the snow melts in a few seconds, the device is moved further horizontally. Once the first row of snow has been melted by moving it to the opposite end of the eaves, the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is moved one level higher and further back from the eaves, and slowly moved horizontally toward the snow to melt the second row in the opposite direction to the first row. Next, the process is repeated toward the top of the roof for the third and fourth rows.

[0007] Depending on the shape and structure of the house roof, there may be areas where work cannot be performed using aerial work platforms or similar equipment. For snow removal in these areas, it is possible to remove snow without expending much physical effort by attaching the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) of the parallelogram-shaped heated snow removal device according to claim 1 of the present invention to the hollow-shaped holding handle (3) in opposite directions, carrying it up to the roof, extending the waterproof insulating cord (2), connecting it to the power supply (7), and moving the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) to match the slope of the roof while supporting the hollow-shaped holding handle (3) with both hands. It is also possible to carry the portable power supply (7) up to the roof. The waterproof insulating cord (2) of the electric heating plate heater maintains a sufficient length within the hollow-shaped holding handle (3). [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention uses a parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) that is switched on and heated to sequentially melt the snow from the roof, eliminating the need to dispose of large amounts of removed snow. This is useful when there are no nearby snow drainage channels and no place to dispose of snow during heavy snowfall, or when it is physically difficult to remove snow from the roof with a shovel or snowplow. It is also useful when roof snow removal is urgently needed in an area at the same time, leading to a concentration of requests and making it difficult for workers to come, as it allows for snow removal without requiring physical effort. It also prevents accidents associated with the strenuous process of removing snow from roofs with shovels or snowplows. With advancements in drone technology, even better work possibilities are expected.

[0009] Depending on the shape and structure of the house roof, there may be areas where work cannot be done using aerial work platforms, but for snow removal in those areas, the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) of the parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device according to claim 1 of the present invention is attached to a hollow-shaped holding handle (3) in opposite directions, carried up to the roof, and a remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit and a power battery (7) are carried in a backpack or placed in a container, placed on the snow, and the snow can be melted by moving the device while holding the holding handle (3) with both hands. Conventional work, which involves bracing oneself from the bottom or side of the roof slope and scooping up snow with a shovel or snow removal snowplow and throwing it to the ground, can cause pain in the arms, legs, and waist, but this method is safe because it only requires lateral movement and does not require much force, and even elderly people can easily deal with roof snow if they are used to snow.

[0010] The parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting device of the present invention can be enlarged and reshaped depending on the application and attached to snow graders, sidewalk snowplows, ambulances, fire trucks, and railway snowplows. This allows for the melting of snow on the spot even when snow removal and disposal are insufficient due to heavy snowfall, thereby mitigating and reducing railway service disruptions and road congestion caused by insufficient power from snowplows. Power can be supplied by portable generators or battery storage devices. One cause of road congestion is when large trucks slip and block the road diagonally, causing a traffic jam of following vehicles. In the winter of 2020, National Route 8 in Fukui City became severely congested because, although the amount of snow in the direction of travel was still small, rescue snowplows had not yet arrived, and the snow gradually increased. It is expected that if a nimble road patrol vehicle could drive against the flow of traffic in the direction of the obstruction in the initial stages and deliver the parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting device of the present invention, and melt the snow around the stuck tires, large trucks would be able to move under their own power, thus preventing major traffic jams. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1]This is a perspective view of the parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device according to claim 1 of the present invention. The upper part of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) and the upper part of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3) are fixed together with a plurality of bolts (8). The cord (2) of the waterproof insulating coating of the electric heating plate heater is passed through a cord pass-through hole (4) provided in the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3), and connected to a power supply (7) via a remote control switch (6) having a waterproof leakage prevention circuit through a cord pass-through hole (5) at the bottom of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3). A folding boom mounting bracket (14) is attached to the bottom of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3) with bolts. The angle of the upper side of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is set to a slope of approximately 16.7 degrees (3-inch slope) to 21.8 degrees (4-inch slope) relative to the horizontal plane of the house roof, which is the parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device. [Figure 2] This is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional explanatory reference diagram of the parallelogram-type heated snow melting device for drones, as described in claim 2 of the present invention. A rectangular aluminum case (9) having a screw-on waterproof cover (9') is provided with a partition retaining plate (9") inside, and a power battery (7) and a remote control switch (6) having a waterproof leakage prevention circuit are provided. An aluminum retaining shaft (11) having a gimbal connection mounting fixture (10) for connecting to the drone's gimbal is attached to the top of the aluminum case (9) with rivets. The top of the aluminum retaining shaft (11) and both ends of the top of the aluminum case (9) are attached to the top of the aluminum case (9) with reinforcing shafts (12) in a triangular shape with rivets. A trapezoidal-shaped hollow rectangular frame (13) made of aluminum is attached to the bottom of the aluminum case (9) with rivets. A parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate is attached to one side of the bottom of the frame (13). The top of the plate heater (1) is fixed with multiple bolts (8), and the cord (2) of the electric heating plate heater with a waterproof insulating coating is passed through a cord pass-through hole (4) provided in the hollow frame (13), and then through a cord pass-through hole (5') provided in the bottom of the aluminum case (9) from the cord pass-through hole (5) in the hollow frame (13), and connected to the power battery (7) via a remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit. The top side of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) and one side of the bottom of the frame (13) are sloped with respect to the horizontal plane at a slope of approximately 16.7 degrees (3-inch slope) to 21.8 degrees (4-inch slope) of a house roof. This is a parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device for drone-specific roof snow melting. [Figure 3]This is an explanatory reference diagram for Example 2 of using a drone to melt roof snow with a parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting device specifically designed for drones. The drone-specific parallelogram electric heating plate heater (1) is positioned approximately 30 centimeters above the roof at an angle matching the roof's slope, starting from either the left or right end of the eaves. The remote control switch (6), which has a waterproof leakage prevention circuit, is turned on and the device is slowly moved horizontally towards the snow. After the snow melts in a few seconds, the device is moved further horizontally. Once the first row of snow has been melted by moving the device to the opposite end of the eaves, the parallelogram electric heating plate heater (1) is moved one level higher and further back from the eaves, and the device is slowly moved horizontally towards the snow to melt the second row in the opposite direction to the first row. This process is repeated for the third and fourth rows, moving towards the top of the roof. Working from the top of the roof is dangerous because the snow on the eaves side will absorb the melted snow water, putting a load on the roof. Therefore, snow melting must always be done from the eaves side, from bottom to top. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory reference diagram for Example 1 of melting snow off a roof using electric heating with an aerial work platform. The holding handle (3) is attached to the tip of the folding boom of an aerial work platform using the folding boom mounting bracket (14). The folding boom is raised in front of the house where the roof snow is to be removed, and the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) attached to one end of the holding handle (3) is positioned approximately 30 centimeters above the roof at an angle matching the slope of the roof, starting from either the left or right end of the eaves. The remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit is turned on and the heater is slowly moved horizontally toward the snow. After the snow melts in a few seconds, the heater is moved further horizontally. Once the first row of snow has been melted by moving it to the opposite end of the eaves, the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is moved one level higher and further back from the eaves, and slowly moved horizontally toward the snow to melt the second row in the opposite direction to the first row. This process is repeated toward the top of the roof for the third and fourth rows. This process is repeated by moving the folding boom of the aerial work platform horizontally, or by moving the aerial work platform back and forth. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] In Figure 1, the top of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) and the top of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3) are fixed together with multiple bolts (8). The waterproof insulating cord (2) of the electric heating plate heater is passed through a cord pass-through hole (4) provided in the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3), and connected to a power supply (7) via a remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit through a cord pass-through hole (5) at the bottom of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3). A folding boom mounting bracket (14) is attached to the bottom of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3) with bolts. The angle of the top edge of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is set to a slope of approximately 16.7 degrees (3-inch slope) to 21.8 degrees (4-inch slope) relative to the horizontal plane, which is the slope of a house roof.

[0013] In Figure 2, a rectangular aluminum case (9) with a screw-on waterproof cover (9') has a partition retaining plate (9") inside which a power battery (7) and a remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit are installed. An aluminum retaining shaft (11) with a gimbal connection mounting fixture (10) for connecting to the drone's gimbal is attached to the top of the aluminum case (9) with rivets. The top of the aluminum retaining shaft (11) and both ends of the top of the aluminum case (9) are attached to each other with reinforcing shafts (12) in a triangular shape with rivets. A trapezoidal, hollow, rectangular aluminum frame (13) is attached to the bottom of the aluminum case (9) with rivets. A parallelogram is attached to one side of the bottom of the frame (13) The top of the electric heating plate heater (1) is fixed with multiple bolts (8), and the waterproof insulating cord (2) of the electric heating plate heater is passed through a cord pass-through hole (4) provided in the hollow frame (13), and then through a cord pass-through hole (5') provided in the bottom of the aluminum case (9) from the cord pass-through hole (5) in the hollow frame (13), and connected to the power battery (7) via a remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit. The top side of the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) and one side of the bottom of the frame (13) are sloped with respect to the horizontal plane at a slope of approximately 16.7 degrees (3-inch slope) to 21.8 degrees (4-inch slope) of a house roof. This is a parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device for drone-specific roof snow melting.

[0014] In Figures 2 and 3, the top edge and one side of the bottom of the frame (13) of the drone-specific parallelogram electric heating plate heater (1) are set to a slope of approximately 16.7 degrees (3-inch slope) to 21.8 degrees (4-inch slope) relative to the horizontal plane of the house roof. The drone-specific parallelogram electric heating plate heater (1) is positioned approximately 30 centimeters above the roof at an angle matching the roof slope, starting from either the left or right end of the eaves. The remote control switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit is turned on and the heater is slowly moved horizontally toward the snow. After the snow melts in a few seconds, the heater is moved further horizontally. Once the first row of snow has been melted by moving it to the opposite end of the eaves, the parallelogram electric heating plate heater (1) is moved one level higher and further back from the eaves, and slowly moved horizontally toward the snow to melt the second row in the opposite direction to the first row. This process is repeated for the third and fourth rows toward the top of the roof. Working from the top of the roof is dangerous because the snow at the eaves absorbs the melted water, putting stress on the roof. Therefore, always start from the eaves and work your way up. Even when working from the eaves, the snow left about 30 centimeters above the roof will absorb the melted water, but the amount is small, so some of it melts and flows into the gutters, so it does not put stress on the roof. The snow accumulation near the top of the roof is slightly less because it is blown away by the wind, and once the snow stops falling, the amount of snow will decrease further due to the wind and sunlight. Due to the structure of the roof, it is acceptable to melt less snow near the top than near the eaves.

[0015] In Figure 4, the hollow handle (3) is attached to the tip of the folding boom of a high-altitude work vehicle or similar using the folding boom mounting bracket (14). The folding boom is raised in front of the house where snow removal from the roof is to be performed. The parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1), which is attached to one end of the hollow handle (3), is positioned approximately 30 centimeters above the roof at an angle matching the slope of the roof, starting from either the left or right end of the eaves. The remote control switch (6), which has a waterproof leakage prevention circuit, is turned on and the heater is slowly moved horizontally toward the snow. After the snow melts in a few seconds, the heater is moved further horizontally. Once the first row of snow has been removed by moving it to the opposite end of the eaves, the parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater (1) is moved one level higher and further back from the eaves, and the heater is slowly moved horizontally toward the snow to remove the second row of snow in the opposite direction to the first row. This process is repeated for the third and fourth rows toward the top of the roof. This process is repeated by moving the folding boom of the aerial work platform horizontally, or by moving the aerial work platform back and forth. [Industrial applicability] Due to the effects of climate change and global warming, the Sea of ​​Japan side of Japan is hit by heavy snowfall every few years, and the number of accidents involving elderly people removing snow from roofs is increasing due to the declining birthrate and aging population. Heavy snowfall, also known as "heavy snow," which causes major traffic jams on National Route 8 in February 2018 and January 2021 and is called the Hokuriku heavy snowfall or Fukui heavy snowfall, and is also called "heavy snow," where almost the entire average annual snowfall falls in a short period of time, has a significant impact on people and the economy. In recent years, there have been two methods for melting snow from roofs: one that places electric heating wires under the tiles to warm the tiles, and another that circulates antifreeze heated by a boiler through pipes installed above the tiles to directly melt the snow. However, both methods have high equipment and running costs, making them difficult to implement and widely adopted. Moreover, they must be activated from the start of snowfall, and heat is used even when snowfall does not require roof removal. Therefore, it is cheaper in terms of utility costs and total energy usage during the winter to use the parallelogram-type heated snow melting device of the present invention for a few hours only when the snow accumulation reaches about 1 meter, which is the guideline for roof removal. The parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting device of this invention can be scaled up and modified in shape depending on the application, and attached to snow graders, sidewalk snowplows, ambulances, fire trucks, and railway snowplows. This allows for the melting of snow on the spot even when snow removal and disposal are insufficient due to heavy snowfall, thereby mitigating and reducing railway service disruptions and road congestion caused by insufficient power from snowplows. Even with a 100V 1500W AC power supply, the surface temperature can be raised to approximately 600°C by increasing the watt density. Larger sizes are possible if a 200V contract is made for use only during the winter months. Portable power sources such as portable generators and battery storage systems can also be used. Furthermore, it is possible to use LP gas, which has a higher heat output than electric heating, and replace the electric heating plate heater (1) with an LP gas stove plate (1) mounted on the snow removal snowplow. Alternatively, the top of the parallelogram-shaped LP gas stove plate (1) can be fixed to the top of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3), and an LP gas supply hose (2) can be passed through a hose pass-through hole (4) provided on the top of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3), and connected to an LP gas cylinder (7) via a remote ignition switch (6) with a waterproof leakage prevention circuit through a hose pass-through hole (5) provided on the bottom of the hollow-shaped retaining handle (3). In addition, on cliffs prone to avalanches, it is possible to use two drones to lift one end of a rope equipped with electric heating wires from each end to forcibly trigger an avalanche in advance. With advancements in drone technology, better work possibilities are expected.

[0016]

Explanation of Symbols

[0017] 1 Parallelogram electric hot plate heater 2 Cord of waterproof and insulating film of electric hot plate heater '3 Hollow-shaped holding handle 4 Cord passing hole 5 Cord passing hole 5' Cord passing hole 6 Remote control switch with waterproof and leakage prevention circuit 7 Power supply (battery) 8 Bolt 9 Aluminum case 9' Screwed waterproof lid 9” Partition holding plate 10 Mounting tool for gimbal connection 11 Folding boom holding shaft 12 Reinforcement shaft 13 Hollow-shaped frame 14 Folding boom mounting bracket

Claims

1. A parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater, a retaining handle for fixing the electric heating plate heater, a power supply for supplying power to the electric heating plate heater, and a cord for connecting the electric heating plate heater and the power supply. Equipped with, The electric heating plate heater has the holding handle positioned along any one side of the parallelogram, The electric heating plate heater is a parallelogram in which the complementary angle on the acute side of the interior angles of the parallelogram is in the range of 16.7 degrees to 21.8 degrees, and is a parallelogram-type thermal snow melting device.

2. A parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device comprising: a parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater; a hollow-shaped retaining handle to which the electric heating plate heater is fixed; a power supply to supply power to the electric heating plate heater; a cord connecting the electric heating plate heater and the power supply; a remote control switch interposed between the electric heating plate heater and the power supply; and a folding boom mounting bracket for fixing the retaining handle to the folding boom of an aerial work platform, The electric heating plate heater has the holding handle positioned along any one side of the parallelogram, The aforementioned electric heating plate heater is a parallelogram in which the complementary angle on the acute side of the interior angles of the parallelogram is in the range of 16.7 degrees to 21.8 degrees. The retaining handle is fixed to the upper part of the electric heating plate heater. A parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting device characterized in that the cord is arranged inside the holding handle through cord-passing holes provided at the upper and lower parts of the holding handle.

3. A parallelogram-shaped heated snow melting device comprising: a parallelogram-shaped electric heating plate heater; a hollow frame on which the electric heating plate heater is fixed; a power supply for supplying power to the electric heating plate heater; a cord connecting the electric heating plate heater and the power supply; a remote control switch interposed between the electric heating plate heater and the power supply; a case housing the power supply and the remote control switch and fixed to the frame; and a retaining shaft for fixing the case to a drone, wherein The frame is positioned along any one side of the parallelogram of the electric heating plate heater. The aforementioned electric heating plate heater is a parallelogram in which the complementary angle on the acute side of the interior angles of the parallelogram is in the range of 16.7 degrees to 21.8 degrees. The upper end of the holding shaft is provided with a mounting device for fixing it to the gimbal of the drone. A parallelogram-shaped thermal snow melting device characterized in that the cord is routed inside the frame through cord-passing holes provided at the top and bottom of the frame.

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