Snow Blower Deflector Inverted V-Channel Snow Compaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior snow blower designs face issues with loosely compacted snow entering the fan, leading to inefficient snow transport, scattering, and reaccumulation, as well as wasteful recycling of snow due to blocker plates that fail to enhance compaction and direction control.
Innovation Solution
A snow deflector with intersecting surface planes guides snow laterally and vertically toward a predetermined target region within the fan housing, forming an inverted V-shaped channel that increases compaction and directs snow efficiently into the fan, reducing wasteful recycling and scattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a blocker plate is installed over the snow-receiving opening to prevent snow from entering the fan shortly ahead of the discharge chute opening, then snow transport efficiency is improved by preventing interference, but snow compaction is not enhanced and snow must be recycled wastefully
Solution Approach 1:
The deflector performs preliminary action by guiding and compacting snow before it enters the fan. The inclined surface of the deflector compresses snow packets as they are directed toward the fan, ensuring compacted snow enters the fan rather than loose snow that would require recycling. This eliminates the need for the blocker plate and prevents energy waste from recycling snow that would otherwise be discharged.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflector acts as an intermediary component between the lift pallets and the fan. Instead of blocking snow flow (blocker plate) or simply directing it (deflector), the deflector compactly packages snow as it is lifted, creating a dense snow packet that enters the fan efficiently. This intermediary compacting action eliminates the need for subsequent recycling operations.
2Device complexity
If snow is introduced into the fan shortly ahead of the discharge chute opening along the direction of fan rotation, then snow transport is simplified, but snow compaction is insufficient and snow scattering occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The deflector performs preliminary compaction action on snow packets as they are lifted and directed toward the fan. By the time snow enters the fan through the snow-receiving opening, it has already been compacted into a dense packet by the deflector's inclined surface. This preliminary compaction prevents scattering and reaccumulation while maintaining simple transport geometry.
3Length of moving object
If the discharge chute is positioned to throw snow far distance, then obstacle avoidance is improved, but snow direction control becomes difficult and snow-mist formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deflector performs preliminary compaction of snow into dense packets before they enter the fan. This preliminary action ensures that when snow is discharged through the chute, it maintains its compacted state, allowing for better direction control and reduced mist formation even at long throw distances. The compacted snow packets are less susceptible to dispersion from wind gusts.
Data Source
AI summary
A snow deflector for a snow blower is formed from a plate member. The plate member includes a first surface portion for being disposed covering a portion of a snow-receiving opening of a fan housing of the snow blower, and a second surface portion configured to cooperate with an adjacent rear interior surface of the snow blower to guide snow along a direction laterally toward a predetermined target region of the snow-receiving opening that is after a discharge chute opening in the fan housing along a direction of fan rotation. The snow is guided simultaneously vertically upward and longitudinally frontward. The first and second surface portions are disposed within respective first and second planes that intersect one another along a common edge shared between the first and second surface portions. The common edge being aligned generally toward the predetermined target region when the plate member is in the installed condition.