Multi-Stage Snow Thrower Impeller for Wet Snow Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snow throwers struggle with clearing large quantities of snow or wet snow, as they bog down or stall due to inefficiencies in moving snow past the impeller and out of the machine, leading to degraded performance.
Innovation Solution
A high-efficiency snow thrower apparatus with a power system that includes an electric motor and a distribution system to rotate an impeller within an impeller housing, featuring a blade arm and a wiper, allowing for reduced power consumption while achieving longer snow throwing distances. The apparatus also includes a performance selection input and a boost mode actuator for enhanced performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional impeller designs are used to move snow, then snow can be discharged, but the machine bogs down or stalls when handling large quantities or heavy snow
Solution Approach 1:
The impeller is segmented into multiple blade arms (typically three) spaced around the rotation axis, with each blade arm having wipers that divide the snow discharge function into multiple parallel flow paths. This segmentation allows the impeller to handle larger volumes of snow without overloading a single discharge path, preventing bogging down while maintaining reliable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional impeller blades to a three-dimensional structure by adding wipers that extend beyond the blade arm length. These wipers create an additional dimensional element that actively engages with snow on the impeller housing surface, adding a vertical component to snow movement and enabling more effective handling of heavy and wet snow without stalling.
2Speed
If higher power is used to throw snow longer distances, then snow throw distance increases, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wipers are designed to maintain continuous contact with the snow and impeller housing surface throughout the rotation, ensuring uninterrupted snow engagement and discharge. This continuous action eliminates gaps in snow processing, allowing efficient snow movement and longer throw distances to be achieved through optimized continuous flow rather than increased power input.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the impeller by extending wiper length beyond the blade arm length and positioning wipers at specific angles. These parameter changes optimize the snow discharge trajectory and efficiency, enabling longer snow throw distances to be achieved through improved geometric configuration rather than increased power consumption.
3Productivity
If impeller speed is increased to handle heavy snow, then snow discharge performance improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wipers extract snow from the impeller blade surfaces and directly discharge it onto the impeller housing, removing the need for high-speed rotation to force snow through tight clearances. This extraction mechanism separates the snow discharge function from high-speed rotation, allowing effective heavy snow handling at lower, more energy-efficient speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The wipers act as intermediary elements between the impeller blades and the snow discharge path. They receive snow from the rotating blades and transfer it to the housing surface, creating an intermediate discharge stage that reduces the power demand on the main impeller rotation while maintaining effective snow ejection performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The snow thrower achieves significantly reduced power consumption while maintaining or exceeding the performance of conventional machines, with the ability to throw snow longer distances and handle heavy or wet snow effectively through adjustable power settings and a boost mode.
Implementation Method 1
Impellers are usually devices such as discs and blades that are shaped and configured such that when rotated they receive materials (snow) and then centrifugally discharge the materials
Data Source
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AI summary
An electric powered snow thrower having high efficiency and high performance is disclosed. The electric powered snow thrower can incorporate an impeller that achieves high throw distances even at significantly lower power than conventional devices. Additionally, aspects of the electric powered snow thrower enable adjustment between different performance and power levels to adjust snow throw distance to optimize performance with power consumption and battery longevity. In some disclosed aspects, the performance level is coupled with a chute deflector height to simplify a selection between low power consumption and short throwing distance and high power consumption and long throwing distance, and all ranges there between.