EP1557494B1 - Snowplow - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a ploughshare (2) for removing snow from the ground and an upper part (3) for deflecting the flow of the snow, whereby the ploughshare joins below the upper part and has at least one hinged element (4) mounted on the upper part so that it turns from a positive resting point about a contact point when coming into contact with an obstruction. The hinged element is mounted so that it is forcibly raised simultaneously and before it reaches a negative position so as to jump over the obstruction.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a snow plow with a plowshare scraping off the ground and a plow top deflecting a flow of snow, the ploughshare connecting below the ploughshare top and having at least one hinged element which is mounted on the plow top such that it abuts an obstacle first rotates about a Anstosspunkt from a positive rest position, wherein the hinged element is mounted on a pivotable about a first, relative to the plow upper horizontal axis lower lever and a pivotable about a second, relative to the plow upper horizontal axis upper lever such that it is forcibly raised at the same time and before it reaches a negative position, so that the obstacle can be skipped.

State of the art

The EP 0 656 086 B1 (Zaugg AG, previously published as WO 94/29529 A1 ) shows a snow plow, in which the foldable element of the ploughshare is connected via a pivot axis with a lever arm which is substantially horizontal in the rest position and is pivotally mounted at its rear end in the vertical direction. The axis of rotation is arranged at the lower end of a support member connected to the plow top. A spring, which is attached at one end to the lever arm and at the other end on the support member, pushes the lever arm in its rest position. At an attack point on the back of the pivot member engages a cable above the pivot axis. This has a deflected over a pulley rope attached at its upper end to a vertically oriented spring, which in turn is supported on the support beam of the plow shell. If the hinged element hits an obstacle, then the pivoting element is pivoted into a negative evasion position by first rotating about the abutment point. Once the element has been rotated sufficiently into the negative position, it can break away from the obstacle and skip it. Of particular advantage over previously known solutions in which a ploughshare was rotatable in particular around its upper edge, in this arrangement, the large escape path. As a result, the accelerations and forces occurring when overcoming an obstacle are kept low, so that the plowing is made possible at high speeds without excessive loads acting on the ploughshare and their storage when driving over obstacles. In order for the snow plow to adapt to the local ground inclination, the folding elements are slightly tilted in the transverse direction. This is achieved in that an elastic material is used for the bearings and joints of the elements or the lever arms, which allows a wobbling motion of the joint and thus - in addition to the pivoting - a slight lateral tilting of the element.

The known construction has springs on both the cable and the lever arm and is therefore quite complex. In addition, even with obstacles of low altitude, a large escape route is necessary.

The US 5,697,172 (Schmidt Engineering & Equipment) describes all features of the preamble of claim 1 and shows a snowplough whose ploughshare includes a hinged obstacle skip over element mounted to the upper part of the ploughshare by means of an elongated rubber spring actuated spring and stop lever in that the scraping edge of the hinged element is pivoted upwards towards the upper part, wherein the distance of the scraping edge from the lower edge of the upper part of the ploughshare does not increase during the pivoting process. The hinged element is swung up before it reaches a negative position. Thus, at least small height obstacles can already be overcome before the ploughshare is vertical. The evasive path is in each case adapted to the height of the obstacle. It does not necessarily reach a negative position until the hinged element is sufficiently raised that the obstacle can be overcome. The distance, on which the hinged element is lifted and no snow can be scraped, is therefore reduced for small obstacles. Nevertheless, similarly low loads on the hinged element and its storage act at all obstacle heights. The adapted evasive path has the further advantage that transverse gaps or grooves in the roadway, as z. B. occur at transitions between bridge plates, even at high speeds can be safely overcome. Such columns have only a small depth, so that even a small forcibly lifting movement is sufficient so that the ploughshare dissolves from the column. Because no negative position is ever reached in this situation, there is no risk that the ploughshare can get caught in the crevasse. The snow plow can therefore be driven at full speed on such columns.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a snow plow belonging to the technical field mentioned above, which allows reliable snow removal even with unevenness.

The solution of the problem is defined by the features of claim 1. According to the invention, the upper lever on the plow upper part is mounted in an oval bearing in such a way that it has a certain play in the direction of a main axis of the oval bearing, which permits an adaptation of the folding element of the ploughshare to uneven floors.

For minor bumps, the element deviates first, d. H. before the pivotal movement begins, in a certain, determined by the dimensions of the oval bearing, frame backwards and upwards. By the restoring means (eg, the compression spring) of the pivot mechanism, the element is then pushed back into its rest position. By the interaction of the oval bearing and the return means so a cushioning is created, which ensures that the ploughshare reliably follows the ground, so that even in uneven areas the snow is reliably cleared.

Advantageously, the hinged element is mounted so that it can be folded to a negative position. This also allows to overcome obstacles with a high altitude. As soon as the hinged element reaches a negative position, that is to say when the rotary motion is continued after the ploughshare has reached its vertical position, the lower edge of the hinged element is already raised due to the rotational movement alone. Together with the forced lifting results in an accelerated lifting movement.

Alternatively, the hinged element can be mounted so that the forced lifting movement is sufficient to skip even those obstacles with the largest expected height, without the hinged element must be folded to a negative position.

The hinged element is mounted on a pivotable about a first horizontal axis of the lower lever and on a pivotable about a second horizontal axis of the upper lever. The two horizontal axes are each fixed with respect to the plow shell, d. H. The levers are rotatably mounted on this directly or indirectly (eg on a supporting element attached to the upper part). These two levers provide a mechanically simple and stable support for the pivot member and set its pivotal movement clearly. In particular, this determination causes the forced lifting when rotating the element. The arrangement and shape of the lever results in the folding away of the element, the superposition of a rotational movement about an effective axis, which extends approximately through that point of the element in which it abuts the obstacle, and a lifting movement.

Preferably, the upper lever has a curved shape, wherein in the rest position, a bend of the upper lever facing downward. The upper lever is arranged so that a first bearing on the hinged element is positioned lower than a second bearing on the plow upper part (or on the support element). The positioning of the bearings allows the rotational movement of the hinged element to be performed about an effective axis of rotation that passes approximately through the abutment point. Namely, the upper portion of the element is first forcibly guided obliquely upward in the direction of travel of the snowplow. The curved shape of the upper lever avoids conflict with the top of the plow.

Preferably, the hinged element is mounted on two laterally lateral lower levers and a central upper lever. The hinged element is mechanically stably supported and guided by the laterally mounted (lower) lever. The laterally offset arrangement of the upper and lower levers conflicts between the levers and their fasteners and bearings are avoided, and there is a uniform force distribution on the mounting of the hinged element.

Alternatively, a hinged element may be held by a greater number of lower and / or upper levers, or it may be supported on two laterally disposed upper levers and a central lower lever.

Advantageously, the snow plow has a compression spring, preferably a rubber hollow spring, which acts on a point of application of the lower lever such that the hinged element is pressed into the rest position when no obstacle is present. The upper lever is freely movable, so it is not urged, for example by spring means in a certain position. Spring means for the upper lever so unnecessary, which simplifies the construction and the vote of the folding mechanism is facilitated. Opposite from the EP 0 656 086 B1 known solution, for example, in a hinged element, which is mounted on two lower and an upper holding means, a spring means, the corresponding storage and optionally a tuning device for the spring means can be saved. A rubber hollow spring is preferred over other alternative spring means, such as coil springs or oil or gas cylinders, for its robustness and simplicity.

Preferably, the lower lever has a curved shape. The point of application of the pressure spring is arranged in the region of the bend. The lower lever is arranged so that in the rest position, the bend points upwards and a first bearing of the lower lever on the hinged element is positioned slightly higher than a second bearing on the plow upper part (or the support element). Due to the upwardly bent shape of the lower lever a good power transmission from the compression spring to the lever is made possible, even if the lever is short and the spring is arranged quite flat. Thereby, the pivot mechanism for the ploughshare element can be made compact. The specified positioning of the bearings ensures that the pivoting mechanism pivots upwards when abutting an obstacle and does not jam.

Alternatively, the lower lever be made longer and straight, the compression spring should be mounted steeper, so that in the rest position good power transmission is ensured on the lever.

Preferably, the compression spring is arranged on a spring rod, which acts on the point of application of the lower lever and whose position is adjustable in spring in the unloaded spring, so that a position of the hinged element in its rest position and a spring force of the compression spring can be selected. As a result, an adaptation of the pivot mechanism to external conditions such as the driving speed, the thickness the snow layer and / or the expected obstacles allows. At the same time, the wear of the lower edge of the hinged element can be compensated, and a plurality of juxtaposed pivotable elements can be aligned.

Alternatively, in the case of an oil or gas pressure spring, the spring rod may be integrated in the spring means, and the spring permits, for example, the adjustment of the pre-tension, the rebound and / or the pressure stage.

Preferably, the hinged element in the transverse direction is slightly tilted, in particular in that the levers are held in bearings made of an elastic material. As a result, even unevenness can be followed, which are not the same over the entire width of the hinged element pronounced. The elastic material may be, for example, polyurethane (PUR) or rubber. The flexible bearings may be formed only on the plow shell or on the hinged element, but preferably at both ends of the lever.

Alternatively, can be dispensed with, especially with hinged elements of small width, flexible bearings.

Advantageously, the ploughshare several, juxtaposed, individually hinged elements. Obstacles usually have only a small lateral extent. When overcoming the obstacle therefore only that hinged element must be pivoted, which is driven directly over the obstacle. Thus, the mass moved during pivoting and thus the force acting on the mounting of the hinged element and the entire plow arrangement force, which is already reduced by the vertical division of the snowplow, can be further reduced. The individual elements can also adapt independently to uneven floors and, if necessary, be tilted transversely. The lower edge of the hinged elements is also usually formed by wear rails made of steel or plastic. These can be changed independently for different elements.

From the following detailed description and the totality of the claims, further advantageous embodiments and feature combinations of the invention result.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1

eine schematische Seitenansicht des erfindungsgemässen Schneepflugs mit dem klappbaren Element in der Ruheposition;

Fig. 2

eine schematische Schrägansicht des erfindungsgemässen Schneepflugs;

Fig. 3

eine schematische Aufsicht senkrecht zur rückwärtigen Hauptfläche des erfindungsgemässen Schneepflugs;

Fig. 4

eine schematische Seitenansicht des erfindungsgemässen Schneepflugs mit dem klappbaren Element in der negativen Endposition; und

Fig. 5

einen Vergleich zwischen der Ruhe- und der negativen Endposition in Seitenansicht.

The drawings used to explain the embodiment show:

Fig. 1

a schematic side view of the inventive snowplow with the hinged element in the rest position;

Fig. 2

a schematic oblique view of the inventive snowplow;

Fig. 3

a schematic plan view perpendicular to the rear main surface of the inventive snowplow;

Fig. 4

a schematic side view of the inventive snowplow with the hinged element in the negative end position; and

Fig. 5

a comparison between the resting and the negative end position in side view.

Basically, the same parts are provided with the same reference numerals in the figures.

Ways to carry out the invention

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the snow plow according to the invention, the foldable element being in the rest position; FIG. 2 shows a schematic oblique view and FIG. 3 shows a schematic plan view perpendicular to the rear main surface.

The snow plow 1 comprises a ploughshare 2 with a hinged element 4, for scraping or picking up the snow and a plow shell 3, which deflects the snow to the side. Shown is only a part of the snowplough with a single hinged element 4. Along the entire width of the ploughshare top 3 more folding elements are arranged next to the illustrated. Depending on the width of the plow, two, three, four or more elements may be provided. For narrow plows, a single element can suffice.

Apart from a narrow gap 5, the plow share 2 and the plow shell 3 close to each other flush, with the inclinations of the two front surfaces are coordinated with each other to ensure optimum snow flow.

Ploughshare top 3 and ploughshare 2 are supported directly or indirectly on a transversely extending support beam 6. This in turn is held on a (not shown) frame, which serves to attach the snowplough 1 front of a vehicle. The plow upper part 3 is known per se from the state of the art, so it will not be discussed in more detail below. It may, for example, be a solid plow shell made of plastic or steel or even to a flexible plate like from EP 0 656 086 B1 known.

The foldable element 4 of the ploughshare 2 is substantially plate-shaped and pivotally mounted by means of two laterally arranged lower lever 7, 7 'and a centrally located upper lever 8 on the supporting beam 6. In the following, only one of the two lower levers 7, 7 ', namely the lever 7, and the parts cooperating therewith are referred to. The design and arrangement of the other lever 7 'is identical; in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reference numerals of the corresponding parts are indicated by a dash.

The front bearings 9, 10 for the lower lever 7 and the upper lever 8 are arranged on a main part 11 of the hinged element 4. The bearing 9 of the lower lever 7 defines a horizontal axis of rotation in the transverse direction, parallel to the major surface of the element 4, and is located approximately halfway up the element 4. The bearing 10 of the upper lever 8 in turn defines a horizontal axis of rotation in the transverse direction, but is disposed near the upper end of the hinged element 4.

The lower lever 7 is rotatably mounted at its other end to a support member 12, wherein the support member 12 is fixedly connected to the support beam 6 of the snowplow 1. In the illustrated rest position, the corresponding bearing 13 is positioned slightly lower than the other bearing 9 of the lower lever 7 on the hinged element 4. The lower lever 7 has a curved shape with two legs which enclose an upwardly directed knee. The bearings 9, 13 of the lower lever 7 have an insert made of elastic polyurethane (PUR). Due to this use of the lower lever 7 can perform a certain wobbling, and the bearings 9, 13 are self-lubricating and thus virtually maintenance-free.

The upper lever 8 serves as a control lever for the movement of the hinged element 4 and is rotatably mounted at its rear end to a bearing element 14. This bearing element 14 is arranged directly on the supporting beam 6, clearly above the other bearing 10 of the upper lever 8 on the element 4. The bearing element 14 is formed by two directly on the supporting beam 6 welded tabs, each having an oval opening, the long main axis is inclined , extends approximately parallel to the lowermost, resting on the ground area of the hinged element 4 in the illustrated rest position. The upper lever 8 held in the two openings of the tabs can perform a linear movement along the long major axis, ie approximately parallel to the lowermost portion of the ploughshare 2, the clearance being approximately 10-15 mm.

The upper lever 8 also has a curved shape, with three approximately C-shaped legs, which point with respect to the bearing 10 and the bearing member 14 down. As a result, the support beam 6 is avoided, which would otherwise affect the mobility of the pivoting mechanism.

The upper lever 8 is also held in the bearing 10 and the bearing element 14 on an insert made of elastic polyurethane, so that he can perform a certain wobbling motion. Together with the mobility of the lower lever 7, a slight lateral tilting (by about 1-2 °) of the hinged element 4 is made possible. This allows the hinged element to adapt to uneven floors. Also, the bearing 10 and the bearing element 14 are self-lubricating due to the flexible use and thus virtually maintenance-free.

On the support beam 6 of the snowplow 1 a stop 15 is further arranged, on which in the illustrated rest position of the uppermost portion of the hinged element 4 is supported on its rear side. This results in a stable mechanical mounting of the element 4, and in particular the upper lever 8 is relieved of the pressure of the shaved and pushed up along the element 4 snow. To adjust the rest position of the hinged element 4, the position of the stop 15 can be changed by a set screw.

At the lower end of the main part 11 of the element 4, a holding profile 17 is attached. At this a knife-like Verschleissschiene 16 is interchangeably attached, for example screwed. The Verschleissschiene 16 consists in particular of steel or a plastic such. B. a polyurethane elastomer.

At the lower lever 7, a spring rod 18 is rotatably mounted near the lever knee, slightly offset in the direction of the rear leg. The point of attack is formed by another bearing 19. At its other end, the spring rod 18 is adjustably mounted on the supporting element 12 fixedly connected to the supporting beam 6. The position of the spring rod 18 in the rest position can be adjusted via an adjusting nut 20. The middle region of the spring rod 18 is enclosed by two hollow rubber springs 21, 22. The rear rubber hollow spring 21 is supported via a sliding disk 23 on the support member 12, the front rubber hollow spring 22 via a support plate 25 on a arranged on the spring rod adjusting nut 24 24. The sliding disk 23 has a double-conical inside, wherein the narrowest cross-section which the Cross section of the spring rod 18 corresponds, is arranged in the longitudinal direction between the conical sections. This allows a certain wobbling movement of the spring rod 18, so that angle deviations can be compensated, which result from the not exactly straight path of the bearing 19. Between the hollow rubber springs 21, 22 a sliding on the spring rod 18 support plate 26 is arranged. Between the support member 12 and the adjusting nut 20, a sleeve 27 is mounted from an elastic material which dampens the forces occurring during rapid spring back of the hinged element 4. The release force of the folding element 4 can be adjusted via the adjusting nut 24.

The support elements 9, 9 'are provided with side covers, so that the hollow rubber springs 21, 22 are protected from contamination. So that the parts contained within the support elements are visible in the oblique view (FIG. 2), the lateral covers are omitted in the illustration.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the snow plow according to the invention with the hinged element in its rear and upper end position. The lower edge of the hinged element 4 is pushed back so far that they are behind the upper Edge lies; the hinged element 4 thus has a negative position. In the final position, the hollow rubber springs 21, 22 are maximally compressed, the hinged element 4 abuts against the stop 15 in its middle region, and the legs of the upper lever 8 arranged in C lie directly against the support beam 6. Another rotary motion is therefore no longer possible.

The negative end position thus determines the maximum lift y and the maximum avoidance travel x (see FIG. 3). In the example shown, the maximum lift y is about 8 cm, the maximum avoidance travel x about 35 cm. If an obstacle with a height less than the maximum lift y has to be overcome, the avoidance path will be correspondingly smaller than the maximum avoidance travel x. Due to the long escape route obstacles can be run over with the normal speed of the snow plow of 50-60 km / h.

The crossing of an obstacle happens as follows. The snow plow 1 pushes with the lower edge of the ploughshare 2 on an obstacle located on the ground. During further travel, the hinged element 4 is pushed backwards by the obstacle with respect to the snow plow upper part 3. First, the cushioning mechanism formed by the upper lever 8 and the oval bearing member 14 springs in until a stopper is reached. In this case, the hinged element 4 is slightly on, but the lower edge is still on the ground. As soon as the upper lever 8 has reached the stop position, the force acting on the hinged element 4 is further transmitted to the lower lever 7 in a second phase, whereby it - is pivoted clockwise - overcoming the spring force of the two hollow rubber springs 21, 22. The upper lever 8 must also forcibly pivot along in the clockwise direction, due to the fixed distance of the bearings 9, 10 of the two levers 7, 8 on the hinged element 4. Also in this second phase, the movement of the lower edge of the hinged element 4 is still approximately parallel to the ground , At the same time, however, there is a rotational movement of the hinged element 4 about an axis of rotation which passes through the Anstosspunkt.

Once a certain limit angle is exceeded, long before the hinged element 4 reaches a vertical position, the shape and arrangement of the two levers 7, 8 forcibly causes the lower edge of the hinged element 4 lifted off the ground becomes. The combined pivoting and lifting movement, during which the lower edge of the hinged element 4 is moved backwards and upwards and the upper edge is moved forward and upward, continues until the stroke exceeds the height of the obstacle. At this time, the obstacle is overcome and the hinged element 4 returns instantly to its rest position. The movement into the rest position is stopped by the sleeve 27 arranged at the rear end of the spring rod 18 coming to rest on the outside of the support element 12. The sleeve 27 made of an elastic material dampens the forces occurring.

The invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, the lower and upper levers can be arranged differently in the lateral direction on the hinged element. The spring mechanism can also be adjusted, for. B. by coil springs, oil or gas cylinder can be used. The spring mechanism can also - or additionally - act on the upper lever. By adapting the shapes and dimensions of the two levers, other evasive movements of the hinged element result; For example, the invention can be carried out so that the hinged element can not assume a negative position and that is achieved by the folding movement already in a positive position a sufficient stroke to overcome the expected obstacles.

Instead of (not acted upon by a spring) control lever z. B. a slotted guide for the hinged element can be used.

In summary, it should be noted that a snow plow is created by the invention, which allows safe operation at high speeds.

Claims (9)

1. Snow plough with a ploughshare (2) scraping snow from the ground and an upper plough part (3) deflecting a stream of the snow, the ploughshare (2) being connected below the upper plough part (3) and having at least one foldable element (4) which is mounted on the upper plough part (3) in such a manner that, when it pushes against an obstacle, it firstly rotates about a pushing point out of a positive rest position, the foldable element (4) being mounted on a lower lever (7, 7'), which is pivotable about a first horizontal axis fixed with respect to the upper plough part (3), and on an upper lever (8), which is pivotable about a second, horizontal axis fixed with respect to the upper plough part (3), in such a manner that it is inevitably raised at the same time and before it reaches a negative position, and therefore the obstacle can be jumped over, characterized in that the upper lever (8) is mounted on the upper plough part (3) in an oval bearing (14) in such a manner that it has a certain amount of play in the direction of a main axis of the oval bearing (14), the play permitting adaptation of the foldable element (4) of the ploughshare (2) to unevennesses of the ground.
2. Snow plough according to Claim 1, characterized in that the foldable element (4) is mounted in such a manner that it can be folded into the negative position.
3. Snow plough according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper lever (8) has a curved shape, with, in the rest position, a curvature of the upper lever (8) pointing downwards and a first bearing (10) of the upper lever (8) being positioned lower down on the foldable element (4) than a second bearing (14) of the upper lever (8) is on the upper plough part (3).
4. Snow plough according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the foldable element (4) is mounted on two lateral, lower levers (7, 7') in the transverse direction and on a central, upper lever (8).
5. Snow plough according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a compression spring (21, 22), preferably a hollow rubber spring, which engages on an engagement point of the lower lever (7, 7') in such a manner that the foldable element (4) is pressed into the rest position if no obstacle is present, and in that the upper lever (8) is freely movable.
6. Snow plough according to Claim 5, characterized in that the lower lever (7, 7') has a curved shape, with the engagement point being arranged in the region of a curvature, and with, in the rest position, the curvature of the lower lever (7, 7') pointing upwards and a first bearing (9) of the lower lever (7, 7') being positioned slightly higher on the foldable element (4) than a second bearing (13) of the lower lever (7, 7') is on the upper plough part (3).
7. Snow plough according to Claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the compression spring (21, 22) is arranged on a spring rod (18) which engages on the engagement point of the lower lever (7, 7') and the position of which can be adjusted when the spring (21, 22) is unloaded in the compression direction, and therefore a position of the foldable element (4) in its rest position and a spring force of the compression spring (21, 22) can be selected.
8. Snow plough according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the foldable element (4) can be tilted slightly in the transverse direction, in particular by the levers (7, 7', 8) being held in bearings (9, 10, 13, 14) made of an elastic material.
9. Snow plough according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the ploughshare (2) has a plurality of individually foldable elements (4) arranged next to one another.

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