JP2002317417A - Snow removing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide snow removing equipment capable of reducing an operating force, increasing a workability, and simplifying a structure by removing a connection mechanism. SOLUTION: In this snow removing equipment 10, electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R are assembled in the reduction gears 22L and 22R of left and right drive wheels 23L and 32R, and a brake operating lever 41 for operating the lift and right electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R is fitted to a left side operating handle 17L. A electromagnetic clutch 45 is assembled in the power transmission mechanism 34 of an auger, and a clutch operating button 47 for operating the electromagnetic clutch 45 is installed at the rear end part 51f of an operating panel 51 at a position nearer a right side operating handle 17R.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a snow remover having a vehicle body provided with driving wheels for traveling and an auger for snow removal, and left and right handles extending rearward from the rear end of the body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a snow removing machine, for example, JP-A-63-22
No. 3207, “Small snowplow” is known. This snow blower has left and right operation handles at the rear part of the vehicle body, and has an auger and a blower at the front part of the vehicle body. The snow removal operation can be performed by the auger and the blower while maintaining the running posture with the left and right operation handles. Generally, a snow blower is provided with an operation lever for controlling a running state of a vehicle body and a driving state of an auger and a blower. A representative example of this operation lever will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are perspective views of operation handles provided in a conventional snowplow, wherein left and right operation handles 100L and 100R are extended rearward from the rear of the body, and left operation handle 100L is provided. A travel operation lever 102 is swingably mounted near a grip 101L via a bracket 102a, and an auger operation lever 103 is freely swingably mounted via a bracket 103a near a grip 101R of a right operation handle 100R.

According to this snowplow, the traveling operation lever 102 is swung as shown by the arrow a as shown in FIG. 1A to apply tension to the transmission belt for the traveling clutch, thereby bringing the traveling clutch into the connected state. be able to. Therefore, power can be transmitted to the drive wheels via the traveling clutch.

Further, by swinging the auger operation lever 103 as shown by an arrow b as shown in FIG. 1B, tension is applied to the transmission belt for the auger clutch, and the auger clutch can be brought into the connected state. Therefore, power can be transmitted to the auger via the auger clutch.

[0006]

By the way, for example, in order to hold the traveling operation lever 102 in the operation position, it is necessary for the operator to keep holding the traveling operation lever 102 with the left hand. However, in order to bring the traveling clutch into the connected state, it is necessary to press the transmission belt with a large operating force to apply tension to the transmission belt. Therefore, in order to continue the state of the clutch connection, the traveling operation lever 102
Must be pressed to the operation position with a large operation force F. For this reason, when performing the snow removing operation for a long time, a great burden is imposed on the operator's hand.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-38606 discloses a snow remover in which the auger operation lever is moved to the operation position even after the auger operation lever is operated to the operation position and then released. A technique that can be held is disclosed. This technique is generally known, and will be described below with reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another operation handle provided in a conventional snow plow, and shows a state in which a traveling operation lever 102 and an auger operation lever 103 are connected by a connection mechanism 105. In this way, by connecting the traveling operation lever 102 and the auger operation lever 103 with the coupling mechanism 105, the traveling operation lever 102 is held at the operation position,
When the auger operation lever 103 is swung to the operation position, the auger operation lever 103 is locked by a locking cam (not shown) of the coupling mechanism 105.

At this time, by holding the traveling operation lever 102 with the left hand and applying a pressing force F to the traveling operation lever 102, even if the right hand is released from the auger operation lever 103,
The auger operation lever can be held in the operation position. For this reason, the right hand is free, and the other operation levers can be operated with the right hand, so that the workability of the snow blower can be improved.

However, in order to hold the auger operation lever 103 in the operation position with the right hand released, the connecting mechanism 1
05 is required. Therefore, the configuration becomes complicated, which hinders the cost reduction of the snow blower. In addition, since the configuration becomes complicated, maintenance is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a snow removing machine which can reduce the operating force, improve the workability of the snow removing machine, and can eliminate the connecting mechanism to provide a simple structure. It is in.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airframe having a driving wheel for traveling and an auger for snow removal, and left and right handles extending rearward from a rear end of the aircraft. In a snowplow equipped with an operation panel between the left and right handles, an electromagnetic brake is incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the drive wheels, and a brake operating lever for operating this electromagnetic brake is mounted on one of the left and right handles to transmit power to the auger. An electromagnetic clutch is incorporated in the mechanism, and a clutch operation button for operating the electromagnetic clutch is provided on the operation panel at a position closer to the other handle.

An electromagnetic brake was incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the drive wheels, and an electromagnetic clutch was incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the auger. As described above, by employing the electromagnetic brake or the electromagnetic clutch, the electromagnetic brake or the electromagnetic clutch can be operated by the switch, so that the operating force can be reduced.

Further, the electromagnetic clutch is operated by a clutch operation button. As a result, the electromagnetic clutch can be kept on by pressing the clutch operation button. Therefore, release your hand from the clutch operation button,
Other operation levers can be operated. further,
Since the conventionally required connecting portion can be eliminated, the operation means of the electromagnetic clutch and the electromagnetic brake can be simplified. Therefore, the cost of the snow blower can be reduced, and the maintenance can be performed in a short time.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that "before", "after",
"Left" and "right" follow the direction seen from the worker. Also, the drawings should be viewed in the direction of reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a snow blower according to the present invention. The snow blower 10 includes left and right crawler belts 11L, 11L.
R (only the left is shown in this figure; the same applies to the following). A body frame 15 provided with a snow removing section 13 and an engine (motor) 14 for driving the snow removing section 13 can swing up and down. And the front part of the vehicle body frame 15 is swung up and down by a frame elevating mechanism 16. Further, two operation handles 17L and 17R are provided from the rear part of the traveling frame 12 to the rear (more specifically, the rear upper part). Is extended.

The operation handles 17L and 17R are provided with the snow removing machine 1
A worker (not shown) walking along with the handle 0 operates the snow blower 10. In this figure, an operation panel 51, a control unit 52, and batteries 53, 53 are arranged and mounted in this order between left and right operation handles 17L, 17R in this order.

The left operating handle 17L has a brake operating lever 41 near the grip 18. Further, a clutch operation button 47 (shown in FIG. 2) is provided near the operation handle 17R on the right side of the operation panel 51. in addition,
The left and right operation handles 17L, 17R are provided with grips 18,
The snow removal machine turning operation levers 55, 55 are provided near 18.

The snow blower 10 includes a prime mover (engine) 1
4 transmits the power from the output shaft (crankshaft) 35 to the snow removing work unit 13 via a pulley (drive pulley) 36 and transmission belts 37, 37. An electromagnetic clutch 45 is disposed, and the drive pulley 3 is provided on the base side of the crankshaft 35.
6 are arranged.

The snow removing section 13 includes an auger 31, a blower 32, and a shooter 3 attached to a front portion of the body frame 15.
3 in which the auger 31 and the blower 32 are configured to rotate about a rotation shaft 39. Therefore, the power from the crankshaft 35 is transmitted to the driving pulley 36 via the electromagnetic clutch 45, and the rotation of the driving pulley 36 is transmitted to the driven pulley 38 by the transmission belts 37, 37, and the driven pulley 38
Of the auger 31 and the blower 32 via the rotation shaft 39
, The snow collected by the auger 31 can be blown away by the blower 32 via the shooter 33.

In the figure, reference numeral 56a denotes an auger case;
b is a blower case, 56c is a scraper, 56d is a charging generator (shown in FIG. 2), 56e is a lamp, 56f is a cover, and 56g is a belt urging member. Further, the body 19 is constituted by the traveling frame 12 and the body frame 15.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the snow blower according to the present invention. The left and right crawler belts 11L and 11R are driven by left and right electric motors 21L and 21R. Drive wheels 23L, 23
5 shows a state in which the left and right rolling wheels 24L and 24R are disposed in front of the left and right crawler belts 11L and 11R. Therefore, the rotation of the electric motors 21L and 21R can be transmitted to the left and right drive wheels 23L and 23R, respectively, and the left and right crawler belts 11L and 11R can be driven to run on their own.

A generator pulley 61 is attached to the crankshaft 35 projecting from the engine 14, and V pulleys are attached to the generator pulley 61 and the pulley 62 of the charging generator 56d.
By applying the belt 63, the rotation of the crankshaft 35 can be transmitted to the charging generator 56 d via the V-belt 63.

The operation panel 51 has a frame elevating mechanism 16
(See FIG. 1), a lifting operation lever 51a for operating the shooter 33, a shooter operation lever 51b for changing the direction of the shooter 33,
A speed control lever 51c and a throttle lever 51d for controlling the number of revolutions of the engine 14 are provided. The speed control lever 51c is a lever that controls the traveling speed of the electric motors 21L and 21R, and switches between forward and backward by rotating the electric motors 21L and 21R forward and reverse.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a main part of the snow blower according to the present invention. The power of the left and right electric motors 21L and 21R is transmitted to the left and right drive wheels 23L and 23R via left and right reduction gears 22L and 22R (drive wheel power transmission mechanism), respectively, and the left and right drive wheels 23L and 23R are used to control the left and right crawlers. Belt 11L,
11R can be driven.

Reduction gear 22 for left and right drive wheels 23L, 23R
Left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L, 25R
Incorporate R. That is, a left electromagnetic brake 25L is provided between the left electric motor 21L and the left reducer 22L, and a right electromagnetic brake 25R is provided between the right electric motor 21R and the right reducer 22R.

A brake switch 40 for controlling on / off of the left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L, 25R is mounted near the grip 18 of the left operation handle (one handle) 17L, and a brake operation lever 41 for operating the brake switch 40 is moved to the left. Grip 1 of operation handle 17
8 and freely swingable. Brake operation lever 4
A lever 1 is provided with a support member (not shown) attached to the left operation handle 17L and swingably attached to the support member via a pin 42.

The brake operating lever 41 is operated by being gripped with the left hand (in a state in which it comes into contact with the grip 18).
You can swing like an arrow. When the left hand is released, the brake operating lever 41 is moved to the non-operating position P1 by the spring force of a return spring (not shown).
(The state shown). Here, erroneous operation of the brake operation lever 41 can be prevented by setting the swing stroke amount of the brake operation lever 41 to be sufficiently large.

By swinging the brake operating lever 41 to the operating position, the brake switch 40 is switched from off to on, and the left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L, 25R
Release the brake. By releasing the brake, the left and right crawler belts 11L and 11R can be brought into a running state by the power of the left and right transmission motors 21L and 21R.

Further, since the brake operating lever 41 is provided above the brake switch 40, the brake operating lever 41 can also protect the brake switch 40.
As a result, there is no fear that the on / off state of the brake switch 40 is inadvertently switched.

By driving the engine 14, the power of the engine 14 can be transmitted to the snow removing work unit 13 via the power transmission mechanism 34 of the auger 31. The power transmission mechanism 34 of the auger 31 is a transmission mechanism incorporating an electromagnetic clutch 45. The power transmission mechanism 34 includes a drive pulley 36 attached to a crankshaft 35 of the engine 14 via an electromagnetic clutch 45, and a drive belt 37 attached to the drive pulley 36.
, A driven shaft 38 to which the driven pulley 38 is attached, a worm gear type reduction mechanism 39 a connected to the rotation shaft 39, and a worm gear type reduction mechanism 39.
and auger shaft 39b connected to a. The blower 32 is attached to the rotating shaft 39, and the auger 31 is attached to the auger shaft 39b.

A clutch switch 46 for controlling on / off of the electromagnetic clutch 45 is provided on the operation panel 51 at a position close to the right operation handle 17R (the other handle), and a clutch operation button 47 for operating the clutch switch 46 is provided. Is provided integrally with the clutch switch 46, so that the clutch operation button 47 can be connected to the rear end 51 of the operation panel 51.
f and a position close to the right operation handle 17R side.

The clutch operation button 47 can be held at the non-operation position (the state shown) by the spring force of a return spring (not shown), and can be held at the operation position by pushing it in with the right hand. Further, when the clutch operation button 47 at the operation position is pushed again,
It can be returned to the non-operation position (the state shown) by the spring force of the return spring. This clutch operation button 47
Has a built-in lamp (e.g., a backup lamp) so that the clutch operation button 47 can be easily visually recognized at night or during snowfall.

By pressing the clutch operation button 47 with the right hand to the operation position as shown by the arrow, the clutch switch 4
6 switches from off to on, and the electromagnetic clutch 45 is engaged. Therefore, the rotation of the engine 14 is transmitted to the snow removing work unit 13 via the electromagnetic clutch 45 and the blower 3
2 and the auger 31 can be brought into a rotating state.

A guard 48 is provided around the clutch operation button 47. The guard 48 is provided at the rear end 51f of the operation panel 51 to cover the clutch operation button 47.
It is a member attached to. By covering the clutch operation button 47 with the guard 48, the clutch operation button 4
7 can be prevented from being inadvertently switched.

As described above, the left and right driving wheels 23
The electromagnetic brake 25 is attached to the speed reducers 22L, 22R of the L, 23R.
L, 25R, and an electromagnetic clutch 45 in the power transmission mechanism 34 of the auger 31. As described above, by employing the electromagnetic brakes 25L, 25R and the electromagnetic clutch 45, the electromagnetic brakes 25L, 25R and the electromagnetic clutch 45 are respectively connected to the brake switch 40 and the clutch switch 4
6, the brake operation lever 4
1 and the operating force of the clutch operation button can be reduced. Therefore, the burden on the worker can be reduced.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the snow blower according to the present invention. The brake switch 40 is provided between the battery 53 and the left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R. When the brake operation lever 41 reaches the non-operation position P1 (the state shown in the drawing), the base 41a of the brake operation lever 41 presses the brake switch 40. By pressing the brake switch 40, the brake switch 40 is turned off.

On the other hand, when the brake operating lever 41 is swung to the operating position as shown by the arrow, the base 41a of the brake operating lever 41 is separated from the brake switch 40, and the brake switch 40 is turned on. That is, the brake switch 40 is a normally open contact switch. The left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R are braked in a non-energized state, and are released in an energized state.

The clutch switch 46 is provided halfway between the brake switch 40 and the electromagnetic clutch 45. When the clutch operation button 47 reaches the non-pressing position P2 (the position indicated by the solid line), the clutch switch 46 is turned off, and the clutch operating button 47 is pressed. It is a normally open contact switch that is turned on when pushed in to the position P3 (state of the imaginary line) as shown by the arrow. The electromagnetic clutch 45 is disengaged in the non-energized state, and is connected in the energized state.

The control unit (shown in FIG. 1) can check the initial state of the contact as a fault detection of the brake switch 40 and the clutch switch 46. Thereby, the reliability of the electrical connection between the brake switch 40 and the clutch switch 46 can be further improved.

Next, based on Table 1, the electromagnetic brake 25
The operation of the L, 25R and the electromagnetic clutch 45 will be described.

[0042]

[Table 1]

When the brake operation lever 41 is gripped with the left hand and swung to the operation position as indicated by the arrow, the brake switch 40 is switched from off to on, the left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R are energized and the brakes are released. When the brake is released, the snow blower 10 can be run.

In this state, when the clutch operation button 47 is pushed with the right hand to an operation position P3 indicated by an imaginary line as indicated by an arrow, the clutch switch 46 is switched from off to on, and the electromagnetic clutch 45 is energized and the clutch is turned on. The connection is established and the blower 32 is connected to the engine 14 (shown in FIG. 3).
And the auger 31 can be rotated.

When the electromagnetic clutch 45 is set to the clutch operation button 4
7, the electromagnetic clutch 45 can be kept energized even if the right hand is released from the clutch operation button 47. Therefore, the clutch operation button 47
, And the other operation lever can be operated with the right hand, so that the workability of the snow blower 10 can be improved.

Further, since the electromagnetic clutch 45 can be kept energized even if the right hand is released from the clutch operation button 47, it is not necessary to connect the operation levers attached to the left and right operation handles by the connecting portion as in the prior art. Absent. As described above, since the connecting portion is not required, the operation means of the electromagnetic clutch or the electromagnetic brake (that is, the clutch operation button 47 and the brake operation lever 41) can be simplified. Therefore, the cost of the snow blower 10 can be reduced, and the maintenance can be performed in a short time, so that the maintenance can be easily performed without any trouble.

Next, in a state where the brake operation lever 41 is gripped by the left hand (ie, the operation position), the clutch operation button 47 is pushed again by the right hand as indicated by an arrow, so that the clutch operation button 47 is moved to the non-operation position indicated by the solid line. Returning to P2, the clutch switch 46 switches from on to off. As a result, the electromagnetic clutch 45 is turned off and the clutch is disconnected. As a result, the rotation of the engine 14 is not transmitted to the snow removing work section 13 and the blower 32 and the auger 31
Can be stopped.

When the left hand is released from the brake operation lever 41 in a state where the brake operation lever 41 and the clutch operation button 47 are held at the operation positions, the brake operation lever 41 is disengaged by the spring force of a return spring (not shown). Returning to the operation state (the position shown), the brake switch 40 is switched from on to off, the left and right electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R are de-energized, and the brake is released and the brake is switched. By switching to the brake braking, the running of the snow blower 10 can be stopped by applying a braking force to the rotation of the left and right transmission motors 21L and 21R.

In this case, even if the clutch operation button 47 is not pressed with the right hand, the electromagnetic switch 45 is turned off by switching the brake switch 40 off. In the non-energized state, the electromagnetic clutch 45 is disengaged, and the rotation of the blower 32 and the auger 31 can be stopped. Therefore, just by releasing the left hand from the brake operation lever 41,
The blower 32 and the auger 31 can be stopped at the same time as the snowplow 10 is stopped.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the brake operating lever 41 was attached to the left operating handle 17L and the clutch operating button 47 was attached near the right operating handle 17R. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to attach the brake operation lever 41 to the operation handle 17R of the above and to mount the clutch operation button 47 near the left operation handle 17L. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the clutch operation button 47 has a built-in lamp has been described, but the clutch operation button 47 may not have a built-in lamp.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the brake switch 40 was a normally open contact switch, and the electromagnetic brakes 25L and 25R used brakes in a non-energized state and brakes released in an energized state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the brake switch 40 may be a normally closed contact switch, and the electromagnetic brakes 25L, 25R
It is also possible to use a brake which is braked when the power is on and released when the power is off. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it is also possible to use a clutch switch 46 that is a normally closed contact switch, and that switches the clutch off when the electromagnetic clutch 45 is energized and connects the clutch when not energized.

[0052]

According to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited by the above configuration. In claim 1, an electromagnetic brake is incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the drive wheel, and an electromagnetic clutch is incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the auger. As described above, by using the electromagnetic brake or the electromagnetic clutch, the electromagnetic brake or the electromagnetic clutch can be operated by the switch. Therefore, the operation force can be reduced, so that the burden on the operator can be reduced.

Further, the electromagnetic clutch is configured to be operated by a clutch operation button. Therefore, the electromagnetic clutch can be kept on by pressing the clutch operation button. Therefore, since the other operation levers can be operated by releasing the clutch operation button, the workability of the snow blower can be improved.

Furthermore, since the conventionally required connecting portion can be eliminated, the operation means of the electromagnetic clutch and the electromagnetic brake can be simplified. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of the snow blower, and in addition, maintenance can be performed in a short time, so that maintenance can be easily performed without any trouble.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a snow blower according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the snow blower according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a main part of the snow blower according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a snow blower according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an operation handle provided in a conventional snow blower.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another operation handle provided in a conventional snow blower.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: snowplow, 17L: left operating handle (handle), 17R: right operating handle (handle), 19
... body, 22L ... left reducer (drive wheel power transmission mechanism), 22R ... right reducer (drive wheel power transmission mechanism), 25L ... left electromagnetic brake, 25R ... right electromagnetic brake, 31 ... auger , 34: auger power transmission mechanism, 40: brake switch, 41: brake operating lever, 45: electromagnetic clutch, 46: clutch switch, 4
7: clutch operation button, 51: operation panel, 51f: rear end, 53: battery.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A snow removal machine comprising: a body provided with driving wheels for traveling; an auger for snow removal; and left and right handles extending rearward from a rear end of the body, and an operation panel provided between the left and right handles. An electromagnetic brake is incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the wheel, and a brake operation lever for operating the electromagnetic brake is attached to one of the left and right handles. An electromagnetic clutch is incorporated in the power transmission mechanism of the auger, and the electromagnetic clutch is operated. A snow plow comprising a clutch operation button provided on the operation panel and at a position closer to the other handle.