JP4441926B2 - Rotary snowplow - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary snowplow that dumps snow accumulated by an auger using an air flow generated by a blower.

In recent years, in order to efficiently remove snow accumulated on roads, rotary snowplows that use an air flow generated by a blower to collect snow accumulated by an auger have been widely used (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). . Such a rotary snowplow is configured by mounting an auger having a helical ribbon shape and a snowplow having a rotary blower on the front of the vehicle. The power from the engine is branched and transmitted to a power transmission system that transmits power to the traveling device of the vehicle as a snowplow and a power transmission system that transmits power for rotating the auger and blower. Each power transmission system is configured by connecting two hydraulic pumps directly connected to the engine to respective hydraulic motors through separate hydraulic lines. As a result, the rotation speed of the hydraulic motor used to drive the vehicle as a snowplow and the hydraulic motor that drives the auger or blower is not linked, and each hydraulic motor rotates at a different rotation speed. Become.
JP-A-10-96219 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-240027

  There are various types of snowplows of various sizes, from large ones to small ones, for dumping the snow accumulated by the rotating auger with the air flow of the blower. This is because there are roads of various sizes from the roadway that is a main road to the sidewalk on the roads that are subject to snow removal. Here, snow removal on the main road is often outsourced to a snow removal specialist and is performed using a large rotary snow plow. Also, most of the operators engaged in snow removal work are experienced and have excellent skills. Such an experienced operator accurately determines the snowfall situation and slightly adjusts the traveling speed of the rotary snowplow to remove snow efficiently even if the snowfall situation is different.

  On the other hand, snow removal on small alleys and pedestrian sidewalks has gradually become more mechanized and is being carried out using rotary snow plows. However, such snow removal on small roads is performed by skilled operators by specialists. There are few opportunities, and in many cases, it is performed by an unfamiliar operator close to an amateur.

  A conventional rotary snowplow, that is, a hydraulic motor that is used to drive the vehicle as a snowplow and a hydraulic motor that drives an auger or blower are independent of each other by such an unfamiliar operator. When performing snow removal using a rotary snow plow that is not linked to the rotation of the snow, the efficiency of the snow removal work may be significantly reduced. For example, if the amount of snow that accumulates on the road is large and the snow that has been compacted is removed, the load required to drive the auger increases, and the rotation speed of the blower linked to the rotation of the auger and auger also increases. descend. If the rotational speed of the blower decreases below a certain level, the energy required for dumping cannot be applied to the snow, and snow cannot be removed successfully. Furthermore, even if the rotational speed of the blower is reduced, the hydraulic motor that is used for running the vehicle is different from the hydraulic motor that is used for driving the blower, so that the running of the vehicle continues without stopping. . Therefore, a large load is applied to the auger as in the case of removing snow that has been firmly treaded, and snow removal cannot be performed well when the rotation speed of the auger or blower is reduced. It was necessary to manually stop and wait for the rotation speed of the auger and blower to rise, and then perform an operation to start snow removal again. Such a vehicle stop timing is delicate and difficult for an inexperienced operator.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when the snow condition is bad and a certain amount of load acts on the auger to reduce the blower speed, the reduced blower speed is reduced. Even if an operator is unfamiliar with snow removal work, it is safe and easy to remove snow as it automatically detects the vehicle and stops the running of the vehicle and waits for the rotation speed of the auger and blower to rise. It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotary snowplow that can perform the above.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an engine as a power source for driving a travel power source and an auger and a blower provided in a snow removal device is mounted on a vehicle, and the engine has a vehicle travel pump as a hydraulic pump, A snow removal device drive pump is connected, hydraulic oil sent from the vehicle running pump is supplied to a vehicle running motor that is a hydraulic motor, and hydraulic oil sent from the snow removal device drive pump is a hydraulic motor The vehicle includes a vehicle that is supplied to a drive motor and is capable of self-running by the vehicle running motor; and the snow removal device that includes the auger and the blower at a front portion of the vehicle, and the snow removal device drive motor rotates the auger. In a rotary snowplow that blows away and throws away the accumulated snow together with the air flow generated by the blower Attaching a rotational speed detector for detecting the rotational speed to the drive system of the blower, when the rotational speed of the blower is decreased below a predetermined value, automatically stopping the running of the vehicle does not stop the rotation of the blower Thus, when the rotational speed recovers to a predetermined value or more, the vehicle does not automatically start unless it is reset.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an engine as a power source for driving a driving power source and an auger and a blower provided in a snow removal device is mounted on a vehicle, and the engine has a vehicle driving pump that is a hydraulic pump A snow removal device drive pump is connected, hydraulic oil sent from the vehicle running pump is supplied to a vehicle running motor that is a hydraulic motor, and hydraulic oil sent from the snow removal device drive pump is a hydraulic motor The vehicle includes a vehicle that is supplied to a drive motor and is capable of self-running by the vehicle running motor; and the snow removal device that includes the auger and the blower at a front portion of the vehicle, and the snow removal device drive motor rotates the auger. In a rotary snowplow that blows away and throws away the accumulated snow together with the air flow generated by the blower Attaching a rotational speed detector for detecting the rotational speed on the driving system of the auger, when the rotational speed of the auger is lowered below a predetermined value, automatically stopping the running of the vehicle does not stop the rotation of the auger Thus, when the rotational speed recovers to a predetermined value or more, the vehicle does not automatically start unless it is reset.

  According to the rotary snowplow according to the first aspect, when a large snow removal load acts on the auger and the rotational speed of the blower decreases as in the case of removing snow that has been firmly treaded, the vehicle temporarily stops running. Therefore, the rotation speed of the blower can be increased by automatically stopping. Therefore, even if a large snow removal load is applied to the auger, the rotation of the blower will not stop, and even if the rotation speed of the blower is recovered due to the subsequent snow removal, the reset operation is not performed. Since the vehicle does not automatically start unless after this, even a person unfamiliar with snow removal work can perform snow removal safely and efficiently.

  According to the rotary snowplow described in claim 2, since the same effect as that of the rotary snowplow described in claim 1 can be obtained and the degree of freedom of the installation location of the rotational speed detector is increased, the design of the snowplow can be improved. It becomes easy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a rotary snowplow in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a power transmission system diagram of the rotary snow plow in the embodiment of the present invention. A rotary snowplow 1 according to the present embodiment includes a four-wheel drive vehicle 2 that travels on a snowy road or sidewalk, and a snow removal device 3 attached to the front of the vehicle 2. The vehicle 2 is equipped with an engine 6 as a power source for driving the driving power source of the vehicle 2 and the auger 4 and blower 5 provided in the snow removal device 3. As the engine 6, a diesel engine having a large torque in a low speed rotation region is often used. The output shaft 6a of the engine 6 is connected to a vehicle travel pump P1 which is a hydraulic pump and a drive shaft 7 of a snow removal device drive pump P2. The high-pressure hydraulic fluid delivered from the vehicle travel pump P1 is supplied to the vehicle travel motor M1 that is a hydraulic motor. On the other hand, the high-pressure hydraulic fluid sent out from the snow removal device drive pump P2 is supplied to the snow removal device drive motor M2, which is a hydraulic motor. The output shaft 8 of the vehicle travel motor M1 is connected to the input shaft 9a of the transmission 9, and the rotational speed of the vehicle travel motor M1 is reduced. The two output shafts 9b and 9c of the transmission 9 are connected to an input shaft 12a of a differential gear reducer 12 for driving the front and rear axles of the vehicle 2 via a universal joint 11 such as a universal joint. It is structured to allow wheel drive.

  The vehicle travel pump P1 and the snow removal device drive pump P2 are commercially available general-purpose swash plate piston pumps, and have a structure capable of switching the flow of hydraulic oil by changing the angle of the swash plate. . That is, when the swash plate is set to the neutral position perpendicular to the axial direction of the piston, the pump discharge amount becomes zero, and when the swash plate is tilted in either direction across the neutral position, the pump discharge amount gradually increases. It is like that. In other words, by changing the direction in which the swash plate is tilted across the neutral position, the flow direction of the hydraulic oil can be changed in the opposite direction, and the discharge amount of the pump can also be changed.

  When such a swash plate piston pump is used for the vehicle travel pump P1, the vehicle 2 can be switched forward and backward by manipulating the angle of the swash plate, and the traveling speed of the vehicle 2 can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the structure of the transmission 9 is simplified, and there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced as the entire vehicle travel device. Further, when such a swash plate piston pump is used for the snow removal device drive pump P2, the rotation direction of the auger 4 and the blower 5 can be switched between normal rotation and reverse rotation by manipulating the angle of the swash plate. A gear pump P3 that generates hydraulic pressure for driving the actuator is also connected to the engine.

  FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams showing a configuration in which the traveling lever 13 switches between forward / reverse and neutral of the vehicle traveling pump P1. An operating rod 14 for changing the angle of the swash plate of the vehicle travel pump P1 is connected to the travel lever 13 by a link or a wire rope 15. Therefore, when the travel lever 13 is shifted to the forward position, the swash plate of the vehicle travel pump P1 is also moved to the forward position, and hydraulic oil is sent to the vehicle travel motor M1 to advance the vehicle 2. On the other hand, when the travel lever 13 is shifted to the reverse position, the swash plate of the vehicle travel pump P1 is also moved to the reverse position, and hydraulic oil is sent to the vehicle travel motor M1 so that the vehicle 2 moves backward. Further, when the travel lever 13 is shifted to the neutral position, the swash plate of the vehicle travel pump P1 is brought to the neutral position, and the vehicle 2 stops without sending hydraulic oil to the vehicle travel motor M1. In this way, the traveling state of the vehicle 2 can be controlled by shifting the position of the traveling lever 13.

  A snow removal device 3 including an auger 4 and a blower 5 is attached to the front portion of the vehicle 2. The auger 4 has a helical ribbon-shaped blade attached to a rotating shaft, and is disposed symmetrically with respect to the center in the axial direction. In other words, the twisting direction of the blade of the auger 4 is opposite to the left and right. Then, when the auger 4 is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the snow on the road is conveyed to the central portion of the auger 4.

  A rotary blower 5 is provided behind the auger 4. The blower 5 is for sucking the snow accumulated by the auger 4 and dumping it away with the air flow. In order to inhale snow and throw it away, the peripheral speed of the blades of the blower 5 must be a predetermined value or more. Although the required peripheral speed of the blades of the blower 5 varies depending on the model and snow quality, it has been empirically known that snow cannot be dumped well at about 8 to 12 m / sec or less.

  Next, the drive mechanism of the auger 4 and the blower 5 will be described. A snow removal device drive pump P2 for driving the auger 4 and the blower 5 provided in the snow removal device 3 is also connected to the output shaft 6a of the engine 6 as a prime mover together with the vehicle traveling pump P1. The snow removal device drive pump P2 is also a swash plate piston pump similar to the vehicle travel pump P1, and the flow of hydraulic oil can be switched by changing the angle of the swash plate. That is, at the neutral position where the swash plate is perpendicular to the axial direction of the piston, the pump discharge amount is zero, and when the swash plate is tilted in either direction across the neutral position, the pump discharge amount gradually increases. It is like that. In other words, it has a structure that can change the flow direction of the hydraulic oil in the reverse direction by changing the direction in which the swash plate is inclined across the neutral position.

  The high-pressure hydraulic oil from the snow removal device drive pump P2 is supplied to the snow removal device drive motor M2 through a pipeline. Then, by changing the angle of the swash plate of the snow removal device drive pump P2, the snow removal device drive motor M2 can be selectively rotated in both forward and reverse directions by the hydraulic oil supplied from the snow removal device drive pump P2. Yes. The method of operating the angle of the swash plate of the snow removal device drive pump P2 can be performed in the same manner as the operation mechanism of the vehicle travel pump P1 shown in FIGS.

  An output shaft 16 of the snow removal device drive motor M2 is connected to an input shaft 19 of a gear reducer 22 having two output shafts 20 and 21 incorporating bevel gears 17 and 18 therein. The rotary shaft of the blower 5 is connected to one of the two output shafts 20 and 21 of the gear reducer 22, and the other output shaft 20 is connected to the chain via a universal joint 23. The input shaft 25 of the motive 24 is connected. Further, the output shaft 26 of the chain transmission 24 is connected to the auger 4 via a shear pin joint 27 for limiting the load torque acting on the auger 4 and drives the auger 4.

  Therefore, when the snow removal device drive motor M2 rotates, the auger 4 and the blower 5 rotate in conjunction with each other if the drive torque is equal to or less than the specified torque of the shear pin joint 27. The rotation direction of the auger 5 can be switched by operating the angle of the swash plate of the snow removal device drive pump P2 to switch the rotation direction of the snow removal device drive motor M2.

  The vehicle 2 is provided with a chute 10 for dumping snow released from the blower 4 to a distant place. The chute 10 has a substantially vertical cylindrical shape and can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction. Furthermore, it is set as the structure which can be rotated in a plane, and the cover provided in the upper end can open the snow discharge port by arbitrary opening. By appropriately determining the position and orientation of the discharge port at the upper end of the chute 10, it is possible to arbitrarily set the position to blow snow.

  The vehicle 2 is provided with a driver's seat 2a. The driver's seat 2a is provided with an operation panel (not shown) for controlling the traveling function and the snow removal function of the rotary snowplow 1. The traveling lever 13 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is connected by a connecting member 15 such as a control link or a wire, and is disposed near the driver's seat. Therefore, by operating the travel lever 13 from the driver's seat, the angles of the swash plates of the vehicle travel pump P1 and the snow removal device drive pump P2 can be changed, and thereby the vehicle travel motor M1 and the snow removal device drive motor M2 are controlled. The direction of rotation can be switched.

  Note that the switching lever 13 can swing continuously in the forward or backward direction from the neutral position shown in the figure, thereby continuously changing the rotational speed of the vehicle travel motor M1 or the snow removal device drive motor M2 in that direction.

  In the normal snow removal operation, the snow removal device drive motor M2 is rotated forward to rotate the auger 4 in the normal direction, and the snow is collected at the center of the auger 4 and then discharged from the chute 10 together with the air flow of the blower 5. However, when removing snow on narrow roads or when there is no place to throw away and throw snow, the switching lever is switched in the reverse direction of the hydraulic motor. Then, the snow removal device drive motor M2 is reversed and the auger 4 is also reversed, so that the snow in front of the rotary snowplow 1 is removed to both sides as the vehicle 2 moves forward, and a snow removal effect similar to that of a plow is obtained.

  FIG. 5 shows a mounting structure of the rotational speed detector 31 for detecting the rotational speed of the blower 5. (A) has shown the front view, (b) has shown the side view. The rotation speed detector 31 includes a proximity sensor 32 for generating a pulse signal, and an iron plate piece 33 attached to a rotation shaft that is close to the detection range of the proximity sensor 32. The rotary shaft of the blower 5 is connected to one output shaft 21 of the two output shafts of the gear reducer 22, and the other output shaft 20 is input to the chain transmission 24 via a universal joint 23. The shaft 25 is connected.

  The proximity sensor 32 is attached to the outer surface of the housing 22a of the gear reducer 22 using a bracket 34. An iron plate piece 33 for generating a pulse signal by the proximity sensor 32 is attached to a mounting flange 35 of a universal joint 23 that connects the gear reducer 22 and the chain transmission 24. The iron plate piece 33 can be easily attached using flange fastening bolts 36 and nuts 37 arranged around the flange 35. Here, when the flange 35 rotates, the iron plate pieces 33 attached at two locations of the flange 35 also rotate, and when the flange 35 rotates once, two pulses are output.

  In the illustrated example, the rotational speed detector 31 is attached to the mounting flange 35 of the universal joint 23 that connects the gear reducer 22 and the chain transmission 24. However, the rotational speed detector 31 is attached to the gear reducer. It may be provided between 22 and the blower 5 or may be provided in a place where the rotational speed of the input shaft 25 or the output shaft 26 of the chain transmission 24 can be detected. In the example shown in the drawing, a power transmission mechanism without a slip such as a gear or a chain is employed, so that the rotary shaft at the rear stage of the snow removal device drive motor M2 rotates in conjunction. Therefore, the rotation speed of the blower 5 can be detected not only by the rotation speed of the shaft of the blower 5 but also by detecting the rotation speed of the rotation shaft at the subsequent stage from the snow removal device drive motor M2.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining the function of detecting a decrease in the rotational speed of the blower drive system or the auger drive system and automatically stopping the traveling of the vehicle 2. As the rotation sensor 32, a commercially available proximity sensor 32 can be used. The iron plate pieces 33 attached at two places around the flange 35 forming a part of the blower drive system or the auger drive system enter the detection range of the proximity sensor 32 once per turn when the flange 35 rotates, correspondingly. A pulse is output from the proximity sensor 32. Therefore, when the iron plate pieces 33 are attached at two locations around the flange 35, two pulses are output per one rotation of the flange. Increasing the number of pulses per rotation of the flange improves the accuracy of detecting the number of rotations in the low-speed rotation region. However, in order to increase the number of pulses, it is necessary to increase the number of iron plate pieces 33 attached to the flange 35, and considering the maintenance situation, about two iron plate pieces 33 attached to the flange 35 are appropriate. It is.

  The pulse output of the rotation sensor 32 is sent to the rotation speed display 38, and the rotation speed of the blower drive system or the auger drive system is displayed. Here, it is convenient to use a pulse input type rotation speed indicator 38 because the input signal can be directly connected.

  The pulse output of the rotation sensor 32 is sent to the rotation speed indicator 38 and also to the travel control amplifier 39. The travel control amplifier 39 uses the rotational speed signal from the rotational sensor 32 as an input, and when the rotational speed signal falls below a predetermined value, activates the relay 41 to drive the solenoid valve 42 to drive the vehicle 2. It is intended to stop automatically. In the example shown in FIG. 6, an analog travel control amplifier 39 is used. In other words, the travel control amplifier 39 includes an F / V converter 43 and a comparator 44. The pulse signal from the rotation sensor 32 is converted into a voltage signal by the F / V converter 43 and then compared with a reference voltage by the comparator 44. When the input signal from the rotation sensor 32 falls below the reference voltage, the relay 41 is activated. Note that the operation of the relay 41 is self-maintained. The travel control amplifier 39 receives a signal from a travel lever position detector 45 that controls the forward / reverse travel and stop of the vehicle 2. In order to release the self-holding state of the relay 41, the position of the traveling lever 13 must be once returned to the neutral position. The signal from the travel lever position detector 45 is input to the travel control amplifier 39 for that purpose.

  The on / off operation of the relay 41 drives a solenoid valve 42 provided in a pipeline that supplies high-pressure hydraulic oil from the vehicle travel pump P1 to the vehicle travel motor M1. That is, when the snow removal load acting on the auger 4 increases and the rotational speed of the auger 4 or the blower 5 falls below a predetermined value, the supply of high-pressure hydraulic oil from the vehicle travel pump P1 to the vehicle travel motor M1 is The traveling of the vehicle 2 is automatically stopped by being shut off by the solenoid valve 42. Then, the load acting on the auger 4 is reduced by the progress of the snow removal work, and when the traveling lever 13 is set to the neutral position after the rotational speed of the auger 4 or the blower 5 is restored to a predetermined value or more, the solenoid valve 42 is opened, The supply of high-pressure hydraulic oil will be started again. However, since the traveling lever 13 is in the neutral position, the vehicle 2 does not start traveling. Therefore, even when a large snow removal load is applied to the auger 4, the rotation of the auger 4 and the blower 5 does not stop, and even a person unfamiliar with snow removal work should perform safe and efficient snow removal. Can do. In addition, even after the rotational speed of the auger 4 and the blower 5 is recovered due to the progress of snow removal, the vehicle 2 will not automatically start unless the reset operation for returning the travel lever 13 to the neutral position is performed. Snow removal work can be performed. Here, the predetermined value for the rotational speed of the auger 4 and the blower 5 means a rotational speed corresponding to 8 to 12 m / sec in terms of the outer peripheral speed of the blades of the blower 5. The required outer peripheral speed of the blades of the blower 5 differs depending on the model and also on the snow quality, so that the set value can be changed as appropriate.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the matters described in the claims of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the travel control amplifier 39 has been described as an analog type, but a digital control device using a CPU may be employed .

It is a side view of the rotary snowplow in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a power transmission system diagram of the rotary snowplow in the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a connection between a traveling lever of a rotary snowplow and a swash plate pump in an embodiment of the present invention. It is drawing which shows the travel lever in embodiment of this invention. It is the front view and side view which show the attachment structure of the rotation speed detector in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle travel control in embodiment of this invention.

1 Rotary snowplow 2 Vehicle 3 Snow removal device 4 Auger 5 Blower
6 Engine
31 Speed detector
P1 Vehicle running pump
P2 Snow removal device drive pump
M1 Vehicle running motor
M2 snow removal device drive motor

Claims (2)

A driving power source and an engine as a power source for driving an auger and a blower provided in the snow removal device are mounted on the vehicle, and a vehicle traveling pump and a snow removal device driving pump which are hydraulic pumps are connected to the engine, The hydraulic oil sent from the vehicle driving pump is supplied to a vehicle driving motor that is a hydraulic motor, and the hydraulic oil sent from the snow removal device driving pump is supplied to a snow removing device drive motor that is a hydraulic motor,
Snow that is accumulated by rotating the auger with the snow removing device drive motor, comprising the vehicle that is capable of self-running by the vehicle running motor, and the snow removing device having the auger and the blower at a front portion of the vehicle. In a rotary snowplow that blows away with the air flow generated by the blower, the rotational speed detector that detects the rotational speed is attached to the drive system of the blower, and the rotational speed of the blower drops below a predetermined value The rotation of the blower is not stopped and the vehicle is automatically stopped. When the rotational speed is restored to a predetermined value or more, the vehicle may automatically start running after a reset operation. A rotary snow plow characterized by the absence of it. A driving power source and an engine as a power source for driving an auger and a blower provided in the snow removal device are mounted on the vehicle, and a vehicle traveling pump and a snow removal device driving pump which are hydraulic pumps are connected to the engine, The hydraulic oil sent from the vehicle driving pump is supplied to a vehicle driving motor that is a hydraulic motor, and the hydraulic oil sent from the snow removal device driving pump is supplied to a snow removing device drive motor that is a hydraulic motor,
Snow that is accumulated by rotating the auger with the snow removing device drive motor, comprising the vehicle that is capable of self-running by the vehicle running motor, and the snow removing device having the auger and the blower at a front portion of the vehicle. In a rotary snowplow that blows away with the air flow generated by the blower, the rotational speed detector that detects the rotational speed is attached to the drive system of the auger, and the rotational speed of the auger falls below a predetermined value The rotation of the auger is automatically stopped without stopping the rotation of the auger , and when the rotation speed is recovered to a predetermined value or more, the vehicle can automatically start driving unless the reset operation is performed. A rotary snow plow characterized by the absence of it.

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