JP5186292B2 - Auger type snow blower - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an improved technique for a so-called auger type snowplow in which an operator steers a bar-shaped operation handle, collects snow with an auger, and discharges the collected snow from a shooter with a blower.

Some auger-type snowplows employ a method in which the posture of the auger housing or the shooter is changed according to the conditions of snow removal work. For example, the snow throwing direction and the snow throwing distance are determined by adjusting the attitude of the shooter. However, it is a heavy burden on the operator to change the posture of the auger housing or the shooter manually. On the other hand, in order to reduce the burden on the operator, development of an auger type snowplow in which the posture of the auger housing and the shooter is changed by power (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .
JP 2007-56445 A

  This auger type snowplow known from Patent Document 1 has an operation panel between left and right operation handles extending rearward and upward from the vehicle body, and this operation panel includes an auger housing posture operation lever and a shooter operation lever. That's it. The operator can adjust the attitude of the auger housing with the electric motor by operating the auger housing attitude operating lever. Further, by operating the shooter operating lever, the attitude of the shooter can be adjusted by the electric motor.

  An operator drives the auger and performs snow removal work while walking and grasping and manipulating the left and right operation handles. When adjusting the posture of the auger housing or the shooter according to the snow removal work situation, the operator releases one hand from the operation handle and operates the auger housing posture operation lever or the shooter operation lever. That is, the operator releases the operation handle each time the lever is operated. Such operations often require some skill. For beginners who are unfamiliar with work, it is preferable to be able to operate as easily as possible. For this reason, an auger type snowplow that can be operated more easily is demanded.

  This invention makes it a subject to provide the technique which can improve the operativity of an auger type snow remover.

The invention according to claim 1 is an auger type snow removal machine in which an operator steers a bar-shaped operation handle, collects snow with an auger, and discharges the collected snow from a shooter with a blower.
An auger housing drive motor for adjusting the posture of the auger housing having the auger by power, an auger housing operation unit for operating the auger housing drive motor, and for adjusting the posture of the shooter by power A shooter driving motor, and a shooter operating unit for operating the shooter driving motor,
The operation handle is provided with at least one of the auger housing operation unit and the shooter operation unit in a range that can be operated by a thumb of a hand holding the operation handle ,
Of the auger housing operation part and the shooter operation part, the operation part provided on the operation handle has a knob provided with an operation surface pressed by the thumb of the hand, and is attached to the axis of the operation handle The angle is provided so as to be adjustable by manual operation, so that the attachment angle of the operation surface with respect to the axis is provided so as to be adjustable .

The invention according to claim 2, according to claim 1, operation unit is rotatably attached in the circumferential direction of the operating handle through the high friction layer on the operating handle, the frictional resistance of the high friction layer the mounting angle by anti manually operated, characterized in adjustable der Rukoto.

In the invention according to claim 1, in the bar-shaped operation handle that is gripped and operated by the operator, at least one of the auger housing operation unit and the shooter operation unit is within a range that can be operated by the thumb of the hand holding the operation handle. Is provided.
For example, when the operation handle is provided with the auger housing operation unit, the operator can operate the auger housing operation unit with the thumb of the hand holding the operation handle. As a result, the attitude of the auger housing can be adjusted by the auger housing drive motor. Further, when the shooter operation unit is provided on the operation handle, the operator can operate the shooter operation unit with the thumb of the hand holding the operation handle. As a result, the attitude of the shooter can be adjusted by the shooter driving motor.
In this way, the operator can easily operate the auger housing operation unit and the shooter operation unit with the thumb without releasing the operation handle. Therefore, the operability of the auger type snow remover can be further enhanced.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the mounting angle of the operation surface of the knob provided in the auger housing operation part or the shooter operation part with respect to the axis of the operation handle can be adjusted. For this reason, the operator can freely adjust the mounting angle of the operation surface of the knob of the operation unit according to his / her body shape and preference. Further, when the snow removal machine is tilted back and forth in accordance with the state of the place where snow is removed, the angle of attachment of the operation surface of the knob of the operation unit can be adjusted freely. Therefore, the operability of the auger type snowplow can be further enhanced.
In the invention according to claim 2, the operation portion is attached to the operation handle so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction of the operation handle via the high friction layer, and the attachment angle is adjusted by a manual operation that resists the frictional resistance of the high friction layer. Since it is possible, the operability of the auger type snowplow can be further enhanced.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. “Front”, “Rear”, “Left”, “Right”, “Up”, “Down” follow the direction viewed from the operator, Fr is front, Rr is rear, Le is left, Ri is right , CL indicates a vehicle width direction center line (vehicle width direction center).

  FIG. 1 is a left side view of an auger type snowplow according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control system diagram of the auger type snowplow shown in FIG. 1, and schematically shows the auger type snowplow seen from above.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the auger type snow remover 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as “snow remover 10”) is a self-running type that scrapes and removes snow with a front auger 43 while traveling forward. It is a kind of walking type work machine. The snowplow 10 is mounted on a traveling frame 11 so that the rear portion of the vehicle body frame 12 can swing up and down, and the front portion of the vehicle body frame 12 is moved up and down (up and down swing) by the lifting mechanism 13. The blower case 42 is mounted so as to be able to roll, and the auger housing 41 is rolled by the rolling mechanism 14.

  The combined structure of the traveling frame 11 and the vehicle body frame 12 constitutes an airframe 15. The traveling frame 11 includes left and right traveling devices 20L and 20R and left and right electric motors 31L and 31R. The vehicle body frame 12 includes a snow removal working device 40 disposed in the front portion and an engine 51 disposed in the upper portion.

The elevating mechanism 13 is an actuator in which a piston can advance and retreat from a cylinder, and uses the first electric motor 13a as a drive source. The elevating mechanism 13 can swing the front portion of the vehicle body frame 12 up and down. Therefore, the height of the snow removal work device 40, that is, the posture of the auger housing 41 can be adjusted by swinging the snow removal work device 40 up and down together with the vehicle body frame 12. The rolling mechanism 14 is an actuator in which a piston can advance and retreat from a cylinder, and uses the second electric motor 14a as a drive source. The auger housing 41 can be rolled left and right by the rolling mechanism 14.
The first electric motor 13a and the second electric motor 14a are auger housing driving motors for adjusting the posture of the auger housing 41 by power.

Hereinafter, the principal part of the snow removal machine 10 is demonstrated in detail.
The left and right electric motors 31 </ b> L and 31 </ b> R are travel drive sources that drive the left and right travel apparatuses 20 </ b> L and 20 </ b> R, and are supplied with electric power from the generator 52 and the battery 53. The generator 52 is driven by the engine 51 and supplies power to the battery 53 and various electric components. The battery 53 supplies power to various electrical components.

  The left and right traveling devices 20L and 20R include left and right crawler belts 21L and 21R, left and right driving wheels (traveling wheels) 22L and 22R arranged at the rear, and left and right rolling wheels 23L (right on the right). (Omitted). The left crawler belt 21L is driven via the left drive wheel 22L by the torque generated by the left electric motor 31L. The right crawler belt 21R is driven via the right drive wheel 22R by the torque generated by the right electric motor 31R.

The snow removal work device 40 includes an auger housing 41, a blower case 42 integral with the back surface of the auger housing 41, an auger 43 provided in the auger housing 41, a blower 44 provided in the blower case 42, and a shooter 45 (see FIG. 1).
The engine 51 is a snow removal drive source that drives the snow removal work device 40 via the electromagnetic clutch 46. The power of the engine 51 is transmitted to the auger 43 and the blower 44 via the electromagnetic clutch 46 and the transmission shaft 47. The snow scraped by the auger 43 can be blown away by the blower 44 via the shooter 45.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shooter 45 is attached to the blower case 42 so as to be rotatable left and right, and is driven to rotate by a third electric motor 48. The distal end portion 45a of the shooter 45 is attached to the base end portion so as to be able to swing up and down, and is driven to swing by the fourth electric motor 49 via the wire cable 45b. The third electric motor 48 and the fourth electric motor 49 are shooter driving motors for adjusting the attitude of the shooter 45 by power.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body frame 12 includes a stand 61 that extends rearward (more specifically, rearward and upper) from the upper part. The stand 61 is provided with an operation panel 62, a control unit 63, and a steering mechanism 64 in the upper part.

  FIG. 3 is a view of the operation panel and the steering mechanism shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 62 includes a main switch 71 and a battery travel mode switch 72 on the back surface 62 a (the front side in this figure, the surface on the operator side). Further, the operation panel 62 includes a mode switch 73, a throttle lever 74, a reset switch 75, and an auger operation switch 76 on the upper surface 62b. More specifically, the mode changeover switch 73 is disposed at the front left position of the upper surface 62b, the throttle lever 74 is disposed at the front right position of the upper surface 62b, and the reset switch 75 is disposed at the rear left position of the upper surface 62b. The switch 76 is disposed at the right front position of the upper surface 62b.

  Referring to FIG. 2 and referring to FIG. 3, the main switch 71 is a well-known switch that can start the engine 51 by inserting and turning the main key. The battery travel mode switch 72 is a manual switch that temporarily stops the engine 51 and drives the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R only by the electric power supplied from the battery 53, and includes, for example, a push button switch.

  The mode changeover switch 73 is a manual changeover switch that switches the travel control mode in the control unit 63, and is composed of, for example, a rotary switch. The throttle lever 74 is an operation member for controlling opening and closing of the throttle valve by controlling a control motor of an electronic governor (also referred to as an electric governor). The reset switch 75 (auger original position automatic return switch 75) is a manual switch for returning the posture (position) of the auger housing 41 to a preset origin, and is constituted by a push button switch, for example. The auger operation switch 76 is a manual switch that switches on and off the electromagnetic clutch 46 for snow removal, and includes, for example, a push button switch.

  FIG. 4 is a view of the steering mechanism shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the steering mechanism 64 includes bar-like operation handles 81L and 81R extending from the operation panel 62 to the left and right, and a handle holding mechanism 90 (see FIG. 3) for holding the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R. 4). The handle holding mechanism 90 has a first holding function and a second holding function.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first holding function is a function of holding the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R so that they can swing back and forth with the holding center Ps as a reference. In this case, the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are interlocked. For example, when the operator swings the left operating handle 81L to the front Opf, the right operating handle 81R swings forward to the Opf. Further, when the operator swings the left operation handle 81L to the rear Opr, the right operation handle 81R is interlocked and swings to the rear Opr.

  As described above, since the handle holding mechanism 90 has the first holding function, the rotational speeds of the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R shown in FIG. That is, forward / reverse switching can be performed by operating the traveling speed and rotating the electric motors 31L and 31R forward and backward.

  If the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are swung from the “neutral position” shown in FIG. 4 to the front Opf, the electric motors 31L and 31R shown in FIG. In addition, speed control can be performed according to the amount of swing operation to the front Opf. Similarly, if the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are swung from the “neutral position” shown in FIG. 4 to the rear Opr, the electric motors 31L and 31R shown in FIG. The speed can be controlled in accordance with the amount of swing operation to the backward Opr.

  The swing position information of the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R is detected by the first potentiometer 82 (see FIG. 2). In other words, the first potentiometer 82 also detects position information indicating which position each of the operation handles 81L and 81R is in the “neutral position”, “forward position”, and “reverse position”. As described above, the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R can be set as a kind of directional speed lever because they can set the front-rear direction and the high-low speed control.

  The second holding function is a function of holding the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R so as to be steerable to the left and right with reference to the holding center Ps, like a bicycle handle. That is, the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are integrally rotated. For example, during left steering, both the left operation handle 81L and the right operation handle 81R rotate in the left steering direction StL (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4). Further, at the time of right steering, both the left operation handle 81L and the right operation handle 81R rotate in the right steering direction StR (clockwise direction in FIG. 4).

  Since the handle holding mechanism 90 has the second holding function, the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are steered left and right, and the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R shown in FIG. By decelerating, stopping, and reversing the motor 31L or 31R, the snowplow 10 can be turned left or right.

  Steering position information (steering angle information) of the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R is detected by the second potentiometer 83 shown in FIG. In other words, the second potentiometer 83 also detects the position information on which of the “neutral position”, “left steering position”, and “right steering position” shown in FIG. .

  For example, when the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are steered (turning operation) during forward travel, the control unit 63 performs the following control. (1) When the steering angle of each operation handle 81L, 81R is small, the electric motor 31L or 31R inside the turning is decelerated. (2) When the steering angle of each operation handle 81L, 81R is medium, the electric motor 31L or 31R inside the turning is stopped. (3) When the steering angle of each operation handle 81L, 81R is large, the electric motor 31L or 31R inside the turn is reversed. An operator can steer the snowplow 10 with the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R while walking with the snowplow 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the left and right operation handles 81L, 81R have grips 84L, 84R at their tips. The left operation handle 81L includes a travel preparation lever 85 and a travel preparation switch 86. The right operation handle 81 </ b> R includes a handle longitudinal movement prevention lever 87 and a longitudinal movement prevention switch 88.

  The travel preparation lever 85 and the travel preparation switch 86 are attached near the tip of the left grip 84L. The travel preparation lever 85 is a travel preparation member that acts on the travel preparation switch 86, and the travel preparation switch 86 is turned off when the free spring shown in FIG. If the operator prepares the travel preparation lever 85 with the left hand and lowers it to the grip 84L side, the travel preparation switch 86 is turned on. In this way, whether or not the travel preparation lever 85 is gripped can be detected by the travel preparation switch 86.

  The handle forward / backward movement prevention lever 87 and the forward / backward movement prevention switch 88 are attached in the vicinity of the right grip 84R. The handle back-and-forth movement prevention lever 87 is an operating member that acts on the back-and-forth movement prevention switch 88 to prevent the first holding function of the handle holding mechanism 90. When the handle back-and-forth movement prevention lever 87 is brought into a free state shown in the drawing by the pulling action of the return spring, the back-and-forth movement prevention switch 88 is turned off. When the operator's right hand grasps the handle longitudinal movement prevention lever 87 and lowers it to the grip 84R side, the longitudinal movement prevention switch 88 is turned on. In this way, whether or not the steering wheel back-and-forth movement prevention lever 87 is gripped can be detected by the back-and-forth movement prevention switch 88.

  Thus, only when the operator holds the handle back-and-forth movement prevention lever 87 and lowers it to the grip 84R side, the back-and-forth movement prevention switch 88 generates an ON signal. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 63 operates the blocking electromagnetic brake 91 to be turned on (contacted state), thereby blocking the back-and-forth swing operation of the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R.

Next, the control system of the snow removal machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the operation of the system of the snow removal work device 40 will be described. The generator 52 is rotated by a part of the output of the engine 51, and the obtained electric power is supplied to the battery 53 and also supplied to the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R and other electrical components. The remaining output of the engine 51 is used for the rotation of the auger 43 and the blower 44.

  By grasping the travel preparation lever 85 and operating the auger operation switch 76, the electromagnetic clutch 46 can be connected (turned on) at the will of the operator, and the auger 43 and the blower 44 can be rotated by the torque of the engine 51. The electromagnetic clutch 46 can be disengaged (off) by either making the travel preparation lever 85 free or by turning off the auger operation switch 76.

  Next, the operation of the traveling devices 20L and 20R will be described. The snowplow 10 includes left and right electromagnetic brakes 33L and 33R as brakes corresponding to parking brakes for ordinary vehicles. Specifically, the motor shafts 32L and 32R of the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R are braked by the left and right electromagnetic brakes 33L and 33R. These electromagnetic brakes 33L and 33R are in a brake state (on state) under the control of the control unit 63 during parking. Therefore, the electromagnetic brakes 33L and 33R are released by the following procedure.

  When the two conditions of the condition that the main switch 71 is on and the condition that the travel preparation lever 85 is held are satisfied and the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R are switched forward or backward, the electromagnetic brakes 33L and 33R Is in an open (non-braking) state.

  The control unit 63 that obtains the swing position information of the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R from the first potentiometer 82 issues a control signal to the left and right driver circuits 34L and 34R, and the drive current required for the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R. To rotate the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R. Further, the control unit 63 controls the rotation speeds of the electric motors 31L and 31R to be a predetermined value. As a result, the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R rotate in a desired direction at a predetermined speed and enter a traveling state. The rotation speeds of the left and right electric motors 31L and 31R are detected by the rotation sensors 35L and 35R.

  And driving | running | working can be stopped by either of following (1)-(3). (1) Return each operation handle 81L, 81R to the neutral position shown in FIG. (2) Release the travel preparation lever 85. (3) Return the main switch 71 to the OFF position. This stop is executed using a short-circuit brake circuit (regenerative brake) that short-circuits both poles of the electric motors 31L and 31R. The left and right driver circuits 34L and 34R include a short circuit brake circuit (regenerative brake). The short circuit brake circuit is a circuit that literally shorts both poles of the electric motors 31L and 31R, and the electric motors 31L and 31R are suddenly braked by this short circuit. If the main switch 71 is returned to the OFF position, the electromagnetic brakes 33L and 33R are brought into a brake state, which is the same as when the parking brake is applied.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the left operation handle 81 </ b> L further includes an auger housing operation unit 100. The right operation handle 81R further includes a shooter operation unit 110.

  The auger housing operation unit 100 is an operation switch for operating the auger housing driving motors 13a and 14a (see FIG. 2). The auger housing operation unit 100 is arranged in a range where it can be operated by the thumb of the left hand holding the grip 84L of the left operation handle 81L.

  The shuter operation unit 110 is an operation switch for operating the shooter driving motors 48 and 49 (see FIG. 1). The shooter operation unit 110 is disposed in a range that can be operated by the thumb of the right hand holding the grip 84R of the right operation handle 81R.

  The knobs 101 and 111 in these operation units 100 and 110 face rearward (operator side). Here, the operation of the motors 13a, 14a, 48, 49 based on the operations of the auger housing operation unit 100 and the shooter operation unit 110 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a control system diagram of the auger housing operation unit and the shooter operation unit shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, each operation unit 100, 110 has a switch corresponding to the direction in which a switch mechanism (not shown) is pushed by the knobs 101, 111 being pushed in four directions, up, down, left and right, and tilting in the same direction. It is a so-called four-way switch that emits a signal and automatically returns to its original neutral state when the pushing force is removed.

  In the auger housing operation unit 100, when the upper part 101 a on the operation surface of the knob 101 is pressed, the auger housing operation unit 100 issues an ascending operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 generates a drive signal through the path of the first relay 121, the first electric motor 13 a, and the second relay 122. The first electric motor 13a rotates forward to raise the auger housing 41.

  In the auger housing operation unit 100, when the lower part 101 b on the operation surface of the knob 101 is pressed, the auger housing operation unit 100 issues a lowering operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 generates a drive signal through the path of the second relay 122, the first electric motor 13a, and the first relay 121. The first electric motor 13a reverses and lowers the auger housing 41.

  In the auger housing operation unit 100, when the left part 101 c on the operation surface of the knob 101 is pressed, the auger housing operation unit 100 issues a left rolling operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 generates a drive signal through the path of the third relay 123, the second electric motor 14a, and the fourth relay 124. The second electric motor 14a rotates forward to roll the auger housing 41 to the left.

  In the auger housing operation unit 100, when the right part 101 d on the operation surface of the knob 101 is pressed, the auger housing operation unit 100 issues a right rolling operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 generates a drive signal through the path of the fourth relay 124, the second electric motor 14 a, and the third relay 123. The second electric motor 14a reverses to roll the auger housing 41 to the right.

  On the other hand, when the upper portion 111 a on the operation surface of the knob 111 is pressed in the shooter operation section 110, the shooter operation section 110 issues a shooter swing operation signal to the control section 63. The control unit 63 issues a drive signal through the path of the fifth relay 125, the fourth electric motor 49, and the sixth relay 126. The fourth electric motor 49 rotates forward to swing the tip 45a of the shooter 45 upward.

  When the lower portion 111 b on the operation surface of the knob 111 is pressed in the shutter operation unit 110, the shooter operation unit 110 issues a shooter lower swing operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 generates a drive signal through the path of the sixth relay 126, the fourth electric motor 49, and the fifth relay 125. The fourth electric motor 49 rotates in the reverse direction to swing the tip 45a of the shooter 45 downward.

  When the left portion 111 c on the operation surface of the knob 111 is pressed in the shutter operation unit 110, the shooter operation unit 110 issues a shooter left rotation operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 generates a drive signal through the path of the seventh relay 127, the third electric motor 48, and the eighth relay 128. The third electric motor 48 rotates forward and rotates the shooter 45 to the left.

  When the right portion 111 d on the operation surface of the knob 111 is pressed in the shutter operation unit 110, the shooter operation unit 110 issues a shooter right rotation operation signal to the control unit 63. The control unit 63 issues a drive signal through the path of the eighth relay 128, the third electric motor 48, and the seventh relay 127. The third electric motor 48 reverses and rotates the shooter 45 to the right.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the left and right grips 84L and 84R have extending portions 84a and 84a for placing “palms” gripping the grips 84L and 84R. These extending portions 84a and 84a are flat members extending rearward from the grips 84L and 84R. When the operator holds the left and right grips 84L and 84R with both hands, the hand does not slip from the grips 84L and 84R by placing the palm on the extending portions 84a and 84a. For this reason, the operability of the operation handles 81L and 81R is improved.

  Next, an arrangement relationship between the auger housing operation unit 100 and the travel preparation lever 85 with respect to the left operation handle 81L of the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R will be described. Since the right operation handle 81R is the same as that on the left, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the positional relationship between the auger housing operation section and the travel preparation lever with respect to the left operation handle shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a view in the direction of arrow 7 in FIG. FIG. 8 is an operation diagram of the auger housing operation portion and the travel preparation lever with respect to the left operation handle shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, when manipulating the snow removal machine 10 (see FIG. 1), the operator places “the palm of the hand Ha” on the extension portion 84 a of the left grip 84 </ b> L, and the thumb. While holding down the travel preparation lever 85 with the four fingers fi excluding th, the left grip 84L is gripped by all fingers. Then, the thumb th is extended to the swing base end side of the left operation handle 81L and the upper, lower, left and right portions of the knob 101 of the auger housing operation unit 100 are pushed according to the snow removal work situation.

The position of the extension portion 84a is set to a position where the palm of the hand Ha holding the grip 84L can be easily placed on the extension portion 84a.
The operation surface of the knob 101 in the auger housing operation section 100 is set to a position where the knob 101 can be easily operated with the thumb th when the palm of the hand Ha holding the grip 84L is placed on the extension section 84a. For this reason, the operation surface of the knob 101 faces rearward (for example, directly behind) with respect to the operation handle 81L.

  The position of the travel preparation lever 85 is as follows: (1) When the palm of the hand Ha holding the grip 84L is placed on the extension portion 84a, the travel preparation lever 85 is easily moved by the other four fingers fi excluding the thumb th. In addition to being able to be pushed down, (2) in the event of an emergency, the four fingers fi are quickly lifted upward to set the travel preparation lever 85 to a position where it can be quickly opened. As shown in FIG. 7, the traveling preparation lever 85 is out of phase with the extending portion 84a by an angle θ counterclockwise. This angle θ is preferably set in the range of 120 ° to 140 °. Within this range, the hand Ha does not get tired, the opening / closing operation of the travel preparation lever 85 is extremely easy, and the knob 101 can be easily operated with the thumb th.

  Next, a mounting structure of the auger housing operation unit 100 with respect to the left operation handle 81L will be described. Since the mounting structure of the shooter operation unit 110 with respect to the right operation handle 81R is the same, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the mounting structure of the auger housing operation portion with respect to the left operation handle shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting structure of the auger housing operating portion with respect to the left operating handle shown in FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

The auger housing operation unit 100 is a two-part product that is divided forward and backward with the left operation handle 81L interposed therebetween. That is, the auger housing operation unit 100 includes an operation unit main body 102 disposed on the rear surface of the left operation handle 81L and a clamper 103 disposed on the front surface of the left operation handle 81L.
The operation unit main body 102 includes a knob 101 on the rear surface of the case 104 and a switch mechanism (not shown) built in the case 104. A mounting recess formed on the front surface following the shape of the left operation handle 81L. 104a. The clamper 103 also has a mounting recess 103a formed following the shape of the left operation handle 81L.

  By sandwiching the left operation handle 81L from the front and rear by the mounting recess 103a of the clamper 103 and the mounting recess 104a of the case 104, and connecting the clamper 103 and the case 104 by a plurality of bolts 105 (coupling members 105), The auger housing operation unit 100 can be easily attached to the left operation handle 81L.

  By the way, the auger housing operation unit 100 is configured such that the attachment angle of the left operation handle 81L with respect to the axis Hc (bar center Hc) can be adjusted by manual operation. This configuration will be described in detail.

  In the left operation handle 81L, a high friction layer 106 is provided on a surface that comes into contact with the mounting recesses 103a and 104a. The high friction layer 106 is a thin film made of a material (for example, rubber) having a high frictional resistance with the mounting recesses 103a and 104a. The combined structure of the mounting recesses 103a and 104a and the high friction layer 106 constitutes a mounting angle maintaining mechanism 131 (see FIG. 9).

  Since the mounting recesses 103a and 104a are attached to the left operation handle 81L via the high friction layer 106, the auger housing operation unit 100 is difficult to turn in the circumferential direction of the left operation handle 81L. For this reason, the mounting angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 is maintained with respect to the left operation handle 81L. Regarding the maintenance force for maintaining this mounting angle, (1) the current mounting angle is maintained in a normal use state, and (2) the mounting angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 is manually set by the operator. The range that can be adjusted is set. This maintenance force can be adjusted by the tightening force of the bolt 105.

  An adjustment range of the attachment angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 with respect to the shaft center Hc is limited by the angle restriction mechanism 107. The angle restriction mechanism 107 includes a stopper 108 attached to the left operation handle 81L and an adjustment knob 109 provided integrally with the case 104. The adjustment knob 109 is disposed so as to enter the restriction recess 108 a formed in the stopper 108.

  When the operator manually rotates the adjustment knob 109 back and forth, the auger housing operation unit 100 can move the outer periphery of the left operation handle 81L against the frictional resistance between the mounting recesses 103a and 104a and the high friction layer 106. Can be displaced. However, the adjustment range of the mounting angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 is restricted to the range between the end surfaces 108b and 108b of the restriction recess 108a. For this reason, the operator can freely adjust the mounting angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 according to his / her body shape and preference.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the combined structure of the adjustment knob 109 and the attachment angle maintaining mechanism 131 constitutes an attachment angle adjustment mechanism 132. By manually operating the attachment angle adjusting mechanism 132, the attachment angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 with respect to the axis Hc of the left operation handle 81L can be easily adjusted.

Next, the operation of the mounting structure of the auger housing operation unit 100 having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 12A shows that the worker Mn is performing snow removal work while running the snow removal machine 10 on the uphill Su. In this case, the left operation handle 81L and the auger housing operation unit 100 face rearward and downward. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12B, the mounting angle is adjusted so that the auger housing operation unit 100 is directed rearward and upward with respect to the operation handle 81L. As a result, the operability of the auger housing operation unit 100 is enhanced.

  FIG. 13A is an operation diagram showing that the worker Mn is performing snow removal work while running the snow removal machine 10 on the downhill Sd. In this case, the left operation handle 81L and the auger housing operation unit 100 face rearward and upward. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, the attachment angle is adjusted so that the auger housing operation unit 100 is directed rearward and downward with respect to the operation handle 81L. As a result, the operability of the auger housing operation unit 100 is enhanced.

  As described above, when the snow removal machine 10 is tilted back and forth in accordance with the state of the place to remove snow, the mounting angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 can be freely adjusted. Therefore, the operability of the snow removal machine 10 can be further enhanced.

  Since this is the same as the attachment structure of the shooter operation unit 110 to the right operation handle 81R and the operation thereof shown in FIG.

The above description is summarized as follows.
In the bar-shaped operation handles 81L and 81R that are gripped and operated by the worker Mn, the auger housing operation unit 100 and the shooter operation unit 110 are within the operable range by the thumb th of the hand Ha holding the operation handles 81L and 81R. At least one of the above is provided.

  For example, since the auger housing operation unit 100 is provided on the left operation handle 81L, the worker Mn can operate the auger housing operation unit 100 with the thumb th of the hand Ha holding the operation handle 81L. As a result, the posture of the auger housing 41 can be adjusted by the auger housing drive motors 13a, 14a (first and second electric motors 13a, 14a). In addition, since the shooter operation unit 110 is provided on the right operation handle 81R, the worker Mn can operate the shooter operation unit 110 with the thumb th of the hand Ha holding the right operation handle 81R. As a result, the attitude of the shooter 45 can be adjusted by the shooter driving motors 48 and 49 (the third and fourth electric motors 48 and 49).

  As described above, the worker Mn can easily operate the auger housing operation unit 100 and the shooter operation unit 110 with the thumb without releasing his / her hands from the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R. Therefore, the operability of the snow removal machine 10 can be further enhanced.

  In the present invention, the auger housing operation unit 100 and the shooter operation unit 110 may be provided separately on the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R, but both operation units 100 and 110 may be provided on either one. . In addition, the auger housing operation unit 100 and the shooter operation unit 110 may be arranged opposite to the left and right with respect to the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R.

The combination of the four operation signals (ascending / descending operation signals, left / right rolling operation signals) generated by the auger housing operation unit 100 with respect to the four upward / downward / left / right pushing directions of the knob 101 is arbitrary and appropriately set can do.
Similarly, the combination of four operation signals (shooter up / right swing operation signal, shooter left / right rotation operation signal) generated by the shooter operation unit 110 with respect to the four upward / downward / left / right pushing directions of the knob 111 is arbitrary. Can be set as appropriate.

  The attachment angle adjusting mechanism 132 may be configured to be able to adjust the attachment angles of the auger housing operation unit 100 and the shooter operation unit 110 with respect to the axis Hc of the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R by manual operation. It is not limited to the combination structure of the adjustment knob 109 and the mounting angle maintaining mechanism 131.

  The mounting angle maintaining mechanism 131 can maintain (1) the current mounting angle in a normal use state, that is, when the worker Mn does not intend, and (2) the worker Mn can be manually operated. Any structure capable of adjusting the mounting angle of the auger housing operation unit 100 may be used, and the structure is not limited to the combination structure of the mounting recesses 103 a and 104 a and the high friction layer 106.

  The auger-type snowplow 10 of the present invention is a walking type in which the front auger 43 collects snow and removes snow while moving forward, and the operator walks and grips the left and right operation handles 81L and 81R. Suitable for snowplow.

It is a left view of the auger type snow removal machine which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a control system diagram of the auger type snowplow shown in FIG. 1. It is the figure which looked at the operation panel and steering mechanism shown in FIG. 1 from back upper direction. It is the figure which looked at the steering mechanism shown in FIG. 3 from upper direction. FIG. 4 is a control system diagram of an auger housing operation unit and a shooter operation unit shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement relationship between an auger housing operation unit and a travel preparation lever with respect to the left operation handle illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a view in the direction of arrow 7 in FIG. FIG. 7 is an operation diagram of an auger housing operation portion and a travel preparation lever with respect to the left operation handle shown in FIG. It is an exploded view of the attachment structure of the auger housing operation part with respect to the left operation handle shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the attachment structure of the auger housing operation part with respect to the left operation handle shown in FIG. It is the 11-11 line sectional view of FIG. It is an effect | action figure which shows that the auger type snow remover which concerns on this invention is performing the snow removal work, drive | working an uphill. It is an effect | action figure which shows that the auger type snow remover which concerns on this invention is performing snow removal work | working traveling downhill.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Auger type snow remover, 13a, 14a ... Auger housing drive motor (first and second electric motors), 41 ... Auger housing, 43 ... Auger, 44 ... Blower, 45 ... Shooter, 48, 49 ... Shooter drive Motors (third and fourth electric motors), 81L, 81R ... operation handle, 100 ... auger housing operation part, 110 ... shooter operation part, fi ... other fingers, Ha ... hand, Hc ... bar center of operation handle , Mn ... worker, th ... thumb.

Claims (2)

An auger-type snow remover in which an operator steers a bar-shaped operation handle, scrapes snow with an auger, and releases the scraped snow from a shooter by a blower.
An auger housing drive motor for adjusting the attitude of the auger housing having the auger by power;
An auger housing operation unit for operating the auger housing drive motor;
A motor for driving the shooter for adjusting the attitude of the shooter by power;
A shooter operating section for operating the shooter driving motor,
The operation handle is provided with at least one of the auger housing operation unit and the shooter operation unit in a range that can be operated by a thumb of a hand holding the operation handle ,
Of the auger housing operation part and the shooter operation part, the operation part provided on the operation handle has a knob provided with an operation surface pressed by the thumb of the hand, and is attached to the axis of the operation handle An auger type snowplow characterized in that the angle is provided so as to be adjustable by manual operation, so that the attachment angle of the operation surface with respect to the axis is adjustable . Before Kimisao operation unit is rotatably attached in the circumferential direction of the operating handle through the high friction layer on the operating handle, the mounting angle by manual operation against the frictional resistance of the high friction layer can be adjusted auger type snow removing machine of claim 1, wherein that said der Rukoto.

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