JPH0571839A - Snow quality improving vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve snow quality of a slope by a method wherein snow containing a moisture content is sucked by a suction means to remove snow from the snow surface of the slope. and sucked snow is separated into water and ice by means of a centrifugal separator. CONSTITUTION:Through drive of a crawler 3 of a snow quality improving vehicle 1, the snow quality improving vehicle 1 is moved to a snow surface 31, intended to be improved, of a slope 30. A suction nozzle 5 is vertically or laterally rocked and swung and driven in a state that a suction port 6 is positioned facing the snow surface 31 of the slope 30 and through operation of a sucking machine 11, snow, containing a moisture content, on the snow surface 31 is introduced in a snow quality improving device 10. The introduced snow 28 containing a moisture content is separated into water and ice 28 by means of a centrifugal separator 12. Separated water is fed through a water feed pipe to an ice making machine to produce a small lump-form or small piece-form artificial snow 27, which is stored in a snow storage chamber. Meanwhile, separated ice is fed to crusher, where the ice produces small lump-form or small piece-form artificial snow 27, which is stored in the snow storage chamber. The artificial snow 27 in the snow storage chamber is sprayed over the snow surface 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a snow quality improving vehicle for improving snow quality on a ski slope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent global warming, snowfall has decreased in winter, and ski resorts in various places have run out of snow. Therefore, the period for skiing becomes shorter,
It was difficult to keep the slope in good condition. Conventionally, in order to compensate for snow that has melted and contained water and lack of snow,
Manufactured and used artificial snow.

[0003]

However, even if artificial snow is sprayed on snow that has melted and contains moisture, the snow that has been sprayed also melts, and water does not spread under the layer of snow that has been sprayed. The snow quality on the slopes was not improved due to the inclusion of a soft layer.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a snow quality improving vehicle that improves the snow quality on the slopes.

[0005]

That is, the present invention has a vehicle main body (2) which is movable and drivable, and the vehicle main body (2) includes:
Inhaling means (5, 1) capable of inhaling water-containing snow (28)
1) is swingably provided, and the suction means (5, 1)
1) is provided with a centrifuge (12) capable of separating the water-containing snow (28) into water (25) and ice (26), and the centrifuge (12) is provided with artificial snow (27). Snow-making means (14, 13) capable of manufacturing the
3) is provided with spraying means (7, 18) capable of spraying the artificial snow (27).

The numbers in parentheses are for convenience of showing the corresponding elements in the drawings, and the present description is not limited to the description in the drawings. The same applies to the column of "action" below.

[0007]

With the above-mentioned structure, the present invention works to remove the snow (28) from the snow surface of the slope by inhaling the water (28) containing water by the suction means. Also, the inhaled snow (28) is washed with water (2
5) and ice (26) to separate artificial snow (2
It acts to obtain water (25) and ice (26) to produce 7).

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the snow quality improving vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the configuration of the snow quality improving apparatus for the snow quality improving vehicle shown in FIG. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, a snow quality improving vehicle 1 according to the present invention has a box-shaped vehicle body 2, and a crawler 3 is provided below the vehicle body 2 (downward in the figure). It is provided so as to be able to drive the main body 2 in a supported manner. That is, by driving the crawler 3, the vehicle body 2 can be moved in the arrow C and D directions and the arrow E and F directions. In addition, the vehicle body 2
On the left side below (in the figure, the left side on the lower side), the suction nozzle 5 is in the vertical direction (arrows A, B
Direction) and left and right directions (arrows E and F directions). The suction nozzle 5 is provided with a suction port 6 in a horizontally long rectangular shape in the left and right directions (arrows E and F directions). There is. Further, the suction nozzle 5 is provided with an inhaler 11 including a pump, and the inhaler 11 is connected to a snow quality improving device 10. That is, the inhaler 11 is provided in such a manner that the snow 28 containing water such as sherbet-like water on the snow surface 31 of the slope 30 is introduced into the snow quality improving device 10 from the intake port 6 of the intake nozzle 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the snow quality improving device 10 has a centrifuge 12, and the centrifuge 12 can separate the introduced sherbet-shaped snow 28 into water 25 and ice 28. The ice making machine 14 is provided in the centrifuge 12 via the water supply pipe 20. A first snow pipe 22 is connected to the ice making machine 14, and a snow storage 16 is connected to the first snow pipe 22. Further, the centrifuge 12 is provided with a crusher 13 via an ice sending pipe 21, and the crusher 13 is connected to a second snow sending pipe 23. A snow storage 16 is connected to the second snow pipe 23, and the feeder 1 is connected to the snow storage 16.
7 is provided so as to be able to convey the artificial snow 27 produced by the ice maker 14 and the crusher 13, and the feeder 17 is provided with the sprinkler 18 through the sprinkling nozzle 7 for the artificial snow 27 conveyed. It is connected in the form of spraying on the slopes. As shown in FIG. 1, the spray nozzle 7 is pivotably provided above the vehicle body 2 (upper side in the drawing) in a form of spraying the artificial snow 27.

Since the snow quality improving vehicle 1 according to the present invention has the above-mentioned structure, when artificial snow is sprayed on the slopes of a ski resort, as shown in FIG. Driving the crawler 3 to improve the slope 30
Move the snow quality improvement vehicle 1 to 1. Then, the suction nozzle 5 is moved vertically (arrows A and B) and left and right (arrows E and F) so that the suction port 6 faces the snow surface 31 of the slope 30.
Direction), and the inhaler 11 is operated to introduce the water-containing snow 28 on the snow surface 31 into the snow quality improving apparatus 10. The introduced water-containing snow 28 is separated into water 25 and ice 28 by the centrifugal separator 12. The separated water 25 is supplied to the ice making machine 14 through the water supply pipe 20, and becomes the artificial snow 27 in the form of small blocks or small pieces (that is, a massive block that is orders of magnitude larger than natural snow crystals). First
It is stored in the snow storage 16 via the snow pipe 22. on the other hand,
The separated ice 26 is crushed by the crusher 13 via the ice pipe 21.
The artificial snow 27 is supplied into the snow storage box 16 through the second snow pipe 23, and becomes artificial snow 27 in the form of small blocks or small pieces (that is, a block having an order of magnitude larger than natural snow crystals). It Therefore, the feeder 17 is driven to convey the artificial snow 27 stored in the snow storage 16 to the spreader 18 side, and the snow surface 31 from which the water-containing snow 28 on the slope 30 has been removed via the spray nozzle 7. Sprinkle on. As shown in FIG. 1, the artificial snow 27 thus sprayed descends and accumulates on the snow surface 31 of the slope 30 as artificial snow.

In this way, the snow 28 containing water such as sherbet is removed from the snow surface of the slope, and then the artificial snow 27 is sprayed on the removed snow surface to form a high quality snow layer. Snow quality on the slopes is improved. Further, the snow quality improving vehicle 1 can obtain water 25 and ice 26 for producing the artificial snow 27 from the sherbet-shaped snow 28 on the snow surface while moving on the slope, and therefore, as shown in FIG. Spraying artificial snow 27, which is artificial snow, over the entire surface of the slope 30 by appropriately moving on the slope 30 where snowfall work should be performed and spraying artificial snow 27 on the slope 30 for each snow surface to be improved. You can
In addition, since it is not necessary to store water, the snow quality improving vehicle 1 can be lightweight and simple.

[0012]

As described above, the present invention has the vehicle main body 2 which can be freely moved and driven, and the intake nozzle 5, the inhaler 11, etc. capable of inhaling the snow 28 containing water into the vehicle main body 2. Is provided so as to be swingable, and the suction means is provided with a centrifuge 12 capable of separating the water-containing snow 28 into water 25 and ice 26, and the centrifuge 12 is provided with artificial snow. Two
7 is provided with snow making means such as an ice making machine 14 and a crusher 13, and the snow making means is provided with a spraying nozzle 7, a spraying machine 18, etc. capable of spraying the artificial snow 27. It

With the above-described structure, the snow 28 can be removed from the snow surface of the slope by inhaling the snow 28 containing water with the inhaling means. Therefore, the artificial snow 27 is removed from the removed snow surface. By spraying through the spraying means, a good quality snow layer is formed and the quality of the snow on the slopes is improved. In addition, the inhaled snow 28 is washed with water 25 in the centrifuge 12.
Since the water 25 and the ice 26 for producing the artificial snow 27 can be obtained by separating the water and the ice 26, it is not necessary to store the water in the vehicle body 2 and the weight and simplification can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a snow quality improving vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a snow quality improving apparatus for the snow quality improving vehicle shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 ... Vehicle body 5 ... Suction means (suction nozzle) 7 ... Spraying means (spraying nozzle) 11 ... Suction means (inhaler) 12 ... Centrifuge 13 ... Snow making means (crusher) 14 ... … Snow making means (ice making machine) 18 …… Spraying means (spreading machine) 25 …… Water 26 …… Ice 27 …… Artificial snow 28 …… Snow

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle main body that is movable and drivable, and an inhalation means capable of inhaling snow containing water is swingably provided in the vehicle main body, and the inhaling means is provided with the snow containing water. A configuration is provided in which a centrifuge capable of separating into water and ice is provided, the centrifuge is provided with snow-making means capable of producing artificial snow, and the snow-making means is provided with spraying means capable of spraying the artificial snow. The improved snow quality car.