JP2887067B2 - Automatic Obstacle Sensing and Stopping Device for Snowplow Augers - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a snowplow for removing snow using an auger mounted in front of a vehicle body, and more particularly to a device for automatically detecting and stopping when an obstacle in the snow comes into contact with the auger.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a snowplow that removes snow using an auger of this type, when there is an obstacle in the snow, the obstacle comes into contact with an auger mounted in front of a vehicle body and the auger is forced. The auger would be damaged if the vehicle continued to operate. To prevent this, a shear pin was attached to the connection between the auger drive shaft and the auger blade, and the auger blade was overloaded by obstacles in the snow. Sometimes, the shear pin is broken to stop the auger.

[0003]

As described above, in the conventional auger stopping device for a snowplow, when an obstacle is present in the snow, the auger is overloaded by the obstacle and the auger shaft and the auger blade are moved. Since the shear pin provided at the connection part with was to break and stop the rotation of the auger blade, in the repair work, first remove the obstacle, then after replacing with a new shear pin,
Since the snow removal operation is restarted, there is a problem that a lot of time (loss time) is wasted in the snow.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an apparatus for stopping an auger by automatically detecting an obstacle in snow safely without using a sharpening pin in the above-described conventional example. It is intended to provide.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a snowplow equipped with an auger mounted in front of a vehicle body, wherein a roll is provided on one side of an auger shaft on which auger blades are mounted. A bearing clutch is attached, and the rolling bearing clutch is fixed to the auger shaft and the raceway surface is formed in a conical shape.The inner race is driven by an external power source and supported so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the raceway surface is formed in a conical shape. A roller is provided between the formed outer ring and the roller with its rotation axis inclined with respect to the generating line of the raceway surface formed on the outer circumference of the inner ring,
When an operating member projecting in the axial direction is attached to the outer ring, an obstacle sensing receiver is attached to the case side facing the tip of the operating member, and when an obstacle contacts the auger blade and a load is applied to the auger shaft. The outer ring is moved in the axial direction, the obstacle sensing receiver is operated by the operating member, and the auger is stopped.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, two inner and outer races having conical raceways forming a rolling bearing clutch are provided so that the inclination of the raceways of the inner and outer races is plane-symmetric. Attached back to back, both inner rings are integrally formed and fixed to the auger shaft, and one outer ring arranged axially outside the auger shaft is connected to the other outer ring arranged axially inward via a spring. The invention is further characterized in that the sprocket is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the outer ring driven from the outside.

[0007]

The present invention is configured as described above.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the following operation occurs. When the outer ring of the rolling bearing clutch driven by an external force (external power) is rotated in the clutch engagement direction and an obstacle in the snow contacts the auger in front of the vehicle body during snow removal work, the inner ring of the rolling bearing clutch rotates. Therefore, the outer wheel driven by the external force tries to rotate the inner wheel with stronger torque, and moves itself in the axial direction so as to reduce the thickness between the raceway surfaces of both wheels. With the movement of the outer ring in the axial direction, the operating member projecting in the axial direction on the outer ring also moves in the axial direction, and the obstacle sensing receiver attached to the case side opposite to the tip end thereof. When activated by contact, current flows and a stop signal is issued to stop rotation of the auger and remove obstacles.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, the two conical raceways of the inner ring and the outer ring of the two rolling bearing clutches are mounted back-to-back in a plane-symmetric manner, so that the rollers are arranged. The effect of reducing the thickness of the annular space between the two raceway surfaces is stronger than that of a single roller bearing clutch. In addition, since the two outer rings are connected via the spring, there is no problem in the obstacle sensing effect accompanying the axial movement of the outer rings.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the outer ring driven from the outside can be driven to rotate by attaching a chain to the sprocket formed on the outer periphery of the outer ring from the outside. The rotation drive of the outer ring can be performed smoothly.

[0010]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of an auger of a snowplow according to the present invention. FIG. 2A is a side view of the entire snowplow equipped with the auger.
FIG. 2B is a front view.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the snowplow, an auger (device) 12 is detachably mounted in front of a vehicle body 11 having a driver's seat by a hydraulic operation.
An auger blade 14 driven by a drive source 13 mounted on the top is mounted on an auger shaft supported at both ends.

As shown in FIG. 1, the auger 12 has an auger shaft 16 supported at both ends by bearings 15,15.
An auger blade 14 is mounted via an arm 17, and a rolling bearing clutch 18 is mounted on one side (the left side in the figure) of the auger shaft 16 adjacent to the support bearing 15. The rolling bearing clutch 18 is fixed to the auger shaft 16 and has a raceway surface formed in a conical inner ring 19.
And an outer ring 20 driven by the external drive source 13 and movably (displaceable) in the axial direction and having a conical raceway surface, and an annular space between the raceways of the inner ring 19 and the outer ring 20. A roller 21 whose rotation axis is inclined at a fixed angle with respect to a generatrix of a raceway surface formed on the outer periphery of the inner ring 19 (refers to straight lines at each position of a curved surface drawn by moving the straight line). ing. A sprocket 22 is formed on the outer periphery of the outer race 20.

In this embodiment, two inner rings 19 are integrally formed back to back so that the conical raceway surfaces 19a and 19b are plane-symmetrical, and the auger shaft 1 is formed.
6, and the outer ring 20 a corresponding to the raceway surface 19 b on the outer side in the axial direction (left side in the figure) of the inner ring 19 via the rollers 21 a is fixed on the inner side in the axial direction via the tightening bolt 23 and the compression spring 24. These outer rings 20, 20a are urged and connected to each other in a direction approaching each other (that is, a direction in which the thickness of both annular spaces in which the rollers are interposed decreases). An obstacle sensing receiver 27 is attached to the outer case 26 so as to face the nut 25 at the end of the tightening bolt 23. The tightening bolt 23 and the nut 25 are attached to the auger blade 14 during the snow removing operation. When the load is applied to the auger shaft 16 due to the contact of the obstacle, as described later, the outer ring 20 is moved in the axial direction (to the left in the drawing) to operate the obstacle sensing receiver 27. Make up.

When the obstacle sensing receiver 27 is activated, a switch on an alarm circuit is turned on to supply a current, an alarm device (not shown) is activated to give an alarm, and a stop signal is issued to promptly issue a stop signal. Then, the operation of the auger 12 is stopped. In the drawing, reference numeral 30 denotes a shaft receiving / receiving member having one end fixed to the auger shaft 16 and interposed between the obstacle detecting receiver 27 and the nut 25, 31 a stop seat for a rolling bearing clutch, and 32 auger. A bolt for fixing the shaft 16 and the auger blade 14 (a shear pin is conventionally mounted here), 33 is a bearing case for the support bearing 15, 34 is a bearing cover, and 35 is a grease nipple.

Next, the operation will be described. FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory drawings showing an operation principle of a conventionally known rolling bearing clutch (one-way clutch), wherein FIG.
(B) is a development view of a roller holder and a roller. In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a driving side element integrated with the shaft 2;
Its outer peripheral surface is formed in a conical surface 5, while the driven element 3
Is formed in a conical surface 6 having the same conical angle (vertical angle) as the conical surface 5, and an annular space 7 having a uniform thickness is formed between the conical surfaces 5 and 6. A large number of barrel-shaped rollers 9 supported by a retainer 8 therein are accommodated with their axial directions inclined at a fixed angle θ with respect to the generatrix directions of the conical surfaces 5 and 6. In the figure, 10a and 10b are enclosing plates arranged so that the retainer 8 does not escape, and 10c is a spring that urges in a direction to decrease the thickness T of the annular space 7.

Now, when the shaft 2 is to be rotated in the direction of the arrow S, the element 1 tries to roll the roller in the direction of the arrow P, whereby the element 1 is moved in the direction Q. The rolling of the roller 9 continues until the thickness T of the space 7 does not allow the rolling of the roller 9 due to the above movement of the element 1, and when the rolling of the roller 9 stops, the two elements 1 and 3 are integrated. And
The rotation of the shaft 2 is transmitted to the shaft 4 and acts as a clutch.
Then, when the shaft 2 is rotated in the direction of the arrow S ', the rolling of the roller 9 moves the element 1 in the direction opposite to the arrow Q, so that the above-mentioned thickness T is enlarged. Is released and becomes free (free rotation).

In the above description, the element 1 is set as the driving side and the element 3 is set as the driven side. However, if the element 3 is rotated in the M direction, the rotation of the element 3 is transmitted to the element 1 as a clutch, and When rotated in the direction M ', the connection between the element 3 and the element 1 is released, and the element 3 becomes free. (See Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 42-7523.) A rolling bearing clutch of this type in which each raceway surface of the inner and outer rings is configured to have a hyperbolic cross section that is in contact with the entire length of the roller (sprag) (Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 46-523). 21
No. 126) already belongs to the public domain.

As described in the operation principle of this type of rolling bearing clutch, in the embodiment of the present invention,
When the roller 21 is disposed so as to be inclined in the direction of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, during operation, the sprocket 22 and thus the outer ring 20 are moved clockwise from the external power source 13 via a chain (not shown) as viewed from the right side of the drawing. When rotated, the outer race 20 moves to the left in FIG. 1 (in a direction to reduce the thickness between the raceway surfaces of the two races), and the rolling bearing clutch acts as a clutch, causing the auger shaft 16 to move through the inner race 19 to the auger shaft 16. It drives and rotates the auger blade 14 to perform snow removal work. At this time, the bolt 23 and the nut 25 also move to the left with the leftward movement of the outer ring 20, but are still separated from the obstacle sensing receiver 27. The outer ring 21a on the outer side in the axial direction of the auger shaft (left side in the figure) promotes the clutch action with the inner ring 19 in an attempt to move inward (right side in the figure). Only the extension does not affect the leftward movement of the bolt 23 and the nut 25.

Next, when the auger blade 14 comes into contact with an obstacle in the snow, a load is applied to the auger shaft 16, so that a large torque (rotational force) is applied to the outer ring 20 of the rolling bearing clutch 18 and the outer ring 20 Tries to move (displace) a greater distance axially outward (to the left in the figure). As a result, the tightening bolt 23 and the nut 25 are
Since the current flows through the obstacle sensing receiver 27 attached to the outer case 26 via 0 and an appropriate alarm is issued and a stop signal is input, the rotation of the auger 12 is stopped. After stopping the auger 12 in this way, the obstacle can be easily removed.

According to this embodiment, the rolling bearing clutch is mounted on one side of the auger shaft on which the auger blades are mounted, and the obstacle sensing receiver is operated by utilizing the axial movement of the outer ring when it comes into contact with an obstacle. By stopping the auger, it is not necessary to use the conventional shear pin for this type of snowplow, which not only ensures the safety of the auger, but also allows the work to be performed immediately after the obstacle is removed. Since the operation can be restarted, the work efficiency can be improved. Also,
By forming the sprocket 22 on the outer peripheral portion of the outer race 20, the outer race 20 that moves in the axial direction can be flexibly and smoothly driven by a chain or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the structure in which the inner ring and the outer ring are mounted two by two back to back so that the conical inclination becomes plane-symmetric is described. The 19b, the outer ring 20a and the roller 21a may not be provided.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the invention of claim 1, a rolling bearing clutch is mounted on one side of the auger shaft to which the auger blade is mounted, and when an obstacle comes into contact with the auger blade, an obstacle detection receiver is used by utilizing the axial movement of the outer ring. By actuating and stopping the auger, not only the auger used in this type of snowplow is not used, but also the safety protection of the auger at the time of contact with obstacles is performed more reliably, Since the work can be resumed immediately after the removal of the obstacle without replacing the parts, the work efficiency can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since two sets of rolling bearing clutches are mounted so as to be symmetrical with each other in a back-to-back manner, the clutch action is increased, and even a large auger can be strongly driven in a normal state. Can be done.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sprocket is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the outer ring, so that the outer ring that moves and displaces in the axial direction can be flexibly, easily and smoothly driven by a chain or the like. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of an auger showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the whole snowplow equipped with the auger of the present invention,
(A) is a side view, (b) is a front view.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views showing the operation principle of a rolling bearing clutch, wherein FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional front view, and FIG. 3B is a developed view of a roller retainer and rollers.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Body 12 Auger 13 External drive source 14 Auger blade 15 Support bearing 16 Auger shaft 17 Auger blade arm 18 Roller bearing clutch 19 Inner ring 19a, 19b Track surface 20, 20a Outer ring 21, 21a Roller 22 Sprocket 23 Tightening bolt 24 Spring 25 nut 26 Outer case 27 Obstacle sensing receiver 30 Shaft sensing receiver 31 Bearing seat

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References Japanese Utility Model 63-141219 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 64-24127 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) E01H 5/09 E01H 5/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] In a snowplow equipped with an auger in front of a vehicle body, a rolling bearing clutch is mounted on one side of an auger shaft to which auger blades are mounted, and the rolling bearing clutch is fixed to the auger shaft and a track surface is fixed. Rollers are provided between the inner ring formed in a conical shape and the outer ring which is driven by an external power source and is movably supported in the axial direction and has a raceway surface formed in a conical shape. An operating member protruding in the axial direction is mounted on the outer race, and an obstacle sensing receiver is mounted on the case side facing the distal end of the operating member. When an obstacle is brought into contact with the auger blade and a load is applied to the auger shaft, the outer ring is moved in the axial direction, the obstacle detection receiver is operated by the operating member, and the auger is stopped. Feature Automatic obstacle detection and stop device of auger of snowplow. 2. An inner ring and an outer ring, each having a conical raceway surface constituting a rolling bearing clutch, are mounted two by two back to back so that the inclination of the raceway surfaces of the inner ring and the outer ring is plane-symmetric. , The two inner rings are integrally formed and fixed to the auger shaft, and one outer ring arranged axially outside the auger shaft is
2. The device for automatically detecting and stopping an auger of a snowplow according to claim 1, wherein the device is coupled to the other outer ring disposed axially inward via a spring. 3. The device for automatically detecting and stopping an auger of a snowplow according to claim 1, wherein a sprocket is formed on an outer peripheral portion of an outer ring driven from the outside.