SNOW BLOWER

A snow blower comprising, a snow blower main body (2), a travel unit (20), a work unit (30), an electric motor (26, 31) configured to drive the work unit and the travel unit, and a battery housing (80) including a recess (88) defined on an upper face of the snow blower main body for removably installing a battery therein, wherein the battery housing is configured to expose at least a part of an upper surface of the battery.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a snow blower, and more particularly to a snow blower provided with an electric motor for driving a work unit and/or a travel unit and a battery housing.

BACKGROUND ART

A snow blower generally has a work unit fitted with an auger, and removes snow by rotating the auger with the power of a prime mover transmitted by a belt transmission mechanism (See JP2015-31061A and WO2019/186822A, for example). In recent years, due to the increasing environmental awareness, the electric motor is being preferred as the prime mover, and this necessitates a battery to be mounted on the snow blower to provide electric power to the electric motor (See JP2003-268738A, for example).

A conventional snow blower equipped with such a battery is necessarily provided with a battery housing defining an enclosed space therein to protect the battery from snow and the like. However, since the housing space is closed to the outside, the heat generated from the battery during use is trapped in the housing space. The heat trapped in the housing space acts on the battery as a heat load, and may adversely affect the battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of such a problem of the prior art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a snow blower that minimizes the load on the battery due to the heat generated from the battery, and improve the durability of the battery, thus contributing to the efficiency of energy.

To achieve such an object, the present invention provides a snow blower comprising a snow blower main body (2), a travel unit (20) supporting the snow blower main body so as to cause the snow blower main body to travel, a work unit (30) provided on the snow blower main body, an electric motor (26,31) configured to drive the work unit and/or the travel unit, and a battery housing (80) including a recess (88) defined on an upper face of the snow blower main body for removably installing a battery therein, wherein the battery housing is configured to expose at least a part of an upper surface of the battery.

Thereby, the heat generated from the battery is removed from the exposed part of the battery so the heat load acting on the battery is minimized, and the durability of the battery durability is improved and, by extension, contribute to energy efficiency.

Preferably, the battery housing includes a bottom wall (82) inclining upward in a rearward direction to define a recess that receives the battery in a rear end up inclined posture so as to allow the battery to be put into and taken out of the recess in a rear end up inclined direction, a pair of sidewalls (84,86) extending upward from either side the bottom wall, and a top wall (92) extending between the side walls to cover a front part of the recess from above, so that a rear upper part of the recess and a rear end of the recess is exposed in a continuous manner.

According to this aspect, the battery is exposed to the outside via the upper rear part and the rear end of the recess of the battery housing so that heat can be efficiently dissipated from the battery.

Preferably, the battery housing is configured such that the battery is put into and taken out of the recess in a fore and aft direction of the snow blower main body.

Thereby, installing and removing the battery can be facilitated.

Preferably, the work unit includes a rotary shaft (35) extending laterally of the snow blower main body, a spiral auger claw (36) attached to the rotary shaft, and a plurality of stay members (37) extending radially from the rotary shaft to connect the auger claw to the rotary shaft, wherein the battery housing is positioned so as to laterally align with at least one of the stay members.

Typically, the part of the auger claw adjacent to the stay member has a higher capability to scrape the snow than other parts of the claw remote from the part connected to the stay member. Therefore, the snow scraped by the part of the claw adjacent to the stay member tends to be finely broken up and whirled up more than the snow which is scraped by parts of the claw remote from the stay member. The finely broken up snow is likely to adhere to the exposed part of the battery, and this promotes the cooling of the battery.

Preferably, a rear edge part of the top wall of the battery housing is provided with a seal member (94) extending across a direction in which the battery is put into and removed from the recess.

Thereby, the moisture that is produced by the snow deposited on the battery melts or the rainwater deposited on the battery is prevented from flowing into the front part of the interior of the battery housing from the exposed part of the battery.

Preferably, the seal member extends in an obliquely forward direction from a laterally middle part thereof.

Thereby, the moisture that may enter the battery housing is expelled in a laterally outer direction.

Preferably, the seal member extends linearly in an obliquely forward direction from one end of the seal member to another.

Thereby, the moisture that may enter the battery housing is expelled in a laterally outer direction.

Preferably, the battery housing is provided with a mesh member (93) provided on an upper rear part of the recess which is otherwise exposed.

Thereby, foreign matter is prevented from entering the battery housing, and the battery is protected from being hit by foreign matter such as gravel.

The present invention thus provides a snow blower that minimizes the load on the battery due to the heat generated from the battery, and improves the durability of the battery, thus contributing to the efficiency of energy.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

First Embodiment

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following with reference to the appended drawings. As shown inFIG.1, the snow blower1according to the present invention includes a snow blower main body2, a travel unit20that supports the snow blower main body2so as to be able to travel, a work unit30for removing snow situated at the front end of the snow blower main body2, and an operation unit50positioned at the rear end of the snow blower main body2to accept operation inputs for the travel unit20and the work unit30.

As shown inFIG.2as well, the travel unit20is provided with a pair of driven wheels23fitted on either end of a front shaft21, a pair of free wheels24fitted on either end of a rear shaft22, and a pair of crawlers25each passed around the driven wheel23and the free wheel24on the corresponding side. The snow blower main body2is provided with a pair of travel motors26for driving the corresponding driven wheels23so that the left and right crawlers25can be individually driven.

As shown inFIG.3, the snow blower main body2includes a pair of side members3consisting of channel members extending in the longitudinal direction on either side. As shown inFIGS.2and3, the work motor31for driving the work unit30is mounted on a support member (not shown in the drawings) that extends between the side members3so as to be positioned slightly above the side members3. The work motor31has an output shaft4projecting forward, and a drive pulley5is attached to the front end of the output shaft4.

Below the output shaft4extends an input shaft8in the fore and aft direction in parallel with the output shaft4. The input shaft8is rotatably supported by the side member3, and a driven pulley6is fitted on the input shaft8.

An endless transmission belt7is passed around the drive pulley5and the driven pulley6. A tension roller (not shown in the drawings) for adjusting the tension of the transmission belt7is attached to the snow blower main body2. In this manner, a belt transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the work motor31from the output shaft4to the input shaft8is constructed. The belt for the belt transmission mechanism may be a flat belt, a V belt or a cogged belt.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the work unit30is provided with an auger case32which extends laterally at the front end of the snow blower1and is open at the front and the bottom thereof, and a blower case34connected centrally to the rear end of the auger case32. A rotary shaft35extending laterally with respect to the snow blower main body2is rotatably supported by the left and right walls of the auger case32. The rotary shaft35is provided with a spiral auger claw36that scrapes snow from either lateral side toward the center. The auger claw36includes a pair of band shaped claw members spirally arranged with a phase difference of 180 degrees around the rotary shaft35, on each of the left and right sides. The laterally outer ends of each claw member are fixedly supported by the rotary shaft35via a disc shaped member fixed to the rotary shaft35on the outer side and an arm member radially extending from the rotary shaft35in the inner side, respectively. Each claw member is additionally supported by a metallic stay member37radially extending from the rotary shaft35at a position slightly displaced outward from the center of the claw member. A gear box38is provided in the middle part of the rotary shaft35so that the power input from the input shaft8is transmitted to the rotary shaft35via the gear box38. The gear box38is internally provided with bevel gears (not shown in the drawings) or the likes, and transmits the rotational of the input shaft8to the rotary shaft35.

The blower case34has a cylindrical shape having an axis extending in the fore and aft direction, and has a front end communicating with a substantially circular opening formed in the rear wall of the auger case32, and a rear end which is closed. An intermediate part of the input shaft8passes through the interior of the blower case34, and a blower40is attached to the intermediate part thereof. A cylindrical snow throwing duct42extends upward from an upper part of the blower case34. As a result, the snow scraped from the left and right toward the center by the auger claw36is forwarded into the snow throwing duct42via the interior of the blower case34, and thrown outward from the upper end of the snow throwing duct42, under the action of the blower40. The snow throwing duct42has a slightly curved and inclined shape, and is attached to the blower case34so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis. Therefore, by rotating the snow throwing duct42, the operator can adjust the direction in which the snow is thrown.

The operation unit50includes a handle52and an input device54. The handle52has a pair of grips fixed to the snow blower main body2so as to extend rearward from the lateral ends of the rear end of the snow blower main body2. The input device54includes a travel lever56that accepts a travel mode selection operation of the snow blower1, a snow removal switch58that accepts an activation command for the work unit30, and a dead man's clutch lever59adjacent to one of the grip portions of the handle52.

As shown inFIG.3, a control unit60(electrical box) is positioned above the work motor31in a laterally middle part of the snow blower main body2. The control unit60includes an electronic control unit consisting of a microcomputer and the like, and particularly includes a power control unit for controlling the travel motors26and the work motor31.

A battery storage unit70is provided on each of the left and right sides of the control unit60. Each battery storage unit70defines a recess88with an open rear end for removably receiving a battery62for powering the travel motors26and the work motor31.

Each battery62has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may be a rechargeable secondary battery. A battery-side connector64(seeFIG.6) for charging and supplying power is provided at a laterally central position of the front end of the battery62, and a handle portion66for handling the battery62is provided at the rear end of thereof.

A body cover61that covers the travel motor26, the belt transmission mechanism, and the control unit60is detachably provided on the snow blower main body2. The body cover61is provided with a pair of openings63so as to expose the rear parts of the battery storage units70to the outside. As a result, the body cover61protects the travel motors26, the belt transmission mechanism, and the control unit60from external elements such as rainwater and snow.

When the operator operates the travel lever56of the input device54to select the travel mode of the snow blower1, the travel motor26performs the corresponding operation. The drive force of the travel motors26is transmitted to the driven wheels23via the front shaft21and a transmission mechanism (not shown in the drawings). As a result, the crawlers25turn and the snow blower1travels.

Also, when the operator operates the snow removal switch58of the input device54to operate the work unit30, the work motor31rotates. The drive force of the work motor31is transmitted to the input shaft8via the belt transmission mechanism. The drive force of the input shaft8rotates the blower40and is transmitted to the rotary shaft35via the gear box38, so that the rotary shaft35and the auger claw36are integrally rotated. When the auger claw36rotates, the snow in front of the snow blower1is crushed by the auger claw36and collected toward the laterally central part of the auger case32. The collected snow is introduced into the blower case34and projected by the blower40through the snow throwing duct42in the direction of inclination of the snow throwing duct42.

The parts of the auger claw36to which the stay members37are connected have a higher rigidity than other parts of the auger claw36. Therefore, the parts of the auger claw36to which the stay members37are connected have a higher ability to crush snow so that the snow crushed by these parts of the auger claw36tends to be crushed into finer particles as compared to the snow crushed by other parts of the auger claw36to which the stay members37are not connected. The fine snow thus created tends to be more readily thrown rearward past the upper part of the auger case32and the blower case34, instead of being captured in the auger case32, and adhere to the snow blower main body2.

The battery storage units70will be described in the following with reference toFIG.3. The battery storage units70are positioned on either side of the control unit60, and have an identical structure. Therefore, for the convenience of description, only one of them will be discussed in the following to avoid redundancy.

To each side member3are affixed a front bracket72and a rear bracket74projecting substantially horizontally outward one behind the other with a certain spacing therebetween. A pair of side pipes76are joined to the front bracket72in a laterally spaced apart relationship. Each side pipe76rises slightly vertically from the base end, is bent outward, and then extends rearward with an upward inclination toward the rear. An outwardly curved reinforcing pipe78is connected between a rear end part of each side pipe76and the corresponding part of the rear bracket74.

The battery storage unit70includes a battery housing80having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the fore and aft direction and supported by the two side pipes76on the corresponding side. The recess88for receiving the battery62is defined inside the battery housing80. The battery housing80is attached to the corresponding side pipes76by suitable fittings (not shown in the drawing). As a result, the battery housing80is mounted with an upward inclination toward the rear.

The battery62can be received in the recess88by inserting the front end of the battery62forward from the open rear end of the recess88. The direction in which the battery62is put into and taken out coincides with the fore and aft direction of the snow blower main body2in top view, and the battery housing80is disposed so as to be inclined upward toward the rear while the battery62is also mounted with an upward inclination toward the rear.

The operator will stand behind the snow blower1for operating the snow blower1. Therefore, the operator can put into and take out the two batteries62without moving much from this position so that the work efficiency is improved.

As shown inFIG.4, on each side of the snow blower1, the battery housing80and the battery62are arranged at positions aligned with the stay member37with respect to the lateral direction. In other words, in front view, the left battery62and the left battery housing80align with the stay member37on the left side, and the right battery62and the right battery housing80align with the stay member37on the right side.

As shown inFIG.5, the battery housing80is made of resin material, and has a box shape. In the following description, although the batteries62, as well as the battery housings80, are mounted on the snow blower main body2with an upward inclination toward the rear, for the convenience of explanation, the direction orthogonal to the upper surface of the battery62may be referred to as the upward direction, and the extending direction of the battery62may be referred to as the fore and aft direction. The battery housing80has a bottom wall82with an upward inclination toward the rear with respect to the horizontal plane, and a left side wall84and a right side wall86standing upright on either side of the bottom wall82to define the recess88. Further, the battery housing80includes a top wall92extending between the upper edges of the left side wall84and the right side wall86so as to cover the front part of the recess88from above, and a front wall90extending to a height which is short of the top wall92by a prescribed distance and connecting the front edges of the left side wall84and the right side wall86to each other. Therefore, between the upper edge of the front wall90and the top wall92, a laterally elongated rectangular insertion opening100is defined.

The rear part of the recess88is covered from above with a mesh member93. The mesh member93is connected between the rear edge of the top wall92, the top edge of the left side wall84and the top edge of the right side wall86. Thus, the upper rear part of the recess88and the rear end of the recess88are continuously and substantially open to the outside. The rear end of the recess88forms a loading/unloading opening97for the battery62. A substantially rectangular cutout95is provided on each side of a front part of the mesh member93.

The space in the battery housing80for accommodating the battery62is slightly larger than the outer size of the battery62so that a gap is created between the top wall92, the left side wall84and the right side wall86and the corresponding surfaces of the battery62.

Hereinafter, the direction in which the battery62is put into and taken out of the rearward and upward direction may be simply referred to as the fore and aft direction.

When the battery62is received in the battery housing80, the upper surface of the battery62is exposed upward from the rear part of the recess88of the battery housing80. Also, the rear end of the battery62including the handle portion66is exposed from the loading/unloading opening97of the battery housing80.

The heat generated from the battery62as the battery62supplies electric power to the travel motors26and the work motor31is emitted to the outside from the upper surface and the rear end of the battery62which is exposed from the battery housing80so that the heat load acting on the battery62is minimized. This improves the durability of the battery62and, by extension, contributes to energy efficiency. By opening not only the rear end of the recess88but also the upper rear part of the recess88, the exposed part of the battery62can be increased so that efficient heat dissipation can be accomplished. Since the temperature of the environment in which the snow blower1is employed can be assumed to be low, a high rate of heat dissipation can be expected from the surrounding air.

The fine snow created by the parts of the auger claw36where the above-described stay members37are connected has a high tendency to pass through the mesh member93and adhere to the exposed upper surface of the battery62. This provides a favorable circumstance for cooling the battery62. The mesh member93prevents foreign objects such as pebbles thrown up toward the batteries62by the auger claw36from contacting the batteries62.

As shown inFIGS.5and6, on the inner surface of the rear edge of the top wall92of the battery housing80is fitted with a seal member94in the form of a strip extending in a direction intersecting the insertion/removal direction, or in the lateral direction of the top wall92. The two ends of the seal member94extend to the left and right side walls84,86, respectively, or to points slightly short of the left and right side walls84,86, respectively. The seal member94is inclined in a forward direction from the central part thereof to both outer sides. In the illustrated embodiment, the seal member94has a curved shape, but may also have a straight shape so as to form an inverted V shape. The width of the seal member94, or, the vertical dimension as measured from the inner surface of the top wall92is set slightly longer than the width of the gap formed between the inner surface of the top wall92and the upper surface of the battery62so that when the battery62is inserted, the seal member94resiliently abuts against the upper surface of the battery. Furthermore, the lower end of the seal member94is preferably tapered so as to form a lip seal.

Thus, when the battery62is inserted into the battery housing80, the lower end of the seal member94contacts the upper surface of the battery62and bends forward in the insertion/removal direction. When the battery62is received in the battery housing80, the lower end of the seal member94is kept in contact with the upper surface of the battery62by the elastic biasing force.

The snow adhering to the exposed upper surface of the battery62is melted by the external air or the heat of the battery62and turns into water droplets. The water droplets then flow forward along the upper surface of the battery62. The seal member94guides water droplets to the left and right sides along the upper surface of the battery62and prevents them from flowing into the laterally central part of the front end of the battery62. Therefore, water is prevented from reaching the terminals of the battery-side connector64of the battery62provided at the laterally central part of the front end of the battery62or the terminals of the case-side connector96which will be described later, and owing to the rear-facing convex shape of the seal member94, water droplets are prevented from being accumulated behind the seal member94. A drain port98for discharging water which may accumulate inside the battery housing80may be provided at the lower edge of the front wall90or the front edge of the bottom wall82.

The battery storage unit70is provided with a structure for electrically connecting and disconnecting the battery62to and from the electric circuit on the side of the snow blower main body2in synchronism with the operation of inserting and removing the battery62. This structure will be described in detail below.

As shown inFIGS.5and6, to the outer side surface of the battery housing80is fixedly secured a support frame106which includes a pair of plate-like side frames118fixed to the battery housing80so as to extend in the fore and aft direction along either side surface of the battery housing80. A plate-like front frame120is connected between front end parts of the side frames118so as to straddle the front end part of the battery housing80from above. A connector cover102is attached to a front end part of the battery housing80to protect the case-side connector96from external influences. A pair of claws116extending forward from a central part of the front frame120, and these claws116engage with engagement holes117provided in the connector cover102to fixedly secure the connector cover102to the front end of the battery housing80.

A pair of upper side plates112extend parallel to the side frames118along parts of the outer side surfaces of the battery housing80positioned above the support frames106, and are each supported by a guide mechanism (not shown in the drawings) so as to be slidable in the fore and aft direction. Between the front ends of the upper side plates112extends a cross plate112A which passes through a gap (not shown in the drawings) defined between the connector cover102and the front end of the battery housing80. The case-side connector96is attached to a central part of the cross plate112A so as to oppose the insertion opening100. The case-side connector96is electrically connected to the electric circuitry on the side of the snow blower main body2. The upper side plates112and the cross plate112A are integrally formed of a metal plate strip. The rear ends of the upper side plates112are each fixedly provided with a first drive member114which is made of resin material.

Further, a pair of lower side plates124extend parallel to the side frames118along parts of the outer side surfaces of the battery housing80positioned below the side frames118, and are guided by respective slide guides122provided on the corresponding side surfaces of the battery housing80so as to be slidable in the fore and aft direction. A plate-like grip portion126extends laterally between the rear ends of the lower side plates124. The lower side plates124and the grip portion126are made of a single metal plate member. A relatively soft resin material is wrapped around the grip portion126. A second drive member127made of resin material is attached to the rear end of each lower side plate124.

A middle point of each side frame118along the fore and aft direction is pivotally connected to a middle point of a seesaw plate110consisting of an elongated plate member via a pivot pin136. Each seesaw plate110is tilted backward with respect to the fore and aft direction, and is provided with an slot132extending in the lengthwise direction at the upper end thereof. A slot133extending in the lengthwise direction is provided in a middle part of the corresponding upper side plate112, and a slide pin128is received in these slots132,133. The bottom end of the seesaw plate110is provided with a slot134extending in the lengthwise direction thereof, and the slot134receives a slide pin130provided fixedly on the corresponding lower side plate124.

A first holding member140is provided at the upper end of each side wall84and86adjacent to the corresponding cutout95provided in the mesh member93so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the fore and aft direction. The first holding member140is provided with a holding portion138capable of contacting the upper surface of the battery62via the cutout95and a cam portion142configured to cooperate with the first drive member114of the corresponding upper side plate112. The first holding member140is normally biased by a spring (not shown in the drawings) so that the holding portion138thereof is displaced toward a release position away from the upper surface of the battery62. When the first drive member114is in the advanced position, the holding portion138occupies the release position under the spring force, but when the first drive member114is in the receded position, the first drive member114and the cam portion142are engaged with the result that the holding portion138occupies a holding position in which the holding portion138abuts on the upper surface of the battery62via the cutout95provided in the mesh member93.

Ridges on both sides of the upper surface of the battery62are rounded. As shown inFIG.7, since each holding portion138has an inclined surface that abuts on the corresponding ridge, an inward pressing force is generated when the holding portions138abut on the upper surface of the battery62. Therefore, when the holding portions138contact the upper surface of the battery62, the battery62is centered with respect to the lateral direction.

A second holding member144is provided at the rear edge of each side wall84and86so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The second holding member144is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the rear surface of the battery62. The second holding member144is normally urged by a spring (not shown in the drawings) toward a holding position where the second holding member144contacts the rear surface of the battery62. Each lower side plate124is provided with an engaging portion146capable of selectively coming into contact with the surface of the second holding member144facing the battery62. When the lower side plate124is in the advanced position as shown inFIG.5, the engaging portion146is released from the second holding member144(the engaging portion146lightly abutting or slightly separated from the second holding member144), and the second holding member144occupies the holding position where the rear surface of the battery62is held by the second holding member144under the biasing force of the spring. When the lower side plate124recedes from the advanced position, the engaging portion146retreats together with the lower side plate124, thereby rotating the second holding member144outward against the biasing force of the spring with the result that the second holding member144occupies the released position away from the rear surface of the battery62. Thereby, the battery62can be pulled out rearward without being restrained and removed from the battery housing80.

Next, the operating procedure of the battery storage unit70when the battery62is put into and taken out of the battery housing80will be described in the following.

In order to insert the battery62into the battery housing80, it is necessary to pull the first the grip portion126sufficiently rearward. In this state, the holding portion138of the first holding member140is flipped upward under the spring force, and the second holding member144is flipped backward by the engaging portion146against the biasing force. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent the battery62from being inserted into the battery housing80. Therefore, the user grips the handle portion66of the battery62and pushes the battery62into the battery housing80from the rear end of the battery housing80until the front end of the battery62hits the front wall90. Since the battery housing80has inner dimensions slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the battery62, the battery62can be pushed in substantially without any resistance. In addition, since the bottom wall82is slanted forward and downward, the battery62can be pushed in with a relatively little effort due to the action of gravity. Even when the tip of the battery62hits the front wall90, the case-side connector96is slightly separated from the battery-side connector64.

Next, the user pushes the lower side plate124forward by gripping the grip portion126. In the initial state of the forward movement, each slide pin128moves along the slot133provided in the corresponding upper side plate112, so that the upper side plate112remains stationary and only the lower side plate124advances. As a result, the second holding member144is pressed against the rear end of the battery62under the spring force. Once the slide pin128reaches the rear end of the slot133and further pushes the grip portion126forward, the upper side plate112begins to move rearward. As a result, on the one hand, the interaction between the first drive members114of the upper side plates112and the cam portions142causes the holding portions138of the first holding members140to push the upper part of the battery62from either side against the spring force with the result that the battery62is centered with respect to the lateral direction, and is restrained in this position. Since the holding portions138restrain the battery62with the pushing force applied to the grip portion126by the user which is transmitted via the cam portions142, a high restraining force can be obtained. On the other hand, the case-side connector96provided on the cross plate112A also moves rearward, and eventually causes the case-side connector96to be fully connected to the battery-side connector64.

In this way, when the grip portion126is fully pushed in, the battery62is held in a properly positioned state with respect to the fore and aft direction and the lateral direction, and the connection between the case-side connector96and the battery-side connector64is fully established.

In order to remove the battery62from the battery housing80, it is necessary to first pull out the grip portion126rearward. When the lower side plates124are moved rearward together with the grip portion126, the case-side connector96and the battery-side connector64are first pulled apart from each other, and the first drive members114and the cam portions142are separated from each other through the process reverse to that described above, and the holding portions138of the first holding members140are released from the upper surface of the battery62under the spring force. Subsequently, the second holding members144are released from the engaging portions146of the second drive members127on the side of the lower side plates124against the spring force. As a result, the battery62is released from the restraint of the first holding members140and the second holding members144, and can be removed from the battery housing80without resistance.

The inner surface of the battery housing80is dimensioned so that there is a slight gap not only in the vertical direction but also in the lateral direction, but the battery housing80can be positioned accurately owing to the centering action of the holding portions138of the first holding members140. Since the battery62is placed on the bottom wall82, it is positioned accurately in the vertical direction as well. Therefore, when inserting the battery62into the battery housing80, the battery-side connector64can be connected to the case-side connector96in an accurately aligned state. When pulling the battery62out of the battery housing80, the battery-side connector64and the case-side connector96can be pulled out in the correct direction. Therefore, the terminals of the battery-side connector64and the case-side connector96are prevented from undue loading, and prevented from being damaged. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for a floating connector structure, which is often used in such battery housing structures.

Second Embodiment

The battery storage unit70according to the second embodiment differs from the battery storage unit70of the first embodiment only in the shape of the seal member94, and is otherwise similar to that of the first embodiment. In the following description, the parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted with like numerals without necessarily repeating the description of such parts to avoid redundancy.

As shown inFIG.8, the seal member94has a hollow interior, and has a rounded bottom end so as to define a D-shaped cross section. The width of the seal member94, or the dimension from the inner surface of the top wall92to the tip of the seal member94is slightly longer than the width of the gap formed between the top wall92and the upper surface of the battery62in the free state so that when the battery62is inserted, the seal member94is caused to resiliently abut against its upper surface of the battery62.

Thus, when the battery62is inserted into the battery housing80, the lower end of the seal member94contacts the upper surface of the battery62and bends forward and upward with respect to the insertion/removal direction. The hollow interior of the seal member94allows the lower end part thereof to easily bend upward so that the seal member94is enabled to accommodate itself to the width of the gap formed between the top wall92and the upper surface of the battery62. When the battery62is received in the battery housing80, the upper surface of the battery62is kept in contact with the seal member94owing to the biasing force thereof. As a result, the seal member94guides the water droplets flowing forward along the upper surface of the battery62to either lateral side along the upper surface of the battery62and prevents the water droplets from flowing into the laterally central part of the front end of the battery62.

Third Embodiment

The battery storage unit70according to the third embodiment differs from the battery storage unit70of the first embodiment only in the arrangement of the seal member94, and is otherwise similar to that of the first embodiment. In the following description, the parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are denoted with like numerals without necessarily repeating the description of such parts to avoid redundancy.

As shown inFIG.9, the seal member94extends substantially linearly from the one side to the other of the top wall92while being inclined forward. Preferably, the seal member94inclines forward as one moves in the outboard direction. In other words, the seal member94for the right battery storage unit70may slant forward toward the right side (the outboard side) while the seal member94for the left battery storage unit70may slant forward toward the left side (the outboard side). Thereby, the water droplets flowing along the upper surface of the batteries62are guided to the outboard sides of the batteries62so that the water droplets are effectively prevented from coming close to electric components of the snow blower1.

The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited by such embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For instance, the mesh members93may be configured to be detachable by using hinges, fasteners or snap fit arrangements. It is also possible to omit the mesh members93. Further, each battery62may be exposed not only in the upper rear and rear parts thereof, but also in side parts thereof by forming cutouts in the side walls84and86or mesh parts therein.

Moreover, not all of the constituent elements shown in the above embodiments are essential to the broad concept of the present invention, and they can be appropriately selected, omitted and substituted without departing from the gist of the present invention. The contents of any cited references in this disclosure will be incorporated in the present application by reference.