Abstract:
An actuator for raising and lowering a blade mounted to a vehicle. A winch assembly is mounted to the blade and is powered by the vehicle battery. The motor has a low amperage draw and has a gear reduction unit to provide mechanical advantage. The cable extending from the winch is arranged to have a double pull to provide an additional mechanical advantage.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a winch for use on an all terrain vehicle (ATV) for actuating an implement mounted on the ATV, e.g., for raising and lowering a plowing blade. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     All terrain vehicles are small four-wheel vehicles, typically about four feet wide and about six feet long. They are designed to carry one or two persons over all types of terrain, both on road and off road use. Whereas they were originally considered a recreational vehicle, their use has developed into all manner of practical applications. Because of their small size, they can be driven on sidewalks and along trails typically reserved for pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles and horseback riders, and not motorized vehicles. 
     They are a favorite form of transportation in camp grounds, farms and similar environments. They are provided with hitches for towing wagons that can carry a load, with plows for plowing snow and dirt, and with winches for getting the ATV unstuck and for aiding hunters in skidding large game out of a forest. 
     There are limitations, however, in that the ATV is a small vehicle with corresponding power capability. Whereas their light weight allows for the use of small inexpensive engines with corresponding accessory components, e.g., alternators and batteries, the power availability for such implements as electrically powered winches is limited. There is also the problem of cost. A typical winch mounted to a conventional four-wheel drive vehicle can cost 10-20% of the entire cost of the ATV and in any event have a very restricted use as the ATV does not provide enough power to fully utilize the capability of a conventional winch. 
     The present invention was prompted by the need to solve a particular problem. The above-mentioned snow plow blade addition to an ATV requires that the blade be mounted so that it can be repeatedly raised and lowered. In the lowered position, the blade rests on the ground surface so that snow or other debris on the ground surface (e.g., a sidewalk) can be pushed or bladed off the surface. However, to maneuver the ATV into different positions during operation, the blade needs to be raised and lowered repeatedly. 
     Prior to the present invention, the raising and lowering of the blade was most often provided by a hand lever mechanically linked to the blade. The ATV operator had to physically muscle the blade to a raised position. Alternatively, a traditional winch which may be mounted to the ATV, e.g., for the purpose of getting the ATV unstuck or for hunting, may be additionally applied to the task of raising and lowering the blade. However, repeated or improper use of the winch can rapidly drain the battery of the ATV and as previously mentioned, the cost is prohibitive for the many users who only want a power assist for raising and lowering the plow blade (or similar implement attachment for the ATV). 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the problem of providing power assist for operating implement attachments to an ATV such as a plow blade. The object is to use the available power of the ATV while maintaining cost objectives and also to provide both convenience and safety of operation. Whereas such implements as snow plow blades are a secondary benefit of an ATV, the implement preferably will also be readily mountable and demountable from the ATV. Hereafter the invention is described with reference to a snow plow blade but it is to be understood that, as applicable, encompassed are all implements having similar power assist requirements. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the power source for operation of the snow plow blade is a small electric motor having low amperage operation and need only for light wiring. A simple gear set up drives a drive gear mounted to a winch drum designed, e.g., to operate having about 4 to 4½ feet of cable. A double line lift arrangement provides for a mechanical advantage that further reduces the power need, i.e., the winch winds up 20 inches of cable to lift the blade 10 inches, the typical clearance height provided for such blades. The electric motor is provided with a dynamic brake to prevent back drop of the blade when raised off of the surface. The motor further includes a self-governing feature, e.g., a thermal protector that shuts the motor down in response to overheating. The short winch cable and the thermal protector prevent misuse of the winch, e.g., for pulling heavy objects or for extended periods of use. 
     Other features that provide improvement in the use of the lift winch are: 
     (a) The winch assembly is preferably mounted to the blade rather than the ATV so that the de-mounting of the blade also provides de-mounting of the winch assembly. 
     (b) Operation of the lift winch is provided by a hand control mounted to the ATV handle bars. 
     (c) A quick connect mechanism disconnects the wiring to the winch so that the hand control can remain on the ATV handle bars while the blade and winch motor are stored for the winter season. 
     (d) The double line pull arrangement simply requires a pulley that is attached to the ATV frame. Removal of the cable from the pulley is provided by a removable pulley wheel. 
     (e) The wiring is provided with a safety switch which is connected to the ATV&#39;s ignition switch and cannot be operated without the ATV ignition switch turned on. 
     (f) The cable is connected to the winch drum to provide for winding of the cable on the drum in either direction thus avoiding a problem of loosening the cable from the drum. 
     These and other advantages will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and the drawings referred to therein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view of the winch actuator of the present invention applied to an all terrain vehicle for elevating and lowering a plow blade; 
     FIG. 2 is a view of a winch assembly mounted to the plow blade of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the winch assembly mounted to the plow blade of FIG. 2; and, 
     FIG. 4 is a partial view of a handlebar of the vehicle of FIG. 1 illustrating a control for the winch. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle  10  often referred to as an all terrain vehicle (ATV). The vehicle  10  was initially provided as an recreational vehicle but soon was adapted to be utilized in many other operations such as towing trailers, lawn sweepers and the like and the application of blades for moving snow. In this embodiment, the vehicle  10  has a blade  12  mounted to the front of the vehicle  10  with a blade  12  being suited for moving snow. The blade  12  is pivotally mounted to the frame  14  of the vehicle  10  on suitable brackets  16 . The blade  12  is pivotally movable upwardly away from a supporting surface  18  and downwardly toward the supporting surface  18 . In this embodiment the blade  12  is moved upwardly and downwardly by a winch assembly  20  that is mounted to the blade  12 . 
     The vehicle  10  is of the type that generally does not have a large capacity battery nor a generating system that has a high output. It is therefore necessary that the motor that drives the winch has a low power requirement. The winch assembly  20  of the present invention fills that need. 
     FIG. 2 further illustrates the winch assembly  20  mounted to the blade  12 . Brackets  22 , which support a drum and motor assembly of the winch  20 , are fixedly mounted to a base plate  24  of the blade  12 . As shown, the brackets  22  are spaced a sufficient distance apart by spacers  26  which accommodate the mounting of the cable drum assembly  28 . The drum  28  is reversibly driven by a motor assembly  30 . The motor assembly  30  includes a housing  31  which has a gear reduction unit coupled to the motor. 
     The drum  28  driven in one direction will deploy cable  34  off the drum  28  and the drum  28  rotatably driven in the opposite direction will reel cable onto the drum  28 . The cable  34  extends from the drum  28  to a support pulley  38  mounted to a bracket  39  on a cross member  40  of the vehicle  10 . The end of the extended cable  34  is secured to a cross member  42  of the blade  10  on a bracket  44 . The pulley  38  is removable from the bracket  39  by removal of the bolt  41 . 
     The arrangement of the cable connection between the blade  12  and the vehicle  10  provides an additional mechanical advantage by the double pull. 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the winch  20  which further illustrates the mounting arrangement of the cable drum  28  to the brackets  22  and the manner of inserting the end of the cable  34  into the cable drum  28 . The cable drum  28  is rotatably supported in bearings  52  and  54  that are mounted in the brackets  22  of the winch assembly. A housing  31  of the motor assembly  30  is mounted on one of the brackets  22  strategic to the drum  28 . When installed the housing has a spline shaft  56  in engagement with a drive member  58  of the cable drum  28 . 
     The cable drum  28  has a center tube  60 . The tube  60  has an aperture  62  that is sized to permit the insertion of a ball  64  fixedly mounted on the end  66  of the cable  34 . The end  66  of the cable is inserted through the aperture  62  to reside within the tube  60 . The end  66  of the cable  34  is inserted into the tube prior to the mounting of the housing  31 . When the housing  31  is installed, the stub shaft  68  projects into the tube  60  to prevent the ball  64  from exiting through the aperture  62 . The manner of securing the cable  34  to the drum  28  permits reeling the cable onto the drum in either direction of drum rotation without kinking the cable. 
     A housing  80  is mounted to a handlebar  82  of the vehicle  10  as shown in FIG.  4 . The housing  80  has push button switches  84  and  86  to provide power to the motor  30 . When switch  84  is depressed power will be supplied to the motor  30  to rotate the motor in one direction and when switch  86  is depressed power will be supplied to the motor  30  to rotate the motor  30  in the opposite direction. A cable  88  connects the housing  80  to the motor  30 . A quick dis-connect  90  (FIG. 1) is provided to enable dis-connecting the cable  88  when the blade  12  is removed from the vehicle  10 . 
     The cable  88  is coupled to the circuit of the ignition switch  94 . Power is only supplied to the switch housing  80  (switches  84  and  86 ) when the ignition switch is in the on position. 
     The motor  30  is provided with a thermal overload protector  100  (FIG. 3) to protect the motor from overload conditions. The motor  30  is dynamically braked when power is off to prevent the blade  12  from lowering. 
     The blade  12  is removed from the vehicle  10  by uncoupling the cable  88  at the quick dis-connect  90 , uncoupling the mounting of the brackets  16  from the frame  14  and dis-connecting the pulley  38  from the bracket  39 . The winch assembly  20  thus remains on the blade  12 . 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. The invention is therefore not to be limited to the embodiments described and illustrated but is to be determined from the appended claims.