Patent Publication Number: US-7591086-B2

Title: Shooter for snow remover

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a shooter for a snow remover, and particularly relates to an improvement in a hinge for swingably mounting a shooter guide onto a distal end of a shooter main body. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Japanese Utility Model Post-Exam Publication No. 63-076025 discloses a known example of a shooter for a snow remover that includes a shooter main body for ejecting snow collected in an auger in an arbitrary direction; a shooter guide, mounted on the distal end of the shooter main body, for adjusting the angle at which snow is projected; and a hinge member for swingably mounting the shooter guide onto the shooter main body. The hinge member of the shooter is described below with reference to  FIG. 10  hereof. 
   In  FIG. 10 , a hinge member  211  provided to a shooter  210  is composed of a hinge half  214  that faces a shooter guide  213  from the top end of a shooter main body  212 , another hinge half  215  that faces the shooter main body  212  from the bottom end of the shooter guide  213 , and a hinge member  216  for rotatably linking the hinge halves  214 ,  215 . 
   However, if the shooter guide  213  is repeatedly swung in relation to the shooter main body  212 , there is a danger that the hinge member  216  will come loose from the hinge halves  214 ,  215 . 
   The snow to be ejected sometimes leaks out through the gap formed by the hinge halves  214  and  215 . 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to one aspect of the present invention, a shooter for a snow remover is provided which comprises: a shooter main body, adapted to be rotatably mounted on an auger housing of the snow remover, for ejecting to a significant distance snow collected in the auger of the snow remover; and a shooter guide, swingably mounted on the top end of the shooter main body by means of a hinge, for varying the angle of snow projection, wherein the hinge has a hinge half disposed on the side of the shooter main body and mounted on the top end of the shooter main body; a hinge half mounted on the side of the shooter guide and formed on the bottom end of the shooter guide; a pin member that is inserted through the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body and the hinge half on the side of the shooter guide, and that rotatably links the two hinge halves; and an interlocking member for preventing the pin member from falling out from the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body and the hinge half on the side of the shooter guide; and wherein the interlocking member is formed from a wire material, possesses spring properties, and comprises a rectilinear part positioned on the side of the shooter main body or the side of the shooter guide; coiled parts formed at the ends of the rectilinear part; and pressure parts that are formed into a U shape so as to protrude towards the center of the rectilinear part in order for the wire material extending continuously from the ends of the coiled parts to press against the ends of the pin member. 
   Thus, the hinge has an interlocking member that prevents the pin member from coming loose from the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body and the hinge half on the side of the shooter guide, and the pin member is therefore prevented from becoming misaligned or falling out from the hinge halves. As a result, the shooter for the snow remover can be more simply maintained. The interlocking member is an elastic member formed from a wire material, and pressure is applied by the pressure parts from both sides to the two ends of the pin member. As a result, the interlocking member can be simply mounted on both ends of the pin member by utilizing this elasticity. 
   It is preferable that the interlocking member further comprise contact parts formed so as to extend further towards the center of the rectilinear part from the end of the wire material that forms the pressure parts so that the contact parts cover a gap formed at the position in which the shooter main body and the shooter guide face each other. Therefore, the snow to be ejected can be prevented from leaking out through the gap. As a result, the operation of removing snow is made more effective. 
   It is particularly preferable that the contact parts comprise gap filling members for covering the gap. Therefore, snow is prevented from leaking through the gap. 
   It is preferable that the length of the pin member be less than the combined length of the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body and the hinge half on the side of the shooter guide. Therefore, the pressure parts of the interlocking member can be fitted into the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body or the hinge half on the side of the shooter guide, the pin member can be prevented from falling out, and the interlocking member can be firmly supported on the hinge halves. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a snow remover that has the shooter of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the snow remover shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the shooter shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a rear view of the shooter shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a shooter apparatus; 
       FIG. 6  is a plan view of the interlocking member shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a hinge and an interlocking member positioned between the shooter main body and the first shooter guide; 
       FIG. 8  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the shooter shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  are diagrams showing the manner in which the interlocking member is mounted on the first hinge; and 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a conventional shooter. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A snow remover  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  comprises a frame body  11 , a propulsion unit  12  provided underneath the frame body, and an engine  13  mounted on the frame body  11 . The engine  13  is the drive source of the propulsion unit  12  and is protected by an engine cover  14 . A rotary snow-removing unit (snow-removing unit)  15  for collecting snow is provided on the front of the frame body  11 , so as to be capable of tilting to the left and right in relation to the frame body  11 . The snow collected in the snow-removing unit  15  is ejected by means of a shooter  60  that is rotatably provided on the auger housing  38 . 
   Left and right operating handles  35 ,  36  extend from the top of the frame body  11  so as to be inclined upward and to the rear. An operating panel  37  is provided between the left and right operating handles  35 ,  36 . The left and right operating handles  35 ,  36  have left and right grips  47 ,  48 . The snow remover  10  described above is a self-propelled traveling snow remover. 
   The propulsion unit  12  includes left and right propelled parts  22 ,  23 , left and right electric motors  24 ,  26 , and left and right decelerators  25 ,  27 . The left and right electric motors  24 ,  26  are driven by electricity from a power generator  28 , and the left and right propelled parts  22 ,  23  are propelled. Therefore, the speed of the left and right propelled parts  22 ,  23  is regulated by adjusting the rotational speed of the electric motors  24 ,  26 . 
   The power generator  28  is driven by the engine  13  to generate electricity, and the electricity is fed to the left and right electric motors  24 ,  26  to drive the motors  24 ,  26 . Therefore, the engine  13  serves as the drive source for the propelled parts  22 ,  23 . 
   The engine cover  14  is provided on top of the frame body  11 . A front end  14   a  of the engine cover  14  extends to the front of the frame body  11 . The engine cover  14  has an opening  14   b  formed in the middle thereof through which projects a top part  13   a  of the engine  13 . A fuel tank  18   a , an air cleaner  18   b , and a muffler  18   c  protrude upward from the opening  14   b . The front end  14   a  of the engine cover  14  covers a tilt detection means  20  for detecting the tilt of the snow-removing unit  15  to the left and right. 
   The left propelled part  22  is composed of a front rotating wheel  22   a , a back driving wheel  22   b , and a crawler belt  22   c  passed over these two wheels, wherein the driving wheel  22   b  is propelled to rotate forwards and backwards by the left electric motor  24 . 
   The right propelled part  23  is symmetrical to the left propelled part  22 , the structural components thereof are denoted by the same numerical symbols, and descriptions thereof are omitted. 
   An output axle  29  of the engine  13  is coupled with a drive axle  34  via an electromagnetic clutch  32 . The drive axle  34  is extended into an auger housing  38  and is coupled with a blower  41  and an auger  42 . 
   The left operating handle  35  has a propulsion-enabling lever  39  and a left-turn lever  51 . The propulsion-enabling lever  39  is grasped to allow the snow remover  10  to be propelled, and is released to halt propulsion. The left-turn lever  51  controls the rotation of the left electric motor  24 . The right operating handle  36  has a right-turn lever  52  for controlling the rotation of the right electric motor  26 . 
   The snow remover  10  further includes a height-adjustment cylinder  44  for adjusting the height of the snow-removing unit  15  including the auger  42 , and a tilting cylinder  46  for tilting the snow-removing unit  15 . Electrohydraulic cylinders may, for example, be used as the height-adjustment cylinder  44  and the tilting cylinder  46 . 
   The frame body  11  and the rotary snow-removing unit  15  are caused to swing vertically around a supporting axle  45  by operating the height-adjustment cylinder  44 . Specifically, since the rotary snow-removing unit  15  is mounted on the front of the frame body  11 , the rotary snow-removing unit  15  is also caused to swing vertically together with the frame body  11  to adjust the height of the rotary snow-removing unit  15 . Operating the tilting cylinder  46  causes the rotary snow-removing unit  15  to roll and tilt to the left and right in relation to the frame body  11 . 
   When the snow remover  10  is used to remove snow, the operator grasps the left and right grips  47 ,  48  with the left and right hands and propels the frame body  11  forward. Snow is collected within the auger  42  while the frame body  11  is moved forward, the collected snow is thrown upward by the blower  41 , and the snow thrown upward is projected out by the shooter  60 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the shooter  60  includes a shooter main body  61  rotatably mounted on the top of the auger housing  38  ( FIG. 2 ), and a shooter guide  62  that is swingably mounted on the top end of the shooter main body  61  so as to vary the angle of snow projection. The shooter guide  62  is composed of a first shooter guide  62 A that is swingably mounted on the top end of the shooter main body  61 , and a second shooter guide  62 B that is swingably mounted on the top end of the first shooter guide. 
   A plate link  63  links the shooter main body  61  and the second shooter guide  62 B. A torsion spring  64  is located between the shooter main body  61  and the plate link  63 . An operating wire  65  simultaneously operates the first and second shooter guides  62 A,  62 B by means of the plate link  63 . 
   The shooter guide  62  is configured from the first shooter guide  62 A and the second shooter guide  62 B. The torsion spring  64  is a member that returns the second shooter guide  62 B to its initial position by means of the plate link  63 . 
   Pulling the operating wire  65  causes a downward operating force to act on a mounting unit  87   c  of the first shooter guide  62 A on which the distal end of the operating wire  65  is mounted. The first shooter guide  62 A rotates around a first hinge  111  in the counterclockwise direction (downward) in  FIG. 3 . At this time, since the shooter main body  61  and the second shooter guide  62 B are both rotatably coupled with the plate link  63 , the second shooter guide  62 B also rotates downward around a second hinge  112  along with the rotation of the first shooter guide  62 A. Therefore, the first and second shooter guides  62 A,  62 B are curved in relation to the shooter main body  61 , as shown by the double-dashed lines. 
   The shooter  60  is designed so that a bracket  77  is provided near the side of the reverse surface of the shooter main body  61 ; the plate link  63  is provided on the side surfaces of both the shooter main body  61  and the first and second shooter guides  62 A,  62 B; the torsion spring  64  located between the bracket  77  and the plate link  63  is disposed near the shooter main body  61 ; and the operating wire  65  is positioned on the side surfaces of both the shooter main body  61  and the first shooter guide  62 A. The area around the shooter main body  61  can therefore be simplified. As a result, the outward appearance of the area around the shooter main body  61  is improved. 
   The shooter main body  61  includes a bracket  77 , a stay  78 , and a hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The bracket  77  supports one end of the plate link  63 , and also supports a coil  93  of the torsion spring  64 . The stay  78  is formed on the side surface of the shooter main body  61  in order to support the operating wire  65 . The hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body is mounted on the top end of the shooter main body  61 . 
   The hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body is made from a separate member and includes a bonding plate  85  that is spot-welded to the shooter main body  61 , and external tubular parts  86 ,  86  whose top ends are formed so as to curl away from the bonding plate  85  to allow a pin member  66  to be inserted and used to hold an interlocking member  68 . 
   The first shooter guide  62 A has the shape of a U in cross section and is composed of a reverse-side plate  88 , and left and right side plates  87   a ,  87   b  that are formed to bend around the sides of the reverse-side plate  88 . 
   The reverse-side plate  88  includes a central tubular part  88   a  formed so that the bottom end curls in the middle, and external tubular parts  89 ,  89  formed so that the top ends are both curled. The central tubular part  88   a  of the reverse-side plate  88  constitutes the hinge half on the side of the shooter guide. 
   The mounting unit  87   c  for mounting the distal end of the operating wire  65  is located on the side surface of the left side plate  87   a.    
   The shooter main body  61  and the first shooter guide  62 A are coupled via the pin member  66 , the external tubular parts  86 ,  86 , and the central tubular part  88   a . The interlocking member  68  is set at both ends of the pin member  66 , whereby the pin member  66  is prevented from coming loose from the external tubular parts  86 ,  86  and the central tubular part  88   a . The interlocking member  68  is engaged with the outer ends  86   a ,  86   a  of the external tubular parts  86 ,  86 . 
   The second shooter guide  62 B is formed into a U shape in cross section and includes a hinge half  96  that is fixed in place in the middle of the bottom end thereof by welding. Furthermore, the second shooter guide  62 B has a stud bolt  97  that is provided to the side surface thereof in order to rotatably support the other end of the plate link  63 . 
   The hinge half  96  is composed of a bonding plate  98  that is spot-welded onto the second shooter guide  62 B, and a central tubular part  99  formed so as to curl away from the bonding plate  98 . 
   The first and second shooter guides  62 A,  62 B are coupled via a pin member  67  that is inserted through the external tubular parts  89 ,  89  and the central tubular part  99 . An interlocking member  69  is set at both ends of the pin member  67 , whereby the pin member  67  is prevented from coming loose from the external tubular parts  89 ,  89  and the central tubular part  99 . 
   A bolt through-hole  91  for enabling the plate link to be rotatably mounted on the side of the shooter main body  61  is formed in one end of the plate link  63 . A stud through-hole  92  through which the stud bolt  97  is inserted is formed in the other end of the plate link  63 . One end of the plate link  63  is rotatably supported on the shooter main body  61  by a bolt  75 . The other end is fastened with a nut  76  by passing the stud bolt  97  through the through-hole  92 , so that this other end is rotatably supported on the second shooter guide  62 B. 
   Since the first shooter guide  62 A and the second shooter guide  62 B are moved in conjunction with each other by the plate link  63 , it is possible to simultaneously operate the second shooter guide  62 B by operating the first shooter guide  62 A. 
   The torsion spring  64  is composed of a coil  93  supported by the bolt  75  via two collars  71 ,  71 ; an interlocking part  94  that engages with the bracket  77  of the shooter main body  61 ; and the other interlocking part  95  that engages with the plate link  63 . The torsion spring  64  is located between the shooter main body  61  and the plate link  63  and constantly urges the second shooter guide  62 B in the return direction. The coil  93  of the torsion spring  64  allows the collars  71 ,  71  to be inserted from both ends. 
   The operating wire  65  is fastened to the first shooter guide  62 A at the distal end. The wire extends from the shooter guide  62 A through the shooter main body  61  to the side of the frame body  11  ( FIG. 2 ) and operates the first and second shooter guides  62 A,  62 B. 
   The collars  71  are formed from a resin or rubber-based material. These collars  71  are composed of a flange  101  that is in contact with the end of the coil  93 , and tubular bodies  102  that are inserted into the coil  93 . The tubular bodies  102  support the inner periphery of the coil  93 . Specifically, the collars  71 ,  71  are vibration-reducing members that reduce vibration and deformation in the radial direction of the torsion spring  64 . The bolt  75  supports the collars  71 ,  71  by being inserted into the collars  71 ,  71  via a washer  73 , the plate link  63 , and a spacer  74 . The bolt  75  is fastened with a nut  75   a.    
   The bracket  77  is formed into a substantial U shape, and is composed of a bottom part  81  that is spot-welded onto the shooter main body  61 , and left- and right-side parts  82 ,  82  that extend from both ends of the bottom part  81 . The left- and right-side parts  82 ,  82  have through-holes  83 ,  83  formed to allow the bolt  75  to be inserted. 
   The first hinge  111  is configured from the hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body, the central tubular part  88   a  of the reverse-side plate  88 , the pin member  66 , and the interlocking member  68 . The second hinge  112  is configured from the external tubular parts  89 ,  89  of the reverse-side plate  88 , the hinge half  96 , the pin member  67 , and the interlocking member  69 . 
   The interlocking member (spring press)  68  is formed of an elastic wire material, as shown in  FIG. 6 . The interlocking member  68  has a rectilinear part  105  positioned on the side of the shooter main body  61  or the side of the first shooter guide  62 A shown in  FIG. 5 ; coils  106 ,  106  formed at both ends of the rectilinear part  105 ; pressure parts  107 ,  107  that apply pressure to the ends  66   a ,  66   a  of the pin member  66 , and which are formed by bending the coils  106 ,  106  into substantial U shapes towards the center of the rectilinear part  105 ; contact parts  108 ,  108  that are formed by bending the pressure parts  107 ,  107  further towards the center of the rectilinear part  105 ; and tubes  109 ,  109  that are mounted on the contact parts  108 ,  108 . The pressure parts  107 ,  107  are engaged with the external tubular parts  86 ,  86  of the hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body. 
   The pin member  66  is formed to be smaller in length than the external tubular parts  86 ,  86  of the hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body, including the length of the central tubular part  88   a  formed on the first shooter guide  62 A shown in  FIG. 5 . Therefore, the pressure parts  107 ,  107  of the interlocking member  68  can be embedded into the external tubular parts  86 ,  86 . As a result, the interlocking member  68  prevents the pin member  66  from falling out, and is firmly supported on the hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body. 
   The pin member  66  and the pin member  67  ( FIG. 5 ) are common members. The interlocking member  68  is in contact with the ends  66   a ,  66   a  of the pin member  66 . The interlocking member  69  is in contact with the ends  67   a ,  67   a  of the pin member  67 . The interlocking member  68  and the interlocking member  69  are also common members. 
   A gap S formed in the connecting surface  113  where the shooter main body  61  and the first shooter guide  62 A face each other, i.e., a gap S formed between the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body and the hinge half  88   a  on the side of the shooter guide, is covered by the contact parts  108  of the interlocking member  68  as shown in  FIG. 7 , whereby the snow to be ejected is prevented from escaping to the exterior through the gap S. 
   The tubes  109  are preferably mounted on the contact parts  108  because the gap S is then more effectively closed off. Therefore, the tubes  109  function as gap-filling members. 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , the shooter  60  of the present invention is designed so that the torsion spring  64  located between the shooter main body  61  side and the shooter guide  62  side is used as a means for returning the shooter guide  62 , and the collars (vibration-reducing members)  71 ,  71  are inserted into the coil  93 . This reduces vibration in the torsion spring  64 , and suppresses resonance in the torsion spring  64  that occurs with vibration in the engine  13  of the snow remover  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   The coil  93  of the torsion spring  64  is located between the left- and right-side parts  82 ,  82  of the bracket  77 . The torsion spring  64  is mounted on the bracket  77  by passing the collars (vibration-reducing members)  71 ,  71  through the left- and right-side parts  82 ,  82  and inserting the collars into the coil  93 , as was previously described. Therefore, vibration (resonance) and deformation in the radial direction of the torsion spring  64  are prevented. 
   As described above, the first hinge  111  is composed of a hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body mounted on the top end of the shooter main body  61 , a hinge half  88   a  disposed on the side of the shooter guide and formed on the bottom end of the first shooter guide  62 A, a pin member  66  that rotatably links the hinge half  88   a  on the side of the shooter guide to the hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body, and an interlocking member that prevents the pin member  66  from falling out from the hinge half on the side of the shooter main body and the hinge half  88   a  on the side of the shooter guide. 
   The interlocking member  68  includes a rectilinear part  105  positioned on the side of the shooter main body  61 , coils  106 ,  106  formed at the ends of the rectilinear part  105 , and pressure parts  107 ,  107  that are caused to apply pressure to the ends  66   a ,  66   a  of the pin member  66  by being formed into substantial U shapes so as to protrude from one end of the coils  106 ,  106  towards the middle of the rectilinear part  105 . 
   Thus, the first hinge  111  has an interlocking member  68 . Therefore, the pin member  66  does not fall out from the hinge half  79  on the side of the shooter main body or the hinge half  88   a  on the side of the shooter guide, and maintenance is simplified. 
   Since the interlocking member  68  has elasticity due to the presence of the coils  106 ,  106 , the interlocking member can easily be attached and detached from the first hinge  111  while the ends  66   a ,  66   a  of the pin member  66  are pressed on by the pressure parts  107 ,  107 . 
   Next, the manner in which the interlocking member  68  is mounted on the first hinge  111  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 9A and 9B . 
   As shown in  FIG. 9A , first, the pressure part  107  of the interlocking member  68  is fitted into one end  86   a  of an external tubular part  86 , and one end  66   a  of the pin member  66  is pressed on by the pressure part  107 . Next, the elasticity of the coils  106  of the interlocking member  68  is used to fit the other pressure part  107  of the interlocking member  68  into the other end of the other external tubular part  86 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 9B , the interlocking member  68  is mounted in the first hinge  111 , and the pin member  66  is secured by the pressure parts  107 ,  107  and does not fall out even if an attempt is made to pull the pin member  66  out from the external tubular parts  86 ,  86  and the central tubular part  88   a.    
   In the present embodiment, an example was given in which the external tubular parts  86 ,  86  were provided on the side of the shooter main body  61 , and the central tubular part  88   a  was formed on the first shooter guide  62 A as shown in  FIG. 5 . However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment alone, and another possibility is to provide the external tubular parts  86 ,  86  and the central tubular part  88   a  in their opposite positions. Furthermore, the number of external tubular parts and central tubular parts can be varied appropriately. 
   In the present invention, the first hinge  111  was described in detail as an example, and the second hinge  112  has the same configuration as the first hinge  111 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   Obviously, various minor changes and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.