ENDLESS SCREW ROTOR SYSTEM, SNOWBLOWER PROVIDED WITH SUCH A SYSTEM, KIT FOR ASSEMBLING THE SAME, AND CORRESPONDING METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLING AND OPERATING ASSOCIATED THERETO

Abstract

A snowblower for blowing snow, the snowblower comprising a propulsion assembly being operatively disposed about a fluid passage for propelling the snow. The snowblower also comprises a pallet assembly being operatively connected to the propulsion assembly for assisting in the propelling of the snow to be blown, the pallet assembly comprising at least one pallet component being rotatable about a main pivot axis, said at least one pallet component comprising base and distal components, the base component being mountable about the main pivot axis of the pallet assembly, and the distal component being made of a flexible material capable of elastic deformation, said distal component being further positioned, shaped and sized for allowing the passage of debris to pass by between a distal edge of the distal component and a complementary component of the fluid passage.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of snowblowers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a new endless screw rotor system, and also relates to a snowblower provided with such a driving system, as well as to a kit for assembling the same, and to corresponding methods of manufacturing, assembling and/or operating associated thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Known in the art is the technology developed by the Applicant of the present application, and covered by Canadian patent 2,240,436, granted on May 23^rd, 2000, in the name of CHAMPAGNE et al., and relating to a “retractable pivoting scraper blade for snow blower”. This document describes namely a device for use with a snow blower being of the type having an auger, and allowing it to operate while moving backwards. The device principally consists of a concave blade mounted on a snow blower, which pivots between an operative position where the blade extends close to the ground and the concave surface of the blade extends in front of the auger in such a way that the blade scrapes the snow and directs it towards the auger when the snow blower is lifted up to let the snow pass under it and moves backwards, and an inoperative position where the blade is raised to a height sufficient to let the snow reach the auger when the snow blower moves forwards. A snow blower equipped with a device as defined above, for operating while moving backwards, is also disclosed as well as a method for blowing snow with a snowblower equipped with that device. Although the device has been designed to fit on a removable snow blower mounted on a motorized vehicle, it could be adapted to any type of snow blower having an auger.

Also known in the art is the technology developed by the Applicant of the present application, and covered by Canadian patent 2,541,044, granted on Nov. 17^th, 2015, in the name of CHAMPAGNE et al., and relating to a “actuating assembly for actuating a chute of a snowblower, snowblower including the same and method of operating associated thereto”. This document describes namely an actuating assembly for actuating a chute of a snowblower having a frame. The actuating assembly includes a first gear, a second gear and a driving mechanism. The first gear is pivotably mountable onto the frame of the snowblower and rotatable about a pivot axis, said first gear being configured for operatively receiving thereon the chute of the snowblower. The second gear is pivotably mountable onto the frame of the snowblower and rotatable about a pivot axis different from the pivot axis of the first gear, the second gear being operatively interconnectable with the first gear so that a rotation of the second gear is transmitted to the first gear and vice versa. The driving mechanism is used for driving the second gear in rotation so as to in turn drive the first gear and corresponding chute operatively mounted thereon to rotate.

Also known in the art is the technology developed by the Applicant of the present application, and covered by Canadian patent CA 2,729,514, granted on May 14^th, 2013, in the name of CHAMPAGNE et al., and relating to an “inverted blower, vehicle equipped with such a blower, assembly kit, and corresponding assembly and operation methods”. This document describes namely an inverted snow blower, intended to be mounted at the rear of a traction vehicle equipped with a power take-off, to blow snow. The snow blower features a housing configured to receive the snow to be blown, the housing meant to be mounted at the rear of the traction vehicle through a linkage system. The blower also includes a snow chute, mounted operatively on the housing to discharge the snow from the housing. The snow blower also includes an auger, mounted so that it pivots inside the housing and configured to drive the snow from the housing towards the chute. The snow blower also includes a gear box configured to receive a shaft from the traction vehicle's power take-off. The gear box is connected operatively to the housing auger to drive the latter through a drive force supplied by the power take-off shaft, the gear box placed between the traction vehicle and the snow blower in order to reduce the momentum of the latter on the traction vehicle. As a result, this blower is an advanced-center of gravity, inverted snow blower.

Also known in the art is the technology owned by the by the Applicant of the present application, and covered by U.S. Pat. No. 10,400,403 B2, granted on Sep. 3^rd, 2019, in the name of MACKENZIE, and relating to a “deflector for a snow blower”. This document describes namely a snow deflector for a snow blower is formed from a plate member. The plate member includes a first surface portion for being disposed covering a portion of a snow-receiving opening of a fan housing of the snow blower, and a second surface portion configured to cooperate with an adjacent rear interior surface of the snow blower to guide snow along a direction laterally toward a predetermined target region of the snow-receiving opening that is after a discharge chute opening in the fan housing along a direction of fan rotation. The snow is guided simultaneously vertically upward and longitudinally frontward. The first and second surface portions are disposed within respective first and second planes that intersect one another along a common edge shared between the first and second surface portions. The common edge being aligned generally toward the predetermined target region when the plate member is in the installed condition.

Also known in the art are the snowblowers of type economical, commercial or industrial, conventional (FIG. 1-A), inverted (FIG. 1-B), provided with an integrated scrapper (FIG. 1-C) or others, used with a carrying vehicle of the type farm tractor (FIG. 2-A & FIG. 2-B), articulated loader (FIG. 2-C) or more compact motorized equipment, for example (FIG. 2-C), provided with a three-point attachment system (1) or quick connector (2) or other types of connectors, providing the power to said snowblower by means of a transmission shaft (3), or by hydraulic power (4) or others.

The type of snowblower best known in the prior art is the type that is attached to the back of a vehicle that backs up (FIG. 2-A), thus, pushed by a vehicle. The snowblower of type inverse also known in the prior art (FIG. 2-B) is attached to the back of a vehicle that advances, thus, pulled by a vehicle. The type of inverse snowblower is mostly sought in the commercial sector for removing snow from residential entrances. This type of snowblowers enables to avoid the step of scraping the snow from the entrance before having to blow it. In comparison with the scrapper (well known by people skilled in the art), the snowblower of type inverse requires a minimum distance between an obstacle and the beginning of the cleaned zone (5). Three configurations of types of inverse snowblowers are known in the prior art offering different distances of non-cleaning (see FIG. 3). A first configuration requires the greatest distance of non-cleaning. This distance (5A) is governed by the gear box (6A) as well as the rotor (7A) of the snowblower that are located in line with the blade (8) and the rear extremity of the snowblower. A second configuration also known in the art is characterised by a minimal distance of non-cleaning (5B) inferior to the first configuration but nevertheless non negligible. The reduced distance of non-cleaning comes from the re-localization of the gear box (6B) to the front of the snowblower. Until now, the types of snowblowers described have a standard and well known chronology of “phases”, that is, that following the path of the snow with respect to the advancement of the snowblower, the auger is positioned before the rotor (7). In the context of the present patent specification, a “phase” is a mechanized manipulation of the snow. For example, the auger is a first phase that displaces the snow towards the center, close to the main rotor. A snowblower rotor is also a phase that accelerates the snow, given it the necessary speed to be projected.

The third configuration (see FIG. 3) and in relation to the Patent (20899P0001US01) includes an order of phases which differ since the rotor (7C) is placed in front of the auger (9). This type of configuration will be named “inversed snowblower with three phases” in the present patent specification. This configuration has the advantage, among other things, to greatly decrease further the distance of non-cleaning (5-C). Indeed, the fact that the auger (9) of the snowblower is placed very close to the back of the snowblower and its blade (8) be placed under the auger (9), reduces the distance of pickup at its minimum. Given that the rotor precedes the auger, the latter must be raised to avoid that it accumulates snow and that it obstructs the center of the endless screw. The distance between the ground and the bottom of the drum (casing of main rotor) (10) requires a supplemental function to the endless screw, either to propel the snow in the main rotor that is raised. This supplemental function requires a rotor system integrated to the endless screw which is actually known in the art as a third phase.

Also known in the art are the problematics of the pallet system of an endless screw of a 3-phase snowblower.

Indeed, in order to be efficient, the distance between the tip of the pallets (11) (see FIG. 4) of the auger rotor and the wall that surrounds it, in proximity of the ejection of the snow should be as small as possible. It is desirable that the distance diminishes between the admission (12-A) and the ejection of the snow (13-A). Indeed, the auger rotor acts like a snow phase pump, this principle is well known in the fluid pumps for example or the ensilage snowblowers. Also, the main rotor of certain snowblowers already use this principle. However, the admission of snow of the endless screw rotor generates an angle of entry, at the bottom of the frame, close to the blade (14-A), the part being the most exposed to debris. The debris being the most frequently encountered are small, crushed rocks having ¾″ or less and being often present in great numbers. They are therefore picked-up by the snowblower and when they present themselves in the angle of entry (14-A), this provokes a blockage of the auger and will generate a given damage to the power path of the snowblower.

The problem is not experienced by the main rotor of the snowblowers because the admission (12-B) of snow is axial and non radial. Furthermore, the angle of entry (14-B) between the tip of the pales of the main rotor and its intervening wall after the ejection (13-B) of snow (and of debris).

In this type of equipment, the auger is normally equipped with a protection system called “shearing bolt”. This bolt is calibrated to shear when a blockage problem occurs. However, this situation should be kept seldom because the operator will be greatly slowed down by a frequent replacement of this bolt. It thus becomes very difficult to approach the tip of the pallets of the auger more than ¾″ without creating frequents failures of the shearing bolt.

Other constraints concerning the position of the tip of the pallets with respect to the wall that surrounds them, the mechanical-welded assembling of the components is not precise enough to enable to a distance (11) that is well-controlled without including a system of position adjustment of the axis of the auger. The main rotor of the snowblower that is also mechanical-welded, includes a mechanical adjustment, however, it would be difficult to reproduce for the assembling of the auger without adding complexity to the equipment.

According to these problematics, it would be very advantageous to be able to limit as much as possible the space between the tip of the pallets of the auger rotor in order to increase its efficiency while ensuring to not decrease the efficiency of operation by decreasing the reliability of the equipment that would increase the frequency of jamming.

Indeed, it would be very useful to propose a solution in response to one and/or several of the problems/inconveniences described above, because despite the improvements made over the years, there is still a need to continue to innovate and find better and/or different ways of commercialising snowblowers in a faster, simpler, more efficient, more economical, more reliable, more adjustable, more versatile, more adaptable, more durable, more environment-friendly, more desirable, and/or improved manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a pallet assembly (and/or corresponding auger rotor system) for a snowblower (and/or resulting snowblower provided with such a driving system), which by virtue of its design and components, is intended to satisfy at least one of the above-mentioned needs, and which would thus be an improvement over other related snowblowers and/or rotor systems known in the prior art.

The above main object is achieved, as will be better understood, by a pallet assembly (and/or corresponding auger rotor system) for a snowblower (and/or resulting snowblower provided with such a driving system), such as the one briefly described in the present description, and such as the one exemplified in the accompanying drawings.

As will be better understood when reviewing the present description and the accompanying figures, and according to a possible embodiment, the present system relates to a configuration of auger rotor pallets intended to feed the main rotor of a snowblower.

More particularly, according to one aspect of the present invention, an objective is to provided a snowblower for blowing snow, the snowblower comprising:

a snow-intake assembly for intaking snow to be blown by the snowblower;

a snow-discharge assembly for discharging blown snow away from the snowblower;

a fluid passage being defined between an inlet interface of the snow-intake assembly and an outlet interface of the snow-discharge assembly for allowing the snow to be blown by the snowblower to flow from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly thereof;

a propulsion assembly operatively disposed about the fluid passage for propelling the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly along the fluid passage; and

a pallet assembly being operatively connected to the propulsion assembly for assisting in the propelling of the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly via the fluid passage, the pallet assembly comprising at least one pallet component being rotatable about a main pivot axis, said at least one pallet component comprising base and distal components, the base component being mountable about the main pivot axis of the pallet assembly, and the distal component being made of non-metallic flexible material capable of elastic deformation, said distal component being further positioned, shaped and sized for allowing the passage of debris to pass by between a distal edge of the distal component and a complementary component of the fluid passage.

Other aspect(s), objective(s), embodiment(s), variant(s) and/or advantages(s) of the present invention, all being preferred and/or optional, are briefly described hereinbelow.

For example, and more particularly, according to another aspect of the present invention, the latter also relates to a configuration of a pallet system (and/or of corresponding auger system) for an inverted snowblower of the type three phases enabling to reduce the space between the distal edge of the auger rotor pallets while diminishing the risks of having debris getting blocked between the auger pallets and the wall that surrounds them, thus, in doing so, enabling to increase the efficiency of the snowblower.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an auger rotor pallet with a flexible distal end.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an adjustment system of the auger rotor pallet with flexible distal end.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a snowblower provided with the above-mentioned pallet system (and/or corresponding auger rotor system).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a vehicle provided with the above-mentioned snowblower.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a set of components meant to be assembled for forming the above-mentioned pallet system (and/or corresponding auger rotor system).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a set of components for interchanging (ex. replacing, procuring, etc.) with components of the above-mentioned set of components.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of assembling components of the above-mentioned set(s).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of manufacturing one and/or the other of the components being part of the above-mentioned pallet system (and/or corresponding auger rotor system).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling components of the above-mentioned pallet system (and/or corresponding auger rotor system).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of operating the above-mentioned pallet system (and/or corresponding auger rotor system).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of doing business with the above-mentioned pallet system (and/or corresponding auger rotor system), snowblower, vehicle, certain component(s) thereof, set(s) and/or method(s)

The objects, advantages, and other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ENCLOSED DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-5B represent different views, components and/or features of possible embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF POSSIBLE AND/OR PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments (ex. geometrical configurations, dimensions, materials, etc.) illustrated in the figures and the features described in patent specification are preferred only, given for exemplification purposes only.

Moreover, although the present invention was primarily designed for removing snow and for use with an auger of a snowblower, for example, the invention may be used with any other analogous object, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. For this reason, expressions such as “snow removal”, “snow”, “snowblower”, “auger”, etc., as used herein and/or any other reference and/or expression equivalent or similar to these expressions should not be taken so as to limit the scope of the present invention and include any other kind of object/substitute and/or any other application with which the present invention could be used and may be useful, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.

In addition, although the preferred embodiments of the system as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprise various components, not all of these components are essential to the invention and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken so as to limit the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components and geometries and/or other suitable cooperations thereinbetween may be used for the system according to the present invention, as will be briefly explained herein, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Moreover, expressions such as “system”, “snowblower”, “vehicle”, “device”, “assembly”, “mechanism”, “product”, “equipment”, etc., as well as any other equivalent expression(s) and/or compound word(s), may be used interchangeably in the context of the present description, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. This applies also for any other mutually equivalent expressions, such as “component”, “tool” and “accessory”, or “front” and “upstream”, or “rear” and “downstream”, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Furthermore, in the context of the present description, it will be considered that all elongated objects will have an implicit “longitudinal axis” and/or a “centerline”, such as the longitudinal axis of shaft, for example, or the centerline of a coiled spring, and that expressions such as “connected” and “connectable”, or “pivoting” and “pivotable”, may be interchangeable and are mutually equivalent, in that the present invention also relates to a kit with corresponding components for assembling a resulting fully-assembled and fully-operational snowblower for carrying out the present method and/or obtaining any resulting and/or derived result.

Moreover, certain components of the present system and/or steps of the present method(s) (ex. manufacturing, assembling, operating, etc.) being described herein could be modified, simplified, omitted and/or interchanged, without departing from the scope of the present invention, depending on the particular application(s) which the present invention is intended for, and the desired end result(s), as briefly exemplified herein and as also apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Broadly described, and according to a possible embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying figures, the present invention relates to a new pallet system (and/or corresponding endless screw system) for a snowblower, and more particularly, relates to a configuration of pallets on a endless auger rotor intended to feed the main rotor of a snowblower.

The present pallet system may take on various forms and/or expressions, including one and/or several of the following possible components and features (and/or different possible combination(s) and/or permutation(s) thereof), given as possible preferential and/or optional embodiment(s) only:

1. A snowblower (1) for blowing snow, the snowblower (1) comprising: a snow-intake assembly (3) for intaking snow to be blown by the snowblower (1);

a snow-discharge assembly (5) for discharging blown snow away from the snowblower (1);

a fluid passage (7) being defined between an inlet interface (9) of the snow-intake assembly (3) and an outlet interface (11) of the snow-discharge assembly (5) for allowing the snow to be blown by the snowblower (1) to flow from the snow-intake assembly (3) to the snow-discharge assembly (5) thereof;

a propulsion assembly (13) operatively disposed about the fluid passage (7) for propelling the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly (3) to the snow-discharge assembly (5) along the fluid passage (7); and

a pallet assembly (15) being operatively connected to the propulsion assembly (13) for assisting in the propelling of the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly (3) to the snow-discharge assembly (5) via the fluid passage (7), the pallet assembly (15) comprising at least one pallet component (17) being rotatable about a main pivot axis (19), said at least one pallet component (17) comprising base and distal components (17a,17b), the base component (17a) being mountable about the main pivot axis (19) of the pallet assembly (15), and the distal component (17b) being made of a flexible material capable of elastic deformation, said distal component (17b) being further positioned, shaped and sized for allowing the passage of debris to pass by between a distal edge (21) of the distal component (17b) and a complementary component (23) of the fluid passage (7).

2. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the base and distal components (17a,17b) of the at least one pallet component (17) are separate and distinct components.

3. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the distal component (17b) of the at least one pallet component (17) is removably mountable onto the base component (17a) of said at least one pallet component (17).

4. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the base component (17a) of the at least one pallet component (17) has a coefficient of elastic deformation that is stiffer than a coefficient of elastic deformation of the distal component (17b) of said at least one pallet component (17).

5. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the base component (17a) of the at least one pallet component (17) is fixedly connectable to a drivable axle being rotatable about the main pivot axis (19) of the pallet assembly (15).

6. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the snow-intake assembly (3) comprises a snow-intake box (25), the snow-intake box (25) being provided with an endless screw (27) being positioned, shaped and sized for urging snow towards an interface (29) between the snow-intake assembly (3) and the snow-discharge assembly (5), the endless screw (27) being rotatable along with a main pivoting axle (31) of the snow-intake box (25), and wherein the base component (17a) of the at least one pallet component (17) is fixedly connectable to said main pivoting axle (31) of the snow-intake box (25) of the snow-intake assembly (3).

7. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the base component (17a) of the at least one pallet component (17) is made of a metallic material.

8. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the base component (17a) of the at least one pallet component (17) is welded onto the main pivoting axle (31) of the snow-intake box (25) of the snow-intake assembly (3).

9. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the distal component (17b) the at least one pallet component (17) is made of a non-metallic material.

10. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the distal component (17b) of the at least one pallet component (17) is removably mountable onto the base component (17a) of said at least one pallet component (17) via a corresponding fastening assembly (33).

11. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the corresponding fastening assembly (33) comprises at least one fastener (35) extending through a pair of complementary holes (37) each being provided about the base and distal components (17a,17b) respectively.

12. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the at least one fastener (35) comprises a pair of fasteners (35).

13. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each fastener (35) includes a bolt (39) and a corresponding nut (41).

14. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each hole (37) is oblong so as to enable an effective length of the at least one pallet component (17) to be selectively adjusted by a user of the snowblower (1).

15. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each hole (37) of the distal component (17b) is further positioned, shaped and sized so as to enable a variation of the effective length of the at least one pallet component (17) between about 19 mm and about 25 mm.

16. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the at least one pallet component (17) comprises a supporting component (43) for supporting a back portion of the distal component (17b) of said at least one pallet component (17) during an operational bending of the distal component (17b).

17. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the supporting component (43) of the at least one pallet component (17) includes a curved portion (45) for receiving and supporting the back portion of the distal component (17b) of said at least one pallet component (17) during an operational bending of the distal component (17b).

18. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the supporting component (43) of the at least one pallet component (17) is a substantially L-shaped supporting component, and wherein an elbow portion of said L-shaped supporting component includes the curved portion (45) for receiving and supporting the back portion of the distal component (17b) of said at least one pallet component (17) during an operational bending of the distal component (17b).

19. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the supporting component (43) of the at least one pallet component (17) includes a hole (37) for receiving a corresponding bolt (39) of the at least one fastener (35) of the corresponding fastening assembly (33).

20. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the hole (37) of the supporting component (43) of the at least one pallet component (17) is substantially circular.

21. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the at least one pallet component (17) comprises a plurality of pallet components (17) having n pallet components, with n being an integer greater than 1.

22. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each of the plurality of pallet components (17) projects radially outwardly away from the main pivot axis (19) of the pallet assembly (15).

23. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each of the plurality of pallet components (17) are disposed equidistantly from one another about the main pivot axis (19).

24. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the pallet assembly (15) comprises at least one reinforcement component (47) provided between at least one pair of sequential pallet components (17).

25. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the pallet assembly (15) comprises at least one reinforcement component (47) provided between each pair of sequential pallet components (17).

26. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the at least one reinforcement component (47) has a substantially triangular profile with a portion being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a complementary portion of a rotating shaft of the snowblower (1).

27. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each pallet components (17) has a substantially rectangular profile.

28. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each pallet component (17) comprises at least one hole (37) being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a corresponding bolt (39) of the at least one fastener (35) of the corresponding fastening assembly (33).

29. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein said at least one hole (37) of each pallet component (17) comprises a pair of holes (37).

30. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein said pair of holes (37) of each pallet component (17) defines an imaginary line being substantially parallel to the distal edge (21) of the pallet corresponding component (17).

31. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each base component (17a) of each pallet component (17) has a substantially rectangular profile.

32. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each base component (17a) comprises at least one hole (37) being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a corresponding bolt (39) of the at least one fastener (35) of the corresponding fastening assembly (33).

33. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein said at least one hole (37) of each pallet component (17) comprises a pair of holes (37).

34. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein said pair of holes (37) of each pallet component (17) defines an imaginary line being substantially parallel to the distal edge (21) of the pallet corresponding component (17).

35. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each base component (17a) of each pallet component (17) has a substantially rectangular profile.

36. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein each base component (17a) comprises at least one hole (37) being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a corresponding bolt (39) of the at least one fastener (35) of the corresponding fastening assembly (33).

37. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein the distal component (17b) of the at least one pallet component (17) is made of a polymeric material.

38. A snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), wherein a rear rim of the distal component (17b) of the at least one pallet component (17) is provided with a chamfer (49) for providing said the distal component (17b) with an additional rearward clearance during an operation and corresponding rotation of the at least one pallet component (17) with respect to the complementary component (23) of the fluid passage (7).

39. A kit with corresponding components for assembling a snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s).

40. A pallet assembly (15) for use with a snowblower (1) according to any one of the preceding combination(s), the pallet assembly (15) being operatively connectable to the propulsion assembly (13) of the snowblower (1) for assisting in the propelling of the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly (5) to the snow-discharge assembly (5) via the fluid passage (7), the pallet assembly (15) comprising at least one pallet component (17) being rotatable about a main pivot axis (19), said at least one pallet component (17) comprising base and distal components (17a,17b), the base component (17a) being mountable about the main pivot axis (19) of the pallet assembly (15), and the distal component (17b) being made of non-metallic flexible material capable of elastic deformation, said distal component (17b) being further positioned, shaped and sized for allowing the passage of debris to pass by between a distal edge (21) of the distal component (17b) and a complementary component (23) of the fluid passage (7).

41. A kit with corresponding components for assembling a pallet assembly according to any one of the preceding combination(s).

Other possible aspect(s), object(s), embodiment(s), variant(s) and/or advantage(s) of the present invention, all being preferential and/or optional, are briefly summarized hereinbelow.

Indeed, and as mentioned previously, according to one aspect of the present invention, it relates to a configuration of a pallet system (and/or corresponding endless screw system) for an inverse snowblower of the type three phases, enabling to reduce the space between the ends of the pallets of the auger rotor while reducing the risks of having debris getting stuck between the pallets of the endless screw and the wall that surrounds it, thus, in doing so, increases the efficiency of the snowblower.

The present invention relates also to snowblowers provided with such a system, to vehicles capable of operating such snowblowers, to a method of manufacturing and of assembling of these components, etc. Namely, the present invention relates also to a kit with components meant to be assembled and/or to carry out the present system, as well as to corresponding methods of assembling, operating and use associated thereto.

The reading of the following paragraphs, along with reference to the drawings, will enable to better understand how the advantages mentioned are associated to the technical novelties of the invention.

Namely, in order to obtain a mounting of the tip of the pallets at proximity of the wall that surrounds them and to avoid repetitive risks of failure of the shearing bolt, two methods have been used. Firstly, a supplemental clearance (15) (see FIG. 5-A) has been integrated to the tip of the metal pallets in order to distance them by a sufficient distance to enable to allow rocks of ¾″ (approximately) and less to pass freely. Even though this distance may vary according to the conditions of use, the preferred embodiment is of about 1″. Afterwards, in order to make up for this space, rubber pallets (16) are placed at the back of each of the steel pallets. This rubber should have a sufficient resistance to bending in order to displace the snow without bending too much and a sufficient flexibility for allowing to pass through a pebble that would otherwise get stuck (17), and this, at temperatures ranging between 0 degree Celsius (approximately) until −40 degrees Celsius (approximately). Also, given that snow is often mixed with sand or de-icing products, the rubber must have a good resistance to abrasives and to different de-icing products. In order to obtain the good flexibility for allowing to pass a pebble of ¾″, for example, a rubber of 85 Duro combined with nylon fiber and a thickness of ½″ (approximately) has been retained in the preferred embodiment.

Also, a steel support (18) (see FIG. 5-B) has been added to the back of the rubber pallet, enabling a securing of the flexible section (16) with bolts (19) while distributing the tightening pressure. This support includes an elbow providing it with a rigidity and also provides at the same time a non-cutting contact formed by the radius of the elbow. This rounded contact (2) (see FIG. 5-A) enables to avoid damaging the rubber when it rests against the back of the plate during bending.

To enable an individual adjustment of the proximity of the tip of each of the pallets, an oblong form (21) has been added to the two securing holes of the flexible pallets. Even though 85 Duro rubber combined with nylon fiber and a thickness of ½″ has been retained, any other material offering similar properties and advantages and any other thickness is covered by the present invention. Indeed, several materials would be eligible for the flexible part of the pallet, mainly in the category of polymeric materials. Thermoplastic polymers flexible at low temperature, elastomers and/or any other type of rubber being flexible in North American winter temperatures (0 to −40° C.) (approximately), composite materials including a flexible matrix and a reinforcement for a better resistance. The thickness of the flexible part is selected according to the rigidity of the material chosen. The greater the material is flexible, the greater its thickness should be.

Furthermore, variants on the features described for the adjustment, the positioning, the securing and/or others, are contemplated by the present invention.

Concerning possible embodiments for the pallet with flexible extremity, its methods of adjustment or of securing, several integrating methods are compatible for the invention. For example, the making of a uniform pallet in two materials can be done by molding flexible material directly onto the extremity of a steel pallet that would contain anchoring forms for a solid and uniform joint combined to an adjustment of proximity of the pallet with the belt.

It is to be noted that the addition of the pallet with flexible and adjustable extremity, to the concept of inverse snowblower of type three phase, is an improvement of the operational efficiency and reliability. In other words, the flexible pallet enables to increase the efficiency by reducing the play by the extension of the pallets with a flexible section that is not likely to break when coming across ground imperfections (22) (see FIG. 4) and/or debris stuck between the tip of the pallet and the wall that surrounds it.

Finally, and according to the present invention, the snowblower and its corresponding parts are preferably made of substantially rigid materials, such as metallic materials (stainless steel, etc.), hardened polymers, composite materials, and/or any other appropriate material, whereas the other components (ex. pallet(s), etc.) of the system according to the present invention, in order to obtain the advantages discussed above, could be made of any other material, such as polymeric materials (ex. plastic, rubber, etc.), and/or any other suitable material, depending on the particular applications for which the system is intended for and the different parameters in cause, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Although the present invention has been previously explained by way of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that any modification to these preferred embodiments is not considered changing or altering the nature and the scope of the present invention. Indeed, the scope of the enclosed claim(s) should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. A snowblower for blowing snow, the snowblower comprising: a snow-intake assembly for intaking snow to be blown by the snowblower;a snow-discharge assembly for discharging blown snow away from the snowblower;a fluid passage being defined between an inlet interface of the snow-intake assembly and an outlet interface of the snow-discharge assembly for allowing the snow to be blown by the snowblower to flow from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly thereof;a propulsion assembly operatively disposed about the fluid passage for propelling the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly along the fluid passage; anda pallet assembly being operatively connected to the propulsion assembly for assisting in propelling of the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly via the fluid passage, the pallet assembly comprising at least one pallet component being rotatable about a main pivot axis, said at least one pallet component comprising base and distal components, the base component being mountable about the main pivot axis of the pallet assembly, and the distal component being made of a flexible material capable of elastic deformation, said distal component being further positioned, shaped and sized for allowing passage of debris to pass by between a distal edge of the distal component and a complementary component of the fluid passage.

2. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the base and distal components of the at least one pallet component are separate and distinct components.

3. A snowblower according to claim 2, wherein the distal component of the at least one pallet component is removably mountable onto the base component of said at least one pallet component.

4. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the base component of the at least one pallet component has a coefficient of elastic deformation that is stiffer than a coefficient of elastic deformation of the distal component of said at least one pallet component.

5. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the base component of the at least one pallet component is fixedly connectable to a drivable axle being rotatable about the main pivot axis of the pallet assembly; and wherein the snow-intake assembly comprises a snow-intake box, the snow-intake box being provided with an endless screw being positioned, shaped and sized for urging snow towards an interface between the snow-intake assembly and the snow-discharge assembly, the endless screw being rotatable along with a main pivoting axle of the snow-intake box, and wherein the base component of the at least one pallet component is fixedly connectable to said main pivoting axle of the snow-intake box of the snow-intake assembly.

6. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the base component of the at least one pallet component is made of a metallic material; wherein the base component of the at least one pallet component is welded onto the main pivoting axle of the snow-intake box of the snow-intake assembly; and wherein the distal component the at least one pallet component is made of a non-metallic material.

7. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the distal component of the at least one pallet component is removably mountable onto the base component of said at least one pallet component via a corresponding fastening assembly.

8. A snowblower according to claim 6, wherein the corresponding fastening assembly comprises at least one fastener extending through a pair of complementary holes each being provided about the base and distal components respectively; wherein the at least one fastener comprises a pair of fasteners; and wherein each fastener includes a bolt and a corresponding nut.

9. A snowblower according to claim 8, wherein each hole is oblong so as to enable an effective length of the at least one pallet component to be selectively adjusted by a user of the snowblower; and wherein each hole of the distal component is further positioned, shaped and sized so as to enable a variation of the effective length of the at least one pallet component between about 19 mm and about 25 mm.

10. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pallet component comprises a supporting component for supporting a back portion of the distal component of said at least one pallet component during an operational bending of the distal component.

11. A snowblower according to claim 10, wherein the supporting component of the at least one pallet component includes a curved portion for receiving and supporting the back portion of the distal component of said at least one pallet component during an operational bending of the distal component.

12. A snowblower according to claim 11, wherein the supporting component of the at least one pallet component is a substantially L-shaped supporting component, and wherein an elbow portion of said L-shaped supporting component includes the curved portion for receiving and supporting the back portion of the distal component of said at least one pallet component during an operational bending of the distal component wherein the supporting component of the at least one pallet component includes a hole for receiving a corresponding bolt of the at least one fastener of the corresponding fastening assembly; and wherein the hole of the supporting component of the at least one pallet component is substantially circular.

13. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pallet component comprises a plurality of pallet components having n pallet components, with n being an integer greater than 1; wherein each of the plurality of pallet components projects radially outwardly away from the main pivot axis of the pallet assembly; and wherein each of the plurality of pallet components are disposed equidistantly from one another about the main pivot axis.

14. A snowblower according to claim 13, wherein the pallet assembly comprises at least one reinforcement component provided between at least one pair of sequential pallet components; wherein the pallet assembly comprises at least one reinforcement component provided between each pair of sequential pallet components; and wherein the at least one reinforcement component has a substantially triangular profile with a portion being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a complementary portion of a rotating shaft of the snowblower.

15. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein each pallet component has a substantially rectangular profile; wherein each pallet component comprises at least one hole being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a corresponding bolt of the at least one fastener of the corresponding fastening assembly; wherein said at least one hole of each pallet component comprises a pair of holes; wherein said pair of holes of each pallet component defines an imaginary line being substantially parallel to the distal edge of the pallet component; wherein each base component of each pallet component has a substantially rectangular profile; and wherein each base component comprises at least one hole being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a corresponding bolt of the at least one fastener of the corresponding fastening assembly; wherein said at least one hole of each pallet component comprises a pair of holes; wherein said pair of holes of each pallet component defines an imaginary line being substantially parallel to the distal edge of the pallet component; wherein each base component of each pallet component has a substantially rectangular profile; and wherein each base component comprises at least one hole being positioned, shaped and sized for receiving a corresponding bolt of the at least one fastener of the corresponding fastening assembly,

16. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein the distal component of the at least one pallet component is made of a polymeric material.

17. A snowblower according to claim 1, wherein a rear rim of the distal component of the at least one pallet component is provided with a chamfer for providing said the distal component with an additional rearward clearance during an operation and corresponding rotation of the at least one pallet component with respect to the complementary component of the fluid passage.

18. A kit with corresponding components for assembling a snowblower according to claim 1.

19. A pallet assembly for use with a snowblower according to claim 1, the pallet assembly being operatively connectable to the propulsion assembly of the snowblower for assisting in the propelling of the snow to be blown from the snow-intake assembly to the snow-discharge assembly via the fluid passage, the pallet assembly comprising at least one pallet component being rotatable about a main pivot axis, said at least one pallet component comprising base and distal components, the base component being mountable about the main pivot axis of the pallet assembly, and the distal component being made of non-metallic flexible material capable of elastic deformation, said distal component being further positioned, shaped and sized for allowing the passage of debris to pass by between a distal edge of the distal component and a complementary component of the fluid passage.

20. A kit with corresponding components for assembling a pallet assembly according to claim 19.