METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONVEYING SNOW ALONG THE WIDTH OF A DISPLACEMENT SNOWPLOW

Abstract

A system for removing contaminants from a surface. The system being attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction. The system including a first scraper for removing contaminants from a surface and a first conveyor system including a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with the first direction.

Description

FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for treating a surface, in particular, to a method for the lateral displacement of winter contaminants from a surface.

BACKGROUND

Conventional systems for removing winter contaminants (i.e., snow, ice, slush, etc.) from a surface often utilize displacement snowplows. However, the efficiency of these conventional winter contaminant removal systems is limited in that much, if not most, of the energy required to displace the winter contaminant to the sides of roadways and airfield pavements is wasted. In particular, for displacement snowplows a large amount of energy is expended to move the winter contaminants longitudinally in the vehicle's direction of travel even though the purpose of the snowplow is to move the winter contaminant laterally.

The present invention provides an apparatus and/or method that may improve the efficiency of contaminant removal. The present invention may reduce system power requirements, and energy consumption while at the same time providing more aggressive cleaning and a cleared pavement. The present invention may also improve aircraft and road vehicles' braking performance and directional stability while leaving less winter contaminants on the pavements. Accordingly, the present invention may reduce the need for the application of chemicals or friction enhancing abrasives.

SUMMARY

There is provided a system for removing contaminants from a surface. The system being attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction. The system including a first scraper for removing contaminants from a surface; and a first conveyor system including a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with the first direction.

The system may also be configured such that the first conveyor system is disposed at an angle relative to the surface.

The foregoing system may be configured such that the angle is 90 degrees.

The system may be configured such that the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction.

It is contemplated that the second direction may be varied by a user and/or a controller.

It is contemplated that the speed of the first conveyor system may vary based on a speed of the vehicle, or by the operator.

It is further contemplated that the system may further include a lift conveyor positioned between the scraper and the first conveyor system. The lift conveyor may be provided for moving contaminants in a vertical direction from a rear edge of the scraper to the first conveyor system.

It is contemplated that the first conveyor system may be parallel to the surface from which contaminants are removed.

It is contemplated that the system may also include an adjustable speed conveyor and/or blower mechanism disposed at the distal ends of the first conveyor system. The adjustable speed conveyor and/or blower mechanisms may be configured for ejecting the contaminants leaving the distal end of the first conveyor system in a controlled direction and to a controlled casting distance.

It is further contemplated that the system may include a second conveyor system and a second scraper attached to the vehicle. The second conveyor system may have a first end positioned adjacent a first end of the first conveyor system, and a second end oriented away from the first conveyor system. The first conveyor system and the second conveyor system may eject contaminants from opposite lateral sides of the vehicle.

It is contemplated that the first conveyor system may be disposed at a first angle relative to a line perpendicular to a direction of travel of the vehicle and the second conveyor system may be disposed at a second angle relative to the line perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

There may also be provided a method for removing contaminants from a surface. The method may include steps of: moving a removal system in a first direction; placing a scraper of the removal system in contact with a surface for scraping contaminants from the surface; and moving a first conveyor system of the removal system for transporting the contaminants relative to the system in a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with the first direction.

The foregoing method may further include a step of: before the step of moving a conveyor system of the removal system, transporting the contaminants in a vertical direction from the surface.

The method may further include a step of: after the step of moving a conveyor system of the removal system, ejecting said contaminants in an operator controlled direction and distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional fixed face moldboard snowplow;

FIG. 2A is a side view of a first embodiment the present invention showing a conveyor for moving winter contaminants in a lateral direction across a face of a moldboard snowplow;

FIG. 2B is a top view of the first embodiment of FIG. 2A, showing two systems of FIG. 2A placed end to end for delivering winter contaminants simultaneously in different lateral directions;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a second embodiment of the present invention showing a plurality of conveyors for moving winter contaminants in a longitudinal direction and then in a lateral direction relative to the vehicle; and

FIG. 4 is a front view of a third embodiment of the present invention showing a conveyor system for delivering winter contaminants to a high speed conveyor or blower wherein the high speed conveyor or blower redirects or deflects the winter contaminants in a user selected direction and distance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional curved moldboard snowplow 10 is shown. Th snowplow 10 is attachable to a vehicle (not shown) and includes a cutting edge 12 that is configured to scrape along a surface 14, e.g., a runway of an airport. During use of the snowplow 10, winter contaminants 16, e.g., snow, ice, slush, etc. and/or debris may collect in front of the snowplow 10 as the vehicle moves in a longitudinal direction “A.” However, as the winter contaminants 16 are removed from the surface 14 they collect on and in front of the snowplow 10, thereby requiring that the vehicle exert more energy to move and displace the winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14. In some instances, the snowplow 10 is angled relative to the direction of travel “A” to reduce that amount of energy required by the vehicle. However, even when further angling the snowplow 10 it still requires an appreciable amount of energy from the vehicle to both push and displace the contaminants.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a system 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The system 20 replaces the conventional moldboard snowplow 10 (FIG. 1) and, in general, includes a scraper 22 and a conveyor 24. The scraper 22 may be made of a material that is rigid enough to remove winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14 while not damaging the surface 14. A leading edge 22a of the scraper 22 may be angled or sharpened to a forward facing point versus a blunt, more vertical scraper (as illustrated in FIG. 1) to allow the scraper 22 to aid in the removal of winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14. A rear edge 22b of the scraper 22 may be positioned above a front edge 24a of the conveyor 24. Conveyor 24 may be fixed at, or be variably adjusted to any angle between horizontal 0°, and vertical 90°.

The conveyor 24 may be one or a plurality of distinct conveyor elements 26 that are configured to transport the winter contaminants 16 thereon in a lateral direction “B” (shown as into the page in FIG. 2A). It is contemplated that the conveyor 24 may be a variable speed and/or reversible conveyor. It is contemplated that the conveyor 24 may allow an operator to vary the speed and direction that the winter contaminants 16 are discharged in the lateral direction “B” from an end of the conveyor 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, the conveyor 24 is tilted at an angle α relative to the surface 14. It is contemplated that the conveyor 24 may be disposed at any angle from 0 degrees, parallel, to 90 degrees relative to the surface 14.

It is contemplated that an overall width of the system 20 may be less than the overall width of the conventional snowplow 10 to clear the same width path. This is because it is not necessary to position the system 20 at an angle to convey the winter contaminants 16 in the lateral direction. In other words, unlike conventional snowplows 10, the system 20 does not rely on the cosine angled width of the snowplow 10 to discharge the winter contaminants 16 to a trailing edge of the snowplow 10. Instead, the system 20 provides a lateral conveyor 24 that discharges the winter contaminants 16 to a left or right side of the system 20. The lateral conveyor 24 also allows for the use of wider systems 20 as the amount of winter contaminants that the vehicle must push in the longitudinal direction is greatly reduced, as compared to conventional snowplows 10.

It is also contemplated that because the system 20 is reversible, the operator need only select a conveying direction of the lateral conveyor 24 to discharge the winter contaminants 16 to the desired side of the vehicle, instead of angling a conventional displacement snowplow.

It is also contemplated that the system 20 may also reduce the compression of the winter contaminants 16 into a texture of the surface 14 that tends to be caused by an excessive mass of the winter contaminants 16 being pushed and piled in the longitudinal direction before exiting a trailing edge of a conventional moldboard plow 10. The system 20 may reduce the amount of winter contaminants 16 that is pushed into and onto the texture of the surface 14, thereby reducing the amount of chemicals or abrasives required to obtain or maintain traction on a surface being cleared.

It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 24 may be 2.5 to 300 feet in length for clearing surfaces 14 ranging from sidewalks to commercial runways at airports.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, two systems 20, 30 are attached to a vehicle 18 and placed ended to end. A first system 20 moves the winter contaminants 16 laterally in a first direction 21 that is at an angle ₁ relative to the a line perpendicular to the direction of travel (i.e., direction “A”) of the vehicle 18. A second system 30 moves the winter contaminant 16 laterally in a second direction 31 that is at an angle ₂ relative to the line perpendicular to the direction “A.” In the embodiment shown, angle ₁ is about 20° and ₂ is about 20°. The first direction 21 and the second direction 31 are shown as being less than 180° relative to each other. It is contemplated that as the angles ₁ and ₁ vary the angle between the first direction 21 and the second direction 31 may be greater than, equal to or less than 180°.I

It is also contemplated that a controller 100 may be connected to the two systems 20, 30 for allowing a user to manually adjust the angles ₁ and ₂. It is also contemplated that the controller 100 may be programmed to automatically adjust the angles ₁ and ₂ based on the speed of the vehicle 18 and/or based on the conditions of the surface 14 and the amount of winter contaminants 16 to be removed from the surface 14.

Referring to FIG. 3, a system 40 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. The system 40, in general, includes a scraper 42, a vertical lift conveyor 44 and one or more lateral conveyors 46. The scraper 42 is similar to the scraper 22 discussed above and will not be described in detail below. A rear edge 42b of the scraper 42 is positioned above a leading edge 44a of the vertical conveyor 44. The vertical lift conveyor 44 may be configured to transport the winter contaminant 16 leaving the rear edge 42b of the scraper 42 in a direction “C” that is opposite the direction of travel “A” of the vehicle (not shown). A rear edge 44b of the vertical lift conveyor 44 may be positioned above a leading edge 46a of the lateral conveyor 46. The one or more lateral conveyors 44 may then discharge the winter contaminant 16 in the desired lateral direction. It is also contemplated that the vertical lift conveyor 44 may allow the operator to increase the longitudinal speed of the vehicle, thereby clearing the surface 14 faster as compared to a vehicle utilizing the conventional snowplow 10.

In the embodiment shown, the lateral conveyor 46 is disposed parallel to the surface 14. It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 46 may be tilted at any angle relative to the surface 14, e.g., perpendicular, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, etc. so long as the lateral conveyor 46 moves the winter contaminants 16 in a lateral direction.

In the embodiments shown, the lateral conveyor 46 and the vertical lift conveyor 44 are shown as conventional belt conveyors. It is contemplated that the lateral conveyor 46 and the vertical lift conveyor 44 may also be segmented track conveyors and/or include cups or scoops to increase the efficiency in conveying and discharging the winter contaminant 16 in the desired direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, a system 60 according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown. The system 60 is similar to the system 20, described in detail above. System 60 includes a lateral conveyor 62 and a redirecting mechanism 64 that may be disposed at either or both ends of the lateral conveyance conveyor(s) 62. The redirecting mechanism 64 may be deployed such that the winter contaminant 16 being discharged from either end of the lateral conveyor(s) 62 is redirected selectively upward, downward, forward or rearward relative to the respective end of the lateral conveyor 62. This redirecting of the winter contaminant 16 may avoid discharging the winter contaminant 16 into or onto an object like a driveway, roadway guardrail, airport runway edge light, sign or other object. It is contemplated that the redirecting mechanism 64 may be a rotary snowblower or a conveying apparatus with a plurality of vanes or blades (not shown) for discharging the winter contaminant 16 in the desired direction.

The invention has been described with reference to the example embodiments described above. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. Examples embodiments incorporating one or more aspects of the invention are intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A system for removing contaminants from a surface, the system attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction, the system comprising: a first scraper for removing contaminants from a surface; anda first conveyor system including a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with the first direction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first conveyor system is tilted at an angle relative to the surface.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the angle is 90 degrees.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second direction is variable by a user and/or a controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a speed of the first conveyor system varies based on a speed of the vehicle, or by an operator.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lift conveyor positioned between the scraper and the first conveyor system, the lift conveyor for moving contaminants in a vertical direction from a rear edge of the scraper to the first conveyor system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first conveyor system is parallel to the surface.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable speed conveyor and/or blower mechanism disposed at a distal end of the first conveyor system, the conveyor and/or blower mechanism configured for ejecting the contaminants leaving the distal end of the first conveyor system in a predetermined direction and distance.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a second conveyor system and a second scraper attached to the vehicle, the second conveyor system having a first end positioned adjacent a first end of the first conveyor system, and a second end oriented away from the first conveyor system,wherein the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system eject contaminants from opposite lateral sides of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and the second conveyor systems are aligned by an operator, and rotate in a same direction to eject winter contaminants to a same lateral side of the vehicle.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first conveyor system is disposed at a first angle relative to a line perpendicular to a direction of travel of the vehicle and the second conveyor system is disposed at a second angel relative to the line perpendicular to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

13. A method for removing contaminants from a surface, the method including steps of: moving a removal system in a first direction;placing a scraper of the removal system in contact with a surface for scraping contaminants from the surface; andmoving a first conveyor system of the removal system for transporting the contaminants relative to the system in a second direction wherein the second direction is not aligned with the first direction.

14. The method of claim 13, further including a step of: before said step of moving a conveyor system of the removal system, transporting the contaminants in a vertical direction from the surface.

15. The method of claim 13, further including a step of: after said step of moving a conveyor system of the removal system, ejecting said contaminants in a predetermined direction.