Patent Application
20210198859
The present invention relates to a method for treating a surface, in particular, to a method for moving, removing, displacing, plowing, sweeping, air-blowing and conveying winter contaminants on a pavement in a lateral direction.
Conventional systems for removing winter contaminants (i.e., snow, ice, slush, etc.) from a surface utilize one of a snow plow, sweeper bristles and air blowers and rotary plow snowblowers. 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 displacement snowplow is to move the winter contaminant laterally. For systems that utilize sweeper bristles, a large amount of energy is expended bending the bristles rotating on a horizontal axis that contact with the pavement on areas like airfield runways and taxiways. For systems that utilize air blowers, large amounts of energy are expended blowing air horizontally across the surface of areas like airfield runways.
The present invention provides a system and/or method that may improve the efficiency of contaminant removal. The present invention may provide more aggressive cleaning and clearing of a pavement. The present invention may also improve aircraft 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 chemical or friction enhancing abrasives.
There is provided a system for removing contaminants from a surface. The system is attached to a vehicle that is movable in a first direction. The system includes a first scraper for removing contaminants from a surface. A first conveyor system includes 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. A second scraper removes contaminants from the surface. The second scraper is positioned between the first conveyor and the vehicle. A second conveyor system is positioned between the vehicle and the second scraper. The second conveyor system includes a continuous track element for conveying the contaminants removed from the surface in a third direction wherein the third direction is not aligned with the first direction. An ice and compact breaker is positioned between the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system. The ice and compact breaker includes a plurality of teeth for breaking the contaminants on the surface.
The system may also be configured such that the ice and compact breaker is vertically adjustable relative to the surface.
The system may further include a sweeper brush positioned between the ice and compact breaker and the second conveyor system. The sweeper brush may include a plurality of brushes for brushing the contaminants on the surface.
The foregoing system may be configured such that the plurality of brushes is fixed or rotatable about a vertical axis of the sweeper brush.
The foregoing system may be configured such that the sweeper brush is vertically adjustable relative to the surface for cutting into and disaggregating the contaminants on the surface.
It is contemplated that the system may include a blower mechanism positioned between or behind the second conveyor system and the vehicle. The blower mechanism may generate a stream of high velocity air and include an outlet for directing the stream of high velocity air toward the surface.
The foregoing air blower mechanism may be vertically adjustable relative to a surface.
It is contemplated that the first conveyor system may be disposed at an angle relative to the surface.
It is contemplated that the foregoing angle may be 0-90 degrees.
It is contemplated that the second direction in the system may be orthogonal to the first direction.
It is contemplated that the second direction may be variable by a user and/or a controller.
It is contemplated that the speed of at least one of the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system may vary based on a desired speed of the contaminants ejected from a distal end of at least one of the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system.
It is contemplated that the system may also include a blower mechanism disposed at a distal end of the first conveyor system or the second conveyor system. The blower mechanism may be configured for ejecting the contaminants leaving the distal end of the first conveyor system or the second conveyor system in a predetermined direction to a desired distance.
It is further contemplated that a cover may be disposed between the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system to define an enclosed area.
It is contemplated that the vehicle may include a controller for controlling an operation of the system.
It is also contemplated that the controller may be connected to one or more sensors that each provides a signal to the controller indicative of a condition of the surface at a predetermined location relative to the system.
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; energizing 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; breaking the contaminants on the surface; and energizing a second conveyor system of the removal system for transporting the contaminants relative to the system in a third direction wherein the third direction is not aligned with the first direction.
The method may further include a step of: after the step of energizing a first conveyor system of the removal system, ejecting said contaminants in a predetermined direction and distance.
It is further contemplated that the method may include a step of: after the step of breaking contaminants, sweeping the contaminants along the surface.
It is also contemplated that the method may include a step of: after the step of energizing a second conveyor system of the removal system, blowing the contaminants in a fourth predetermined direction.
Referring to
Referring to
The first conveyor system 72A and/or the second conveyor system 72B may be identical to a conveyor system 20, described in detail in International Application No. PCT/CA2019/050002, hereby incorporated herein by reference. The system 20 is briefly described herein. Referring to
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
In the embodiment shown in
It is contemplated that an overall width of the system 20 may be less than the width of the conventional snowplow 10. 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.
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 snowplow 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
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 θ1 and θ2. It is also contemplated that the controller 100 may be programmed to automatically adjust the angles θ1 and θ2 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.
It is also contemplated that the first conveyor system 72A and/or the second conveyor system 72B may be identical to a conveyor system 40, described in detail in International Application No. PCT/CA2019/050002, hereby incorporated herein by reference. Referring to
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 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 the winter contaminant 16 in the desired direction.
It is further contemplated that the first conveyor system 72A and/or the second conveyor system 72B may include a system 60, described in detail in International Application No. PCT/CA2019/050002, hereby incorporated herein by reference. Referring to
As described in detail above, in general, each system 72A, 72B includes a scraper 74a, 74b and a lateral conveyor 76a, 76b. The lateral conveyors 76a, 76b are configured for transporting the winter contaminants 16 thereon in a lateral direction “B,” as selected by the operator or controller 100. As described above, the systems 72A, 72B may include one or more of the systems 20, 40, 60 described in detail above.
Referring back to
The sweeper brush 92 is positioned between the ice and compact breakers 82 and the second conveyor system 72B. The sweeper brush 92 includes a plurality of individual brush elements 94 that are stationary and/or configured to rotate about a vertical axis 94a. The sweeper brush 92 may be moveable in a vertical direction for cutting into and disaggregating the hard winter contaminants 16 that may have passed under the first conveyor system 72A or conventional moldboard plow (not shown) and was subsequently broken by the ice and compact breaker 82.
The air conveyance system 96 may be positioned behind the second conveyor system 72B for blowing and conveying disaggregated winter contaminants 16 under and to a front of the second conveyor system 72B. The air conveyance system 96 may be a high-pressure blower that is configured to blow a stream of high-pressure air under the second conveyor system 72B. A cover 99 may cover the ice and compact breakers 82 and sweeper brushes 92 to contain the loose winter contaminants 16 in a controlled area 101.
During operation of the system 70, a vehicle 110 (to which the system 70 is attached) moves in a direction “A” to remove winter contaminants 16 from the surface 14. The controller 100 is connected remotely by radio, or locally on-vehicle to the vehicle and various components of the system 70 for controlling the operation thereof. The controller 100 may be a conventional computer unit that includes a central processing unit (CPU) that processes commands and input and generates output commands, an input unit for receiving commands from the user and signals from various components of the system 70, an output unit for conveying commands from the CPU to the various components of the system 70 and a storage unit for storing data received and/or generated by the CPU. Various control lines (not shown) may extend from the controller 100 to the components of the system 70. It is contemplated that the control lines (not shown) may be configured to send power and/or signals between the respective component and the controller 100. It is also contemplated that the control lines (not shown) may represent other commonly known types of wired and/or wireless communication between the controller 100 and the various components of the system 70, including but not limited to, hard wire, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc. and combinations thereof.
The controller 100 may be connected to sensors 120A, 120B, 120C (schematically shown in
During operation, the winter contaminants 16 are scraped from the surface 14 by the first conveyor system 72A and transported in the lateral direction “B” to one or both sides of the vehicle 110. The winter contaminants 16 on the surface 14 that may have passed under the first conveyor system 72A are broken by the ice and compact breaker 82. As noted above, the position of the ice and compact breaker 82 relative to the surface 14 is selected such that the plurality of teeth 86 on the ice and compact breaker 82 breaks apart the winter contaminants 16 in a manner that minimizes damage to the surface 14.
The winter contaminants 16 that are loosened by the ice and compact breaker 82 are then further broken apart by the sweeper brush 92. The broken winter contaminants 16 are scraped from the surface 14 by the second conveyor system 72B and transported to one or both sides of the vehicle 110. Any winter contaminants 16 that may have passed under the second conveyor system 72B are blown back in front of the second conveyor system 72B by the air conveyance system 96. The system 70 thus leaves a cleaner surface than conventional horizontal axis sweepers and horizontally, laterally directed air blowers.
It is contemplated that the controller 100 may use the signals from sensors 120A, 120B, 120C to adjust the operation/position of the first conveyor system 72A, the ice and compact breakers 82, the sweeper brush 92, the second conveyor system 72B and the air conveyance system 96 to improve the removal of contaminants 16 from the surface 14. For example, the vertical position of the foregoing components can be raised and/or lowered as needed to remove more contaminants 16 from the surface 14. The controller 100 may be programmed to constantly monitor the signals from the sensor 120A, 120B, 120C to separately or collectively adjust the operation of the foregoing components of the system 70. It is contemplated that the controller 100 may be programmed to adjust the operation of the system 70 based on the speed of the vehicle 110.
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.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2019/050695 | 5/22/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62675309 | May 2018 | US |
