SNOW REMOVAL MACHINE

• US 20140202047A1
• Filed: 01/09/2014
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Toshiaki, Mizoroke, Tsutomu, Fukano, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,435,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/257
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/04 Apparatus propelled by animal or engine power; Apparatus propelled by hand with driven dislodging or conveying levelling elements, conveying pneumatically for the dislodged materialE01H5/10, E01H5/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/098 about horizontal or substantially horizontal axises perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the direction of clearing

Abstract

A snow removal machine including a travel unit frame having travel units, and an auger housing liftable, lowerable and rollable relative to the travel unit frame. The machine also includes: a frame inclination angle detection section for detecting an inclination angle of the travel frame relative to a ground surface; a housing inclination angle detection section for detecting an inclination angle of the auger housing relative to the travel unit frame; and an overall inclination angle evaluation section for evaluating an overall inclination angle of the auger housing relative to the ground surface on the basis of the inclination angles detected by the two detection sections. The two detection sections are provided on a part of the machine which does not make rolling motion together with the auger housing.

Claims

1. A snow removal machine including a travel unit frame having a travel unit mounted thereon, and an auger housing having an auger housed therein and not only liftable and lowerable but also rollable relative to the travel unit frame, the snow removal machine comprising:

a frame inclination angle detection section for detecting an inclination angle of the travel frame itself relative to a ground surface the travel unit is contacting;

a housing inclination angle detection section for detecting an inclination angle of the auger housing relative to the travel unit frame; and

an overall inclination angle evaluation section for evaluating an overall inclination angle of the auger housing relative to the ground surface on the basis of the inclination angle detected by the frame inclination angle detection section and the inclination angle detected by the housing inclination angle detection section,

the frame inclination angle detection section and the housing inclination angle detection section being provided on a part of the snow removal machine which does not make rolling motion together with the auger housing.

2. The snow removal machine according to claim 1, which further comprises:

a lifting-and-lowering drive mechanism for lifting and lowering the auger housing;

a rolling drive mechanism for rolling the auger housing;

a housing posture operation section for operating the lifting-and-lowering drive mechanism and the rolling drive mechanism;

an inclination storage section for storing the overall inclination angle detected at an operation end time point when an operation via the housing posture control section has been ended; and

a housing posture control section for, following the operation end time point, controlling the lifting-and-lowering drive mechanism and the rolling drive mechanism in such a manner that the overall inclination angle stored in the inclination storage section is maintained.

3. The snow removal machine according to claim 2, wherein the housing posture control section performs control for maintaining the overall inclination angle only upon determination that of both of a first condition that the auger is rotating and a second condition that the snow removal machine is traveling forward is satisfied.

4. The snow removal machine according to claim 1, wherein the overall inclination angle evaluation section has a filter function that, upon determination that the snow removal machine is traveling at an accelerating or decelerating speed or making a turn, slowly changes a value of the inclination angle detected by the frame inclination angle detection section.