Snow removing machine

• US 7,581,339 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mizoroke, Tsutomu, Ono, Naotoshi, Kawakami, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Will; Thomas B
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCGOWAN, JAMIE LOUISE
• Application Number:
  US11/286,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20060123667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 372/13, 372/34, 372/47, 372/48, 372/61, 372/70, 372/44, 372/45, 180/9.46, 180/9.22, 180/9.44, 180/9.38, 180/19.1, 280/6.15
• US Class Current: 37/234
• 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

Abstract

A snow removing machine has a frame, a pair of transporting devices mounted on the frame for transporting the snow removing machine on a ground surface, an auger housing having an auger housed therein and mounted on the frame for undergoing rolling movement, a rolling drive mechanism coupled to the auger housing for providing rolling movement of the auger housing relative to the frame, and a turning mechanism operable to turn the snow removing machine in a preselected direction. In response to operation of the turning mechanism, a control section performs a control operation to drive the transporting devices to thereby turn the snow removing machine in the preselected direction and performs a control operation of the rolling drive mechanism to provide rolling movement of the auger housing relative to the frame.

Claims

1. A snow removing machine comprising:

left and right running devices mounted on a running-device frame;

an auger housing having an auger housed therein and rollably mounted on the running-device frame;

a rolling drive mechanism for rolling said auger housing;

a turning operator operable to turn said snow removing machine; and

a control section for, in response to operation of said turning operator, performing control to drive said left and right running devices to thereby turn said snow removing machine in a desired turning direction;

wherein, in response to the operation of said turning operator, said control section also issues a drive instruction to said rolling drive mechanism to roll said auger housing in an inward direction, as viewed in the turning direction of the snow removing machine, such that a portion of one of side edges of said auger housing, located inwardly of the other of the side edges of said auger housing as viewed in the turning direction, is brought into contact with a ground surface.

2. A snow removing machine according to claim 1;

further comprising left and right operating handles extending from a rear portion of the running-device frame; and

wherein said turning operator comprises left and right operation levers operable by respective hands of a human operator holding said left and right operating handles, or left and right push-button switches provided between said left and right operating handles at positions within ranges operable by the hands of the human operator holding said left and right operating handles.

3. A snow removing machine according to claim 1;

further comprising an auger-housing-posture manipulating lever operable to operate said rolling drive mechanism in order to roll said auger housing in accordance with a snow surface during a snow removal operation using the auger; and

wherein said auger-housing-posture manipulating lever is arranged to also function as said turning operator.

4. A snow removing machine comprising:

a frame;

a pair of transporting devices mounted on the frame for transporting the snow removing machine on a ground surface;

a transmission mechanism having a rotation shaft extending in a forward/rearward direction of the snow removing machine;

an auger housing having an auger housed therein and mounted on the frame for undergoing rolling movement;

a rolling drive mechanism coupled to the auger housing for providing rolling movement of the auger housing relative to the frame and about the rotation shaft of the transmission mechanism;

a turning mechanism operable to turn the snow removing machine in a preselected direction; and

a control section for, in response to operation of the turning mechanism, performing a control operation to drive the transporting devices to thereby turn the snow removing machine in the preselected direction and controlling operation of the rolling drive mechanism to provide rolling movement of the auger housing relative to the frame.

5. A snow removing machine according to claim 4;

wherein the auger housing has a pair of lower end portions; and

wherein the control section controls operation of the rolling drive mechanism to roll the auger housing relative to the frame so that one of the lower end portions of the auger housing is brought into contact with the ground surface.

6. A snow removing machine according to claim 4;

further comprising a pair of operating handles mounted on the frame for operation by an operator of the snow removing machine; and

wherein the turning mechanism comprises a pair of operation levers operable by respective hands of the operator during operation of the operating handles.

7. A snow removing machine according to claim 4;

further comprising a pair of operating handles mounted on the frame for operation by an operator of the snow removing machine; and

wherein the turning mechanism comprises a pair of operation switches disposed between the operating handles at positions within ranges operable by the operator during operation of the operation handles.

8. A snow removing machine according to claim 4;

further comprising an operating member operable by an operator of the snow removing machine to operate the rolling drive mechanism to roll the auger housing relative to the frame during a snow removal operation.

9. A snow removing machine according to claim 8;

wherein the operating member is configured to function as the turning mechanism for turning the snow removing machine in the preselected direction.

10. A snow removing machine according to claim 4;

wherein the rolling drive mechanism comprises a hydraulic cylinder connected at one end to the frame and connected at the other end to the auger housing.

11. A snow removing machine comprising:

a frame;

a pair of transporting devices mounted on the frame to transport the snow removing machine on a ground surface during a snow removing operation;

an auger housing mounted on the frame to undergo rolling movement, the auger housing having an auger housed therein and first and second side edges;

a rolling drive mechanism coupled to the auger housing for providing rolling movement of the auger housing relative to the frame;

a turning mechanism operable by an operator of the snow removing machine to turn the snow removing machine in a preselected turning direction; and

a control section that controls operation of the turning mechanism to turn the snow removing machine in the preselected direction and that controls operation of the rolling drive mechanism in response to operation of the turning mechanism to enable rolling movement of the auger housing relative to the frame to bring a portion of the first side edge, located inwardly of the second side edge as viewed in the turning direction, into contact with the ground surface to generate a moving resistance against the first side edge so that the snow removing machine can turn about the portion of the first side edge as a pivot center.

12. A snow removing machine according to claim 11;

further comprising a pair of operating handles mounted on the frame for operation by the operator of the snow removing machine; and

wherein the turning mechanism comprises a pair of operation levers operable by respective hands of the operator during operation of the operating handles.

13. A snow removing machine according to claim 11;

further comprising a pair of operating handles mounted on the frame for operation by the operator of the snow removing machine; and

wherein the turning mechanism comprises a pair of operation switches disposed between the operating handles at positions within ranges operable by the operator during operation of the operation handles.

14. A snow removing machine according to claim 11;

further comprising an operating member operable by the operator of the snow removing machine to operate the rolling drive mechanism to roll the auger housing relative to the frame.

15. A snow removing machine according to claim 14;

wherein the operating member is configured to function as the turning mechanism for turning the snow removing machine in the preselected direction.

16. A snow removing machine according to claim 11;

wherein the rolling drive mechanism comprises a hydraulic cylinder connected at one end to the frame and connected at the other end to the auger housing.

17. A snow removing machine according to claim 11;

further comprising a transmission mechanism having a rotation shaft extending in a forward/rearward direction of the snow removing machine; and

wherein the auger housing undergoes rolling movement about the rotation shaft.

18. A snow removing machine according to claim 11;

further comprising a transmission mechanism having a rotation shaft; and

wherein the auger housing undergoes rolling movement about the rotation shaft in clockwise and counterclockwise directions as viewed by the operator of the snow removing machine during operation thereof.