U.S. patent application number 10/689989 was filed with the patent office on 2004-05-06 for snow groomer plow assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to Bombardier Inc.. Invention is credited to Pelletier, Michel.
Application Number | 20040083627 10/689989 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32469235 |
Filed Date | 2004-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040083627 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pelletier, Michel |
May 6, 2004 |
Snow groomer plow assembly
Abstract
A plow is supported for movement with respect to a frame of a
vehicle with a lifting cylinder and a rolling cylinder. The lifting
cylinder and the rolling cylinder are pivotally connected with
respect to each other by a bracket that is pivotally supported by
the frame. By this connection, the rolling cylinder can freely
rotate with the bracket, thus increasing the plow displacement in
both a raised and lowered position without adversely affecting the
aggressivity of the plow while grooming terrain.
Inventors: |
Pelletier, Michel; (Canton
de Shefford, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PILLSBURY WINTHROP, LLP
P.O. BOX 10500
MCLEAN
VA
22102
US
|
Assignee: |
Bombardier Inc.
1061 Parent Street
St-Bruno
CA
J3V 6P1
|
Family ID: |
32469235 |
Appl. No.: |
10/689989 |
Filed: |
October 22, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60419995 |
Oct 22, 2002 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
37/219 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01H 4/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
037/219 |
International
Class: |
E01H 004/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A plow vehicle comprising: a frame; a plow; a lifting cylinder
pivotally connected to the plow for lifting the plow with respect
to the frame; a rolling cylinder pivotally connected to the plow
for tilting the plow with respect to the frame; and a bracket
pivotally connected to the frame, wherein the lifting cylinder is
fixedly connected to the bracket and the rolling cylinder is
pivotally connected to the bracket.
2. The plow vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a rigid arm
pivotally connected to the plow and pivotally connected to the
frame.
3. The plow vehicle of claim 2, wherein the lifting cylinder is
pivotally connected to the rigid arm.
4. A plow vehicle comprising: a frame; a plow; a lifting cylinder
pivotally connected to the plow and pivotally connected to the
frame; and a rolling cylinder connected to the plow at a first end
and pivotally connected to the lifting cylinder at a second end,
whereby displacement of the lifting cylinder causes a displacement
of the pivotal connection between the rolling cylinder and the
lifting cylinder.
5. The plow vehicle of claim 4, wherein the pivotal connection
between the lifting cylinder and the rolling cylinder has a pivot
axis that coincides with the pivotal connection between the lifting
cylinder and the frame.
6. The plow vehicle of claim 4, further comprising a bracket
fixedly attached to the lifting cylinder, the bracket including the
pivotal connection between the lifting cylinder and the rolling
cylinder.
7. The plow vehicle of claim 6, wherein the bracket further
comprises the pivotal connection between the lifting cylinder and
the frame.
8. The plow vehicle of claim 7, further comprising a rigid arm
pivotally connected to the plow and pivotally connected to the
frame.
9. The plow vehicle of claim 8, wherein the lifting cylinder is
pivotally connected to the rigid arm.
10. A plow vehicle comprising: a frame; a plow; a lifting cylinder
pivotally connected to the plow and pivotally connected to the
frame; and a rolling cylinder pivotally connected to the plow at a
first end and pivotally connected to the frame at a second end,
whereby displacement of the lifting cylinder causes a displacement
of the pivotal connection between the rolling cylinder and the
frame.
11. The plow vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a bracket
pivotally connected to the frame and fixedly connected to the
lifting cylinder.
12. The plow vehicle of claim 11, wherein the bracket is pivotally
connected to the rolling cylinder such that movement of the lifting
cylinder causes displacement of the pivotal connection between the
bracket and the rolling cylinder.
13. The plow vehicle of claim 12, further comprising a rigid arm
pivotally connected to the plow and pivotally connected to the
frame.
14. The plow vehicle of claim13, wherein the lifting cylinder is
pivotally connected to the rigid arm.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/419,995 entitled "SNOW
GROOMER PLOW ASSEMBLY" which was filed on Oct. 22, 2002, the
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a plow assembly for a snow
groomer. In particular, the present invention concerns a design
where the displacement capability of the plow is increased.
[0004] 2. Discussion of Related Art
[0005] The front plow of a snow groomer is designed to accomplish
multiple functions. In particular, it can be used for pushing snow
to make a snow park. A snow park is defined as a recreational area
where a snow bank is fashioned in a specific manner to welcome
snowboarders, skiers and the like. When constructing the snow bank,
the plow pushes snow up to a certain height that is limited by the
plow assembly. More specifically, it is limited by the extension of
the cylinders and the rolling angle of the plow. The assembly of
prior art snow plows limits the displacement of the plow because
the rolling cylinder has a fixed pivot point.
[0006] There are examples in the prior art of snow plows with an
increased plow displacement. Specifically, the prior art includes
the description of an adaptor the can be fixed to the plow
assembly. The system consists of removing the whole plow assembly
in order to install the adaptor and then reinstalling the plow
assembly over the adaptor. The adaptor is considered complicated to
install (over 8 hours required for installation) and costly
(thousands of dollars).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A basic principle underlying the apparatus of the present
invention is to use a parallelogram configuration to replace a
triangle configuration for the cylinder assembly of the bracket
assembly that is used to attach the plow to the vehicle. More
specifically, the movement of the bracket, relative to (or
dependant from) the lifting cylinder pivot point increases the
displacement of the rolling cylinder. Therefore, the increased
displacement of the rolling cylinder increases the "roll" of the
apparatus.
[0008] Effectively, the bracket assembly of the present invention
allows the plow displacement to increase in an elevated position
and in a lowered position without affecting the agressivity of the
plow while grooming.
[0009] The aggressivity of the plow is described as the increase of
the rolling angle of the plow when using the lifting cylinder
without the rolling cylinder. The rolling cylinder pivot point
being free of displacement and depending on a parallelogram
configuration decreases this effect compared to a triangle
configuration where the rolling angle is increased.
[0010] This invention is directed to a plow vehicle comprising a
frame, a plow, a lifting cylinder pivotally connected to the plow
for lifting the plow with respect to the frame, a rolling cylinder
pivotally connected to the plow for tilting the plow with respect
to the frame, and a bracket pivotally connected to the frame. The
lifting cylinder is fixedly connected to the bracket and the
rolling cylinder is pivotally connected to the bracket.
[0011] This invention is also directed to a plow vehicle comprising
a frame, a plow, a lifting cylinder pivotally connected to the plow
and pivotally connected to the frame, and a rolling cylinder
connected to the plow at a first end and pivotally connected to the
lifting cylinder at a second end. Displacement of the lifting
cylinder causes a displacement of the pivotal connection between
the rolling cylinder and the lifting cylinder.
[0012] This invention is further directed to a plow vehicle
comprising a frame, a plow, a lifting cylinder pivotally connected
to the plow and pivotally connected to the frame, and a rolling
cylinder pivotally connected to the plow at a first end and
pivotally connected to the frame at a second end. Displacement of
the lifting cylinder causes a displacement of the pivotal
connection between the rolling cylinder and the frame.
[0013] These and other aspects of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following disclosure in accordance with
the Figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The details and advantages of the present invention will
become more apparent from the following detailed description when
read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0015] FIG. 1 is side view of a cylinder assembly used to connect a
plow support to a vehicle in accordance with the prior art:
[0016] FIG. 2 is a side view of a cylinder assembly using the
bracket in accordance with this invention to connect a plow support
to a vehicle.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of the plow and support of FIG. 1
connected to a vehicle in accordance with the prior art shown in a
lowered position and a raised position;
[0018] FIG. 4 is side view of the plow and support with the bracket
of FIG. 2 connected to a vehicle in accordance with this invention
shown in a lowered position and a raised position; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a view of a vehicle using the bracket in
accordance with the invention as part of the plow support
assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] This invention is described for illustrative purposes for
use on a vehicle such as a snow groomer, which is typically a
tracked vehicle having snow grooming tools and accessories
connected thereto. As would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill
in the art, this device would be applicable to any type of vehicle
used to move and shape the ground, including snow and earth. Thus,
this invention is not limited to use on a snow groomer, but rather
is intended to be applicable to earth moving equipment used in
farming and construction as well.
[0021] Typically, a snow groomer 100 has a plow 15, seen in FIGS. 3
and 4, used to move material and shape terrain. Control of the
vehicle and the plow 15 is conventional and would be understood by
those skilled in the art and therefore is not discussed in detail
herein.
[0022] In prior art assemblies, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, a plow
support is formed as a series of pistons 10 including cylinders,
such as hydraulic or pneumatic as known, connected to a vehicle
frame 21. A rigid arm 28 also connects to the plow 15.
[0023] As seen in FIG. 1, the plow support includes a lifting
cylinder 19, a rolling cylinder 25, and rigid arm 28. The lifting
cylinder 19 is connected to the frame 21 at pivot point 13 to
rotate around pivot point axis 18. The slidable piston associated
with lifting cylinder 19 is secured to an end 30 of the rigid arm
28 at a pivot point 34. The rigid arm 28 is connected at one end 32
to the frame 21 and the other end 30 to the plow 15 at a pivotal
connection 36, also seen in FIG. 3. The rolling cylinder 25 is
connected to the frame 21 above the lifting cylinder 19 at a pivot
point 14 to rotate around a pivot axis 17. The other end of the
rolling cylinder 25 is connected to the plow 15 at the other end
24, as seen schematically in FIG. 3. As can be seen in dashed lines
in FIG. 1, the movable cylinders that define the movement of the
plow define a triangle with the pivot points 13 and 14 in a fixed
relationship. By this, the lifting and rolling movement of the plow
15, illustrated in FIG. 3, is constrained. In FIG. 3, the lowered
position 30 is shown in solid lines, while the raised position 40
is shown in dotted lines.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows a side elevation of the cylinders assembly 10
after the installation of the bracket 12 in accordance with this
invention that makes the rolling cylinder pivot point 14
unconstrained by attachment to the frame 21 to which the plow 15 is
attached. FIG. 4 shows a side elevation of the whole plow assembly
20 after the installation of the bracket 12 that makes the rolling
cylinder pivot point 14 unconstrained in its movement. FIG. 4 also
shows the plow 15 in a lowered 30 position in solid lines and a
raised position 40 in dotted lines.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the rolling cylinder pivot point 14 and
the lifting cylinder pivot point 13 are rotatably secured to the
bracket 12 around their respective axis 17 and 18. The rolling
cylinder pivot point 14 is also secured so that it can freely
rotate with the bracket 12 around the lifting cylinder pivot point
axis 18 with the displacement of the lifting cylinder 19. The
lifting cylinder pivot point 18 is also attached to the frame 21.
Therefore, it is rotatably secured to the frame 21 and the bracket
12. By this, the movable cylinders 10 define a movable
parallelogram with the pivot point 13 being the only fixed
position.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the new bracket 12 allows the plow
displacement 16 to increase from about 25.5 to 43.1 degrees in an
elevated position 40 and from about 22.3 to 34.4 degrees in a
lowered position 30 without affecting the agressivity of the plow
15 while grooming. FIG. 2 also shows the rolling cylinder 25
attached to plow 15 at a first end 24 (plow 15 shown in FIG. 4) and
rolling cylinder 25 pivotally attached to bracket 12 at a second
end 26.
[0027] The rigid arm 28 is also shown in FIG. 2. Arm 28 is
pivotally connected to the plow 15 at its first end 30 at pivotal
connection 36 (plow 15 shown in FIG. 4) and to the frame 21 at its
second end 32. It would be recognised by one skilled in the art
that when lifting cylinder 19 is activated, arm 28 is forced to
pivot about its second end 32 with respect to the frame 21 and thus
displaces the plow 15 in a generally vertical direction.
Preferably, lifting cylinder 19 is pivotally connected to the arm
28 at pivotal connection 34 to prevent any tilting of the plow 15
while plow 15 is being vertically lifted. As would be recognised by
one skilled in the art, pivot point 34 could be situated on the
plow 15 as well.
[0028] Other arrangements of the present invention will be apparent
to those skilled in the art and are, therefore, encompassed by the
description hereinbefore.
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