GROOMER, AND SNOW GROOMER VEHICLE" CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102019000019990 filed on October 29, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a blade assembly for a crawler vehicle, in particular a snow groomer, and a snow groomer vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known, the preparation of ski slopes requires ever-increasing care, both for safety reasons and because modern equipment can be used much better on surfaces that are regular, free of marked roughness, and with as homogeneous a bottom as possible. On the other hand, the creation of so-called snow parks is also spreading in many areas. Snow parks are confined, fenced areas equipped with facilities for performing tricks, such as kicker and landing ramps of various configurations and difficulties, humps, boxes, rails, half-pipes, and so on. The snowpack is processed using snow groomer vehicles, which are equipped with special tools for this purpose. In particular, a snow groomer vehicle generally comprises a front blade and a rear tiller and trimmer. The blade can be lifted, lowered, and oriented to move desired amounts of snow, which can then be removed, accumulated, distributed, and shaped as required. The rear tool with tiller and trimmer, on the other hand, enables the desired finish of the snowpack surface to be achieved. In addition, to get better snow park slopes, snow groomer vehicles sometimes mount specially designed snow park blades.

However, the quality of the preparation of both the slopes and the snow park facilities is currently largely entrusted to the skill and experience of the snow groomer vehicle operators, who have almost complete control over the work equipment. The results that can be obtained, which are evidently influenced by a significant subjective component, are owed to the experience of the operator who must continuously adjust the position of the blade.

It would, instead, be desirable to make the blade easier to use and also more versatile.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is to provide a blade assembly for a crawler vehicle, particularly a snow groomer vehicle, that is easier to use and has greater versatility.

According to this invention a blade assembly is provided, therefore, as defined in claim 1.

Thanks to this invention, the blade assembly is easier to use and increases the amount of snow swept. In addition, the quality of the processing, for example of the snowpack, is improved.

Another purpose of this invention is to provide a snow groomer vehicle that is easier to use to form ski slopes than prior art snow groomer vehicles.

According to this invention, a snow groomer vehicle comprising a tiller and a blade assembly, according to any of the claims from 1 to 12, is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description of non-limiting embodiments thereof, with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a side view, with parts removed for clarity, of a snow groomer vehicle with a blade assembly in accordance with this invention; - Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the snow groomer vehicle with the blade assembly made in accordance with this invention;

- Figure 3 is a front view of the blade assembly made according to this invention and in an operating position; and Figure 4 is a front view of the blade assembly according to this invention and in an operating position;

- Figure 5 is a perspective and enlarged view of a detail of the blade assembly in Figure 4 and in a different operating position from that in Figure 4;

- Figure 6 is a perspective view from below of a detail of an alternative embodiment of the blade assembly in Figure 3;

- Figure 7 is a perspective view from below of a detail of another embodiment of the blade assembly in Figure 6;

- Figure 8 is an enlarged rear view of a detail in Figure 7;

- Figure 9 is a perspective view from below of another embodiment of the blade assembly in Figure 6; - Figure 10 is a rear view of another embodiment of a detail of the blade assembly in Figure 4; and

- Figure 11 is a rear view of another embodiment of a detail of the blade assembly in Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the attached figures, a crawler vehicle, in particular a snow groomer vehicle according to one embodiment of this invention is referred to as a whole by the number 1 and comprises a chassis 2, which extends along a longitudinal axis A, a driver's cab 3, and a drive unit, e.g. an internal combustion engine. The driver's cab 3 and the drive unit are housed on the chassis 2. The snow groomer vehicle 1 is, in addition, equipped with a pair of tracks 6 and user devices, comprising a blade assembly 8, supported at the front by the chassis 2, and a tiller assembly 9, in particular a tiller and a trimmer, supported at the rear by the chassis 2. In an alternative embodiment, the snow groomer vehicle comprises a winch assembly that is not shown in the attached figures. A power transmission is operationally coupled to the drive unit, which provides the necessary power for operating the snow groomer vehicle 1, and the user devices. The power transmission can be hydraulic or electric or a hydraulic and electric combination.

The blade assembly 8 is connected to the chassis 2 by means of a front connection device 20, while the tiller assembly 9 is connected to the chassis by means of a rear connection device 21.

The front connection device 20 is illustrated in Figure 2 and comprises two rigid structures 22 and 23. One rigid structure 22 is hinged to the chassis 2, so that it can rotate around a horizontal rotation axis (when the snow groomer vehicle 1 is level) and parallel to the plane of the tracks 6. The other rigid structure 23 is fixed to the blade assembly 8 and is coupled to the rigid structure 22 by means of a universal joint 24, in particular a universal spherical joint. The front connection device 20 is configured to raise and lower the blade assembly 8, to rotate the blade assembly 8, to determine the forward tilt or angle of incidence of the blade assembly 8, and to orient the blade assembly 8, in practice, arranging the blade assembly 8 itself so that it is perpendicular or oblique in relation to the forward direction of the snow groomer vehicle 1.

With reference to Figure 3, the blade assembly 8 comprises a central blade 25 and two side blades 26 arranged on opposite sides in relation to the central blade 25.

With reference to Figure 4, each side blade 26 is hinged to the central blade 25 so as to vary an attachment angle between the central blade 25 and said side blade 26. The blade assembly 8 comprises an actuator 27 for each side blade 26 so as to be able to vary the position of the side blade

26 in relation to the central blade 25, in particular to vary an angular position between each side blade 26 and the central blade 25.

The blade assembly 8 comprises an accessory element assembly 30 that is configured to increase the sweep area of the blade assembly 8 and/or the quantity of snow swept.

The accessory element assembly 30 comprises an accessory blade assembly 31 (Figure 5) that extends along lower edges 32 of the central blade 25 and of the side blades 26. The accessory blade assembly 31 comprises a central accessory blade 33, and two side accessory blades 34, wherein the central accessory blade 33 is connected along the lower edge 32 of the central blade 25, and each side accessory blade 34 is connected, respectively, along the lower edge 32 of the respective side blade 26.

With reference to Figure 5, the central accessory blade 33 and the side accessory blades 34 comprise respective leading edges 35 connected to the blade assembly 8 and a sweep edge 36 that has a curved profile; in particular, the curved profile faces the side opposite the corresponding central blade or the side blades. In other words, the central blade 25 and the side blades 26 have a curved profile in which the curvature faces the front side of the blade assembly 8, the central accessory blade 33 and the side accessory blades 34 have a curved profile that faces the rear side of the blade assembly 8, thus the curved profile of the central blade 25 and of the side blade 26 and the curved profile of the central accessory blade 33 and of the side accessory blades 34 face opposite sides. In a preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figure 6, the central accessory blade 33 and the two side accessory blades 34 comprise a lower edge 36a that has a toothed profile 36b. In particular, both the central accessory blade 33 and the two side accessory blades 34 comprise a corresponding lower edge 36a that has a toothed profile 36b, in particular one that faces the ground.

Each tooth 45 of the toothed profile 36b extends far along a direction C perpendicular to the ground. With reference to Figure 4, the central accessory blade

33 and each side accessory blade 34 are connected to the blade assembly 8 using screwing means 40, in particular screws and preferably bolts.

With reference to Figure 7, an alternative embodiment requires that the central accessory blade 33 and each side accessory blade 34 are welded to the blade assembly 8 along a lower edge 32a to the blade assembly 6. In particular, the lower edge 32a is an edge of the blade assembly 6 that, in use, faces the ground and that is, preferably, in contact with the ground.

With reference to Figure 9, an alternative embodiment requires that the central accessory blade 33 and each side accessory blade 34 are welded to the blade assembly 8 along a lower edge 32a to the blade assembly 6. In particular, the lower edge 32a is an edge of the blade assembly 6 that, in use, faces the ground and that is, preferably, in contact with the ground.

In an alternative embodiment, the teeth 45 are created directly along the lower edge of the blade assembly 6 or are welded individually along the lower edge of the blade assembly 6.

In addition, the accessory element assembly 30 comprises two side accessory blades 42 connected to the blade assembly 8 so as to vary from a rest position (seen in Figure 5) to a working position (seen in Figures 3 and 4) and vice versa.

Each of the two side accessory blades 42 is connected to the corresponding side blade 26 by means of a hinge 43 (Figure 5) so that it can be moved between a rest position and a working position.

In particular, when the side accessory blade 42 is in a working position, it is placed laterally to the side blade 26 and cantilevered in relation to it in order to increase the quantity of snow swept by the blade assembly 8, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4.

In addition, the side accessory blade 42, when it is in a working position, is used to process the snow and to form vertical snow surfaces for the snow parks in which winter sports, such as snowboarding and other types of winter sports, are practised.

When the side accessory blade 42 is in a rest position, it is placed to the rear of the corresponding side blade 26 so as not to affect the quantity of snow swept by the blade assembly 8 as shown in Figure 5. With reference to Figures 4 and 5, the side accessory blades 42 have a straight end edge 42a. The end edge 42a is the side one and is bigger. In addition, the end edge 42a, in use, extends along a direction transverse to the ground. With reference to Figure 10, one alternative embodiment of this invention requires that each side accessory blade 42 has a wavy side edge 42a, in particular wavy with teeth 42b. In other words, each tooth of the side edge 42a is defined by a head and the teeth are joined together by curved profiles.

With reference to Figure 11, one alternative embodiment of this invention requires that each side accessory blade 42 has a serrated side edge 42a. In other words, each tooth of the side edge 42a is defined by teeth 42c, wherein each tooth has the shape of one or more vertices of an isosceles triangle.

Another alternative embodiment requires that each side accessory blade has a side edge that has a serrated tooth profile. The blade assembly 8 comprising a structure 50 to which the central blade 25 and the side blades 26 are connected, in particular the central blade 25 and the side blades 26 are connected to a front side of the structure 50. With reference to Figures 4 and 5, the central accessory blade 33 and the side accessory blades 34 are connected along a lower edge 32 of the structure 50.

With reference to Figures 4 and 5, the side accessory blades 42 are connected along a rear side of the structure 50 and are connected in such a way as to be partially arranged along a lateral side of the structure 50 when they are working position.

In a preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment, of this invention, each tooth 45 that defines the toothed profile 36b of the central accessory blade 33 and of the side accessory blades 34 has a profile that is equal to the teeth of the tiller assembly 9.

In a preferred embodiment, illustrated in Figure 8, each tooth 45 comprises a pair of side wings 45a that extend perpendicularly to the direction of extension C at the depth of the tooth 45.

In addition, with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 6, the central blade 25 and the side blades 26 comprise a toothed profile 50 comprising a plurality of teeth 51. In a preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment, the teeth 51 of the central blade 25 and of the side blades 26 have a shape and/or a size that is different to the teeth 45 of the central accessory blade 33 and of the side accessory blades 34. In addition, the teeth 51 extend in length along a direction

B that is transverse to the direction A. In addition, the direction B, in use, is transverse to the ground.