Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Weather control – Snowmaking
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-17
2003-01-28
Ganey, Steven J. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Weather control
Snowmaking
C239S128000, C239S135000, C239S654000, C239S689000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06511000
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus to feed artificial snow to an artificial snow making device at a constant rate to precipitate artificial snow on a ski slope.
2. Description of the Invention
An artificial snow making device to precipitate artificial snow conventionally blows out artificial snow by using the centrifugal force of rotating impellers. Kinds of artificial snow mainly include: 1) plate snow; 2) flake snow; and 3) powder snow. In the case of 1) plate snow, the ice pieces are relatively large such that they do not adhere to a feeder while being fed into the artificial snow making device. However, as the size of the ice pieces becomes smaller from 2) flake snow to 3) powder snow, it tends to adhere to the feeder. The adhered ice pieces gradually grow larger and freeze such that the feeder eventually stops functioning.
Impellers
4
of a conventional artificial snow blower or a rotary valve of a feeder are formed around impeller rotary shaft
3
in the radial direction. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the bottoms of impeller
4
contacting impeller rotary shaft
3
form corner portions
26
at an approximately right angle. Corner portions
26
hardly catch large ice pieces
27
while fine ice pieces
27
tend to adhere thereto. As mentioned above, the adhered ice pieces grow and freeze into lumps of ice pieces
27
. The lumps cause additional load to impellers
4
such that additional drive is required to maintain the rotation of impellers
4
. Further, the operating surfaces of impellers
4
are reduced such that the performance is deteriorated. Finally, the entire device is frozen and stops. A skiing population prefers natural snow such as 2) flake snow or 3) powder snow such that this type of trouble is inevitable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus which does not cause adhesion, growth and freezing of ice pieces, which tend to happen with quality artificial snow such as fine flake snow and powder snow, in a rotary valve as an artificial snow feeder at a constant rate.
To solve the above issue, according to the a first aspect, the present invention provides a rotary valve
1
to feed artificial snow at a constant rate, which includes:
cylindrical casing
2
;
impeller rotary shaft
3
which is placed in cylindrical casing
2
in the length direction of the cylinder;
a plurality of impellers
4
which are arranged around impeller rotary shaft
3
at an equal distance from each other in the radial direction;
housing
24
which supports cylindrical casing
2
therein;
opening
25
for loading of artificial snow which connects the top portion of a wall of cylindrical casing
2
with the top portion of housing
24
;
opening
7
for receiving compressed air which is formed on the side wall
6
of casing
2
at one end
5
of impeller rotary shaft
3
to receive said compressed air from a blower; and
exit
10
for artificial snow formed at the other end
8
of the casing side wall
9
to blow out artificial snow cut in a given amount with compressed air,
wherein the diameter
11
of impeller rotary shaft
3
is established to be about one half of the diameter
12
of cylindrical casing
2
,
impeller
4
is connected with the adjacent impeller at its end contacting impeller rotary shaft
3
by a smooth surface of arched plate
14
having arc
15
, and
an opening
7
for receiving compressed air on casing side wall
6
and an exit
10
for artificial snow on the other casing side wall
9
are arranged across from each other in arc
15
between impellers
4
.
According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a rotary valve
1
to feed artificial snow at a constant rate in relation to the first aspect in which arched plate
14
having arc
15
is covered by coating layer
29
of a lubricating resin.
According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a rotary valve
1
to feed artificial snow at a constant rate in relation to the first and second aspect in which:
spaces on sides of impeller
4
between arched plate
14
having arc
15
and impeller rotary shaft
3
are hollow portions
16
;
heater hole
17
is provided such that a heater is placed at the center of impeller rotary shaft
3
in the axial direction; and
heater hole
17
and each hollow portion
16
are connected via a plurality of thermal convection holes
18
which are formed in the radial direction to send the heat from heater hole
17
to each hollow portion
16
.
According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a rotary valve
1
to feed artificial snow at a constant rate in relation to one of the first to third aspects in which ring grooves
19
are formed at both ends of the impeller rotary shaft, wherein ring seals are engaged to the ring grooves such that the sections between the ends of the impeller rotary shaft and the side walls of the cylindrical casing are air-tight.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4385729 (1983-05-01), Wiederkehr
patent: 4798331 (1989-01-01), Suga
patent: 5062279 (1991-11-01), Kawashima et al.
patent: 5297731 (1994-03-01), Bucceri
patent: 26 06 483 (1976-08-01), None
patent: 29 03 323 (1980-08-01), None
patent: 94 08 383 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 0 945 694 (1999-03-01), None
patent: 2 573 527 (1986-05-01), None
patent: 1055578 (1967-01-01), None
patent: 5-312449 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 11-116053 (1999-04-01), None
Copy of European Patent Office Search Report for corresponding European Patent Application No. 01 20 1734 dated Aug. 21, 2001.
Ganey Steven J.
Koyo Industry Co., Ltd.
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