Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02918031 2016-01-15
LIGHTED GUIDE FOR A SNOW PLOW BLADE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device for use with snow plows and,
in particular, to
lighted rods for use in guiding and illuminating snow plow blades.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A snow plow can be mounted on a vehicle and used to remove snow and ice
from
outdoor surfaces. Typically, a snow plow blade is attached to the front of a
vehicle and forward
motion of the vehicle combined with controlled movement of the snow plow
causes snow to be
pushed to the side or straight ahead on sidewalks, roads, railway tracks, etc.
A snow plow may
include one or more side wing blades which protrude out from sides of the
vehicle on which it is
mounted. An operator of a snow plow will constantly monitor and control the
location of the
snow plow blade for safe and effective use of the snow plow. Drivers of nearby
vehicles,
including those driving behind, beside or in an opposite direction as a snow
plow vehicle, will
also closely monitor the snow plow blade to anticipate its location and drive
accordingly in order
to avoid accidents. Large volumes of accumulated snow and dark or icy road
conditions can
make locating or controlling a snow plow blade a challenging task.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying
drawings which
show example embodiments of the present application and in which:
[0004] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a blade guide in accordance with
example
embodiments of the present disclosure;
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[0005] FIG. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the blade guide of FIG. 1;
[0006] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the blade guide of FIG. 1;
[0007] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a light source and a power supply
connector in
accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0008] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an example snow plow blade having
blade guides
mounted thereon.
[0009] Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like
elements and features.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[00010] In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a blade guide for a
snow plow blade. The
blade guide includes an elongate tube having a first opening at a first end.
The tube is at least 20
inches long and defines a central bore that extends longitudinally within the
tube. The blade
guide also includes a light source which is inserted in the central bore of
the tube and a power
supply connector connected to the light source. A section of the power supply
connector
protrudes from the tube when the light source is inserted in the central bore.
The blade guide also
includes a rod mount affixed to the first end of the tube, where the rod mount
is adapted to be
secured to the snow plow blade.
[00011] In another aspect, the present disclosure describes a snow plow blade.
The snow plow
blade has one or more blade guides mounted on the snow plow blade. The blade
guide includes
an elongate tube having a first opening at a first end. The tube is at least
20 inches long and
defines a central bore that extends longitudinally within the tube. The blade
guide also includes a
light source which is inserted in the central bore of the tube and a power
supply connector
connected to the light source. A section of the power supply connector
protrudes from the tube
when the light source is inserted in the central bore. The blade guide also
includes a rod mount
affixed to the first end of the tube, where the rod mount is adapted to be
secured to the snow
plow blade.
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[00012] In yet another aspect, the present disclosure describes a snow plow.
The snow plow
includes a snow plow blade that has one or more blade guides mounted on the
blade. The blade
guide includes an elongate tube having a first opening at a first end. The
tube is at least 20 inches
long and defines a central bore that extends longitudinally within the tube.
The blade guide also
includes a light source which is inserted in the central bore of the tube and
a power supply
connector connected to the light source. A section of the power supply
connector protrudes from
the tube when the light source is inserted in the central bore. The blade
guide also includes a rod
mount affixed to the first end of the tube, where the rod mount is adapted to
be secured to the
snow plow blade.
[00013] Other example embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent
to those of
ordinary skill in the art from a review of the following detailed descriptions
in conjunction with
the drawings.
[00014] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows a perspective view of
an example blade
guide 100 for a snow plow blade. In at least some embodiments, the blade guide
100 may be
used for visually indicating the width and/or location of a snow plow blade
during operation of a
snow plow. For example, one or more blade guides 100 may be mounted on a snow
plow blade
to assist in illuminating the snow plow and surrounding areas during operation
of the snow plow
in adverse environmental conditions (e.g. dark roads, extreme weather
conditions, etc.). As a
further example, two or more blade guides 100 may be affixed to a snow plow
blade and used as
markers for the lateral edges of the snow plow. In some cases, a snow plow may
employ a blade
that is wider than the width of the vehicle to which the snow plow is mounted.
A snow plow
blade may also be supplemented by one or more side wing extensions that attach
to lateral edges
of the snow plow blade and protrude from the sides of a vehicle. As a result,
a snow plow
mounted on a vehicle can sometimes extend, at least partially, into
neighboring lanes or beyond
the edges of a road. In some embodiments, one or more blade guides 100 may be
mounted on the
side wing extensions of snow plows. The blade guides 100 can visually
demarcate the
boundaries of a snow plow blade to oncoming traffic as well as nearby vehicles
and pedestrians.
[00015] It will be appreciated that the blade guide 100 may be adapted for
applications other
than use with a snow plow blade. By way of example, the blade guides 100 may
be attached to
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the front bumper of a vehicle to assist a driver of the vehicle to ascertain
the location of the ends
of the bumper. The blade guide 100 may be suitable for use on a wide range of
vehicles,
including service and pickup trucks, utility vehicles, front end loaders and
rail cars. In some
cases, the blade guides 100 may be mounted to manual or motorized wheelchairs
for use as
markers to assist nearby drivers and pedestrians to visually recognize the
wheelchairs. For
example, the blade guides 100 may be adapted to attach to one or more wheels
of a wheelchair or
extend from the sides of a wheelchair to demarcate the locations of the
wheels.
[00016] The blade guide 100 includes a tube 102. In at least some embodiments,
the tube 102 is
translucent. For example, the tube 102 may be constructed of a relatively
light and rigid material
such as plastic, hard rubber or acrylic glass. In some other embodiments, the
tube 102 may be
transparent. For example, glass or transparent ceramics may be used to
construct the tube 102.
The tube 102 may have a bright color to promote the alerting function of the
blade guide 100.
For example, the tube 102 may be colored bright orange.
[00017] The tube 102 is elongate, having a length greater than 20 inches. That
is, the two
longitudinal ends of the tube 102 are spaced at least 20 inches apart. The
length of the tube 102
may depend on the size of the snow plow blade with which it is used. For
example, the tube 102
may be longer than 30 or 40 inches for certain uses. In at least some
embodiments, the tube 102
is generally cylindrical. In the example of FIG. 1, the tube 102 has a uniform
circular cross-
section along its length. In other embodiments, the tube 102 may have a
different shape. For
example, the tube 102 may be a rectangular beam of a predetermined length.
[00018] The tube 102 has a first opening 103 at a first end and a second
opening 105 at a second
end opposite to the first end. The tube 102 defines a central bore 104 that
extends longitudinally
within the tube 102, between the first opening 103 and the second opening 105.
In at least some
embodiments, the central bore 104 is cylindrical. The radius of the circular
cross-section of the
central bore 104 may range between 3 and 10 millimeters. The blade guide 100
includes a cap
member 112 for covering the second opening 105. The cap member 112 may be
configured to
engage the tube 102 at the second end and be secured to the tube 102 so as to
fit over the second
opening 105. The cap member 112 may completely block the second opening 105,
thereby
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preventing water or debris from entering the central bore 104 from the second
end of the tube
102.
[00019] The blade guide 100 includes a luminescent light source 106. The light
source 106 is
inserted in the central bore 104 of the tube 102. In at least some
embodiments, the light source
106 is a translucent rod encasing a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
within the rod. For
example, the light source 106 may be an acrylic rod containing multiple LEDs
in its interior.
Where an LED rod is used as the light source 106, the LEDs may be distributed
evenly within
the rod to cause uniform illumination throughout the rod surface. The light
source 106 may also
include two or more electrical conductors routed internally to the light
source 106. For a light
source based on LED luminescence, the electrical conductors may be used to
connect the LEDs
inside the light source. In at least some embodiments, the light source 106
rigidly holds the LEDs
in fixed position inside the light source 106. In particular, the LEDs are
held in fixed relative
position with respect to each other inside the light source 106.
[00020] The light source 106 is sized to be retained in the central bore 104
of the tube 102 and
may extend along the entire length of the central bore 104 or only along a
partial section of the
central bore 104. In some embodiments, the light source 106 may be constructed
of an elastic
material such as flexible rubber. The light source 106 is connected to a power
supply connector
(not shown in FIG. 1), for connecting the light source 106 to a remote power
source.
[00021] As shown in FIG. 1, the blade guide 100 includes a rod mount 110
affixed to the first
end of the tube 102. The rod mount 110 is adapted to be affixed to a snow plow
blade, securing
the blade guide 100 to the snow plow blade during operation of the snow plow.
The rod mount
110 will be described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 2.
[00022] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which shows an exploded perspective
view of the
blade guide 100 of FIG. 1. The blade guide 100 includes a tube 102, a light
source 106 and a rod
mount 110. The rod mount 110 defines a first opening 202 at a first end 204.
The rod mount 110
also defines a receiving bore 206 which extends axially from the first opening
202 into the rod
mount 110. In the example of FIG. 2, the first opening 202 has a circular
cross-section and the
receiving bore 206 extends from the first opening 202 of the rod mount 110.
The rod mount 110
of FIG. 2 includes a cylindrical portion 210 near the first end 204 and a
substantially flat plate
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portion 208 extending longitudinally away from the cylindrical portion. More
specifically, at
least a section of the lateral wall of the cylindrical portion 210 of the rod
mount 110 is angled,
extending longitudinally to define a pair of substantially parallel surfaces
forming the plate
portion 208.
[00023] The rod mount 110 is affixed to the first end 205 of the tube 102. The
first opening 103
of the tube 102 is in communication with the first opening 202 of the rod
mount 110. That is, the
first opening 103 and the first opening 202 provide passage between the tube
102 and the
receiving bore 206. In at least some embodiments, the receiving bore 206 is
sized to receive a
section of the tube 102 that includes the first end 205. For example, the
respective radii of the
circular first opening 202 and the cross-section of the receiving bore 206 may
be greater than the
cross-sectional radius of the tube 102. In such cases, the tube 102 may be
partially inserted in the
receiving bore 206 through the first opening 202 such that at least a section
of the tube 102 that
includes the first end 205 is retained in the receiving bore 206. Once the
tube 102 is partially
inserted in the receiving bore 206, the tube 102 can be secured to the rod
mount 110, for example,
by molding or gluing or by a friction fit connection. The rod mount 110 may
also be secured to
the tube 102 by partially inserting the tube 102 in the receiving bore 206 and
pinching at least a
portion of the wall of the rod mount 110 to cause part of the inserted section
of the tube 102 to be
wedged between the pinched portions of the rod mount wall.
[00024] As shown in FIG. 2, the light source 106 is connected to a power
supply connector 212.
In at least some embodiments, the power supply connector 212 is attached at
the end of the light
source 106 that is proximal to the first end 103 of the tube 102 when the
light source 106 is
inserted in the central bore 104 of the tube 102. A portion of the power
supply connector 212
protrudes from the tube 102. For example, in at least some embodiments, a
section of the power
supply connector 212 protrudes through the first opening 103 of the tube 102
when the light
source 106 is inserted in the central bore 104.
[00025] Reference is now made to FIG.3, which shows a side view of the blade
guide 100 of
FIG. 1. The rod mount 110 defines an aperture 302 on the lateral wall of the
rod mount 110. The
aperture 302 extends through the lateral wall of the rod mount 110 between the
wall of the
receiving bore 206 and the outer surface of the rod mount 110. In at least
some embodiments, a
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first portion 304 of the power supply connector 212 extends out of the
receiving bore 206
through the aperture 302. The first portion 304 is a portion of the power
supply connector 212
that protrudes from the tube 102 through the first opening 103. When the light
source 106 is
inserted in the central bore 104 of the tube 102, the first portion 304 of the
power supply
connector 212 extends partially into the receiving bore 206 through the first
opening 202 and out
of the receiving bore 206 through the aperture 302. The first portion 304 of
the power supply
connector 212 may be of an appropriate length to allow the power supply
connector 212 to
extend to and reach a remotely located power source. With the first portion
304 of the power
supply connector extending out through the aperture 302, the unfilled portion
of the aperture 302
may be sealed. For example, adhesives, caulking or other sealants may be
applied to completely
cover the unfilled portion of the aperture 302. In some embodiments, the seal
may overlap with
the first portion 302 of the power supply connector 212 to cooperatively cover
the aperture 302.
[00026] The rod mount 110 defines one or more holes 306 to receive screws for
fixedly securing
the rod mount 110 to the blade of a snow plow. In the example shown in FIG. 3,
the aperture 302
is positioned closer to the first end 204 of the rod mount 110 than either of
the holes 306. This
allows the first portion 304 of the power supply connector 212 to extend out
of the aperture 302
when the rod mount 110 is secured to a snow plow blade by screws received in
the holes 306
such that the power supply connector 212 can be connected to a remote power
source.
[00027] Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which shows a perspective view of a
light source 106
and a power supply connector 212. The light source 106 is connected to the
power supply
connector 212, which allows electrical power to be provided to the LEDs of the
light source 106
from a remote power source. The power supply connector 212 includes two or
more electrical
wires 404, where each of the electrical wires 404 is connected to a
corresponding electrical
conductor 402 of the light source 106. The ends of the electrical conductors
402 of the light
source 106 may protrude from the light source 106 and be connected to the
electrical wires 404
at a point of connection 406. In at least some embodiments, the power supply
connector 212 also
includes a wiring harness connector plug 408 at one end of the power supply
connector 212. The
electrical wires 404 are bound together into a bundle and connected to the
wiring harness
connector plug 408 which allows the electrical wires to transmit power from a
remote power
source. For example, the wiring harness connector plug 408 may be a weather
pack connector.
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[00028] In at least some embodiments, at least a portion of the power supply
connector 212
protrudes from and extends external to the rod mount 110. This portion of the
power supply
connector 212 may be exposed to water, dirt and other external conditions. The
blade guide 100
may include heat shrink tubing 410 at the point of connection 406 between the
light source 106
and the power supply connector 212, insulating parts of the electrical wires
404 and protruding
sections of the electrical conductors 402 while providing abrasion resistance
and environmental
protection for segments of the power supply connector 212. For example, the
heat shrink tubing
410 may offer a waterproof cover for the electrical wires 404. The power
supply connector 212
may also include a cable jacket to bundle the electrical wires 404 together.
In some embodiments,
the heat shrink tubing 410 may overlap with a portion of the cable jacket. The
heat shrink tubing
410 and the cable jacket together provide protection for the entire lengths of
the electrical wires
404 of the power supply connector 212.
[00029] Reference is now made to FIG. 5, which shows a snow plow blade 502
having blade
guides 100 mounted thereon. The blade guides 100 are of the type described
above. In the
example of FIG. 5, two blade guides 100 are mounted on the snow plow blade
502, with a blade
guide being mounted to each lateral edge of the snow plow blade 502. The blade
guides 100 are
mounted as to extend vertically from the snow plow blade, with at least a
portion of the blade
guides extending above the top edge of the snow plow blade. The blade guides
extend at least 15
inches above the top edge of the snow plow blade. In at least some
embodiments, the blade
guides may be vertically mounted to the respective ends of the top edge of the
snow plow blade.
[00030] In yet another aspect, there is provided a snow plow comprising a
blade having one or
more blade guides mounted on the blade, where the blade guides are adapted as
embodiments of
the blade guide 100 as described herein.
[00031] Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can
be made.
Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative
and not restrictive.
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