ROAD PATCHER SYSTEM

• US 20090274515A1
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schwarze Industries, Inc. (Alamo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Schwarze Industries, Inc. (Alamo Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rimmer, Jeremy A., Cooper, Andrew B.
• Application Number:
  US12/435,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20090274515A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 404/72
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/06 Devices or arrangements for working the finished surface working freshly laid paving E01C19/42 - E01C19/44, E01C23/02; mining picks E21C35/18; Devices for repairing or reconditioning the surface of damaged paving; Recycling in place or on the road

Abstract

A road patching vehicle for patching damaged areas or potholes of various sizes and shapes on a roadway includes a boom assembly pivotally mounted at or on the forward end of the vehicle with a nozzle mounted at or toward the forward end of the boom. Various hoses connect the nozzle to a source of pressurized air, a source of patching emulsion (such as an asphalt emulsion), and a source of a rock aggregate with the vehicle operator controlling the flows individually or in various combinations thereof to prepare and then fill the pothole or other road defect to effect a patch. The nozzle is mounted on a pivot or journal to allow controlled pivoting or tilting of the nozzle under control of the operator in at least one degree of freedom. In a variant of the preferred form, the nozzle is mounted for control pivoting or tilting under the control of the operator in at least two degrees of freedom.

Claims

1. A road-patching motor vehicle for patching or repairing a portion of a roadway, the vehicle having a source of pressurized air and a supply of road patching materials including at least a rock aggregate and an emulsion, comprising:

at least one boom pivotally mounted at or near the forward end of the vehicle;

at least one actuator connected to the boom for pivoting the boom to a selected position over the roadway;

a nozzle mounted at or near a remote end of the boom;

a pivotable mount for the nozzle and at least one actuator for controllably pivoting the nozzle to control the direction of discharge therefrom relative to the remote end of the boom; and

a system for selectively providing a user-controlled supply of at least a one of pressurized air or a road patching material to the nozzle for discharge therefrom onto the roadway.

2. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is pivotable about a first axis that is approximately parallel to a long axis of the boom.

3. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is pivotable about a first axis that is approximately perpendicular to a long axis of the boom.

4. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is pivotable about a first axis that is approximately perpendicular to a long axis of the boom and further rotatable about the long axis of the boom.

5. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pivotable mount comprises an omni-directional mount.

6. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the actuator for controllably pivoting the nozzle comprises a bidirectional electrically power actuator.

8. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is moveable about a first axis that is approximately parallel to a long axis of the boom.

9. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is moveable about a first axis that is approximately perpendicular to a long axis of the boom.

10. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is moveable about a first axis that is approximately perpendicular to a long axis of the boom and further rotatable about the long axis of the boom.

11. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the mount comprises an omni-directional mount.

12. The road patching vehicle of claim 1, wherein the actuator for controllably pivoting the nozzle comprises a bi-directional electrically power actuator.

7. A road-patching motor vehicle for patching or repairing a portion of a roadway, the vehicle having a source of pressurized air and a supply of road patching materials including at least a rock aggregate and an emulsion, comprising:

at least one boom pivotally mounted at or near the forward end of the vehicle;

at least one actuator connected to the boom for deploying the boom to a selected position over the roadway;

a nozzle mounted at or near a remote end of the boom;

a mount for the nozzle for changing the direction of discharge of the nozzle and at least one actuator for controllably moving the nozzle relative to the boom to control the direction of discharge therefrom relative to the remote end of the boom; and

a system for selectively providing a user-controlled supply of at least a one of pressurized air or a road patching material to the nozzle for discharge therefrom onto the roadway.

13. A method of operating a road-patching motor vehicle for patching or repairing a portion of a roadway, the vehicle having a source of pressurized air, supply of a rock aggregate, and a supply of an emulsion, at least one boom pivotally mounted at or near the forward end of the vehicle, at least one actuator connected to the boom for pivoting the boom to a selected position over the roadway, a nozzle mounted at or near a remote end of the boom, a pivotable mount for the nozzle and at least one actuator for controllably pivoting the nozzle to control the direction of discharge therefrom relative to the remote end of the boom, and a system for selectively providing a user-controlled supply of pressurized air, rock aggregate, or the emulation to the nozzle for discharge therefrom onto the roadway, comprising the steps of:

pivoting the boom to position the nozzle over an area of the roadway to be patched or repaired,

discharging a flow of pressurized air into or onto at least a portion of the roadway to be patched or repaired to remove debris therefrom and pivoting the nozzle for some period of time while discharging the flow of pressurized air;

discharging a flow of emulsion into or onto at least a portion of the roadway to be patched or repaired and pivoting the nozzle for some period of time while discharging the flow of emulsion;

discharging a mix of emulsion and rock aggregate into or onto at least a portion of the roadway to be patched or repaired and pivoting the nozzle for some period of time while discharging the mix of emulsion and rock aggregate; and

discharging a flow of rock aggregate into or onto at least a portion of the roadway to be patched or repaired and pivoting the nozzle for some period of time while discharging the flow of rock aggregate.