ROAD PAVER WITH LAYER THICKNESS MEASURING DEVICE

• US 20120321384A1
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph Vã¶Gele AG (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: Joseph Vã¶Gele AG (Deere & Company)
• Inventors: Hanfland, Dennis, Weiser, Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 8,696,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 404/72
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/006 by laser or ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/48 for laying-down the materials and consolidating them, or finishing the surface , e.g. slip forms therefor, forming kerbs or gutters in a continuous operation in situ E01C19/002, E01C23/065 take precedence; devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path E01C19/004
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/01 Devices or auxiliary means for setting-out or checking the configuration of new surfacing, e.g. templates, screed or reference line supports form rails E01C19/50; Applications of apparatus for measuring, indicating, or recording the surface configuration of existing surfacing, e.g. profilographs E01C23/07 takes precedence; measuring roughness or irregularity in general G01B
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/08 for measuring thickness

Abstract

A road paver with a movable screed and with a layer thickness measuring device, which includes at least two sensors. The sensors are formed to carry out a distance measurement to the paving plane at intervals to determine a distance between the sensor and a point on the surface of the plane, said point being registered by the sensor. One of the two sensors defines a coordinate system. The layer thickness measuring device is formed to add as vectors the distance to the plane measured by the sensor that defines the coordinate system and a movement, relative to the plane and resulting from the driving of the road paver, of the coordinate system that is defined by the one sensor. In this way, a first vector can be determined which, together with a second vector, is used by the measuring device for determining the layer thickness of the laying material.

Claims

1. Road paver which comprises a movable screed and a layer thickness measuring device, having at least two sensors, wherein one of the sensors defines a coordinate system and the sensors are formed to carry out a distance measurement to the pavement plane at intervals in order to determine a distance between the sensor and a point on the surface of the plane, said point being registered by at least one of the sensors, and wherein the layer thickness measuring device is formed to combine as vectors the distance to the plane measured by the sensor that defines the coordinate system with a movement, relative to the plane and caused by the driving of the road paver, of the coordinate system defined by the one sensor in order to determine a first vector that, together with a second vector, can be used by the layer thickness measuring device for determining the layer thickness of the laying material.

2. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness measuring device comprises an evaluation unit that is formed to register the displacement of the coordinate system.

3. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness measuring device comprises at least three sensors.

4. Road paver according to claim 3, wherein all of the at least three sensors are formed to carry out the distance measurement to the plane at intervals.

5. Road paver according to claim 3, wherein all of the at least three sensors are arranged equidistantly to one another in the direction of travel with respect to a distance.

6. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the rear-most sensor in the direction of travel defines the coordinate system.

7. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness measuring device is formed to measure the layer thickness at a place that is at a distance of at least the distance or of a multiple of the distance from the sensor that defines the coordinate system.

8. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness measuring device comprises a support arranged rigidly relative to the road paver.

9. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness measuring device comprises a holder arranged rigidly relative to a screed.

10. Road paver according to claim 8, wherein the support or holder supports the sensors spaced apart by the distance.

11. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are arranged directly on a tow arm that supports the screed.

12. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein a screed of the road paver comprises a rear edge which, together with the layer thickness measuring device, defines the second vector.

13. Road paver according to claim 1, wherein the layer thickness measuring device comprises a sensor that is arranged behind the screed seen in the direction of travel.

14. Road paver according to claim 13, wherein the sensor together with the layer thickness measuring device defines the second vector.

15. Method for determining a layer thickness of a laying material laid on a plane by a road paver, wherein the road paver supports a movable screed and a layer thickness measuring device, which comprises at least two sensors, wherein one of the sensors defines a coordinate system and the sensors carry out a distance measurement at intervals in order to determine a distance between the respective sensor and a point on the surface of the plane, said point being registered by the sensor, and wherein the layer thickness measuring device determines a first vector for determining the layer thickness in that it adds as vectors a distance previously determined by the sensor that defines the coordinate system with a movement, relative to the plane and caused by the driving of the road paver, of the coordinate system defined by the one sensor, wherein the layer thickness measuring device adds the first vector to at least a second vector in order to determine the layer thickness.

16. Method for determining the thickness of a laying material deposited on a plane by a road paving machine which comprises:

providing a measuring device including at least a first sensor and a second sensor on the road paving machine,

defining a coordinate system using the first sensor,

measuring at spaced apart intervals a distance between one of the sensors and a point on the surface of the plane registered by one of the sensors that is set back from the sensor,

determining a first vector for computing the layer thickness by adding as vectors a distance previously determined by the sensor that defines the coordinate system with a movement relative to the plane and caused by the movement of the road paver and adding the first vector with a second vector to determine the layer thickness.

17. The method of claim 16, which comprises determining the second vector between the coordinate system and a determined position of the rear edge connected to the paving machine.

18. The method of claim 17, which comprises mounting the measuring device on the screen of the road paving machine.

19. The method of claim 16, which comprises providing a third sensor for the measuring device and mounting the first, second and third sensors equidistant from one another on the screed.

20. The method of claim 16, which comprises providing a fourth sensor behind the screen for the measuring device.