Process and device for milling off traffic areas

• US 6,371,566 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1999
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wirtgen GmbH (Deere & Company)
• Inventors: Haehn, Guenter
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh, Sunil
• Application Number:
  US09/367,042
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 299/1.4, 299/1.5, 299/30, 404/84.05, 404/84.5
• US Class Current: 299/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/004 Devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path for graders or bulldozers E02F3/841; for other soil-shifting machines E02F9/2045

Abstract

A process of milling by first surveying the actual profile of a traffic area and generating actual profile data. The desired profile data is generated from an initial basic data set and the desired profile data of the traffic area is corrected with respect to longitudinal waviness. The current position of the milling machine is determined and the milling depth is adjusted as an actual value. The milling depth is thereafter controlled as a function of the difference between the actual value and the desired value, including data of a traffic area whose length exceeds that of the longest longitudinal wave of the traffic area which is leveled or milled.

Claims

1. A process of milling-off traffic areas using a milling roller of a milling machine comprising the steps of surveying the actual profile of a traffic area and generating at least two-dimensional actual profile data by assigning the measured profile values to determine relative or absolute position data, generating desired profile data from an initial basic data set on the basis of previously or on-line determined actual profile data with the desired profile data of the traffic area being corrected in values of longitudinal waviness and with the basic data set containing the actual profile data of a section of the traffic area whose length exceeds that of the largest longitudinal wave of the traffic area to be leveled out, determining the current position of the milling machine and the current milling depth as an actual value, and controlling the milling depth of the milling cutter as a function of the difference between the actual value and the desired value from the desired profile data including the section of the traffic area whose length exceeds that of the largest longitudinal wave of the traffic area which is assigned to the current position of the milling machine.

2. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of controlling at least one of the steering process and the transverse inclination of the milling machine as a function of the desired profile data and the current position of the milling machine.

3. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein the first section of the traffic area is surveyed absent the performance of the controlled milling step.

4. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of measuring the actual profile of the traffic area on-line by profile tracing in advance of milling machine travel.

5. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of measuring the actual profile of the milled traffic area together with the associated position data, and storing the latter information for documentation purposes.

6. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of determining the position of at least one of a profile tracing means and the milling machine in three-dimensional absolute or relative values.

7. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of determining the position of the milling machine in x and y planes in absolute values and determining the position of the milling machine in the z plane in relative values.

8. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of determining the position of the milling machine direction in the x plane and the vertical position in the z plane in relative values.

9. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of determining the position of the milling machine three-dimensionally in absolute values.

10. The process as defined in claim 1 including the step of determining the position of the milling machine three-dimensionally in relative values.

11. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein the surveying step of the actual profile is performed by travelling over a first section of the traffic area, the step of generating the desired profile data includes utilizing the actual profile data of the first section of the traffic area, milling off the first section of the traffic area utilizing a milling depth control based upon the desired profile data of the first section derived from the initial basic data set, continuously updating the basic data set relating to a predetermined basic length of the traffic area after milling off the first section by incrementally updating the actual profile data, and milling off further sections of the traffic area dependent upon continuous updated desired profile data and continuously updated basic data set.

12. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein the basic data set contains the actual profile data of a section of the traffic area of substantially 50 to 300 m.

13. The process as defined in claim 11 wherein the basic data set contains the actual profile data of a section of the traffic area of substantially 100 to 200 m.

14. The process as defined in claim 11 including the step of separately profile tracing the actual profile of the first section of the traffic area.

15. The process as defined in claim 14 wherein the profile tracing step is performed in advance of the movement of the milling machine.

16. The process as defined in claim 14 wherein the profile tracing step is performed at a preselected distance forward of the advancement of the milling machine to generate profiled data based upon traffic areas milled and to be milled.

17. A device for milling off traffic areas comprising a machine frame having a predetermined length in the direction of travel, a height-adjustable self-propelled running gear, a milling roller supported on the machine frame, a machine control unit, a drive unit for the running gear and the milling roller, computer means for generating desired profile data corrected in terms of longitudinal waviness of the traffic area on the basis of predetermined actual profile data of the traffic area which is transmitted to the machine control unit, position determining means for determining the current position data of the machine frame, milling depth measuring means for measuring milling depth as an actual value, profile data generating means for generating the desired profile data equalized in terms of short-wave and long-wave depth deviations on the basis of a basic data set containing the actual profile data of a section of the traffic area whose length exceeds that of the largest longitudinal wave to be equalized, and said machine control unit includes means for controlling the milling depth of the milling roller in dependence upon the actual position data of the machine frame and the difference between the actual value and the desired value from the desired profile data which is assigned to the position of the machine frame.

18. The device as defined in claim 17 including profile tracing means for generating three-dimensional predetermined actual profile data of the traffic area.

19. The device as defined in claim 18 including position determining means which includes a first GPS receiver carried by the machine frame, a secondary GPS receiver in the vicinity of the traffic area, and a computer for determining the current position of one of the profile tracing means and the machine frame three-dimensionally in absolute values.

20. The device as defined in claim 18 including position determining means which includes first and second GPS receiver means in the vicinity of the traffic area for generating a position signal, and a computer for determining the current position of one of the profile tracing means and the machine frame three-dimensionally in absolute values.

21. The device as defined in claim 17 including profile tracing means separate from and arranged in front of the machine frame as viewed in the direction of travel for generating a three-dimensional predetermined actual profile of the traffic area and transmits the actual profile data on-line to the machine control unit.

22. The device as defined in claim 17 including position determining means which includes one transmitting station and one receiving station.

23. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein the machine control unit generates steering control signals as a function of the current position data.

24. The device as defined in claim 17 wherein the machine control unit controls the transverse inclination of the machine frame as a function of the desired profile data and current position data.