Method and device for leveling of a surface

• US 7,182,549 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omar Wiker
• Original Assignee: Omar Wiker
• Inventors: Wiker, Omar
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDIE, RAYMOND W
• Application Number:
  US10/490,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20060275079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 404/118, 404/101, 404/102, 404/84.5, 404/108, 404/105, 404/110, 356/612, 356/613
• US Class Current: 404/110
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/15 for laying-down uncoated stone or similar materials, or for striking-off or spreading same without compacting, e.g. for crushed rock base courses, sand cushions for paving E01C19/466 , E01C19/52 take precedence; distributing E01C19/20; laying down and rolling E01C19/482
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/4873 Apparatus designed for railless operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for smoothing or leveling a ground surface, wherein a smoothing or leveling material is laid on a ground surface in that a box-like device filled with material is moved forwards, the material being allowed to exit a plate-adjustable rear opening in the box-like device and to come to lie in a strip, and a blade mounted on the box-like device after the opening spreads the material on the ground surface, the blade being capable of being raised and lowered together with the plate, the blade is raised and lowered with an adjustable reduction ratio relative to the plate, by means of a lever/parallelogram arrangement which connects the blade and the plate.

Claims

1. An apparatus for smoothing or leveling a mass of material, which is discharged from a box-like device, having an interior space for receiving said mass of material, the mass of material being caused to exit through an adjustable opening, to distribute the mass of material from the box-like device, when the box-like device is moved in a forward direction above the ground, such that the mass of material is caused to form a strip-like layer, on a surface, the apparatus comprising:

at least one blade member linked to the box-like device so as to be vertically adjustable and located downstream of the opening, wherein the thickness of the layer is adjustable by controllably raising or lowering said blade member; and

an opening adjustment member, disposed adjacent the rear wall of said box-like device, which is movable upwardly and downwardly relative to a rear wall of the box-like device;

wherein the at least one blade member is linked to the upward or downward movable opening adjustment member so that raising or lowering of the at least one blade member is made in conjunction with adjustment of said rear opening to yield an adjustable reduction ratio relative to a positional state of the adjustable opening and the related position of the opening adjustment member, and wherein the at least one blade member upon movement of the box-like device in addition causes the material to be at least one of;

spread, levelled and smoothed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the height of the at least one blade member is detected by a laser levelling system, and wherein detected deviation from a set value is compensated by raising or lowering the opening adjustment member and thereby cause the at least one blade member to correspondingly adjust its level until the levelling system signals a desired blade member height.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opening adjustment member is configured as a plate member.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one blade member is configured as a plough.

5. An apparatus for smoothening or levelling a mass of material comprising:

a box-like device with an interior space, defined by two sidewalls, a front and rear wall, for receiving said mass of material, and an adjustable opening, disposed on said rear wall through which said mass of material exits the box-like device, to form a strip-like layer downstream of the adjustable opening;

when the box-like device is moved in a forward direction above the ground;

an upwardly and downwardly movable opening adjustment member is provided at the rear wall of the device adjacent said opening in the box-like device, wherein an adjustable position of the opening adjustment member controls an amount of material exiting from the box-like device through the opening as the box-like device is moved forwards,

at least one blade member located downstream of said opening, said at least one blade member being configured to be controllably raised or lowered, wherein the at least one blade member is mechanically linked to the opening adjustment member so as to be capable of being raised and lowered in conjunction with positional adjustment of the opening adjustment member, and wherein the at least one blade member is movable in an adjustable reduction ratio relative to the opening adjustment member when the opening adjustment member is caused to be raised or lowered.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said opening adjustment member is in the form a plate member.

7. The apparatus, of claim 5, wherein the at least one blade member is adjustably supported in a parallelogram arrangement, and wherein a lever and a supporting part for the blade member form non-parallel sides of the parallelogram arrangement.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a laser reflector of a laser levelling system is fixedly connected to the blade member.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein two blade members are arranged downstream of the opening, said blade members being spaced from each other in the downstream direction.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a material compactor device is mounted downstream of the blade member.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a material compactor is mounted in a space between said two blade members.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one blade member is configured to have its position angled in a horizontal plane relative to a direction of movement of the box-like device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said blade member is set to act as a plough.

14. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the blade member is included in a blade assembly, wherein the blade assembly defines a fixed frame which has a plurality of arms pivotally attached thereto, wherein a first set of arms of said plurality of arms extend at least from the fixed frame to a first set of blade member supports, wherein a second set of arms of said plurality of arms at one end thereof are linked to the adjustable opening member, wherein the second set of arms adjustably engage a second set of blade member supports, and wherein said second set of arms are telescoping so as to accommodate different lengths based upon a controllable position of the opening adjustment member relative to the fixed frame.

15. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the blade member is included in a blade assembly, wherein the blade assembly defines a fixed frame which has a plurality of arms pivotally attached thereto, wherein said plurality of arms adjustably engage a set of blade member supports, and wherein said plurality of arms at one end thereof are linked to the adjustable opening member and are telescoping so as to accommodate different lengths based upon a controllable position of the opening adjustment member relative to the fixed frame.

16. An apparatus for smoothening or levelling a mass of material which is discharged from a box-like device configured to receive said mass of material and to dispose and spread the mass of material onto a ground related surface, through an adjustable opening of the box-like device to subsequently come to lie in a strip-like layer downstream of the opening, when said apparatus is moved in said first direction said a box-like device having two side walls, a front wall and a rear end wall defining said interior space, the apparatus comprising:

an opening adjustment member movably mounted to the box-like device so as to define an adjustable opening in the box-like device, wherein the opening adjustment member is downwardly and upwardly movable so as to adjust the opening and allow a varying degree of material to be distributed from the box-like device via the opening,

a movable blade assembly is mounted downstream of the opening, said assembly including at least one blade member, and wherein the assembly is linked to the movable opening adjustment member such that said at least one blade member can be raised or lowered in conjunction with movement of the opening adjustment member, and wherein the at least one blade member is movable in an adjustable reduction ratio relative to the opening adjustment member when the opening adjustment member is caused to be raised or lowered.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the opening adjustment member is configured like a plate member.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the movable blade assembly comprises a plurality of arms that extend outward from the plate member, and wherein at least one blade member is attached to the arms.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of arms comprises a first set of parallel arms that extend outward from the movable plate member, and wherein the at least one blade member is positioned so as to depend from said first set of parallel arms.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the plurality of arms includes a second set of arms parallel to and vertically displaced from the first set arms, and wherein the at least one blade member is in releasable attachment with both the first and second set of arms.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the blade assembly defines a fixed frame with a first set of arms of plurality of arms being pivotally attached thereto so as to extend from the blade member to the fixed frame, and wherein a second set of arms of the plurality of arms at one end thereof are pivotally attached to the fixed frame and at the other end linked to the plate member, said second set of arms being telescoping so as to accommodate different lengths based upon a controlled position of the plate member relative to the fixed frame.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the blade assembly defines a fixed frame with a first set of arms being pivotally attached thereto so as to extend from the plate member to the fixed frame, and wherein said set of arms at one end thereof are pivotally attached to the fixed frame and at the other end linked to the plate member, said set of arms being telescoping so as to accommodate different lengths based upon a controlled position of the plate member relative to the fixed frame.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one blade member is movable along the length of the plurality of arms so as to allow for adjustment of the height of the blade member relative to the material dispensed from the opening of the box-like device.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the movable blade assembly comprises a plurality of blades.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the blade assembly includes working cylinders with pistons that cause movement of the arms of the blade assembly and the at least one blade member up and down.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the pistons are linked to the arms so as to allow the blade member to be tilted to one side or another.

27. An apparatus for discharging a mass of material onto a ground related surface and for subsequent smoothing or levelling of the discharged material, the apparatus comprising:

a box-like device having side walls, a front wall and a rear wall that define an interior space which is configured to receive an amount of material to be discharged, wherein the rear wall of the box-like device defines an opening through which material from the interior space of the box can be distributed to the surface as the box-like device is moved in a first direction;

an opening adjustment member which is in the form of plate member and mounted to the box-like device so as to define the opening in the box-like device, wherein the plate member is movable up or down so as to adjust the opening and allow a varying degree of material to be distributed from the box-like device via the opening;

a movable blade assembly mounted downstream of the opening and that includes at least one blade member, wherein the assembly is coupled to the plate member such that at least one blade member can be raised or lowered in conjunction with and in an adjustable reduction ratio relative to the plate member as the plate member is raised or lowered, the movable blade assembly comprising a plurality of arms that extend from the plate member, and wherein the at least one blade member is attached to the arms; and

the at least one blade member being movable along the length of the plurality of arms so as to allow for adjustment of the height of the blade member from the material discharged from the box-like device.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of arms comprises a first set of parallel arms that extend outward from the movable plate member and wherein the blade member is positioned so as to depend from the two parallel arms.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of arms includes a second set of arms parallel to and vertically displaced from the first set arms, and wherein the at least one blade member is attached to both the first and second set of arms.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the blade assembly defines a fixed frame with plurality of arms being pivotally attached thereto so as to extend from the plate member to the fixed frame, and wherein the plurality of arms are telescoping so as to accommodate different lengths based upon the respective position of the plate member and the fixed frame.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, the movable blade assembly comprises a plurality of blade members.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the blade assembly includes pistons that move the arms of the blade assembly and the at least one blade member up and down.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the pistons are coupled to the arms so as to allow the at least one blade member to be tilted to one side or another.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein two blade members are provided, and wherein a material compactor device is mounted at a location between said two blade members.