Compactor having controllable edge wheel spray system

• US 8,500,363 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated, Caterpillar Paving Products Inc (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ries, Michael W., Norton, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Addie, Raymond W
• Application Number:
  US13/459,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20130223928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 404/104, 404/117, 404/129
• US Class Current: 404/129
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/238 Wetting, cleaning or heating rolling elements, e.g. oiling, wiping, scraping
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/264 with attachments for work other than rolling, e.g. grading, scarifying rollers fitted to road-construction or earth-moving machinery E01C19/266
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/268 designed for rolling surfaces not situated in the plane of the riding surface of the apparatus, e.g. stepped-down surfaces, sloping edge of surfacing trench rollers E02D3/032; slope rollers E02D3/039

Abstract

A compactor includes a frame and a compacting element coupled to the frame. An edge wheel assembly is also coupled to the frame and is adjustable between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration at which an edge wheel contacts a substrate outboard of the compacting element. The compactor further includes a spray system for the edge wheel, and a control device in control communication with the spray system and configured to command activation of the spray system responsive to detecting lowering of the edge wheel.

Claims

1. A compactor comprising:

a frame;

a compacting element coupled to the frame and configured to rotate in contact with a substrate beneath the compactor;

an edge wheel assembly coupled to the frame and including an edge wheel, the edge wheel assembly being adjustable between a first configuration at which the edge wheel is raised, and a second configuration at which the edge wheel is lowered to contact the substrate at a location outboard of the compacting element;

a spray system including a fluid supply, a first sprayer configured to spray a liquid from the fluid supply onto the edge wheel to prevent material of the substrate from sticking to the edge wheel, and a second sprayer configured to spray the liquid onto the compacting element;

the spray system further including a first electrically actuated valve positioned fluidly between the fluid supply and the first sprayer and having an open position and a closed position, and a second electrically actuated valve positioned fluidly between the fluid supply and the second sprayer and having an open position and a closed position; and

a control device in control communication with each of the first and second electrically actuated valves, the control device being configured to detect lowering of the edge wheel and responsively command activation of the spray system, such that the spray system is adjusted from a first state in which both the first and second electrically actuated valves are closed, to a second state in which the second electrically actuated valve is closed and the first electrically actuated valve is open and the liquid sprays onto the edge wheel while in contact with the substrate.

2. The compactor of claim 1 wherein the control device is further configured to detect expected lowering of the edge wheel and responsively command the activation of the spray system such that the liquid sprays onto the edge wheel upon making contact with the substrate.

3. The compactor of claim 1 wherein the edge wheel assembly further includes a support arm for the edge wheel coupled to the frame, and an actuator configured to pivot the support arm to adjust the edge wheel assembly between the first and second configurations.

4. The compactor of claim 3 wherein the actuator is at an extended position, and is adjustable to a retracted position at which the edge wheel assembly is in the second configuration and the edge wheel transmits a retracting force of the actuator downwardly into the substrate.

5. The compactor of claim 1 wherein the spray system further includes a pump, and the control device is further configured to command the activation via outputting a control command to turn on the pump prior to the edge wheel making contact with the substrate.

6. The compactor of claim 5 wherein the spray system further includes a fluid conduit extending between the pump and the first sprayer, the first sprayer being oriented to spray the liquid onto an outer surface of the edge wheel, and the first electrically actuated valve positioned at least partially within the fluid conduit.

7. The compactor of claim 6 wherein the spray system further includes a tank connected with the pump, a second fluid conduit extending between the pump and the second sprayer, and the second electrically actuated valve being positioned at least partially within the second fluid conduit.

8. The compactor of claim 7 wherein the compacting element is one of a plurality of pneumatic compacting elements.

9. The compactor of claim 8 wherein the edge wheel includes an edge cutting wheel.

10. An edge wheel system for a compactor comprising:

an edge wheel assembly including an edge wheel, and an actuating mechanism configured to couple to a frame of the compactor and being adapted to adjust the edge wheel assembly between a first configuration at which the edge wheel is raised, and a second configuration at which the edge wheel is lowered to contact a substrate at a location outboard of a rotatable compacting element of the compactor;

a spray system including a sprayer configured to spray a liquid from a fluid supply onto the edge wheel to prevent material of the substrate from sticking to the edge wheel, a first fluid conduit configured to fluidly connect the sprayer with the fluid supply, a second fluid conduit fluidly connected with the first fluid conduit and configured to fluidly connect a second sprayer with the fluid supply, and a first and a second electrically actuated valve positioned at least partially within the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit, respectively, and each having an open position and a closed position; and

a control device in control communication with each of the first and second electrically actuated valves, the control device being configured to detect lowering of the edge wheel and responsively command activation of the spray system, such that the spray system is adjusted from a first state in which both the first and second electrically actuated valves are closed, to a second state in which the first electrically actuated valve is open and the liquid sprays onto the edge wheel while in contact with the substrate.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the actuating mechanism includes a support arm and an actuator coupled to the support arm, and the spray system further includes a sprayer mounted to the support arm and oriented to spray the liquid onto an outer surface of the edge wheel.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the spray system further includes a tank, and a pump connected to the tank.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control device is further configured to command the activation of the spray system via outputting control commands to the pump and to the first electrically actuated valve.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising an operator input device in communication with the control device and having a plurality of different states, and wherein the control device is configured to detect the lowering based on a state of the operator input device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the operator input device has a first state indicating requested lowering of the edge wheel, and a second state indicating requested raising of the edge wheel, and wherein the control device is further configured to command deactivation of the spray system responsive to the requested raising of the edge wheel.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the control device is further configured to command a position of the actuating mechanism responsive to the requested raising.

17. A method of controlling a spray system for an edge wheel configured to contact a substrate at a location outboard of a rotatable compacting element in a compactor comprising the steps of:

detecting lowering of the edge wheel;

commanding activation of the spray system responsive to the detected lowering, such that a liquid is sprayed via a first sprayer onto the edge wheel while in contact with the substrate, to prevent sticking of material of the substrate to the edge wheel, and while a second sprayer configured to spray the rotatable compacting element is deactivated and the rotatable compacting element rotates in contact with the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising a step of turning on a pump, and opening a valve positioned fluidly between the pump and the first sprayer, responsive to the commanded activation and prior to contacting the edge wheel with the substrate.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of detecting lowering of the edge wheel includes detecting an expected lowering based on a state of an operator input device.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the compactor includes a pneumatic compactor having a primary sprayer connected to the pump and configured to spray the liquid onto the rotatable compacting element, and wherein each of the turning on and opening steps occurs while the primary sprayer is deactivated.