Method and apparatus for depositing snow-ice treatment liquid on pavement
First Claim
1. The method of treating the surface of a roadway by depositing snow/ice treatment liquid onto the surface of the roadway as a liquid quantity per unit of roadway length from a vehicle moving at a given forward velocity and direction having leftward and rightward pavement engaging wheels generally exhibiting wheel tracks spaced apart along a vehicle width and a support portion;
- comprising the steps of;
(a) supporting a tank contained source of said liquid at said vehicle support portion;
(b) providing at least one streamer nozzle having an input, a nozzle axis and an output with a nozzle effective diameter;
(c) mounting said streamer nozzle generally about the region established by said vehicle width in an orientation wherein said nozzle output is rearwardly directed said nozzle axis extends substantially parallel with said roadway surface and vehicle forward direction and is located in spaced adjacency with said pavement surface;
(d) providing a fluid transfer assembly including a drivable pump assembly and extending in fluid transfer communication between said tank contained source of said liquid and said streamer nozzle input;
(e) monitoring the forward velocity of said vehicle; and
(f) driving said pump assembly in correspondence with said monitored forward velocity and said nozzle effective diameter at a pump speed effective to express said liquid from said nozzle with a fluid flow velocity vector substantially parallel with said surface and corresponding with said vehicle forward velocity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for depositing liquid brine on roadway surface. Substantially horizontally disposed streamer nozzles are employed in conjunction with brine pumps which are operated in correspondence with the forward speed of the treatment vehicle. Substantially horizontally disposed streamer nozzles express the fluid at a rate corresponding with the vehicle forward velocity to effect a relative zero velocity relationship between the pavement and liquid. These streamer nozzles are mounted close to the pavement surface at a location effective to avoid truck induced air turbulence.
28 Citations
44 Claims
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1. The method of treating the surface of a roadway by depositing snow/ice treatment liquid onto the surface of the roadway as a liquid quantity per unit of roadway length from a vehicle moving at a given forward velocity and direction having leftward and rightward pavement engaging wheels generally exhibiting wheel tracks spaced apart along a vehicle width and a support portion;
- comprising the steps of;
(a) supporting a tank contained source of said liquid at said vehicle support portion;
(b) providing at least one streamer nozzle having an input, a nozzle axis and an output with a nozzle effective diameter;
(c) mounting said streamer nozzle generally about the region established by said vehicle width in an orientation wherein said nozzle output is rearwardly directed said nozzle axis extends substantially parallel with said roadway surface and vehicle forward direction and is located in spaced adjacency with said pavement surface;
(d) providing a fluid transfer assembly including a drivable pump assembly and extending in fluid transfer communication between said tank contained source of said liquid and said streamer nozzle input;
(e) monitoring the forward velocity of said vehicle; and
(f) driving said pump assembly in correspondence with said monitored forward velocity and said nozzle effective diameter at a pump speed effective to express said liquid from said nozzle with a fluid flow velocity vector substantially parallel with said surface and corresponding with said vehicle forward velocity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- comprising the steps of;
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18. Snow/ice control apparatus for treating the surface of a roadway by depositing snow/ice treatment liquid thereon from a vehicle moving at a given forward velocity and direction, having leftward and rightward pavement engaging wheels generally exhibiting respective left and right wheel tracks spaced apart along a vehicle track width and having a support portion, comprising:
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a tank assembly mountable upon said vehicle support portion and configured to retain a quantity of said snow/ice treatment liquid;
a nozzle assembly mountable upon said vehicle including a nozzle support extending in spaced adjacency with said roadway surface and one or more streamer nozzles, including a left streamer nozzle, each having an input, a nozzle axis and a nozzle effective diameter, said left streamer nozzle being supported by said nozzle support laterally from said left wheel track in spaced adjacency with said pavement surface in a rearwardly directed orientation wherein the nozzle axis thereof extends substantially parallel with said roadway surface and vehicle forward direction;
a motor assembly supportable upon said vehicle and controllable when activated to provide one or more drive outputs;
a first pump supportable upon said vehicle, coupled in driven relationship with a said drive output, having a first pump input coupled in fluid flow transfer relationship with said tank assembly and a first pump output coupled in fluid flow transfer relationship with the input of said left streamer nozzle; and
a control assembly responsive to said vehicle velocity to control said motor assembly, when activated, in correspondence with a target volume of said liquid per unit length of pavement, the output of said first pump and the effective diameter of said left streamer nozzle, to effect expression of said liquid from said left streamer nozzle at a velocity having a vector parallel with said roadway surface substantially corresponding with said vehicle velocity and at said target volume per unit length of pavement of said liquid. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. Snow/ice control apparatus for treating the surface of a roadway by depositing snow/ice treatment liquid thereon from a vehicle moving at a given forward velocity and direction, having leftward and rightward pavement engaging wheels generally exhibiting respective left and right wheel tracks spaced apart a vehicle track width, and having a support portion, comprising:
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a tank assembly mountable upon said vehicle support portion and configured to retain a quantity of said snow/ice treatment liquid;
a nozzle assembly mountable upon said vehicle including a nozzle support extending in spaced adjacency with said roadway and extending rearwardly of said wheels along said vehicle track width and a plurality of spaced apart rearwardly directed streamer nozzles of given number each having an input, a nozzle axis and a nozzle effective diameter each said streamer nozzle being supported by said nozzle support in spaced adjacency with said pavement surface in an orientation wherein the nozzle axis thereof extends substantially parallel with said roadway surface and vehicle forward direction;
a motor assembly supportable upon said vehicle and controllable to provide one or more drive outputs;
a pump assembly having a first pump supportable upon said vehicle, coupled in driven relationship with a said drive output, having a first pump input coupled in fluid flow transfer relationship with said tank assembly and a first pump output;
a liquid distribution manifold supportable upon said vehicle, having a first liquid input coupled in fluid flow transfer communication with said first pump output and a plurality of output ports of said given number;
a distribution conduit assembly configured to couple each said given number of output ports with a corresponding respective said streamer nozzle input; and
a control assembly responsive to said vehicle velocity to control said motor assembly in correspondence with a target volume of said liquid per unit length of pavement, the output of said first pump and the sum of the effective diameters of said given number of streamer nozzles to effect expression of said liquid from said plurality of streamer nozzles at a velocity having a vector parallel with said roadway surface substantially corresponding with said vehicle velocity and with a combined volume per unit length of pavement corresponding with said target volume. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification