METHOD OF PAVING A ROAD SURFACE AND ASPHALT PAVING SYSTEM

Abstract

A method for producing a road surface includes spatially measuring an existing road surface by a sensor; creating digital target milling profile; creating a digital target height profile of a road surface to be paved and calculating a layer thickness based on the target milling profile and the target height profile; at least partially automated controlling of a milling machine for milling an actual milling profile according to the specification of the target milling profile; spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile; and at least partially automated controlling of a road paver for paving the road surface in accordance with the specification of the target height profile.

Claims

1. A method of paving a road surface, the method comprising: spatially measuring an existing road surface by a sensor; creating a digital target milling profile; creating a digital target height profile of a road surface to be paved; calculating a layer thickness based on the target milling profile and the target height profile; at least partially automatically controlling a milling machine for milling an actual milling profile according to the specification of the target milling profile; spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile; and at least partially automatically controlling a road paver for paving the road surface in accordance with the specification of the target height profile.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating a need for paving material based on the target milling profile and the target height profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile comprises comparing the actual milling profile with the target milling profile.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile comprises recalculating the layer thickness.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile comprises recalculating the need for paving material.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile is carried out by at least one measuring device arranged on the milling machine and at least partially during milling.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the road paver comprises automatically steering the road paver depending on the target height profile.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the road paver comprises automatically controlling one or more sideshifts of a paving screed depending on the target height profile.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the road paver comprises an automatic controlling of leveling cylinders and/or at least one compaction unit in dependence on the target height profile.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising spatially measuring a paved actual height profile at least partially during paving and by at least one measuring device arranged on the road paver, and comparing the paved actual height profile with the target height profile.

11. The method according claim 1, wherein creating a digital target milling profile comprises creating a travel path of the milling machine and/or wherein creating a digital target height profile of a road surface to be paved comprises creating a travel path of the road paver.

12. The method according to claim 10 further comprising passing measured data of the existing road surface and/or of the actual milling profile and/or of the actual height profile to a data processing unit separate from the milling machine or the road paver.

13. An asphalt paving system comprising: a scanning vehicle; a milling machine; and a road paver; wherein each of the scanning vehicle, the milling machine, and the road paver has at least one module for position determination and a respective data processing unit; wherein the respective data processing unit of the milling machine or the road paver is configured to drive the milling machine or the road paver in each case depending on its position; wherein the scanning vehicle has a measuring device for spatially measuring an existing road surface; and wherein the milling machine has a measuring device for spatially measuring a milled actual milling profile and the road finisher has a measuring device for spatially measuring a paved actual height profile.

14. The asphalt paving system according to claim 13, wherein at least two of the data processing units are wireles sly connected to each other and/or are each wireles sly connected to a further data processing unit which is arranged separately from the scanning vehicle, the milling machine, or the road paver.

15. The asphalt paving system according to claim 13 wherein the data processing unit of the milling machine or the road paver is configured to calculate a layer thickness based on a target milling profile and a target height profile.

16. The asphalt paving system according to claim 15 wherein the data processing unit of the milling machine or the road paver is configured to calculate a need for paving material based on the target milling profile and the target height profile.

17. The asphalt paving system according to claim 15, wherein spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile comprises comparing the milled actual milling profile with the target milling profile.

18. The asphalt paving system according to claim 15, wherein spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile comprises recalculating the layer thickness.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein paving a road surface comprises resurfacing a road surface.

20. A method of paving a road surface, the method comprising: creating a digital target milling profile; creating a digital target height profile of a road surface to be paved; calculating a layer thickness based on the target milling profile and the target height profile; at least partially automatically controlling a milling machine for milling an actual milling profile according to the specification of the target milling profile; spatially measuring the milled actual milling profile; and at least partially automatically controlling a road paver for paving the road surface in accordance with the specification of the target height profile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In the following, embodiments of the disclosure are described in more detail with reference to the Figures.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an asphalt paving system comprising a road paver, milling machine and scanning vehicle;

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of a road surface at different manufacturing steps;

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a schematic three-dimensional view of planning and manufacturing data; and

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of a section of a road surface to be paved.

[0038] Components corresponding to each other are marked with the same reference numerals in the Figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] FIG. 1 shows an asphalt paving system 1 with a road paver 3, a milling machine 5 and a scanning vehicle 7. Other vehicles, such as a roller for recompaction, one or more trucks for transporting away an existing road surface 9 that has been milled-out, and one or more trucks for delivering paving material, can also be part of the asphalt paving system 1, but are not shown here. The scanning vehicle 7 has a measuring device 11 for spatially measuring the ground over which it moves, particularly the existing road surface 9. The measuring device 11 may comprise one or more sensors 13, for example laser sensors, which detect a laser beam previously emitted and reflected by the ground. The milling machine 5 has one or more rotors 15, which mill out the existing road surface 9 by rotation. The milled-out material can be transferred to a truck via conveyor belts 17. The road paver 3 travels over a road base or actual milling profile 19 left behind by the milling machine 5 and uses a paving screed 21 to lay a new road surface 23, for example of asphalt material or concrete material. The road paver 3, milling machine 5 and scanning vehicle 7 may each have a GNSS module 25 for receiving a satellite signal for position determination. Alternatively or additionally, position determination can be performed by local devices, such as laser reference systems.

[0040] The vehicles 3, 5, 7 each include a data processing unit 27, although there may also be one or more data processing units 27 separate from the vehicles 3, 5, 7. The data processing units 27 may include data storage, processor as well as communication interfaces. In particular, the data processing units 27 may be wirelessly connected to each other to exchange data, as indicated here by the dashed lines. In addition, the data processing units 27 may each process any data relating to the respective vehicle 3, 5, 7, including, for example, satellite signals received by the GNSS module 25, such that the GNSS modules 25 essentially act merely as antennas. The milling machine 5 and the road paver 3 also each have at least one measuring device 11 for spatially measuring a milled road base (actual milling profile) 19 and a paved actual height profile 29, respectively. The measuring devices 11 can be of the same or different design and mode of operation.

[0041] It is noted that each data processing unit 27 and/or any other unit, control unit, controller, personal computer, computer, server, control, machine, sensor, device, module, console, display, display element, operating panel, remote control, arrangement, feature, system, functionality, step, algorithm, operation, or the like described herein may comprise and/or be implemented in or by one or more appropriately programmed processors (e.g., one or more microprocessors including central processing units (CPU)) and associated memory and/or storage, which may include data, firmware, operating system software, application software and/or any other suitable program, code or instructions executable by the processor(s) for controlling operation thereof and/or for performing the particular algorithms represented by the various functions and/or operations described herein, including interaction between and/or cooperation with each other. One or more of such processors, as well as other circuitry and/or hardware, may be included in a single ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry) or individually packaged or assembled into a SoC (System-on-a-Chip). As well, several processors and various circuitry and/or hardware may be distributed among several separate components and/or locations, such as a road construction machine, a mobile unit or mobile computing device, or a remote server.

[0042] The road paver 3 has a leveling cylinder 31 on its left and right side, respectively, which is used to set the towing point height of the paving screed 21. The paving screed 21 has sideshifts 33 on its left and/or right side, which laterally limit the feed of the paving material 35 and thus define the paving width. The sideshifts 33 can be arranged by means of laterally extendable screed elements and thus be arranged in variable screed width and essentially hold the paving material 35 at a desired width by means of a vertical plate. The paving screed 21 includes one or more compaction units 37, such as a tamper, screed plate or pressure bar, to pave the paving material 35 at the desired compaction.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view to illustrate the height in the Z-direction of a road surface at different manufacturing steps. In this example, an existing road surface 9 has unevenness, such as ruts, and is provided for renewal and is first measured spatially. Then the digital target milling profile 39 (dashed line) is created, i.e., planned by an operator on a PC, for example, or created automatically using suitable software. Then the digital target height profile 41 of the new road surface is created digitally, i.e., planned. The target height profile 41 thus specifies the road surface height, including possibly desired slopes, roof profiles or the like. The layer thickness Z1 of the new road surface and thus the required quantity of paving material 35 is thus known. The actual milling profile 19 milled by means of the milling machine 5, i.e., the road base, may deviate from the intended height of the target milling profile 39, as shown here, for example, it may be lower because more material was milled out. In order to obtain information on the actual height and also the spatial extension in width and length (X-Y direction) of the milled actual milling profile 19, this is measured spatially. The actual milling profile 19 can be compared with the target milling profile 39 and deviations Z2 of the layer thickness can be detected. Based on the measured actual milling profile 19, the layer thickness Z3 (=Z1+Z2) actually required can be detected in order to achieve the desired paving height of the target height profile 41.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a schematic three-dimensional view of planning and production data. The data points of the actual milling profile 19, i.e., the road base, are shown as the lower grid. It makes sense that the data points 43 of the actual milling profile 19 correspond to a resolution of the measuring systems, i.e., GNSS measurement or road surface scan. The upper grid represents the data points 45 of the target height profile 41, i.e., the digital planning data of the layer to be paved. The number of data points 43, 45 of the two profiles 19, 41 may be different. The data includes the extension of the structure in the X-Y direction and the height data in the Z direction. As can be seen, the milled road base 19 may have unevenness, so that the height Z3, i.e., the distance to the target height profile 41, is variable as a function of the X-Y coordinate.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of a section of a road surface to be paved. A milling machine 5 has already produced the actual milling profile or road base 19 by traveling along its travel path 47. The road paver 3 now follows the path 49 planned for it, which, as shown here, differs from the travel path 47 of the milling machine 5 but can also be the same as it. The lateral boundary 51 of the road can have inward or outward bulges 53. When paving the new road surface 23, therefore, the road paver 3 can be controlled so that the sideshifts 33 of the paving screed 21, and thus its paving width, are automatically adjusted to the varying road surface width. In particular, the sideshift 33 of one side of the paving screed 21 can be controlled independently of that of the other side in each case. The maximum and minimum possible widths of the paving screed 21 and the variable road surface width are taken into account when planning the travel path 49. For areas to be paved that are wider than the maximum width of the paving screed 21, the travel path 49 of the road paver 3 or of a plurality of road pavers 3 is planned in such a way that the number of passes is minimized.

[0046] Based on the above embodiments of a method for paving a road surface, many variations of the same are possible. All or some of the vehicles 3, 5, 7 can be driven and operated partially or fully automated, i.e., computer-controlled. Likewise, other vehicles such as rollers or feeders can be operated at least partially automatically, in particular autonomously.