Rubber-tire roller for compacting a ground and method for controlling a sprinkler system of a rubber-tire roller

Abstract

A rubber-tired roller for the compaction of a ground, in particular for asphalt compaction, with a machine frame, a drive engine, a chassis driven by said drive engine with a front chassis part and a rear chassis part, at least one chassis part comprising at least two tires with running surfaces, which are arranged next to one another, at least one sprinkler system for the tires of the chassis part, which is configured to apply a liquid separating agent to the running surfaces of the tires, and a control unit for controlling the sprinkler system, wherein a temperature sensor is provided which is configured and arranged such that it determines the temperature of at least one tire, in particular the running surface of said tire. The invention moreover relates to a method for controlling a sprinkler system of such a rubber-tired roller.

Claims

1. A rubber-tired roller for compacting ground for asphalt compaction, comprising: a machine frame; a drive engine; a chassis driven by the drive engine with a front chassis part and a rear chassis part, at least one of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprising at least two tires with the at least two tires each having a running surface; at least one sprinkler system for the at least two tires of the chassis part, which is configured to apply a liquid separating agent to the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires; a control unit for controlling the sprinkler system; at least one temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires; and wherein the temperature sensor is further configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires.

2. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is an optical temperature sensor with a measuring area and at least one measuring point, and comprises an infrared sensor array.

3. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 2, wherein the optical temperature sensor is configured and arranged such that the measuring area comprises the at least one measuring point on the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires.

4. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 2, wherein the optical temperature sensor is configured and arranged such that the measuring area comprises at least one measuring point on the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires of the chassis part.

5. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 2, wherein each of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprises at least two tires with the at least two tires each having a running surface, and that a total of two optical temperature sensors are provided, wherein one optical temperature sensor of the optical temperature sensors determines a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires of the front chassis part and the other optical temperature sensor of the optical temperature sensors determines a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires of the rear chassis part.

6. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the sprinkler system based on measured values of the temperature sensor.

7. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprises more than the at least two tires in the front chassis part and/or in the rear chassis part, respectively, and the control unit is configured to control sprinkling of tires of the more than two tires arranged at external positions transversely to a working direction of the roller separately from one or more tires of the more than two tires arranged between the tires arranged at the external positions.

8. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to control sprinkling of the at least two tires independently of one another.

9. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to activate sprinkling performed by the sprinkler system when the temperature of the ground is above a threshold value and a temperature difference between the ground and the at least one tire of the at least two tires exceeds a specified threshold value.

10. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to turn sprinkling performed by the sprinkler system off when the temperature of the ground is below a threshold value.

11. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to turn sprinkling performed by the sprinkler system off when a temperature difference between the ground and the tire falls below a specified threshold value.

12. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is arranged in an upper half at an upper apex of a wheel box.

13. A method for controlling a sprinkler system of a rubber-tired roller, comprising the steps of: operating the rubber-tired roller, wherein the rubber-tired roller comprises a machine frame; a drive engine; a chassis driven by the drive engine with a front chassis part and a rear chassis part, at least one of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprising at least two tires with the at least two tires each having a running surface; at least one sprinkler system for the at least two tires of the chassis part, which is configured to apply a liquid separating agent to the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires; a control unit for controlling the sprinkler system; at least one temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires; and wherein the temperature sensor is further configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires; determining a temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor; determining a temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor; and controlling a sprinkling of the at least one tire of the at least two tires performed by the sprinkler system with the control unit based on measured values of the temperature sensor for the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires and the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least two tires of the chassis part provide at least a portion of all tires of the chassis part, and all the tires of the chassis part each have a running surface, and wherein the step of determining the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor further comprises: determining the temperature of the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor; and/or determining the temperature of the running surface of all the tires of the respective chassis part with a temperature sensor.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the at least one of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprising at least two tires with the at least two tires each having a running surface further comprises each of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprising at least two tires with the at least two tires each having a running surface, respectively; and wherein the at least one temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires and to determine a temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires further comprises a first temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires of the front chassis part and a second temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires of the rear chassis part; and the step of determining the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire with the temperature sensor further comprises determining the temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires of the front chassis part with the first temperature sensor and determining the temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires of the rear chassis part with the second temperature sensor.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor further comprises determining the temperature of the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor; wherein the step of determining the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire with the temperature sensor further comprises determining the temperature of the ground which is traversed by each tire of the at least two tires with the temperature sensor; and wherein the step of controlling the sprinkling of the at least one tire of the at least two tires performed by the sprinkler system with the control unit based on measured values of the temperature sensor for the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires and the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires further comprises controlling the sprinkling of each tire of the at least two tires performed by the sprinkler system with the control unit based on measured values of the temperature sensor for the temperature of the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires and the temperature of the ground which is traversed by each tire of the at least two tires, respectively.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the at least two tires are arranged adjacent one another and/or at least one tire of the at least two tires is arranged at an external position transversely to a working direction of the roller.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: activating the sprinkling performed by the sprinkler system when the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires is above a threshold value and a temperature difference between the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires and the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires exceeds a specified threshold value.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: deactivating the sprinkling performed by the sprinkler system when the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires is below a threshold value; and/or deactivating the sprinkling performed by the sprinkler system when the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires is above a threshold value and a temperature difference between the temperature of the running surface of the at least one tire of the at least two tires and the temperature of the ground which is traversed by the at least one tire of the at least two tires exceeds a specified threshold value.

20. A rubber-tired roller for compacting ground for asphalt compaction, comprising: a machine frame; a drive engine; a chassis driven by the drive engine with a front chassis part and a rear chassis part, at least one of the front chassis part and the rear chassis part comprising at least two tires with the at least two tires each having a running surface; at least one sprinkler system for the at least two tires of the chassis part, which is configured to apply a liquid separating agent to the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires; and a control unit for controlling the sprinkler system; and a temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine a temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires and a temperature of the ground simultaneously.

21. The rubber-tired roller according to claim 20, wherein the temperature sensor configured and arranged to determine the temperature of the running surface of at least one tire of the at least two tires and a temperature of the ground simultaneously is further configured and arranged to determine the temperature of the running surface of each tire of the at least two tires and a temperature of the ground simultaneously.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be explained in more detail by reference to the embodiment examples shown in the figures. In the schematic figures:

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view of a rubber-tired roller;

(3) FIG. 2 is a front view of a rubber-tired roller;

(4) FIG. 3 is a top view of parts of the machine frame, the chassis and the sprinkler system;

(5) FIG. 4 is a side view of a tire with sprinkler system and temperature sensor;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a temperature sensor and its measuring area; and

(7) FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) Like parts, or parts acting in a like manner, are designated by like reference numerals. Recurring parts are not separately designated throughout the figures.

(9) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a rubber-tired roller 1. FIG. 1 is a side view of the rubber-tired roller 1, and FIG. 2 is a top view. The rubber-tired roller 1 comprises an operator platform 2 and a machine frame 3 supported by a chassis with a front chassis part 5 and a rear chassis part 6. Each of the chassis parts 5, 6 has tires 7 arranged in wheel boxes 9, with which the rubber-tired roller 1 travels over the ground 8 to be compacted. The power required for this is provided by a drive engine 4, for example a diesel combustion engine. In the present context, the forward traveling direction of the rubber-tired roller 1 is referred to as the working direction a although the rubber-tired roller 1 is also capable of compacting the ground 8 when traveling backwards in working operation. Moreover, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a respective temperature sensor 11 arranged at each of the front chassis part 5 and the rear chassis part 6, which has a measuring area that comprises the tires 7, in particular their running surfaces 16 (FIG. 2), and the ground 8, as will be explained in more detail below. Further, a respective sprinkler system 10 with a spray bar 25, which extends transversely to the working direction a and is configured such that a separating agent can be sprayed onto all tires 7 of the respective chassis part 5, 6, is located at each of the front chassis part 5 and the rear chassis part 6. The control unit 12 controls the sprinkler systems 10 based on the measured values of the temperature sensors 11.

(10) FIG. 3 is a top view of the parts of the rubber-tired roller 1 that are essential for the invention. For reasons of clarity, parts of the machine frame 3, the operator platform 2 and the drive engine 4, as well as further components of the rubber-tired roller 1, are not shown. In this embodiment example, the rubber-tired roller 1 has four tires 7 arranged next to one another in the front chassis part 5 and also four tires 7 in the rear chassis part 6, which are in each case arranged in a respective wheel box 9. The tires 7 of the front chassis part 5 are offset relative to the tires 7 of the rear chassis part 6 transversely to the working direction a to ensure uniform compaction of the ground 8 during a traversal of the rubber-tired roller 1. Each of the front chassis part 5 and the rear chassis part 6 includes a sprinkler system 10. The sprinkler system 10 comprises a spray bar 25 which extends transversely to the working direction a and has at least one sprinkling nozzle 14 per tire 7 arranged thereon. As suggested in FIG. 3, a liquid separating agent can be applied to the running surface 16 of the respective tire 7 via the sprinkling nozzles 14. A tank 17, which is connected to the sprinkler system 10 and supplies the latter with separating agent, is provided at the rubber-tired roller 1 for storage of the separating agent. In FIG. 3, the connection between the sprinkler system 10 and the tank 17 is merely shown for the sprinkler system 10 of the rear chassis part 6. However, the sprinkler system 10 of the front chassis part 5 is connected to a separating agent tank 17 as well. Said tank may be the same tank 17 that is also connected to the sprinkler system 10 of the rear chassis part 6, or it may be a separate tank 17.

(11) What is important about the sprinkler system 10 is that the control unit 12 is to control the sprinkling of the running surfaces 16 of the tires 7 through the individual sprinkling nozzles 14. For this, the control unit 12 is, on the one hand, in control connection with the sprinkler system 10, as suggested in FIG. 3. Moreover, each sprinkling nozzle 14 of the spray bar 25 includes its own controllable valve, which can be opened or closed by the control unit 12. Every single valve of a sprinkling nozzle 14 can be selected for opening or closing by the control unit 12 separately and individually, i.e. independently of all other valves. The control unit 12 thus decides for every single tire 7 whether or not this tire 7 needs to be sprinkled with separating agent in the current working operation. The control unit 12 resorts to the measured values of the temperature sensors 11 to make this decision. As shown in FIG. 3, one temperature sensor 11 is located at the front chassis part 5 and another temperature sensor 11 is located at the rear chassis part 6. Both temperature sensors 11 are in control connection with the control unit 12. The temperature sensor 11 for the front chassis part 5 is arranged in the wheel box 9 of the front chassis part 5. It may be arranged either at the machine frame 3 or at a holder for a thermal skirt of the chassis part (not shown) or at the thermal skirt itself. The temperature sensor 11 of the rear chassis part 6 is offset towards the interior of the rubber-tired roller 1 when viewed from the wheel box 9. The temperature sensor 11 is in particular arranged inside a chamber 26 which is configured so as to be optically open towards the rear chassis part 6. This means in particular that the temperature sensor 11 has a free field of vision, in particular in the infrared range, from the chamber 26 to the tires 7 of the chassis part and the ground 8. The offset of the temperature sensor 11 towards the machine center narrows, on the one hand, the measuring angle required for spanning a sufficiently large measuring area 13 of the temperature sensor 11. On the other hand, the chamber 26 protects the temperature sensor 11, so that the latter is not damaged by asphalt pieces which may be tossed around inside the wheel box 9. The arrangement of the temperature sensors 11 in FIG. 3 is merely an example. For example, both temperature sensors 11 may be arranged in the wheel box 9 or in a chamber 26 as respectively suggested for the two chassis parts 5, 6 in an exemplary manner.

(12) The function of the temperature sensors 11 and the shape of the measuring area 13 or field of vision of the temperature sensors 11, which is also already suggested in FIG. 3, becomes particularly apparent through additional consideration of FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in particular in FIG. 5, the measuring area 13 of the temperature sensor 11 comprises multiple measuring points 15, i.e. pixels. In the embodiment example shown in FIG. 5, the temperature sensor 11, which is configured as an infrared sensor array, has a measuring area 13 of 164 measuring points 15. Similar to a thermal imaging camera, the temperature sensor 11 thus determines or measures the temperature of an object on which the respective measuring point 15 is located. The measuring area 13 thus is, so to speak, the field of vision of the temperature sensor 11. The extension of the measuring area 13 can in particular be taken from a synopsis of FIGS. 3 and 4. As can be taken from FIG. 3, the temperature sensor 11 is configured and arranged such that the measuring area 13 covers all tires 7 of the respective chassis part 5, 6. More particularly, at least one measuring point 15 is located completely on the running surface 16 of each tire 7 of said chassis part 5, 6. The measuring area 13 of the temperature sensor 11 thus extends at least across all running surfaces 16 of the tires 7 transversely to the working direction a. In this manner, it is ensured that the temperature sensor 11 can associate the respective tire 7 with at least one measuring point 15, so that the temperature of each tire 7 can be determined.

(13) FIG. 4 is a side view of a tire 7 of the front chassis part 5. Also shown are the temperature sensor 11 and the extension of the measuring area 13 viewed from this perspective. FIG. 4 illustrates in particular that the measuring area 13 of the temperature sensor 11 comprises both the tire 7 and the ground 8. In other words, the temperature sensor 11 is configured and arranged such that, within its measuring area 13, at least one measuring point 15 is located completely on the running surface 16 of at least one single tire 7, and in particular every single tire 7, of the corresponding chassis part 5, 6 (in FIG. 4, for example, the front chassis part 5) and also at least one measuring point 15 is located completely on the ground 8, that is the asphalt layer to be compacted. All in all, the temperatures of all tires 7 of the rubber-tired roller 1 and the ground 8 can thus be determined via the two temperature sensors 11. Moreover, due to the shape of the measuring area 13 according to FIG. 5, it is possible that the temperature sensor 11 determines the temperature of the ground 8 individually for each tire 7. It is in particular possible to correlate a respective measuring point 15 on the ground 8 with each measuring point 15 located on a tire 7, in particular on the running surface 16 of the tire 7, wherein said measuring point 15 for the ground 8 and said measuring point 15 for the tire 7 are located in a same vertical plane oriented parallel to the working direction a. In other words, the temperature sensor 11 determines both the temperature of the tire 7 and the temperature of the ground 8, i.e. the ground portion traversed by said tire 7. In this manner, a temperature difference relative to the ground 8 can be measured or determined individually for each tire 7. The temperature sensor 11 thus ideally determines, for each tire 7, both the temperature of the tire 7 itself and the temperature of the ground 8 or ground portion traversed by said tire 7.

(14) This information is used by the control unit 12 to control the sprinkler systems 10. The control unit 12 is in particular configured to carry out the method 18 according to the flow chart shown in FIG. 6. In step 19 of the method 18, the tire temperatures are determined. More particularly, the temperature of all tires 7 of the rubber-tired roller 1 is respectively determined via one single temperature sensor 11 per chassis unit 5, 6. In step 21, at least one of the temperature sensors 11 additionally also determines the temperature of the ground 8. Moreover, each temperature of a tire 7 measured by the temperature sensor 11 can be correlated with a temperature of the ground 8 traversed by said tire 7. In step 20, the control unit 12 then controls the sprinkler system 10. Said controlling may comprise several control commands. If, for example, the temperature of the ground 8 is determined to be above a predetermined threshold value, for example above 55 C., and if, for example, the temperature difference between the ground 8 and the tire 7, in particular the ground portion traversed by said tire 7 and said tire 7 itself, is determined to exceed a specified threshold value, for example a threshold value of 10 C., the control unit 12 activates, according to step 22, the sprinkling of said tire 7 via the sprinkling nozzle 14. If, on the other hand, the temperature of the ground 8 is, for example, determined to be below a predetermined threshold value, for example below 5 C., the control unit 12 deactivates, according to step 23, the sprinkler system 10, and in particular the sprinkling of the tire 7 traversing the ground portion having said temperature below said threshold value. If the temperature difference between the ground 8 and the tire 7 is determined to have fallen below a specified threshold value, for example a threshold value of 10 C., according to step 24, the sprinkling is likewise deactivated, in particular the sprinkling of the tire 7 for which a sufficient temperature difference relative to the ground portion traversed by said tire 7 no longer exists.

(15) All in all, this provides an efficient and objective control of the sprinkler systems 10 by the control unit 12 based on the measured values of the temperature sensors 11, which removes all subjective influences from the control of the sprinkler systems 10. The invention thus results in a particularly precise control of the sprinkler system 10, which guarantees, on the one hand, that the ground layers to be compacted are not damaged by material adhering to the tires 7 of the rubber-tired roller 1 and, on the other hand, results in a particularly economic and effective utilization of the separation agent. This results in a lower overall consumption of separating agent, so that, for example, less time needs to be spent on refilling the separating agent storage tank. The invention therefore increases the overall economic efficiency of the rubber-tired roller 1.