ROAD FINISHING MACHINE WITH A HEATING DEVICE AND METHOD

Abstract

A road finishing machine is described having a screed embodied or configured to produce a road pavement and having a heating device with multiple heating elements. The road finishing machine may furthermore include at least one generator for supplying the heating device with electrical power. The road finishing machine moreover has a controlling system embodied or configured to activate the generator. The heating elements each have at least one temperature sensor employed for detecting a malfunction occurring thereat. The disclosure furthermore relates to a method for detecting a malfunction of a heating element installed within a screed of a road finishing machine.

Claims

1. A road finishing machine comprising: a screed embodied to produce a road pavement and including a heating device with a plurality of heating elements; at least one generator for supplying the heating device with electrical power; and a controlling system embodied to activate the at least one generator; wherein each of the plurality of heating elements has at least one temperature sensor employed for detecting a malfunction occurring thereat.

2. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein each temperature sensor is connected to the controlling system by a gateway configured for signal processing, or each temperature sensor is connected to a screed distributor designed to receive and forward actual temperature values detected by each temperature sensor.

3. The road finishing machine according to claim 2, wherein the screed distributor is embodied to forward the actual temperature values of the respective heating elements received thereat to a gateway configured for signal processing and connected to the controlling system.

4. The road finishing machine according to claim 3, wherein the screed includes a plurality of screed sections each including a plurality of heating elements and a gateway configured for signal processing and connecting temperature sensors provided thereat with the controlling system, or each including a plurality of heating elements and one screed distributor.

5. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein all heating elements of the heating device include at least one temperature sensor integrally embodied thereat.

6. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensors are each connected to the gateway or to the screed distributor by a plug connection.

7. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the gateway or the screed distributor are embodied as a power line communication (PLC) gateway.

8. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the respective gateway or screed distributor is connected to the controlling system by a power line communication (PLC) line or by a separate data bus system.

9. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the controlling system is embodied to identify, based on respective temperature gradients detected by means of the temperature sensors embodied at the heating elements, a respective heating element type of each of the heating elements, and based thereon to determine respective desired temperature values used for the diagnosis of errors for the heating elements.

10. The road finishing machine according to claim 9, wherein the controlling system is embodied, for carrying out a diagnosis of errors of the respective heating elements, to compare the respective desired temperature values determined for the heating elements with actual temperature values detected thereat.

11. The road finishing machine according to claim 9, wherein the controlling system is embodied to identify, on the basis of at least one determined heating element type, a screed part which includes the same.

12. The road finishing machine according to claim 9, wherein the controlling system is embodied to identify, on the basis of at least one determined heating element type, a screed paving width.

13. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the gateway or the screed distributor is configured to supplement actual temperature values of the heating elements detected by the respective temperature sensors by one piece of information each with respect to their place of measurement and to forward them to the controlling system as actual temperature-place data for diagnosis purposes.

14. The road finishing machine according to claim 1, wherein the screed comprises at least one screed plate, wherein the controlling system is configured to determine a desired temperature value of the screed plate on the basis of a detected actual temperature value of the paving material used by the road finishing machine supplied to it, and to compare it with a detected actual temperature of the screed plate in order to activate, based thereon, a power supply of one or more heating elements associated with the screed plate.

15. The road finishing machine according to claim 14, wherein the controlling system is configured to determine, on the basis of a detected ambient temperature supplied to it, a heat-up duration of the heating element employed for heating the screed plate remaining for reaching the desired temperature value of the screed plate.

16. A method for detecting a malfunction of at least one heating element installed within a screed of a road finishing machine, the method comprising: detecting an actual temperature value at the at least one heating element; and detecting a malfunction based on the actual temperature value detected at the at least one heating element.

17. The method according to claim 16 further comprising: identifying, by means of a temperature gradient detected at the at least one heating element, a heat element type of the at least one heating element; and determining a desired temperature value for the at least one heating element in view of the identified heat element type; wherein detecting the malfunction comprises comparing the desired temperature value with the actual temperature value detected at the heating element.

18. A road finishing machine comprising: a screed configured to produce a road pavement and including a heating device having a plurality of heating elements; and a controlling system configured to activate a generator to supply the heating device with electrical power; wherein each of the plurality of heating elements has a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature at its respective heating element for determining a malfunction at the heating element.

19. The road finishing machine according to claim 18, wherein each temperature sensor is connected to the controlling system by a gateway configured for signal processing, or each temperature sensor is connected to a screed distributor designed to receive and forward actual temperature values detected by the temperature sensors.

20. The road finishing machine according to claim 19, wherein the screed distributor is configured to forward the actual temperature values of the respective heating elements received thereat to a gateway configured for signal processing and connected to the controlling system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] The disclosure will be described more in detail with reference to the following figures. In the drawing:

[0061] FIG. 1 shows a road finishing machine according to the disclosure,

[0062] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a heating device according to the embodiment for the road finishing machine according to the disclosure, and

[0063] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a heating device according to the embodiment for the road finishing machine according to the disclosure.

[0064] Equal components may be provided with equal reference numerals in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] FIG. 1 shows a road finishing machine 1 which produces, in the direction of the laying drive R, a road pavement 3 from a laying material 4 by means of a screed 5 on a subsoil. The road pavement 3 has a screed pavement width B transverse to the direction of the laying drive R produced corresponding to the screed configuration. The screed 5 is embodied or configured to compact the laying material 4 spread in front of it. The screed 5 includes a screed plate 6 as well as a tamper 7 arranged in front of the screed plate 6 in the direction of the laying drive R.

[0066] The road finishing machine 1 of FIG. 1 has a driver control platform F for a driver. On the driver control platform F, a controlling system 8 is provided. The controlling system 8 is configured to control and/or monitor processes executed at the road finishing machine 1. In particular, by means of the controlling system 8, the operation of the screed 5 can be controlled and its operation monitored.

[0067] FIG. 1 furthermore shows that an external control platform A with a controlling system 8′ embodied thereat is embodied at the screed 5. By means of the controlling system 8′, a screed operator can control and/or monitor the operation of the screed 5 at the external control platform A. The controlling system 8 installed on the driver control platform F and/or the controlling system 8′ installed at the screed 5 at the external control platform A can be embodied as a display device D, D′ to display respective process states of the road finishing machine 1 to the driver and/or the screed operator.

[0068] FIG. 2 shows a heating device 100 for the road finishing machine shown in FIG. 1 in a schematic representation. The heating device 100 is embodied or configured to heat the screed 5. FIG. 2 shows that the heating device 100 includes a plurality of screed segments 10, 20, 30. The screed section 10 can be a basic screed section. The two screed sections 20, 30 can be extendable screed parts laterally fixed to the screed section 10. The construction of the shown heating device 100 could include further screed sections which are not shown in FIG. 2, for example, screed broadening parts, optionally in different widths and/or numbers, which are laterally attached to the extendable screed parts.

[0069] The screed section 10 has a plurality of heating elements 11, 12, ln, which each include a temperature sensor T integrally installed thereat. The temperature conditions of the respective heating elements 11, 12, In detected by means of the temperature sensors T can be forwarded to a gateway 15 in the screed section 10 by means of a signal line 14. The gateway 15 is configured to bring the respective temperature conditions of the heating elements 11, 12, In into a data form processed for diagnosis purposes. These data are forwarded from the gateway 15 by means of a data line 16, for example a CAN bus system, to the controlling system 8, 8′ for diagnosis purposes and optionally other control functions.

[0070] The controlling system 8, 8′ is functionally connected to a generator 17 and can activate an operation thereof based on the data received from the gateway 15. The generator 17 is connected to the gateway 15 of the screed section 10 via a power supply line 18. The electrical power generated by the generator 17 can be distributed to the respective heating elements 11, 12, In of the screed section 10 via the gateway 15 to heat them up individually.

[0071] According to FIG. 2, the screed section 10 furthermore has a temperature sensor 19 for detecting an actual temperature of the screed plate 6 of the screed 5. The temperature sensor 19 is connected to the gateway 15. Based on a comparison of the detected actual temperature of the screed plate 6 with a desired temperature value of the screed plate which is determined, for example, with reference to the laying material temperature or is manually adjusted by the screed operator, the controlling system 8, 8′ can dynamically control the power supply of the respective heating elements 11, 12, ln installed in the screed section 10.

[0072] In FIG. 2, the data line 16 and the power supply line 18 are represented as separate lines. The data line 16 can be present as a CAN bus system. As an alternative, the power supply line 18 is embodied as a PLC line wherein the gateway 15 is configured to modulate the respective actual temperature values of the heating elements 11, 12, ln received from the screed section 10 from the temperature sensors T to the power supply line 18 and to transmit them to the controlling system 8, 8′.

[0073] The other screed sections 20, 30 of the heating device 100 have a design comparable to that of the screed section 10.

[0074] The screed section 20 comprises at least three heating elements 21, 22, 2n, temperature sensors T installed at them and a gateway 25 which receives the respective temperature conditions of the heating elements 21, 22, 2n and forwards them to the controlling system 8, 8′ for their function diagnosis.

[0075] The screed section 30 comprises three heating elements 31, 32, 3n, temperature sensors T installed at them, and a gateway 35 which receives the respective temperature conditions of the heating elements 31, 32, 3n and forwards them to the controlling system 8, 8′ for their function diagnosis.

[0076] According to FIG. 2, each screed section 10, 20, 30, in particular each heating element 11, 12, ln, 21, 22, 2n, 31, 32, 3n installed therein, can be individually checked for its function since temperature conditions are detected at all heating elements 11, 12, ln, 21, 22, 2n, 31, 32, 3n and are forwarded to the controlling system 8, 8′ for their function control by means of the respective gateway 15, 25, 35, optionally in a processed form. A defective heating element 11, 12, ln, 21, 22, 2n, 31, 32, 3n including its place of installation can be displayed by means of the display device D, D′.

[0077] FIG. 2 furthermore shows an ambient temperature sensor 40 which is embodied or configured to detect an ambient temperature in the region of the screed 5. The ambient temperature sensor 40 is connected to the controlling system 8, 8′. Based on the ambient temperature detected by means of the ambient temperature sensor 40, the required heat-up duration until the desired temperature of the screed plate 6 is reached can be determined by the controlling system 8, 8′ and optionally displayed to the operator.

[0078] FIG. 2 furthermore shows a desired temperature value S which the controlling system 8, 8′ determines for all heating elements 11, 12, ln, 21, 22, 2n, 31, 32, 3n based on heat-up rates measured thereat and employs during the function diagnosis of the heating elements 11, 12, ln, 21, 22, 2n, 31, 32, 3n.

[0079] FIG. 3 shows a slightly modified embodiment compared to FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows that the screed section 10 includes a screed distributor 15′, the screed section 20 a screed distributor 25′, and the screed section 30 a screed distributor 35′, the respective screed distributors 15′, 25′, 35′ being connected to the controlling system 8, 8′ by a gateway 50 shared by them.

[0080] As those skilled in the art will understand, the controlling system 8, 8′, gateways 15, 25, 35, 50, distributors 15′, 25′, 35′, display D, D′, as well as any other controller, unit, component, module, system, subsystem, interface, sensor, device, or the like described herein may individually, collectively, or in any combination comprise appropriate circuitry, such as one or more appropriately programmed processors (e.g., one or more microprocessors including central processing units (CPU)) and associated memory, which may include stored operating system software, firmware, and/or application software executable by the processor(s) for controlling operation thereof and for performing the particular algorithm or algorithms represented by the various methods, 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 Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various circuitry and/or hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).