Road-building machine and method for operating a road-building machine

Abstract

A method by means of which the paving result of the road covering can be improved. For the production of a road covering, road-building material is supplied by a pivoting conveyor of a feeder to a supply container of a road paver. In the case of a relative movement between the feeder and the road paver, the pivoting conveyor has to be manually readjusted, which can result in irregularities in the road covering. This is achieved in that the container of the at least one construction vehicle is detected by at least one sensor unit of the road-building machine.

Claims

1. A method for operating a road-building machine, in particular a feeder (10) or a road milling machine, having a running gear and having a pivoting conveyor (22) which is pivotably fastened to the road-building machine, wherein material, in particular road-building material or milled-off road material, is conveyed by the pivoting conveyor (22) into a container (27) of at least one further construction vehicle which moves with or relative to the road-building machine, comprising detecting the container (27) of the at least one construction vehicle by at least one sensor unit (29) of the road-building machine.

2. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising, for a targeted pivoting or readjustment of the pivoting conveyor (22) or for determining a material filling level of the container (27), detecting the container (27) of the construction vehicle by the at least one sensor unit (29), preferably a stereoscopic camera, an imaging unit, distance sensors or the like.

3. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising determining the position, in particular the orientation, and/or the distance of the container (27) from the road-building machine by the at least one sensor unit (29).

4. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising pivoting the pivoting conveyor (22), in particular an ejection point (24) of the pivoting conveyor (22), relative to the container (27) of the further construction vehicle in an automated manner by a control unit, specifically on the basis of the position, in particular the orientation, and/or the distance of the container (27) from the road-building machine determined by the at least one sensor unit (29).

5. The method for operating a road-building machine according claim 1, further comprising, as a result of an operator actuating at least one signal transmitter, preferably a button, a touch panel or a remote control, reaching positions of the pivoting conveyor (22) relative to a longitudinal axis of the road-building machine in an automated manner by the pivoting conveyor (22), wherein the positions are specified in particular before putting the road-building machine into operation.

6. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 4, further comprising storing the positions of the pivoting conveyor (22), which are preferably specified before putting the road-building machine into operation, and/or control signals for actuators, in particular electrical, mechanical or hydraulic drives, for pivoting the pivoting conveyor (22) into the chosen position in at least one memory of the control unit and called up by actuating the signal transmitter, wherein the pivoting conveyor (22) is pivoted by the actuators into the chosen position in dependence on its current position.

7. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising pivoting the pivoting conveyor (22) from a first position into a chosen second position, wherein material conveyed during the pivoting of the pivoting conveyor (22) is ejected at least predominantly, preferably exclusively, into the container (27) of the at least one construction vehicle, and wherein for this purpose in particular the conveying speed of the pivoting conveyor (22) is at least temporarily adapted.

8. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising generating a warning signal by the control unit as soon as it is determined by the sensor unit (29) that the relative position of the container (27) to the pivoting conveyor (22) deviates from a predetermined position, in particular departs from a predetermined tolerance range for the position.

9. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising automatically readjusting the pivoting conveyor (22), preferably continuously, corresponding to the position of the container (27), by the control unit on the basis of the position of the container (27) determined by the sensor unit (29) by means of actuators, in particular electrical, mechanical or hydraulic drives.

10. The method for operating a road-building machine according to claim 1, further comprising determining the position of the container (27) by the at least one sensor unit (29) on the pivoting conveyor (22) by means of at least one, in particular electromagnetic, optical or acoustic, signaling means (30) which is arranged on the container (27), wherein the pivoting conveyor (22) is, where appropriate, readjusted in dependence on the position of the container (27).

11. A road-building machine, in particular feeder (10) or road milling machine, having a running gear and having a pivoting conveyor (22) which is pivotably fastened to the road-building machine, wherein, by virtue of the pivoting conveyor (22), material, in particular road-building material or milled-off road material, can be conveyed away by the pivoting conveyor (22) into a container (27) of at least one further construction vehicle which moves with or relative to the road-building machine, comprising at least one sensor unit (29), wherein the pivoting conveyor (22) has the at least one sensor unit (29), such as, for example, an imaging unit, a stereoscopic camera or a distance sensor, by means of which the container (27) of the construction vehicle can be detected for a targeted pivoting or a readjustment of the pivoting conveyor (22) or for determining the filling level of the conveyer (27).

12. The road-building machine according to claim 11, wherein the pivoting conveyor (22), in particular an ejection point (24) of the pivoting conveyor (22), is pivotable in an automated manner relative to the container (27) of the at least one further construction vehicle by means of a control unit, specifically in such a way that the conveyed material falls into the container (27).

13. The road-building machine according to claim 12, wherein the pivoting conveyor (22) is assigned at least one signal transmitter, preferably a button, a touch panel or a remote control, by the actuation of which the pivoting conveyor (22) is movable in an automated manner into a predetermined position relative to a longitudinal axis of the road-building machine.

14. The road-building machine according to claim 12, wherein the control unit has at least one data memory in which positions of the pivoting conveyor (22) which can be chosen by an operator and/or control signals for actuators, in particular electrical, mechanical or hydraulic drives, for pivoting the pivoting conveyor (22) into the chosen position is stored and is called up by actuating the at least one signal transmitter, wherein the pivoting conveyor (22) can be pivoted into the chosen position.

15. The road-building machine according to claim 12, wherein the pivoting conveyor (22) is correspondingly automatically readjusted, preferably continuously, by the control unit on the basis of the position, determined by the sensor unit (29), of the container (27) relative to the pivoting conveyor (22) by means of actuators, in particular electrical, mechanical or hydraulic drives.

16. The road-building machine according to claim 12, wherein the container (27) has arranged thereon at least one, in particular electromagnetic, optical or acoustic, signaling means (30) which is detectable by the at least one sensor unit (29) and the position of the container (27) relative to the pivoting conveyor (22) is determinable from the detected signals of the signaling means (30).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] A preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, in which:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a feeder having a pivoting conveyor, and

[0028] FIG. 2 shows a view of the feeder according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] A paving train for producing a surface covering or a road covering composed of asphalt customarily comprises at least one road paver, which is not illustrated in the drawing, and at least one feeder 10 (FIG. 1). However, it is also conceivable that a feeder is assigned to two road pavers. The road paver serves to apply added material, such as, for example, asphalt, to a substrate, to distribute it in a more or less uniform manner there and to compact it in a suitable manner. The road paver has a supply container for material on a front end region. The material is successively removed from this supply container during the operation of the road paver and transported through the interior in particular to the lower, ground-adjacent region of the road paver into the region of the paving screed.

[0030] The material is supplied to the supply container of the road paver by the feeder 10. For this purpose, the feeder 10 has a conveying boom 11 with a primary conveyor 12 or main conveyor which extends along it. As viewed in the paving direction 13, the conveying boom is articulated on a rear end 14 of the feeder 10.

[0031] For movement purposes, the feeder 10 has a running gear, which here takes the form of a track-type running gear 16. As a drive for the running gear and the various units of the feeder 10, the latter has a dedicated drive unit 17 which typically takes the form of an internal combustion engine. In order to control the feeder 10, that is to say in particular the running gear and the primary conveyor 12, an operator's station 15 having operator-control elements 18 is provided.

[0032] The feeder 10 has a supply container 19 on the front end region thereof. A transport vehicle (not shown here), such as, for example, a truck having a tiltable loading surface can pour a supply of the road-building material into this supply container 19. The material is then removed from the supply container 19 by a belt conveyor 20 of the primary conveyor 12. For this purpose, the belt conveyor 20 extends from the region of the supply container 19 into the region of the conveying boom 11 (FIG. 2). At the end of the conveying boom 11 or of the primary conveyor 12, the road-building material is ejected by a funnel-like chute 21 onto a pivoting conveyor 22.

[0033] This pivoting conveyor 22 is movably articulated on the rear end 14 of the feeder 10. The pivoting conveyor 22 likewise has a belt conveyor 23 which extends from a region below the chute 21 to an ejection point 24. To supply road-building material to road pavers which move alongside one another or to follow a relative movement of the road paver, the pivoting conveyor 22 can be pivoted both vertically and horizontally. For this purpose, the pivoting conveyor 22 has corresponding actuators or lifting cylinders 25, 26 by means of which the height of the ejection point 24 and the position relative to the supply container of the following road paver can be set.

[0034] In FIG. 2, a container 27 is symbolically indicated behind the feeder 10 with respect to the paving direction 13. For example, this container 27 can be the supply container of a road paver or the loading surface of a truck. During the feeding of a road paver with road-building material by the feeder 10, the road-building material is conveyed or ejected by the pivoting conveyor 22 into the container 27. Since the container 27 is fixedly connected to the road paver or to a truck, the container 27 follows the movement of the road paver or of the truck. Since different relative speeds or directions of travel can occur during the operation of the feeder and the road pavers, it is necessary that the pivoting conveyor 22 or the ejection point 24 is readjusted in its position relative to the container 27, specifically in such a way that the road-building material ejected by the pivoting conveyor 22 is conveyed at least to the greatest possible extent or completely into the container 27. For this purpose, the invention makes provision that, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of a feeder, the end 28 of the pivoting conveyor 22 is assigned sensor units 29. The sensor units 29, which are illustrated in a highly schematic form in the figures, can also be positioned on the feeder 10 at another position. These sensor units 29 can be designed as distance sensors, as optical sensors, as electromagnetic sensors, stereoscopic sensors or the like. The sensor units 29 are connected to a control unit (not shown). The control unit can serve, on the one hand, for the energy supply of the sensor unit 29 and/or for controlling or for reading the sensor unit 29.

[0035] The container 27 of the following road paver is detected by the sensor unit 29. However, there is also provision according to the invention that the at least one sensor unit 29 detects a plurality of containers 27 of following road pavers and determines the position and/or material filling level thereof. Control signals for the actuators of the pivoting conveyor 22 are generated by the control unit in dependence on the relative position of the container 27 to the pivoting conveyor 22 or to the ejection point 24 of the feeder 10. As soon as the relative position of the container 27 and of the ejection point 24 deviates from a predetermined value or from a predetermined corridor, the pivoting conveyor 22 is correspondingly readjusted in an automated manner by the control unit by activating the actuators, specifically until the predetermined positioning of the pivoting conveyor 22 relative to the container 27 is reestablished. This determination of the position of the container 27 or the automated readjustment can occur periodically during the operation or continuously. A readjustment of the pivoting conveyor 22 can also occur during the supply of two or more road pavers; here, the pivoting conveyor 22 is readjusted in alternation while in particular the material filling level of the container of the road paver which is not currently being fed with material is determined.

[0036] Furthermore, there can be provision according to the invention that the at least one container 27 additionally has at least one signaling means 30. This at least one signaling means 30 can be positioned at any desired point on the container 27. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 of a highly schematically illustrated container 27, each corner region of the container 27 has a signaling means 30. Such signaling means 30 can be optical, acoustic or electromagnetic signaling means which emit signals which can be detected by the sensor unit 29. The detection of the signaling means 30 by the sensor unit 29 means that both the position and the orientation of the container 27 can be clearly determined by means of the control unit (not shown).

[0037] This intermittent or continuous detection of the container 27 by the at least one sensor unit 29 proves to be particularly helpful in particular in the case of changing directions of travel of the road paver, in particular during cornering, but also when detecting a plurality of containers 27 of different road pavers. As soon as the road paver or the container 27 carries out an accelerated movement, this is detected by the at least one sensor unit 29, whereupon, on the one hand, the position of the ejection point 24 or of the pivoting conveyor 22 but also the speed of the feeder 10 per se can be adapted. Likewise, the conveying speed of the conveying boom 11 or of the belt conveyors 20, 23 can be changed with a change of the orientation of the container 27. Particularly if a driving maneuver of the road paver results in the container 27 being moved out of the field of view of the sensor unit 27, the material delivery of the feeder 10 can be stopped so that no road-building material falls onto the substrate.

[0038] There is also provision according to the invention that different positions of the pivoting conveyor 22 or of the ejection point 24 relative to a container 27 which are to be predetermined and stored can be stored or specified in the control unit. These stored positions can be not only the position of a container 27; rather, the invention makes provision that the positions of a plurality of containers 27 of different or various road-building machines are stored, in particular captured, called up and approached. As a result of an operator actuating a signal transmitter, such as, for example, a button, these fixed, predetermined positions can be reached in a simple and rapid manner by the actuators or by the lifting cylinders 25, 26. It is also conceivable that short pivoting maneuvers can be carried out by the input means in order to move the pivoting conveyor 22 into a defined position in movement sequences to be predetermined.

[0039] Even though the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing illustrates a feeder 10, it should be expressly pointed out that the present invention can also be applied to other road-building machines, such as, for example, a road milling machine. In the case of a road milling machine, too, material is transferred from a primary conveyor to a following pivoting conveyor from which the milled-off material is transferred to a truck. Since also for this purpose the pivoting conveyor is pivoted relative to the primary conveyor, the same problem arises as illustrated above on the basis of the conveyor of a feeder. In this respect, the measures and features of the present invention illustrated by way of the drawing can be directly applied to a road milling machine.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0040] 10 Feeder

[0041] 11 Conveying boom

[0042] 12 Primary conveyor

[0043] 13 Paving direction

[0044] 14 Rear end

[0045] 15 Operator's station

[0046] 16 Track-type running gear

[0047] 17 Drive unit

[0048] 18 Operator-control element

[0049] 19 Supply container

[0050] 20 Belt conveyor

[0051] 21 Chute

[0052] 22 Pivoting conveyor

[0053] 23 Belt conveyor

[0054] 24 Ejection point

[0055] 25 Lifting cylinder

[0056] 26 Lifting cylinder

[0057] 27 Container

[0058] 28 End

[0059] 29 Sensor unit

[0060] 30 Signaling means