U.S. patent number 3,877,830 [Application Number 05/411,795] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-15 for towed paver with thickness and leveling control.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Renner Company. Invention is credited to W. Thomas James, III.
United States Patent |
3,877,830 |
James, III |
April 15, 1975 |
Towed paver with thickness and leveling control
Abstract
A towed paver for use with a dump truck has a fixed hopper and
screed and vertically adjustable support wheels and sensors
engaging a supporting surface on which the wheels travel
controlling devices moving said adjustable support wheels to
control the thickness and level of an asphalt mat laid by the
paver.
Inventors: |
James, III; W. Thomas
(Canfield, OH) |
Assignee: |
The Renner Company (Youngstown,
OH)
|
Family
ID: |
27013662 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/411,795 |
Filed: |
November 1, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
391882 |
Aug 27, 1973 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
404/84.1;
404/110 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01C
19/4873 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E01C
19/48 (20060101); E01C 19/00 (20060101); E01c
019/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;404/84,83,110,108 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Byers, Jr.; Nile C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Harpman; Webster B.
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending patent
application on PAVING MACHINE WITH THICKNESS AND LEVELING CONTROL,
Ser. No. 391,882, filed Aug. 27, 1973.
Claims
Having thus described my invention what I claim is:
1. The combination of a towed paver and grade sensing and control
means therefor, the paver comprising a hopper having front and back
walls with a material depositing opening therebetween, at least two
vertically adjustable supporting wheels beneath said front wall, a
screed attached to the back wall of said hopper in fixed relation
thereto and extending rearwardly of said material depositing
opening, extendible devices between said wheels and the front wall
of said hopper and a power source for said extendible devices
whereby said hopper and screed may be moved relative to said wheels
as said paver is towed over a surface to be paved; said sensing and
control means comprising skis movably supported on said hopper and
engaging said surface to be paved, means on said hopper connected
to said skis for emitting a signal, secondary means controlling
said power source with respect to said extendible devices and
acting responsive to said signal to move said extendible devices
and the hopper and screed responsive to movement of the skis due to
deviation in the grade of said surface to be paved so as to change
the angle of attack of said screed.
2. The combination of claim 1 further characterized by the grade
sensing means being mounted on both sides of said paver.
3. The combination of claim 1 further characterized by said
extendible devices consisting of hydraulic piston and cylinder
assemblies.
4. The combination of claim 1 further characterized by said grade
sensing means consisting of a pair of elongated skis, support means
on said hopper moveably holding said skis.
5. The combination of claim 1 further characterized by said
extendible devices comprising a pair of piston and cylinder
assemblies adjustably attaching the front wall of said hopper to
said wheels and spaced with respect to one another so as to tilt
said hopper and screed on a transverse axis.
6. In combination with a towed paver that is attached to a truck
and towed thereby over a supporting surface to be paved and
comprises a unitary hopper and screed with a material depositing
opening therebetween and at least two vertically adjustable
supporting wheels beneath said hopper and spaced forwardly of said
screed, means for moving said wheels relative to said hopper
whereby the hopper pivots on the screed and changes the angle of
attack of said screed with respect to material moving through said
opening, grade sensing means and mechanical devices interconnecting
said grade sensing means and said adjustable wheels arranged so
that movement of said grade sensing means imparts related movement
to said adjustable wheels to adjust the position of the hopper and
the angle of attack of said screed.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to towed pavers which position, level and
partially compact bituminous paving materials and provide
regulation of the level and thickness of the material being
laid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art paving machines of the towed type may be seen in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 3,482,494 and 3,304,101 wherein manual adjustments are
provided for varying the positioning of the screed and the hopper
of the machine to achieve a desired thickness and level of the
material being laid.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,148 an automatic grade control system is
illustrated in operative relation to a paver in which the screed is
positioned on the ends of a pair of trailing arms and means is
provided for moving the trailing arms and therefore the screed to
maintain grade control.
This invention incorporates the advantages of a relatively
inexpensive towed paver with directly mounted ground engaging
support wheels and the automatic grade control heretofore found
only in the complicated expensive self-propelled pavers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A towed paver with thickness and leveling control incorporates a
unitary hopper and screed with ground engaging supporting wheels
beneath the hopper arranged to be vertically adjusted to vary the
position of the hopper and the screed relative to paving material
being laid thereby. Sensors carried on the hopper and engaging the
surface over which the adjustable wheels travel actuate mechanisms
varying the position of the wheels and therefore the angle of
attack of the fixed screed relative to the paving material being
laid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the towed paver with thickness and
leveling controls;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation with parts broken away and parts in
cross section illustrating the wheel adjusting devices of the towed
paver. Broken lines in FIG. 2 illustrate optional locations of the
wheel adjustment means;
FIG. 3 is a vertical elevation on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 with parts
broken away, and
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the automatic sensing and leveling
means.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In its simplest form the towed paver of this invention consists of
a hopper 10 having a rearwardly extending fixed screed 11, the
hopper 10 being open across its upper surface 12 and provided at
its forward portion with detachable tow bars 13 by which it may be
towed by a dump truck as seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings and wherein
a dump body on the tow truck is indicated by the letter D.
Alternate means of towing the towed paver by the dump truck will
occur to those skilled in the art, one of such means being
illustrated in my aforesaid patent application Ser. No.
391,882.
In FIG. 1 of the drawings the hopper 10 with its fixed screed 11 is
provided with supporting ground engaging wheels 14 located adjacent
the sides and the forward portion of the hopper 10 and a pair of
skis 15 are positioned one at each side of the hopper 10 and
movably maintained in that position by telescopic supports 16
attached to the end walls of the hopper 10. A flexible cable 17 is
attached to each of the skis 15 and extends substantially
vertically from its point of attachment to a reel 18 on a sensor
19.
By referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings it will be seen that the
adjustable support wheels 14 at each side of the hopper 10 are
carried on axles 20 which are in turn positioned on the free ends
of arms 21 which are pivoted as at 22 to the bottom of the hopper
10. In order that the wheels 14 at each side of the hopper may be
individually moved vertically relative thereto, piston and cylinder
assemblies 23 are provided and may be located vertically above the
axles 20 or horizontally rearwardly thereof. In FIG. 2 of the
drawings solid lines show the vertical positioning of the piston
and cylinder assemblies 23 and extensions of the piston rods 24
engage the axles 20. Broken lines in FIG. 2 show the alternate
horizontal positioning of the piston and cylinder assemblies 23 and
the alternate positioning of the extensions of the piston rods 24
and it will be observed that in either of the positions illustrated
the piston and cylinder assemblies 23 will move the axles 20 so as
to impart vertical movement on an arcuate path to the axles 20 and
accordingly raise and lower the ground supporting wheels 14
relative to the hopper 10.
Means not shown is provided on the paver for providing fluid
pressure to the piston and cylinder assemblies 23 and may comprise
for example a quick detachable valved connection with suitable
flexible hoses extending to the hydraulic system of the dump truck
by which the paver is towed. Alternately compressed gas cylinders
may be carried on the towed paver and utilized as a source of fluid
pressure for actuating the piston and cylinder assemblies 23.
It will thus be seen that when the truck towing the paver moves
forwardly, to the left as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings,
the towed paver will move along with it and paving material
deposited in the hopper 10 will be discharged through an opening in
the rear portion thereof and leveled and partially compacted by the
screed 11 passing thereover. The irregularities in the supporting
surface traveled by the wheels 14 will be sensed by the skis 15 and
the movement of the skis 15 relative to the hopper 10 will actuate
the sensors 19, each of which controls the piston and cylinder
assembly 23 adjustably positioning the wheel 14 on that side of the
towed paver. The control is by way of valves in the pressure lines
communicating with the piston and cylinder assembly and by
providing for the individual actuation of the piston and cylinder
assemblies 23 by the individual skis 15 the front corner portions
of the towed paver may be adjusted vertically, individually or
simultaneously to maintain a desired level and attack angle of the
screed portion 11 of the towed paver.
It will occur to those skilled in the art that alternate means of
moving the support wheels vertically relative to the bottom of the
paver may be used and by referring to FIG. 3 of the drawings one
such alternate proposal may be seen.
In FIG. 3 of the drawings a hopper 26 having a bottom 27 therein is
illustrated as carrying a pair of vertically positioned guide
channels 28 in spaced relation to one another with blocks 29
slidable vertically therein and in turn carrying an axle 30 on
which ground engaging support wheels 31 are journeled. A vertically
positioned piston and cylinder assembly 32 has the piston rod 33
thereof extended to engage the axle 30 whereby the support wheels
31 may be moved vertically again subject to the control of a sensor
system including a sensor 34 and skis 35 which are the same as
those illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings heretofore
described. Dual wheels and two pairs of piston and cylinder
assemblies are used.
It will thus be seen that a simple relatively inexpensive towed
paver with a unitary hopper and screed can be provided with
individually adjustable supporting wheels adjacent its front
corners and those wheels moved by automatic sensors and means
controlled thereby as occasioned by irregularities in the
supporting surface over which the towed paver is moved so that the
towed paver is lowered or raised at its front corner portions to
enable its unitary screed to overcome irregularities in the support
surface and lay a substantially smooth and level mat of paving
material.
By referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, the automatic leveling
mechanism incorporated in the towed paver to translate the signals
from the sensors 19 to the actuation of the hydraulic piston and
cylinder assemblies 23 may be seen. By referring thereto the skis
15 are diagrammatically connected with the sensors 19 which are
potentiometers in electric circuits 37 which are connected with a
pair of solenoid actuated valves 38 each of which controls a fluid
pressure line 39 in communication with one of the piston and
cylinder assemblies 23 and with a pump 40. A relief valve 41
communicates with the pressure system and the solenoid valves 38
are so arranged that they will connect the piston and cylinder
assemblies 23 with the fluid pressure line 39 so as to move the
piston rods outwardly thereof as in elevating the respective ends
of the hopper 10 of the towed paver.
Alternately the solenoid valves 38 will disconnect the piston and
cylinder assemblies 23 from the fluid pressure supply lines
communicating with the pump 40 and place the piston and cylinder
assemblies 23 in communication with the fluid reservoir in the
system.
Those skilled in the art will observe that there is an electric
power source such as a battery in the control system to supply
energy for the actuation of the solenoid valves. The sensors 19
which are potentiometers are arranged to vary the flow of current
to the solenoid valves dependent upon their actuation by movement
of the skis 15. The piston and cylinder assemblies 23 can be
manually actuated as in initially setting the hopper 10 with its
unitary screed 11 at a desired position to produce a paving mat of
the desired thickness and/or slope and upon such setting being made
the sensors 19 are adjusted to a zero position so that the
resulting actuation by the skis 15 will increase or decrease the
current flow controlled by the sensors 19 and thereby actuate the
hydraulic valves 38 as desired to raise and/or lower the hopper 10
and its integral screed 11 thereby providing automatic control of
the thickness and grade and level and the paving material being
laid by the towed paver.
It will thus be seen that the towed paver disclosed herein is
capable of operating automatically to maintain the desired grade
and/or slope angle in a mat of paving material being laid thereby
by the novel adjustment of the individually adjustable wheels 14
which result in the repositioning of the integral hopper and screed
of the towed paver.
It will occur to those skilled in the art that the sensors
hereinbefore described may be modified to comprise a simple
mechanical arrangement with levers interconnecting the skis and the
wheel carrying means so that movement of the skis will impart
related movement to the wheels and thereby adjust the grade and
level of the paver. Also it will be seen that mechanical devices
such as jacks may be used for moving said wheels relative to said
hopper and provided with motors for actuating said jacks which in
turn are controlled by said sensors.
Although but one embodiment of the invention and a modification
thereof have been illustrated and described it will be apparent to
those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may
be made therein without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
* * * * *