VEENENDAAL, Mark, Maarten (Kortenhoevenseweg 30, CR Lexmond, NL-4128, NL)
Claims
1. A paving machine, comprising: a mobile storage of pavers to be laid; a mechanical arm for taking pavers from the mobile storage; a visual unit for observing and analyzing a laying area in which a paver can be laid by the mechanical arm and providing visual information thereof; a control unit for controlling the mechanical arm depending on the visual information from the visual unit; characterized in that the mechanical arm comprises a gripper for gripping several pavers, the gripper being designed for laying each of the gripped pavers individually.
2. A paving machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripper comprises a central supporting part to be attached to an end of the mechanical arm, having a gripper member designed so as to be tiltable relative to the supporting part, for gripping a paver to be laid, while tilting means are provided for having the gripper member carry out a tilting movement so that the paver can tilt from a position in which the paver is tilted above an underside of the supporting part, to a position in which the paver is tilted under the supporting part in order to lay the paver in the laying area, under control of the mechanical arm. 3. A paving machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the supporting part is rotatable relative to the end of the mechanical arm.
4. A paving machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gripper grips the pavers through vacuum force.
5. A paving machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit, in response to information from the visual unit, is designed for carrying out or cancelling a laying step in the laying area and selecting a successive laying area according to a predetermined pattern.
6. A paving machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit can be programmed for laying according to a selectively adjustable pattern.
7. A paving machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the visual unit is designed for providing control information to the machine for right-angled alignment of the laying area to a predetermined line.
8. A paving machine according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the machine is designed with collision protection.
9. A method for paving by machine, comprising: - taking several pavers from a mobile storage by means of a mechanical arm; visually analyzing a laying area in which a paver can be laid by the mechanical arm; controlling the mechanical arm depending on the visual information; and laying each of the several gripped pavers individually.
10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising providing a gripper comprising a central supporting part to be attached to the end of the mechanical arm; - tilting the paver from a position above an underside of the supporting part to a position in which the paver is tilted below the supporting part; and laying the paver in the laying area under control of the mechanical arm. |
Title: Paving machine
The invention relates to a paving machine, more particularly to a paving machine supported by a visual unit and a control unit for controlling the mechanical arm depending on the visual information from the visual unit for automated mechanical paving. In recent years, considerable progress has been made with mechanical paving. After manually operated mechanical clamps, machine- operated clamps and vacuum lifting units for attachment to hydraulic digging machines and the like came into use. With these, bundles of bonded pavers, but also kerbstones and tiles can be moved and be placed on a levelled sand bed. Nowadays, both transport and positioning can, in many cases, take place in a well mechanized manner. For instance, pavers can be processed by machine in bundles of approximately 1 m 2 , in herringbone or twill-pattern bond. With a vacuum unit or a mechanical or hydraulic clamp on an earth moving machine, the bundle can be laid from a mobile storage onto the sand bed. Paving stones can be processed by machine in bundles of approximately 1 m 2 with a vacuum unit on an earth moving machine. Also kerbstones, driveway blocks, cesspits and drains can be processed mechanicaEy.
Since 80% of the work consists of repaving, there is a social and economic necessity to deploy repaving by machine more widely. However, the technical problems still limit the wide deployment of machines. In particular sorting and laving the used pavers in bond is so complex that new technological solutions are still to be developed.
Various machines in the field of paving by machine have been developed. Virtually all machines have been developed from the viewpoint of simultaneously paving surfaces of as many square meters as possible. A drawback of this technique is that in practice, the laying surfaces do not properly link up and that the alignment of these surfaces provides problems.
As a result, a difference in quality over laying pavers by hand occurs which is unacceptable in many cases.
The object of the invention is an alternative manner of paving, with which these drawbacks do not occur. This object is achieved with the features of the independent claims 1 and 9. The invention provides, in particular, an automated and mechanized paving, supported by a visual unit and a control unit for controlling a mechanical arm depending on the visual information from the visual unit, the mechanical arm comprising a gripper for gripping several pavers, while the gripper is designed for laying each of the gripped pavers individually.
As a result, the machine can develop a bond per paver, which offers not only a larger variation in laying patterns but especially offers a much greater correction possibility for aligning this bond. The paving laid herewith therefore has no visually annoying transitions, like the known mechanical manners of paving. In a preferred embodiment, the gripper comprises a central supporting part to be attached to an end of the mechanical arm, having a gripper member designed so as to be tiltable relative to the supporting part, for gripping a paver to be laid, while tilting means are provided for having the gripper member carry out a tilting movement so that the paver can tilt from a position in which the paver is tilted above an underside of the supporting part, to a position in which the paver is tilted below the supporting part so that the paver can be laid in the laying area, under control of the mechanical arm. As a result, each paver can be laid individually without being hindered by the presence of another paver to be laid. By tilting away the pavers still to be laid, multiple pavers can be laid at high speed.
The invention will be further elucidated with reference to the drawing. In the drawing:
Fig. 1 shows a general schematic representation of the apparatus according to the invention;
Fig. 2 shows a detailed representation of an embodiment of the gripper in the apparatus according to the invention; and
Fig. 3 - Fig. 5 show a schematic representation of the laying movement as carried out with the gripper of Fig. 2.
With reference to Fig. 1, first, a general description of the operation of the automated paving machine 1 will follow. The apparatus 1 has insert positions 2 for storage of pavers 3, having a size of approximately 80x80x80 cm. After filling, the roll-down shutters (not shown) are closed and the vehicle is driven to a location to be paved. Here, the apparatus, in particular a control unit 4, is provided with specific data, such as the size of the pavers, type of paving bond, width of the road, number of pavers and tolerances, etc.
Further, an operator will calibrate the machine so that, thus, an imaginary straight line can be made, with, for instance, so-called marking- length-measuring systems known in road construction. During laying, the machine can direct itself towards this line and hence align the laying area at right angles to the predetermined line.
According to the described embodiment, upon activation of the machine, the gripper 5 of the mechanical arm 6 will automatically take the pavers by two from one of the pallets 3 stored in the apparatus 1, and lay them in the street one by one. Then, the vehicle moves sideways over the already paved part and, at the end, will move forward to then move in the other direction again. The visual control unit checks the taking of the pavers by each time transmitting the location of the pavers to the control unit 4. At the front of the vehicle 1, cameras 3 (not shown) are placed for registering the correct laying position. In response to the camera information, the control unit 4 will have the mechanical arm 6 carry out a following laying step in the laying area, whereupon a following laying area is selected, in which a successive paver will be laid according to a predetermined pattern.
Here, corrections are transmitted to the mechanical arm 6 so as to prevent the right-angled line from straying from the imaginary line. When obstacles occur in the road surface, it will be checked whether a paver fits therebetween. When this is not the case, the laying step is cancelled, and the control unit 4 determines where the next paver is to be/can be laid.
When there are insufficient pavers, the vehicle 1 will stop and report it needs stocking up. Then, the vehicle 1 is deposited at right angles to the road surface to, thereupon, be provided with a new pallet with pavers. When both sides are filled and the roll-down shutters are closed again, the operator will reposition the vehicle 1 and continue automatically. Preferably, the vehicle 1 may be provided with collision protection, in particular an emergency break provision, a rubber profile 7 extruded with AlMgSi 0.5, and all-around infrared security.
Fig. 2 shows a detailed representation of an embodiment of the gripper 5 in the apparatus according to the invention. The gripper 5 is attached with a coupling piece 8 to the end of the mechanical arm 6 (in the embodiment according to Fig. 1, a robot arm of the ABB IRB 260 type was used, having 4 axles and a bearing capacity of 30 kg).
With the aid of the camera system, an image is made of the paving pattern to be laid. This image is verified by a calculating unit for mapping out the correct data such as position, angular displacement of each paver relative to the imaginary line of the paving profile. With these data, the mechanical arm 6 is driven, which has picked up two pavers 9 from a stored pallet 3 and has brought these to the correct position. The coupling piece 8 is designed so as to be rotatable relative to the end of the mechanical arm 6, so that a paver can be laid at different angles relative to the above-mentioned imaginary line. Thus, various paving patterns can be carried out and also, minor corrections can be made for having the laying bond link up well. The coupling piece 8 is fixedly mounted on a central supporting part 10.
Gripper members 11, tiltable relative to this supporting part 10, are provided on both sides, for gripping a paver to be laid. The gripper members 11 ai*e designed as so-called vacuum pads, or suction cups, which grip a top surface (see Fig. 3 - Fig. 5) of a paver to be laid, and hold it pressed against the surface through vacuum force. The suction cups are connected to suction nozzles 12 which are coupled to vacuum tubes and a pump. The gripper members 11 are each driven by a servomotor 13. The servomotor 13 operates an arm 14 which tilts the gripper member 11 relative to a pivot 15 provided on the supporting part 10. Figs. 3 — 5 show the successive steps the machine 1 carries out when laying a paving. In the first step, with the aid of the gripper members 11, two pavers are taken, by means of the vacuum pads 11, from a pallet 3 stored in the apparatus. Then, according to the schematic representation of Fig. 4, the gripper 5 is moved by the control unit to a laying area 16L, which has been selected and analysed by the visual unit. In Fig. 4, in a first operation, one of the pavers (the right hand paver 9R in Fig. 4) is tilted upwards so that the paver 9R is brought into a position in which the paver 9R is tilted above an underside of the supporting part 10. In this position, the paver 9R cannot hinder when the other paver 9L gripped by the gripper 5 is laid, and the paver 9R is prevented from colliding with the paving pattern. The paver 9L that is not tilted (the left hand paver in Fig. 4) remains in a position in which the paver 9L is located below the supporting part 10, in order to lay the paver 9L in the laying area 16L under control of the mechanical arm 6.
When the paver 9L is put on the correct location by the mechanical arm 6, the vacuum of the corresponding vacuum pad HL is unlocked, and the mechanical arm 6 according to Fig. 5 continues to its second laying position and furthermore, the servomotor 13R of the paver 9R turns to its original position. The vacuum pad HL without paver turns to a free position also to prevent collision. When the paver 9R to be laid has also been placed, the
vacuum of the second paver 9R is cancelled. Now, the mechanical arm returns to its initial position to thereupon start a following cycle for two new pavers.
The apparatus is built up front different hardware components (camera systems, robots, PLC, PCs, navigation and data communication) coupled by software. With the aid of a CAD system, the movement pattern of the machine can be generated automatically.
Although the invention has been described with reference to the described embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto but can comprise various supplements, in particular changes or modifications that are self- evident to the skilled person after having read this description. For instance, in the described embodiments, the starting point is a single mechanical arm with which two pavers can be operated simultaneously. The apparatus can be equipped with several arms. One arm can lay more than two pavers individually, by tilting the remaining pavers away in order to lay one paver. Such supplements are understood to be equivalent to and to lie within the range of the following claims.
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