Road finishing machine with pushing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10029525-B2
Application number	US-201615367506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Aug 16, 2013
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a road finishing machine with a chassis and a pushing device. The pushing device comprises at least one docking assembly and at least one absorber unit. The absorber unit is fixed to the chassis of the road finishing machine and comprises at least one piston-cylinder unit which comprises a cylinder and a working piston movable therein which subdivides the piston-cylinder unit into at least one first and one second chambers and is coupled to the docking assembly. The docking assembly may be positioned, by the movably mounted working piston, relative to the chassis between an extended position and at least one retracted position. In the piston-cylinder unit, at least one flow channel is provided between the first and the second chambers for letting a fluid enclosed in the piston-cylinder unit pass through, the fluid being prestressed in the extended position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A road finishing machine comprising:
a chassis; and
a pushing device comprising a docking assembly and an absorber unit, the absorber unit being fixed to the chassis and comprising a piston-cylinder unit, the piston-cylinder unit comprising a cylinder and a working piston that is movable relative to the cylinder and that separates first and second chambers of the piston-cylinder unit, wherein the docking assembly is coupled to the working piston and may be positioned relative to the chassis between an extended position and a retracted position by the working piston, and wherein the piston-cylinder unit further comprises at least one flow channel provided between the first and second chambers for allowing a fluid enclosed in the piston-cylinder unit to pass through the at least one flow channel, the fluid being prestressed when the docking assembly is in the extended position;
wherein the road finishing machine is configured to automatically adjust at least one paving parameter and/or a paving drive position when a material supply vehicle has docked to the road finishing machine, and/or when the pushing device has assumed a predetermined position relative to the chassis and/or has covered a predetermined damping path.

2. The road finishing machine according to claim 1 wherein the road finishing machine is configured to automatically adjust the at least one paving parameter when the material supply vehicle has docked to the road finishing machine and/or when the pushing device has assumed the predetermined position relative to the chassis and/or has covered the predetermined damping path, and wherein the at least one paving parameter comprises paving speed.

3. The road finishing machine according to claim 2 wherein the road finishing machine is configured to reduce the paving speed when the material supply vehicle has docked to the road finishing machine and/or when the pushing device has assumed the predetermined position relative to the chassis and/or has covered the predetermined damping path.

4. The road finishing machine according to claim 1 wherein the road finishing machine is configured to automatically adjust the paving drive position from a paving mode to a docking mode so that paving is interrupted when the material supply vehicle has docked to the road finishing machine and/or when the pushing device has assumed the predetermined position relative to the chassis and/or has covered the predetermined damping path.

5. The road finishing machine according to claim 4 wherein the road finishing machine is configured to automatically return the paving drive position from the docking mode to the paving mode when the material supply vehicle has undocked from the road finishing machine.

6. The road finishing machine according to claim 1 wherein the road finishing machine is configured to automatically adjust the paving drive position from a paving mode to a docking mode so that paving is interrupted when the material supply vehicle has docked to the road finishing machine.

7. The road finishing machine according to claim 1 wherein the piston-cylinder unit comprises a guiding section with a guiding piston that is fixed on the working piston.

8. The road finishing machine according to claim 7 wherein at least one vent hole is provided in the guiding section.

9. The road finishing machine according to claim 7 wherein a mounting bore is provided in the working piston for fixing the working piston for assembling the guiding piston.

10. The road finishing machine according to claim 7 wherein the guiding section comprises a guiding bushing within which the guiding piston is movable.

11. The road finishing machine according to claim 10 wherein the guiding bushing is at least partially made of polyoxymethylene (POM).

12. The road finishing machine according to claim 10 further comprising a scraper which secures the guiding bushing in the guiding section.

13. The road finishing machine according to claim 1 wherein the at least one flow channel is disposed in the working piston.

14. The road finishing machine according to claim 13 wherein the pushing device further comprises at least one one-way valve provided in the piston-cylinder unit for allowing the fluid enclosed in the piston-cylinder unit to pass through the at least one one-way valve when the docking assembly moves toward the retracted position.

15. The road finishing machine according to claim 14 wherein the at least one one-way valve is configured to allow more of the fluid to pass than the at least one flow channel when the docking assembly moves toward the retracted position.

16. The road finishing machine according to claim 14 wherein a flow rate through the at least one one-way valve and/or the at least one flow channel is variable.

17. The road finishing machine according to claim 13 wherein the pushing device further comprises at least one one-way valve provided in the working piston for allowing the fluid enclosed in the piston-cylinder unit to pass through the at least one one-way valve when the docking assembly moves toward the retracted position.

18. A method for cushioning a load acting on a pushing device of a road finishing machine, wherein the pushing device includes an absorber unit that is fixed to a chassis of the road finishing machine and that includes a piston-cylinder unit, the piston-cylinder unit including a cylinder and a working piston that is movable relative to the cylinder between a retracted position and an extended position, and wherein a prestressing force caused by a fluid enclosed in the piston-cylinder unit urges the working piston toward the extended position, the method comprising:
allowing fluid to flow from a first chamber of the piston-cylinder unit through at least one flow channel provided in the piston-cylinder unit and into a second chamber of the piston-cylinder unit when a load counteracting and exceeding the prestressing force acts on the working piston, so that the working piston moves toward the retracted position; and
allowing fluid to flow from the second chamber through the at least one flow channel and into the first chamber when the load on the working piston diminishes, so that the working piston automatically returns to the extended position when the load on the working piston diminishes.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the at least one flow channel is disposed in the working piston.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the absorber unit further comprises at least one one-way valve provided in the working piston for allowing the fluid enclosed in the piston-cylinder unit to pass through the at least one one-way valve when the working piston moves toward the retracted position, and wherein the at least one one-way valve is configured to allow more of the fluid to pass than the at least one flow channel when the working piston moves toward the retracted position.

Assignees

• Joseph Voegele Ag

Inventors

• Gotterbarm Tobias
• Schmidt Thomas

Classifications

• E01C2301/08

  Pushing devices for lorries · CPC title

• B60D3/00 Primary

  Fittings to facilitate pushing · CPC title

• E01C23/06 Primary

  Devices or arrangements for working the finished surface (working freshly laid paving E01C19/42 - E01C19/44, E01C23/02; mining picks E21C35/18); Devices for repairing {or reconditioning} the surface of damaged paving; {Recycling in place or on the road} · CPC title

• E01C19/48 Primary

  for laying-down the materials and consolidating them, or finishing the surface {, e.g. slip forms therefor, forming kerbs or gutters in a continuous operation in situ (E01C19/002, E01C23/065 take precedence; devices for guiding or controlling the machines along a predetermined path E01C19/004)} · CPC title