Vibratory compacting machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10036129-B2
Application number	US-201615133939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2016
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A vibratory compacting machine may include an engine, a main frame supporting the engine, and a compacting element mounted on the main frame and driven by the engine. The vibratory compacting machine may further include a vibratory system housed within the compacting element and configured to rotate about a rotation axis to vibrate the compacting element. The vibratory compacting machine may further include a control system configured to control a direction of rotation of the vibratory system. The control system may reverse the direction of rotation of the vibratory system when a predetermined number of pass counts is reached or when a predetermined density of the compactable material is reached.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vibratory compacting machine, comprising:
an engine;
a main frame supporting the engine;
a compacting element mounted on the main frame and driven by the engine, the compacting element being configured to compact a compactable material;
a vibratory system associated with the compacting element and configured to rotate about a rotation axis to vibrate the compacting element; and
a control system configured to control a direction of rotation of the vibratory system and being operable in a first mode in which the direction of rotation of the vibratory system corresponds to a direction of travel of the compacting machine and a second mode in which the direction of rotation of the vibratory system is opposite the direction of travel of the compacting machine, the control system automatically switching between the first mode and the second mode when a predetermined number of pass counts over the compactable material is reached.

2. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 1 , wherein the compacting element includes a front compacting element and a rear compacting element, and wherein the vibratory system is housed within one of the front compacting element and the rear compacting element.

3. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 1 , wherein the compacting element includes a front compacting element and a rear compacting element, and wherein each of the front compacting element and the rear compacting element includes a separate vibratory system housed therein, the control system reversing the direction of rotation of each of the vibratory systems housed within the front compacting element and the rear compacting element when the predetermined number of pass counts is reached.

4. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 1 , wherein the compacting element is a drum.

5. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 1 , wherein the compactable material is asphalt.

6. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 1 , wherein the compactable material is soil.

7. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 1 , wherein the vibratory system includes a vibratory shaft configured to rotate about the rotation axis, a motor configured to drive the rotation of the vibratory shaft, and an eccentric weight associated with the vibratory shaft for rotation therewith, the rotation of the vibratory shaft and the eccentric weight about the rotation axis causing a vibration of the compacting element.

8. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 7 , wherein the eccentric weight includes a pair of concentrically positioned eccentric weights.

9. A vibratory compacting machine configured to drive in a direction of travel and compact a compactable material in a compaction operation, the vibratory compacting machine comprising:
an engine;
a main frame supporting the engine;
a front compacting element and a rear compacting element mounted on the main frame and driven by the engine; and
a vibratory system associated with at least one of the front compacting element and the rear compacting element and being configured to rotate about a rotation axis in a direction corresponding to the direction of travel of the vibratory compacting machine at an outset of the compaction operation, the vibratory system being further configured to automatically switch to a direction of rotation about the rotation axis that is opposite to the direction of travel of the vibratory compacting machine when a predetermined number of pass counts over the compactable material is reached or when a predetermined density of the compactable material is reached.

10. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 9 , wherein the vibratory system includes a vibratory shaft configured to rotate about the rotation axis, a motor configured to drive the rotation of the vibratory shaft, and an eccentric weight rotatably coupled to the vibratory shaft for rotation therewith, the rotation of the vibratory shaft and the eccentric weight about the rotation axis causing a vibration of the compacting element.

11. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 10 , wherein the vibratory compacting machine further comprises a control system in electrical communication with the motor, the control system causing the motor to switch the direction of rotation of the vibratory shaft when the predetermined number of pass counts is reached or when the predetermined density of the compactable material is reached.

12. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 11 , wherein the vibratory compacting machine further comprises a pass count monitor in communication with the control system, the pass count monitor being configured to transmit a signal indicative of the number of pass counts completed by the vibratory compacting machine to the control system.

13. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 11 , wherein the vibratory compacting machine further comprises a density sensor in communication with the control system, the density sensor being mounted on at least one of the front compacting element and the rear compacting element and being configured to transmit a signal indicative of the density of the compactable material to the control system.

14. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 11 , wherein the control system is in communication with a density sensor associated with the compactable material, the density sensor being configured to transmit a signal indicative of the density of the compactable material to the control system.

15. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 11 , wherein the vibratory compacting machine further comprises a switch that allows an operator of the vibratory compacting machine to switch the direction of rotation of the vibratory system when the predetermined number of pass counts is reached or when the predetermined density is reached.

16. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 11 , wherein each of the front compacting element and the rear compacting element include a separate vibratory system associated therewith, the control system reversing the direction of rotation of each of the vibratory systems associated with the front compacting element and the rear compacting element when the predetermined number of pass counts is reached or when the predetermined density of the compactable material is reached.

17. The vibratory compacting machine of claim 12 , wherein the compactable material is asphalt or soil.

18. A control system for controlling a direction of rotation of a vibratory system of a vibratory compacting machine, the vibratory compacting machine being configured to compact a compactable material and including a compacting element and the vibratory system configured to rotate about a rotation axis to cause a vibration of the compacting element in a direction that corresponds to a direction of travel of the vibratory compacting machine, the control system automatically reversing a direction of rotation of the vibratory system to a direction that is opposite the direction of travel of the vibratory compacting machine when a predetermined number of pass counts is reached or when a predetermined density of the compactable material is reached.

19. The control system of claim 18 , further comprising multiple control systems each associated with one of a plurality of vibratory compacting machines, each of the control systems being configured to reverse the direction of rotation of its respective vibratory system when the predetermined number of pass counts is reached or when the predetermined density of the compactable material is reached.

20. The control system of claim

Assignees

• Caterpillar Paving Products Inc

Inventors

• Oetken Nicholas Alan
• Rio Federico

Classifications

• E01C19/282 Primary

  self-propelled, e.g. with an own traction-unit (E01C19/285 - E01C19/288 take precedence) · CPC title

• E01C19/288

  adapted for monitoring characteristics of the material being compacted, e.g. indicating resonant frequency, measuring degree of compaction, by measuring values, detectable on the roller; using detected values to control operation of the roller, e.g. automatic adjustment of vibration responsive to such measurements · CPC title