Machine and method for surface mining or road milling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10184337-B2
Application number	US-201515124281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 17, 2014
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a machine (100) for surface mining or road milling. The machine (100) is arranged to remove material from a ground region (102) while moving along the ground region (102) and comprises a ground engager for removing a portion of the material from the ground region (102). The machine (100) further comprises a detecting system (110) that has at least one detector element coupled to a component of the machine (100) to move with the machine (100) and arranged to detect at least one quantity associated with an electrical property of the ground region (102). The detecting system (110) is arranged to provide composition information concerning a composition of at least one material layer in the ground region (102) and thickness information concerning a thickness of at least one material layer (102a,b,c,d). The detected at least one quantity associated with the electrical property is used to provide at least one of the composition information and the thickness information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A machine for surface mining or road milling, the machine being arranged to remove material from a ground region while moving along the ground region, and comprising:
a ground engager for removing a portion of the material from the ground region; and
a detecting system comprising:
a detector element of a first type coupled to a component of the machine to move with the machine, and arranged to detect a first quantity associated with a first property of the ground region; and
a detector element of a second type other than the first type coupled to a component of the machine to move with the machine, and arranged to detect a second quantity associated with a second property of the ground region other than the first property;

wherein the detecting system is arranged to provide composition information concerning a composition of at least one material layer in the ground region and thickness information concerning a thickness of the at least one material layer; and
wherein at least the detected first quantity is used to provide at least one of: the composition information and the thickness information.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the detected second quantity is used for calibrating the first quantity at substantially the same location of the ground region.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein the detected first quantity is used to provide the thickness information and the detected second quantity is used to provide the composition information.

4. The machine of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control the machine based on the composition information and the thickness information.

5. The machine of claim 1 , wherein the second detector element is arranged to perform a near-infrared spectroscopy or a laser-induced spectroscopy.

6. The machine of claim 5 , wherein the first detector element is positioned in front of or behind the ground engager and is configured to perform subsurface resistivity measurements to provide the thickness information, and the second detector element is positioned behind the ground engager and configured to perform the near-infrared spectroscopy or the laser-induced spectroscopy to provide the composition information.

7. The machine of claim 1 , wherein at least the first detector element comprises at least one group of electrodes.

8. The machine of claim 7 , wherein at least one electrode is in use positioned at a height level that is lower than that of at least one other electrode of the at least one group of electrodes.

9. A method of removing material from a ground region, the method comprising:
moving a machine having a ground engager for surface mining or road milling along the ground region;
detecting at least one quantity associated with an electrical property as a first property of the ground region using at least a detector element of a first type that is coupled to a component of the machine to move with the machine;
detecting at least one quantity associated with a second property of the ground region using at least a detector element of a second type that is coupled to a component of the machine to move with the machine, wherein the second property is different from the first property; and
providing composition information concerning a composition of at least one material layer in the ground region and thickness information concerning a thickness of the at least one material layer;
wherein at least the detected at least one quantity associated with the electrical property is used to provide at least one of the composition information and the thickness information.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
controlling the machine based on the provided composition information and the thickness information.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of controlling the machine comprises controlling a height of the ground engager relative to the ground region.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the step of controlling the machine comprises interrupting operation of the machine.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein respective quantities associated with the electrical property are used to provide the composition information and the thickness information.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of detecting at least one quantity associated with an electrical property comprises:
detecting at least one quantity associated with the electrical property of the ground region in front of the ground engager, from which at least the thickness information is provided, and
detecting at least one quantity associated with the electrical property of the ground region behind the ground engager, from which at least the composition information is provided.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of detecting at least one quantity associated with an electrical property comprises detecting respective quantities for at least two different height levels relative to the ground region, wherein the detected respective quantities are used to provide the thickness information.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of detecting at least one quantity associated with an electrical property comprises forming a groove into the ground region and detecting at least one of the respective quantities at a height level within the groove.

17. The method of claim 9 , comprising performing subsurface resistivity measurements to determine properties of a material of a subsurface of the ground region.

18. The method of claim 9 , comprising performing surface resistivity measurements to determine properties of a material of a surface of the ground region.

19. The method of claim 9 , comprising:
performing subsurface resistivity measurements at a position in front of the ground engager to determine the thickness information, and
performing a surface resistivity measurement at a position behind the ground engager to provide one or more of the composition information and the thickness information.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
performing subsurface resistivity measurements at the position behind the ground engager to determine the thickness information.

21. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least the detected at least one quantity associated with the second property is used to provide at least one of the composition information and the thickness information.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the detected quantity associated with the second property is used to provide at least the composition information, and the detected quantity associated with the first property is used to provide at least the thickness information.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising calibrating the detected at least one quantity associated with the first property using the detected at least one quantity associated with the second property.

24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
directing electromagnetic radiation to the ground region, and
detecting the at least one quantity associated with the second property by detecting electromagnetic radiation received from the ground region in response to the emitted electromagnetic radiation.

Assignees

• Wirtgen Gmbh

Inventors

• Von Schönebeck Winfried
• Vollmann Klaus
• Wagner Stefan
• Barimani Cyrus

Classifications

• E01C23/127

  rotary, e.g. rotary hammers · CPC title

• E01C23/088

  Rotary tools, e.g. milling drums {(for forming recesses to receive marking materials E01C23/0946)} · CPC title

• E21C25/10

  Rods; Drums · CPC title

• G01B7/06

  for measuring thickness {(measuring during the manufacture of coatings C23C14/54)} · CPC title

• G01V8/10

  Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers (by reflection from the object G01S17/00) · CPC title