Asphalt paver temperature alert system for asphalt compactor operator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9476168-B2
Application number	US-201414472870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for controlling a paving operation includes applying asphalt to a surface using a screed mounted on a paving machine, scanning a surface of the asphalt as it is applied by the screed immediately behind the paving machine using a thermal scanner mounted on the paving machine, and transmitting a signal indicative of a scanned temperature of the asphalt from the paving machine. The signal is received at the compactor and is indicative of the scanned temperature of the asphalt. The signal is used to notify a compactor operator at the compactor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a paving operation, the method comprising:
applying asphalt to a surface using a screed mounted on a paving machine;
scanning a surface of the asphalt as it is applied by the screed immediately behind the paving machine using a thermal scanner mounted on the paving machine;
transmitting a signal indicative of a scanned temperature of the asphalt from the paving machine;
receiving the signal indicative of the scanned temperature of the asphalt at a compactor following the paving machine, the compactor being distinct from the paving machine; and
affecting operational parameters of the compactor as a function of the signal received at the compactor, including initiating an alarm on a display mounted to the compactor in response to the signal received at the compactor to notify a compactor operator that a temperature of the asphalt immediately behind the paving machine is no longer within a preferred range of temperatures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the affecting operational parameters of the compactor further includes automatically controlling operational parameters of the compactor using an automatic control system.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the automatically controlling operational parameters of the compactor includes controlling at least one of a frequency and an amplitude of vibration of a compacting drum of the compactor.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initiating the alarm includes one or more of initiating an audible alarm, initiating a visual alarm, and initiating a combined audible and visual alarm.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing with a thermal scan processor a plurality of input signals received from a thermal detector array included in the thermal scanner, and converting the plurality of input signals into a serial output signal.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal scanner mounted on the paving machine remotely senses temperatures across the surface of the asphalt without any portion of the thermal scanner making physical contact with the asphalt.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the thermal scanner mounted on the paving machine is a thermal imager operating in a line scan mode and configured to pause scanning when the paving machine is idle or has stopped moving.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sensing a temperature profile across a section of the applied asphalt using the thermal scanner and generating electrical signals representative of the sensed temperature profile; and
receiving the electrical signals at a thermal scan processor, processing the electrical signals, and sending the processed electrical signals to a controller.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the controller is mounted on the paving machine.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the controller is located off of the paving machine at a mobile command center located in the vicinity of a work site where the paving machine is operating.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the controller is located off of the paving machine at a central command site communicating with the paving machine over a communication network.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeatedly scanning across at least a portion of the surface of the asphalt as it is applied by the screed in order to periodically sense the temperature at successive sections of the asphalt in a direction of travel of the paving machine.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the repeated scanning across at least a portion of the surface of the asphalt provides temperature measurements for a plurality of strip-wise sections of the asphalt, successive strips of the plurality of strip-wise sections extending sequentially along a direction of travel of the paving machine.

14. An asphalt paving temperature alert system, comprising:
a paving machine including a screed and being configured to apply asphalt to a sub-surface in a formed mat using the screed;
a compactor that is distinct from the paving machine;
a thermal scanner mounted on the paving machine, the thermal scanner being configured to scan a surface of the formed mat of asphalt as it is applied by the screed;
a transmitter mounted on the paving machine;
a first controller operatively coupled to the thermal scanner and the transmitter, the first controller being configured to transmit a signal indicative of a scanned temperature of the asphalt from the paving machine;
a receiver mounted on the compactor;
a display mounted on the compactor;
a second controller operatively coupled to the receiver and the display, the second controller being configured to
receive the signal indicative of the scanned temperature of the asphalt via the receiver, and
activate an alarm on the compactor display in response to the signal received from the paving machine, the alarm being configured to notify a compactor operator that a temperature of the asphalt immediately behind the paving machine is no longer within a preferred range of temperatures.

15. The asphalt paving temperature alert system of claim 14 , further comprising a thermal scan processor configured to process electrical signals produced by the thermal scanner,
wherein the signal indicative of the scanned temperature of the asphalt from the paving machine is an alert signal configured to activate the alarm to the compactor operator that the temperature of the asphalt is outside the preferred range of temperatures.

16. The asphalt paving temperature alert system of claim 14 , wherein the second controller is further configured to automatically control operational parameters of the compactor as a function of the signal indicative of the scanned temperature of the asphalt.

17. The asphalt paving temperature alert system of claim 16 , wherein the second controller is further configured to automatically control operational parameters of the compactor by controlling at least one of a frequency and an amplitude of vibration of a compacting drum of the compactor.

18. A paving system, comprising:
a paving machine; and
a compactor that is distinct from the paving machine,
the paving machine including:
a thermal scanner, the thermal scanner being mounted on the paving machine in a position suitable for scanning a surface temperature of paving material being applied by the paving machine; and
a first controller operatively coupled to the thermal scanner, the first controller being configured to
receive electrical signals from the thermal scanner, the electrical signals being indicative of the surface temperature of the paving material being applied by the paving machine,
determine whether the surface temperature of the paving material is outside of a predetermined range of temperatures, and
transmit a signal to the compactor when the surface temperature of the paving material is outside the predetermined range of temperatures,

the compactor including:
a receiver;
a display; and
a second controller operatively coupled to the receiver and the display, the second controller being configured to
receive the signal from the paving machine via the receiver, and
activate an alarm on the display in response to the signal received from the paving machine to notify an operator of the compactor that the surface temperature of the paving material immediately behind the paving machine is outside the predetermined range of temperatures.

19. The paving system of claim 18 , wherein the first controller is further configured to process the electrical signals received fro

Assignees

• Caterpillar Paving Products Inc

Inventors

• Oetken Nicholas Alan
• Utterodt Ronald

Classifications

• E01C19/23

  Rollers therefor; Such rollers usable also for compacting soil ({E01C19/41,} E01C19/43, {E01C19/52, E01C23/065} take precedence; specially adapted for agricultural purposes A01B29/00; garden rollers A01G20/35; making or maintaining surfaces of snow or ice E01H4/00; solely for soil compaction E02D3/026) · CPC title

• E01C19/002 Primary

  Apparatus for preparing and placing the materials and for consolidating or finishing the paving · CPC title

• E01C21/00

  Apparatus or processes for surface {soil} stabilisation for road building or like purposes, e.g. mixing local aggregate with binder ({recycling in place or on the road involving soil stabilisation E01C23/065} ; stabilising soil under existing surfacing E01C23/10; soil-conditioning or soil-stabilising materials C09K17/00; soil consolidation in general E02D3/12) · CPC title

• E01C19/488

  with rollers for consolidating or finishing combined with tamping, vibrating, pressing or smoothing consolidation or finishing means (E01C19/4886 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E01C19/42

  Machines for imparting a smooth finish to freshly-laid paving courses other than by rolling, tamping or vibrating (for distributing only E01C19/12; {hand-actuated smoothing tools E01C19/44}) · CPC title