Road milling machine and method for measuring the milling depth

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879390-B2
Application number	US-201615376023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2006
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A method is provided for measuring the milling depth of a road milling machine, the machine being operative to mill a ground surface with a milling roller lowered to a milling depth to create a milling track, the machine including at least one side plate located to at least one side of the milling roller to engage an untreated ground surface, and the machine including a stripping plate operative to be lowered onto the milling track generated by the milling roller. The method includes measuring the milling depth of the milling track, the measuring including detecting a measurement value of a ground engaging sensor engaging the milling track.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A self-propelled road milling machine, comprising:
a machine frame;
at least two front ground engaging supports, and at least one rear ground engaging support;
front and rear lifting columns supporting the frame from the ground engaging supports;
a milling roller supported from the frame for treatment of a ground surface;
a height adjustable stripping plate arranged behind the milling roller and operable to be lowered, during operation, into a milling track generated by the milling roller;
first and second height adjustable side plates arranged on opposite sides of the milling roller; and
a plurality of position sensors, each of the first and second side plates including at least two of the position sensors spaced apart in a traveling direction of the milling machine, wherein each position sensor generates position signals representing changes in position for a respective side plate.

2. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 1 , further comprising a controller operably associated with the position sensors and configured to measure, based at least in part on the position signals from the position sensors, displacement of the side plates with respect to the machine frame.

3. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of position sensors are integrated with hydraulic piston/cylinder units for lifting or lowering the respective side plates.

4. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to control the milling depth of the milling roller by generating control signals to vertically adjust one or more of the lifting columns.

5. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 1 , wherein the stripping plate comprises one or more position sensors configured to generate position signals representing changes in position for the stripping plate.

6. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 5 , wherein the stripping plate further comprises one or more piston/cylinder units integrating the one or more position sensors.

7. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 5 , further comprising a controller configured to determine a relative displacement between one or more of the side plates and the stripping plate based on generated position signals from their respective position sensors.

8. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 1 , wherein each of the lifting columns includes an integrated position sensor configured to directly detect a lifted condition of its associated lifting column.

9. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 8 , further comprising a controller configured to automatically control the lifted condition of at least one of the lifting columns to establish a predetermined inclination front to rear of the machine frame.

10. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined inclination comprises the machine frame being parallel to the ground surface or a milling track.

11. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined inclination comprises the machine frame being parallel to a horizontal plane.

12. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 8 , further comprising a controller configured to automatically control the lifted condition of at least one of the lifting columns.

13. A self-propelled road milling machine, comprising:
a machine frame;
at least two front ground engaging supports, and at least one rear ground engaging support;
front and rear lifting columns supporting the frame from the ground engaging supports, wherein each of the front and rear lifting columns comprise a hydraulic piston/cylinder unit having an integrated position sensor configured to generate position signals representing a lifted position of the respective lifting column;
a milling roller supported from the frame for treatment of a ground surface;
a height adjustable stripping plate arranged behind the milling roller and operable to be lowered, during operation, into a milling track generated by the milling roller; and
first and second height adjustable side plates arranged on opposite sides of the milling roller, wherein at least one of the side plates comprises first and second hydraulic piston/cylinder units spaced apart in a traveling direction of the milling machine, each piston/cylinder unit having an integrated position sensor configured to generate position signals representing changes in position for the respective at least one side plate.

14. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 13 , further comprising a controller operably associated with the position sensors and configured to determine displacement of the at least one of the first and second side plates with respect to the machine frame, based at least in part on the generated position signals from one or more of the position sensors.

15. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to control the milling depth of the milling roller by generating control signals to vertically adjust one or more of the lifting columns.

16. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 13 , wherein the stripping plate comprises one or more position sensors configured to generate position signals representing changes in position for the stripping plate.

17. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 16 , wherein the stripping plate further comprises one or more piston/cylinder units integrating the one or more position sensors.

18. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 16 , further comprising a controller configured to determine a relative displacement between one or more of the side plates and the stripping plate based on generated position signals from their respective position sensors.

19. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 13 , further comprising a controller configured to automatically control the lifted condition of at least one of the lifting columns to establish a predetermined inclination front to rear of the machine frame.

20. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 19 , wherein the predetermined inclination comprises the machine frame being parallel to the ground surface or a milling track.

21. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 19 , wherein the predetermined inclination comprises the machine frame being parallel to a horizontal plane.

22. The self-propelled road milling machine of claim 13 , further comprising a controller configured to automatically control the lifted condition of at least one of the lifting columns.

Assignees

• Wirtgen Gmbh

Inventors

• Berning Christian
• Simons Dieter

Classifications

• G01B5/18

  for measuring depth · CPC title

• E01C23/088 Primary

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

• E01C23/127

  rotary, e.g. rotary hammers · CPC title