Patent EP0426355A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5484227A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5484227A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Control device for asphalt finisher
Assignee: Niigata Engineering Co Ltd
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Filing: 1994-04-06
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Granted: 1996-01-16
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Expires: 2014-04-06
Abstract
Abstract Efficient paving operation requires that the levelling operation of asphalt be carried out accurately along a reference line which follows a given direction along a roadside. A simple and effective automatic control device for controlling the steering direction in conjunction with adjustments of the screed for an asphalt finisher (shortened to finisher) is presented. The control device automatically regulates the extension or retraction of the screeds on both sides of the finisher in reference to a visual display of the reference line following some objects along the roadside. The visual detection system of control is simple and economical and provides an accurate control over the direction of paving.
Inventors
- 👤 Hachiro Ikeda
- 👤 Noriaki Miyamoto
- 👤 Ryoei Umeda
- 👤 Hidenori Yasu
- 👤 Mitsuo Fukukawa
- 👤 Yukiei Masuyama
- 👤 Shoji Kinoshita
- 👤 Yukio Takagi
- 👤 Tomohiro Gocho
- 👤 Fumio Goto
- 👤 Akio Ishii
- 👤 Tetsuo Ogawa
- 👤 Yoshun Hasegawa
- 👤 Keitaro Hironaka
- 👤 Yasuhiro Ogoshi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 20:35
CPC Classifications
E; E01; E01C; E01C19/00; E01C19/004; E01C19/006; E01C2301/00; E01C2301/14; E01C2301/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A device for controlling the extension or retraction of a plurality of screeds in an asphalt finisher comprising: a screed controller disposed on a vehicle member for extending and retracting said plurality of screeds to the left or to the right of said asphalt finisher so as to perform a levelling operation; a detection device disposed on a side region of a screed for detecting the position of a reference line generated in relation to a roadside line; a master controller for computing a deviation of the current travel direction of said screed from said reference line in accordance with the output data from said detection device when said vehicle member travels so as to perform paving, and adjusts the extension or retraction of said screed controller in accordance with a computed deviation so as to force said screed to move along an image of the reference line.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
148 words
A device for controlling the extension or retraction of a plurality of screeds in an asphalt finisher comprising: a screed controller disposed on a vehicle member for extending and retracting said plurality of screeds to the left or to the right of said asphalt finisher so as to perform a levelling operation; a detection device disposed on a side region of a screed for detecting the position of a reference line generated in relation to a roadside line; a master controller for computing a deviation of the current travel direction of said screed from said reference line in accordance with the output data from said detection device when said vehicle member travels so as to perform paving, and adjusts the extension or retraction of said screed controller in accordance with a computed deviation so as to force said screed to move along an image of the reference line.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection device is provided as a pair of detection devices wherein each device is disposed on a line parallel to the longitudinal center line of said vehicle member.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection device comprises: a semiconductor laser generator, a recording device for recording the image generated by irradiating a series of objects along a roadside with laser light.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master controller decreases the travelling speed of said vehicle member when the extension or retraction operation of said screed is unable to compensate for the computed deviation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said master controller stops the movement of said vehicle member when a drop in the travelling speed is insufficient to compensate for the deviation.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said screed controller is provided with a display device for displaying said image generated.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said display device is able to display latent check points for defining a deviation of the direction of travel of said vehicle member from said reference line.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection device comprises a pair of height detectors for measuring the distance to the road surface disposed separately on a horizontal plane at right angles to the longitudinal center line of said vehicle member.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
153 words
An automatic controlling device for an asphalt finisher comprising: a steering device for controlling the direction of travel of said asphalt finisher having a plurality of screeds for performing a levelling operation; a screed controller for controlling the extension or retraction of said plurality of screeds to the left and to the right of said asphalt finisher; a detection device disposed on a side region of a screed for detecting the position of a reference line generated in relation to a roadside line; a master controller for computing a deviation of the current travel direction of said screed from said reference line in accordance with the output data from said detection device when said vehicle member travels so as to perform paving, and adjusts the extension or retraction of said screed controller in accordance with a computed deviation so as to force said screed to move along said image of the reference line.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
153 words
An automatic controlling device for an asphalt finisher comprising: a steering device for controlling the direction of travel of said asphalt finisher having a plurality of screeds for performing a levelling operation; a screed controller for controlling the extension or retraction of said plurality of screeds to the left and to the right of said asphalt finisher; a detection device disposed on a side region of a screed for detecting the position of a reference line generated in relation to a roadside line; a master controller for computing a deviation of the current travel direction of said screed from said reference line in accordance with the output data from said detection device when said vehicle member travels so as to perform paving, and adjusts the extension or retraction of said screed controller in accordance with a computed deviation so as to force said screed to move along said image of the reference line.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said detection device is provided as a pair of detection devices wherein each device is disposed on a line parallel to the longitudinal center line of said vehicle member.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said detection device comprises: a semiconductor laser generator, a recording device for recording an image generated by irradiating a series of objects along a roadside with laser light.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said master controller decreases the travelling speed of said vehicle member when the extension or retraction operation of said screed is unable to compensate for the computed deviation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said master controller stoops the movement of said vehicle member when a drop in the travelling speed is insufficient to compensate for the deviation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said master controller computes a deviation angle between said reference line and a longitudinal center line of said vehicle member, and adjusts said steering device until said longitudinal center line of said vehicle member becomes parallel with said reference line.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 11, wherein said screed controller is provided with a display device for displaying said image generated.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
37 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 15, wherein said display device is able to display latent check points for defining a deviation of the direction of travel of said vehicle member from said reference line.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
45 words
An automatic controlling device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said detection device comprises a pair of height detectors for measuring the distance to the road surface disposed separately on a horizontal plane at right angles to the longitudinal center line of said vehicle member.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-01-15 | 1999-07-17 | 2000-01-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-01-15 | 2003-07-17 | 2004-01-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-01-15 | 2007-07-17 | 2008-01-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |