Method and machine for laying a paving mat having a uniform finish

Abstract

A control device may obtain sensory data associated with an area of ​​a paving material mat being laid by a blade assembly of a paving machine. The control device may determine, based on the sensory data, a respective texture value and / or a respective height value associated with each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area. The control device may determine a finish value associated with the paving material mat area based on the respective texture value and / or the respective height value of the paving material mat area. The control device may cause one or more actions to be performed based on the finish value of the paving material mat area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to facilitating a blade assembly of a road paver to lay a mat of paving material, and to automatically adjusting one or more settings associated with the blade assembly and / or the road paver to facilitate the blade assembly to lay a mat of paving material having a uniform finish (a mat of uniform texture, uniform height, uniform density, etc.). Background Art

[0002] Paving machines (also known as road pavers) are typically used to apply, spread, and / or compact a mat of paving material (e.g., a mat of asphalt road material) relatively evenly across a work surface. These machines are commonly used in the construction of roads, parking lots, and other areas. A typical paving machine uses a blade assembly (sometimes called a floating blade) to lay the mat of paving material. The blade assembly may include one or more sections (e.g., a fixed section and / or one or more extendable sections attached to the ends of the fixed section). Each section may be involved in laying the mat of paving material.

[0003] However, often, when laid by a squeegee assembly, the paving material mat may not be uniform (e.g., the paving material mat may not have a uniform texture, uniform height, uniform density, etc.). For example, one portion of the paving material mat may have a different texture, a different height, a different density, etc. than another portion of the paving material mat. This may be due to differences in the corresponding configuration settings associated with each portion of the squeegee assembly. Often, it may be difficult for an operator to identify when the paving material mat is uneven and / or how to adjust one or more settings associated with the squeegee assembly so that the squeegee assembly lays a uniform paving material mat.

[0004] An attempt to control the quality of paving material distributed along a paving area using a paving machine is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0078275 (the "'275 Publication") by Shelstad et al., published on March 14, 2019. Specifically, the '275 Publication discloses using a thermal profile camera or asphalt temperature scanner to record at least one thermal profile of a portion of the paving area, and using a device to analyze the at least one thermal profile to detect separation points of the paving material within the portion of the paving area. The '275 Publication discloses that the device can identify potential causes of separation and can automatically communicate possible solutions to the paving crew.

[0005] While the apparatus of the '275 publication can effectively analyze the thermal properties of a portion of a paving area to identify a separation point, the '275 publication does not disclose analyzing and / or determining the uniformity of the finish of that portion of the paving area. Furthermore, the '275 publication does not disclose automatically adjusting settings associated with a paving machine to change the finish of that portion of the paving area. The system of the present invention addresses one or more of the aforementioned problems and / or other problems in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to some implementations, a method may include: obtaining sensory data associated with an area of ​​a paving material mat being laid by a blade assembly of a paving machine; determining, based on the sensory data, a corresponding texture value associated with each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining, based on the sensory data, a corresponding height value associated with each of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining, based on the corresponding texture values ​​of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area and the corresponding height values ​​of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area, a finish value associated with the paving material mat area; determining that the finish value associated with the paving material mat area indicates an uneven finish of the paving material mat area; and, based on determining that the finish value associated with the paving material mat area indicates an uneven finish of the paving material mat area, selectively adjusting one or more settings associated with the blade assembly or the paving machine to cause the blade assembly to lay an additional area of ​​the paving material mat having a finish value indicative of a uniform finish.

[0007] According to some implementations, a control system for a scraper assembly of a paving machine may include at least one sensing device configured to capture sensory data relating to two or more portions of an area of ​​a paving material mat being paved by the scraper assembly of the paving machine; and a controller configured to: obtain the sensory data from the at least one sensing device; determine a corresponding texture value for each of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area or a corresponding height value for each of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area based on the sensory data; determine a finish value for the paving material mat area based on the corresponding texture values ​​for the two or more portions of the paving material mat area or the corresponding height values ​​for the two or more portions of the paving material mat area; and cause one or more actions to be performed based on the finish value of the paving material mat area.

[0008] According to some implementations, a work machine may include a scraper assembly configured to lay a mat of paving material; at least one sensing device configured to capture sensory data associated with an area of ​​the mat of paving material; and a controller configured to: obtain the sensory data from the at least one sensing device; determine a finish value for the area of ​​the mat of paving material based on the sensory data; and cause one or more actions to be performed based on the finish value for the area of ​​the mat of paving material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram of an exemplary machine described herein.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram of an exemplary paving mat described herein.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram of an exemplary environment described herein.

[0012] Figure 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for facilitating a screed assembly in laying a mat of paving material having a uniform finish. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Figure 1 is an illustration of an exemplary machine 100 described herein. The term "machine" or "work machine" may refer to any machine that performs operations associated with an industry such as paving, mining, construction, agriculture, transportation, or any other industry. For example, machine 100 may include a mobile machine, such as Figure 1 A paving machine (eg, a road paver, asphalt finisher, etc.) or any other type of mobile machine is shown.

[0014] like Figure 1 As shown, the machine 100 includes a scraper assembly 102. The machine 100 includes a frame 104 that is supported and transported by a plurality of transport wheels 106 that are relatively disposed on axles 108 that extend below the frame 104 (e.g., transverse to the direction of travel or motion D of the machine 100, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 ). A hopper 110 may be disposed at a front portion of the frame 104. The hopper 110 may include sides 112 extending vertically from the frame 104 so that the hopper 110 can receive material (e.g., asphalt aggregate, such as asphalt) from a transport vehicle (e.g., a dump truck) and hold the material in the hopper 110 pending placement of the material on a surface 114 to be paved by the machine 100.

[0015] As shown, toward the rear of the frame 104, an operator station 116 may be provided so that an operator seated in a chair 118 may control the operation of the machine 100, the scraper assembly 102, and / or other components of the machine 100 via controls provided on a control panel 120. The control panel 120 may also include a display (e.g., a monitor) to display information and / or messages regarding the machine 100, the scraper assembly 102, and / or other components of the machine 100.

[0016] An engine housing 122 is also provided toward the rear of the frame 104 and is provided with an exhaust chimney 124 for discharging combustion byproducts of the engine housing 122. Figure 1 As further shown, a walkway area 126 may be provided to allow personnel (eg, operators, paving crews, etc.) to access the machine 100 .

[0017] like Figure 1 As further shown, the scraper assembly 102 can be connected to the frame 104 via a set of scraper support arms 128. In some cases, the set of scraper support arms 128 can be substantially parallel and horizontal to each other, extend along the frame 104, and be pivotally connected to the frame 104 via arm pivots 130, which can include a horizontal axis (e.g., as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the horizontal axis is perpendicular to the direction of travel D) of the machine 100 , thereby allowing vertical movement of the scraper assembly 102 .

[0018] As further shown, the machine 100 may further include an aggregate handling device 132. The aggregate handling device 132 may include at least one auger 134 (e.g., at least one chain auger) disposed adjacent the rear portion of the frame 104. As further shown, an auger support member 136 may be provided for controlling the position of the aggregate handling device 132. For example, the auger 134 may include a chain auger that provides at least two oppositely directed flights of paving material 138 from the centerline of the machine 100 for directing substantially equal amounts of paving material 138 toward the outer edges of the screed assembly 102.

[0019] The screed assembly 102 may be configured to lay a mat of paving material (e.g., Figure 2 114 ). The squeegee assembly 102 may include one or more sections (e.g., a fixed section and / or one or more extendable sections each attached to an end of the fixed section). Each section may include a squeegee and / or other components to facilitate laying the paving mat. The angle of attack (e.g., the angle between the squeegee and / or other components and the surface 114), height (e.g., the height of the squeegee and / or other components from the surface 114), and / or the like of the squeegee and / or other components of the section may be configured via one or more settings associated with the section.

[0020] One or more settings may be associated with each section, such as settings associated with the angle of attack, height, etc. of the blades and / or other components of the section.

[0021] like Figure 1 As further shown, the machine 100 may also include at least one sensing device 140 disposed on or near the scraper assembly 102. Figure 2 The at least one sensing device 140 is further described. The at least one sensing device 140 is operably connected to the scraper assembly 102, the control panel 120 and / or the control device 142. Figure 3 The control device 142 is further described.

[0022] As mentioned above, Figure 1 Provided as an example. Other examples may differ from those in combination Figure 1 described.

[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a diagram 200 illustrating an exemplary mat 202 of paving material laid by the screed assembly 102. Figure 2 As shown, the paving material mat 202 may include a paving material mat area 204 that was just laid by the squeegee assembly 102 (e.g., a portion of the paving material mat 202 laid by the squeegee assembly 102 within a specific time interval, such as within the last second, the last 10 seconds, the last 20 seconds, and / or the like) that is monitored by the at least one sensing device 140. The paving material mat area 204 may include two or more portions (e.g., portions 204-1 through 204-N of the paving material mat area 204, where N is greater than or equal to 2). In some implementations, each of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area 204 may be associated with a portion of the two or more portions of the squeegee assembly 102 (e.g., portions 102-1 through 102-N of the squeegee assembly 102, where N is greater than or equal to 2). For example, a particular portion of the squeegee assembly 102 may generate a particular portion of the paving material mat area 204.

[0024] The at least one sensing device 140 includes any type of sensor configured to capture sensory data (e.g., image data, distance data, etc.) related to the paving material mat area 204. The at least one sensing device 140 may include at least one camera device, at least one light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, and / or the like to capture image data including the sensory data, distance data, and / or the like.

[0025] For example, the at least one sensing device 140 may include a single camera device configured to capture image data (e.g., one or more images of each portion), distance data (e.g., one or more distances from the single camera device to each portion), and / or the like associated with each of two or more portions (e.g., 204-1 through 204-N) of the paving material mat area 204 (e.g., each portion of the paving material mat area 204 is within the field of view of the single camera device). As another example, the at least one sensing device 140 may include multiple camera devices, each of which is configured to capture image data, distance data, and / or the like associated with a respective portion of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area 204 (e.g., each portion of the paving material mat area 204 is within the field of view of a respective camera device of the multiple camera devices). In another example, the at least one sensing device 140 may include a plurality of LIDAR devices, wherein each LIDAR device is configured to capture distance data associated with a particular set of portions of two or more portions of the paving material mat area 204 (e.g., each LIDAR device is aimed at the particular set of portions of the paving material mat area 204). Other examples are contemplated that include one or more camera devices, one or more LIDAR devices, and / or the like that collect sensory data.

[0026] The at least one sensing device 140 may be configured to transmit sensory data (e.g., directly or via one or more other components or devices of the machine 100) to the control device 142. When the at least one sensing device 140 collects sensory data, the at least one sensing device 140 may transmit the sensory data (e.g., as a data stream, as a signal, etc.) to the control device 142.

[0027] As mentioned above, Figure 2 are provided as examples. Other examples may vary and combine Figure 2 described.

[0028] Figure 3 is a diagram of an exemplary environment 300 in which the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented. Figure 3 As shown, environment 300 includes scraper assembly 102, control panel 120, the at least one sensing device 140, and / or control device 142. The devices of environment 300 may be interconnected via wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections.

[0029] The control device 142 may be a controller, electronic control unit (ECU), or the like of the machine 100. The control device 142 may be implemented as a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or other types of processing components. The processor may be implemented using hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. The control device 142 may include one or more processors that can be programmed to perform functions. One or more memories, including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and / or another type of dynamic or static storage device (e.g., flash memory, magnetic memory, and / or optical memory), may store information and / or instructions used by the control device 142. The control device 142 may include a memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) capable of storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform one or more processes and / or methods described herein. The control device 142 may be configured to generate one or more instructions to adjust one or more settings associated with the scraper assembly 102 and / or the machine 100.

[0030] In some implementations, control device 142 may receive sensory data (e.g., sensory data related to paving material mat area 204) from the at least one sensing device 140. Control device 142 may parse the sensory data to identify image data, distance data, etc., including the sensory data. Additionally or alternatively, control device 142 may separately receive image data, distance data, etc., including the sensory data, from the at least one sensing device 140.

[0031] Control device 142 may process sensory data (e.g., including image data, distance data, and / or the like) to determine a respective texture value associated with each of two or more portions (e.g., portions 204-1 through 204-N) of paving material mat area 204. The texture value associated with a portion of paving material mat area 204 may indicate a texture of the portion (e.g., roughness of the portion; undulation of the portion; reflectivity of the portion; brightness of the portion; pattern, such as size, orientation, directionality, and / or the like, of components of the portion). For example, the texture value can range from 0 to 1, where a low texture value (e.g., a constant value greater than or equal to 0 and less than 0.3) indicates a smooth texture (e.g., the portion has little to no roughness and / or undulation, has high reflectivity and / or brightness, has a consistent pattern of composition components, and / or the like), a medium texture value (e.g., greater than or equal to 0.3 and less than 0.7) indicates a rough texture (e.g., the portion has some roughness and / or undulation, has a moderate amount of reflectivity and / or brightness, has a moderately consistent pattern of composition components, and / or the like), and a high texture value (e.g., greater than or equal to 0.7 and less than or equal to 1) indicates a separated texture (e.g., the portion has higher roughness and / or undulation, has lower reflectivity and / or brightness, has no consistent pattern of composition components, and / or the like), and / or the like.

[0032] To determine a texture value for a particular portion of two or more portions of paving material mat area 204, control device 142 may process and / or analyze the sensory data to identify at least one subset of the sensory data (e.g., specific image data of the image data, specific distance data of the distance data, and / or the like) associated with the particular portion. Control device 142 may use statistical processing techniques (e.g., statistical image processing techniques) to process and / or analyze the at least one subset of the sensory data to determine the texture value for the particular portion.

[0033] In some implementations, the control device 142 may utilize one or more models (e.g., one or more machine learning models) to process and / or analyze at least a subset of the sensory data (e.g., to determine a texture value associated with a particular portion). The control device 142 may train a model (e.g., one of one or more models, each of one or more models, and / or the like) based on historical data (e.g., historical sensory data). The control device 142 may divide the historical data into a training set, a validation set, a test set, etc. The training set may be used to train the model. The validation set may be used to validate the results of the trained model. The test set may be used to test the operation of the model.

[0034] In some implementations, the control device 142 may train the model based on the historical data using, for example, an unsupervised training process. For example, the control device 142 may perform dimensionality reduction to reduce the historical data to a minimum feature set, thereby reducing resources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, etc.) for training the model, and may apply a classification technique to the minimum feature set.

[0035] In some implementations, the control device 142 may use a logistic regression classification technique to determine the classification result. Additionally or alternatively, the control device 142 may use a naive Bayes classifier technique. In this case, the control device 142 may perform binary recursive partitioning to divide the historical data into partitions and / or branches, and use the partitioning and / or branches to determine the result. By using recursive partitioning, the control device 142 can reduce the utilization of computing resources relative to manual, linear classification and analysis of data points, thereby enabling the use of thousands, millions, or billions of data points to train a model, which may produce a more accurate model than using fewer data points.

[0036] Additionally or alternatively, the control device 142 may use a support vector machine (SVM) classifier technique to generate nonlinear boundaries between data points in the training set. In this case, the nonlinear boundaries are used to classify the test data into specific categories.

[0037] Additionally or alternatively, the control device 142 may train the model using a supervised training process that includes receiving input to the model from a subject matter expert, which may reduce the amount of time, processing resources, etc. required to train the model relative to an unsupervised training procedure. The control device 142 may use one or more other model training techniques, such as neural network techniques, latent semantic indexing techniques, etc. For example, the control device 142 may implement an artificial neural network processing technique (e.g., using a two-layer feedforward neural network architecture, a three-layer feedforward neural network architecture, and / or similar techniques) to perform pattern recognition with respect to patterns in historical data. In this case, the use of the artificial neural network processing technique may improve the accuracy of the training model generated by the control device 142 by increasing robustness to noisy, imprecise, or incomplete data, and by enabling the control device 142 to use less complex techniques to detect patterns and / or trends that human analysts or systems cannot detect.

[0038] In some implementations, the control device 142 may receive a trained model from another device (e.g., a client device or a server device) rather than training the model. For example, the other device may generate a model based on a model that has already been trained in a manner similar to that described above, and may provide the trained model to the control device 142 (e.g., the trained model may be preloaded to the control device 142, a request for the trained model may be received from the control device 142, and / or the like).

[0039] In some implementations, control device 142 may process sensory data (e.g., including image data, distance data, and / or the like) to determine a respective height value associated with each of two or more portions (e.g., portions 204-1 through 204-N) of paving material mat area 204. The height value associated with a portion of paving material mat area 204 may indicate a representative height of the portion (e.g., in units of centimeters, inches, etc.). For example, the height value may be an average height, a median height, a maximum height, a minimum height, and / or the like of the portion (e.g., as measured from surface 114 to a top layer of the portion of paving material mat area 204, or from a top layer of the portion of paving material mat area 204 to a component on machine 100, such as at least one sensing device 140).

[0040] To determine the height value of a particular portion of two or more portions of paving material mat area 204, control device 142 may process and / or analyze the sensory data to identify at least one subset of the sensory data (e.g., specific image data of the image data, specific distance data of the distance data, and / or the like) associated with the particular portion. Control device 142 may process and / or analyze the at least one subset of the sensory data to determine the height value of the particular portion. For example, control device 142 may identify one or more distances indicated by the at least one subset of the sensory data and determine (e.g., using one or more processing techniques based on geometric principles) one or more height measurements associated with the particular portion. Control device 142 determines the height value of the particular portion based on the one or more height measurements (e.g., determining an average of the one or more height measurements, a maximum height measurement, a minimum height measurement, etc.).

[0041] Control device 142 may determine a finish value associated with paving material mat area 204 (e.g., based on respective texture values ​​for two or more portions of paving material mat area 204 and / or respective height values ​​for two or more portions of paving material mat area 204). The finish value may indicate the finish of paving material mat area 204 across the two or more portions of paving material mat area 204. For example, the finish value may range from 0 to 1, with a low finish value (e.g., greater than or equal to 0 and less than 0.3) indicating a more uniform finish (e.g., in terms of texture, height, and / or the like), a medium finish value (e.g., greater than or equal to 0.3 and less than 0.7) indicating a moderately uniform finish (e.g., in terms of texture, height, and / or the like), and a high finish value (e.g., greater than or equal to 0.7 and less than or equal to 1) indicating a non-uniform finish (e.g., in terms of texture, height, and / or the like), and / or the like.

[0042] When the corresponding texture values ​​of two or more portions are similar and / or the corresponding height values ​​of two or more portions are similar, paving material mat area 204 may have a more uniform finish. When the corresponding texture values ​​of two or more portions are dissimilar and / or the corresponding height values ​​of two or more portions are dissimilar, paving material mat area 204 may have a non-uniform finish.

[0043] For example, control device 142 may determine a difference between the corresponding texture values ​​of a first portion of two or more portions of paving material mat area 204 and the corresponding texture values ​​of a second portion of two or more portions of paving material mat area 204. When the difference satisfies (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold value, control device 142 may assign a finish value indicative of a uniform finish (e.g., a more uniform finish, a moderately uniform finish, etc.) for paving material mat area 204. When the difference does not satisfy (e.g., is greater than) the threshold value, control device 142 may assign a finish value indicative of a non-uniform finish for paving material mat area 204.

[0044] As another example, control device 142 may determine a difference between corresponding height values ​​of a first portion of two or more portions of paving material mat area 204 and corresponding height values ​​of a second portion of two or more portions of paving material mat area 204. When the difference satisfies (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold value, control device 142 may assign a finish value indicative of a uniform finish (e.g., a more uniform finish, a moderately uniform finish, etc.) for paving material mat area 204. When the difference does not satisfy (e.g., is greater than) the threshold value, control device 142 may assign a finish value indicative of an uneven finish for paving material mat area 204.

[0045] In an additional example, control device 142 may determine a range of texture values ​​and / or a range of height values ​​based on respective texture values ​​and / or respective height values ​​for two or more portions of paving material mat area 204. Control device 142 may determine a texture value difference between a maximum texture value and a minimum texture value of the texture value range and / or a height value difference between a maximum height value and a minimum height value of the height value range. When the texture value difference satisfies (e.g., is less than or equal to) a texture value threshold and / or when the height value difference satisfies (e.g., is less than or equal to) a height value threshold, control device 142 may assign a finish value indicating a uniform finish (e.g., a more uniform finish, a moderately uniform finish, etc.) for paving material mat area 204. When the texture value difference does not satisfy (e.g., is greater than) the texture value threshold and / or when the height value difference does not satisfy (e.g., is greater than) the height value threshold, control device 142 may assign a finish value indicating an uneven finish for paving material mat area 204.

[0046] In some implementations, control device 142 may cause one or more actions to be performed (e.g., based on the finish value of paving material mat area 204). For example, control device 142 may generate first information indicating the finish value of paving material mat area 204 and / or second information indicating one or more settings associated with blade assembly 102 or machine 100 that causes blade assembly 102 to pave paving material mat area 204. Control device 142 may send the first message and / or the second message to a client device to cause the first message and / or the second message to be displayed on a display of the client device. Additionally or alternatively, control device 142 may cause the first message and the second message to be displayed on a display of machine 100 (e.g., a display included in control panel 120).

[0047] In an additional example, control device 142 may generate a report regarding the finish of paving material mat 202. Control device 142 may generate a report entry regarding the finish value of paving material mat area 204 and may add the report entry to the report. Control device 142 may send the report to a client device, causing the client device to display the report on a display of the client device. In another example, control device 142 may generate a report regarding paving material mat 202 (e.g., an "as built" report). Control device 142 may generate report entries regarding the corresponding texture values ​​of two or more portions of the paving material mat area 204, the corresponding height values ​​of two or more portions of the paving material mat area 204, the finish value associated with the paving material mat area 204, and the like. Control device 142 may send a report to a client device (e.g., a client device associated with an organization, such as a “payment authorization” organization responsible for paving, monitoring, maintaining, modifying, and / or otherwise providing quality control of paving material mat area 204) to enable the control device to monitor, maintain, modify, and / or otherwise provide quality control of paving material mat area 204.

[0048] As another example, the control device 142 may determine that the finish value indicates an uneven finish on the paving material mat area 204 and may selectively adjust one or more settings associated with the squeegee assembly 102 or the machine 100 (e.g., by generating and sending one or more instructions to the control panel 120 to adjust the one or more settings). The one or more settings may include a setting associated with the angle of attack of at least one portion of the squeegee assembly 102; a setting associated with the height of at least one portion of the squeegee assembly 102; a setting associated with the amount of paving material dispensed by at least one auger 134; a setting associated with the forward direction of the machine 100; a setting associated with the speed of the machine 100; and / or the like. Selectively adjusting one or more settings associated with the squeegee assembly 102 or the machine 100 may cause the squeegee assembly 102 to pave an additional paving material mat area having a different finish value (e.g., a finish value indicating a more uniform finish for the additional paving material mat area).

[0049] In another example, control device 142 may generate at least one message indicating one or more instructions for adjusting one or more settings associated with scraper assembly 102 or machine 100. Control device 142 may cause the at least one message to be displayed on a display of machine 100 (e.g., displayed in control panel 120).

[0050] As another example, control device 142 may determine that the finish value indicates a uniform finish across paving material mat area 204 and may generate a message suggesting that one or more settings associated with blade assembly 102 or machine 100 should not be adjusted. Control device 142 may cause the message to be displayed on a display of machine 100 (e.g., included in control panel 120).

[0051] As mentioned above, Figure 3 Provided as an example. Other examples can be combined with Figure 3 Different than described.

[0052] Figure 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary process 400 for facilitating a screed assembly in laying a mat of paving material having a uniform finish. Figure 4 One or more processing blocks of may be performed by a control device (e.g., control device 142). In some implementations, Figure 4 One or more processing blocks can be performed by another device or a group of devices that is separate from or includes the control device, such as a sensing device (e.g., at least one sensing device 140), a control panel (e.g., the control panel 120), etc.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, process 400 may include obtaining sensory data associated with an area of ​​a mat of paving material being laid by a blade assembly of a paving machine (block 410 ).

[0054] like Figure 4 As further shown, process 400 may include determining a respective texture value associated with each of two or more portions of the mat of paving material based on the sensory data (block 420 ).

[0055] As in Figure 4 As further shown in FIG. 4 , process 400 may include determining a respective height value associated with each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area based on the sensed data (block 430 ).

[0056] like Figure 4 As further shown, process 400 may include determining a finish value associated with the paving material mat area based on respective texture values ​​of two or more portions of the paving material mat area and / or respective height values ​​of two or more portions of the paving material mat area (block 440 ).

[0057] As in Figure 4As further shown in FIG4 , process 400 may include causing one or more actions to be performed based on the finish value of the paving material mat area (block 450). For example, the control device may cause one or more settings associated with the scraper assembly or the paving machine to be adjusted (e.g., to cause the scraper assembly to pave an additional paving material mat area having a different finish value). As another example, the control device may generate first information indicating the finish value of the paving material mat area and generate second information indicating one or more instructions to adjust one or more settings associated with the scraper assembly or the work machine. The control device may cause the first message and the second message to be displayed on a display of the paving machine.

[0058] Process 400 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0059] although Figure 4 Example blocks of process 400 are shown, but in some implementations, process 400 may include more Figure 4 Those blocks shown may be more blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks.Two or more blocks of process 400 may be performed in parallel.

[0060] Industrial Applicability

[0061] The disclosed control device (e.g., control device 142) can be used to assist any blade assembly of a paving machine in laying a mat of paving material having a uniform finish. The control device can obtain sensory data associated with an area of ​​the mat of paving material being laid by the blade assembly and determine a corresponding texture value and / or a corresponding height value for each of two or more portions of the mat of paving material area. The control device can thereby determine a finish value associated with the mat of paving material area, the finish value indicating whether the mat of paving material area has a uniform finish or a non-uniform finish. Accordingly, the control device can cause one or more actions to be performed based on the finish value, such as automatically adjusting one or more settings associated with the blade assembly.

[0062] Thus, by determining a finish value associated with an area of ​​the paving mat and automatically adjusting one or more settings associated with the scraper assembly, the control device can cause the scraper assembly to lay a paving mat with a more uniform finish than would be achieved if the operator were manually controlling the scraper assembly. This provides a higher quality paving mat, which reduces the likelihood that the paving mat will require repair, tearing, re-laying, etc. This can reduce unnecessary use of the paving machine and / or scraper assembly, which can extend the operating life of the paving machine and / or scraper assembly and / or reduce the amount of maintenance required to maintain the paving machine and / or scraper assembly.

Claims

1. A method of laying a paving mat having a uniform finish, comprising: obtaining sensory data associated with an area of ​​a mat of paving material being laid by a blade assembly of a paving machine; determining, based on the sensed data, a respective texture value associated with each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining, based on the sensed data, a respective height value associated with each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining a finish value associated with the paving material mat area based on respective texture values ​​for two or more portions of the paving material mat area and respective height values ​​for two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining that the finish value associated with the paving material mat region is indicative of an uneven finish of the paving material mat region; as well as Based on determining that the finish value associated with the mat area of ​​paving material indicates an uneven finish of the mat area of ​​paving material, one or more settings associated with the screed assembly or the paving machine are selectively adjusted to cause the screed assembly to pave an additional mat area of ​​paving material, the additional mat area of ​​paving material having a finish value that satisfies a threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensory data comprises image data and / or distance data associated with two or more portions of the paving material mat area, and Wherein determining a respective texture value associated with each of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area comprises: processing the image data to identify at least one segment of the sensed data associated with a particular portion of two or more portions of an area of ​​the paving material mat; as well as At least one segment of the sensory data is processed using a machine learning model to determine a texture value associated with a particular portion of an area of ​​the paving material mat.

3. A method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the sensed data comprises distance data associated with two or more portions of the paving material mat area, and Wherein determining a respective height value associated with each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area comprises: processing the distance data to identify at least one segment of the distance data associated with a particular portion of two or more portions of an area of ​​the paving material mat; as well as The at least one segment of the distance data is processed to determine an elevation value associated with the particular portion of the paving material mat area.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein determining a finish value associated with the paving material mat area comprises: determining a difference between respective texture values ​​of a first portion of two or more portions of the paving material mat area and respective texture values ​​of a second portion of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining whether the difference satisfies a difference threshold; as well as Based on determining whether the difference satisfies the difference threshold, a finish value associated with the paving material mat region is determined.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein determining a finish value associated with the paving material mat area comprises: determining a difference between a respective height value of a first portion of two or more portions of the paving material mat area and a respective height value of a second portion of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area; determining whether the difference satisfies a difference threshold; as well as Based on determining whether the difference satisfies the difference threshold, a finish value associated with the paving material mat region is determined.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more settings include at least one of the following: a setting associated with an angle of attack of at least one portion of the scraper assembly; a setting associated with a height of at least one portion of the scraper assembly; settings associated with an amount of paving material dispensed by at least one auger associated with the screed assembly; settings associated with a direction of travel of the road paver; and Settings associated with the speed of the paver.

7. A machine for laying a mat of paving material having a uniform finish, comprising: a scraper assembly configured to lay a mat of paving material; at least one sensing device configured to capture sensory data associated with two or more portions of an area of ​​the mat of paving material being laid by the screed assembly; The controller is configured to: obtaining the sensory data from the at least one sensing device; determining a respective texture value for each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area or a respective height value for each of two or more portions of the paving material mat area based on the sensed data; determining a finish value for the paving material mat area based on respective texture values ​​for two or more portions of the paving material mat area and respective height values ​​for two or more portions of the paving material mat area; as well as causing one or more actions to be performed based on the finish value of the area of ​​the paving material mat; The sensing data includes distance data, and wherein the controller is configured to, when determining the respective height values ​​for each of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area: analyzing the distance data to identify specific ones of the distance data associated with a specific portion of the two or more portions of the paving material mat area; identifying one or more distances indicated by the specific distance data; and Determining a height value of a specific portion based on one or more distances; and / or The controller is configured to, in determining the finish value of an area of ​​a mat of paving material: determining a range of texture values ​​based on respective texture values ​​of two or more portions of an area of ​​the paving material mat; determining a texture value difference between a maximum texture value and a minimum texture value of a range of texture values; and A finish value is determined based on the texture value difference.

8. The working machine according to claim 7, wherein: The controller is configured, when determining a finish value for an area of ​​the paving material mat: determining at least two texture values ​​associated with an area of ​​the paving material mat based on the sensed data; determining at least two elevation values ​​associated with an area of ​​the mat of paving material based on the sensed data; as well as A finish value for the paving material mat area is determined based on the at least two texture values ​​associated with the paving material mat area and the at least two height values ​​associated with the paving material mat area.

9. The working machine according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein: The controller is configured to, when causing performance of the one or more actions: generating a first message indicating a finish value for the area of ​​the paving material mat; generating a second message indicating one or more instructions to adjust one or more settings associated with the screed assembly or the work machine to cause the screed assembly to pave an additional mat area of ​​paving material having a different finish value; and The first message and the second message are displayed on a display of the work machine.

10. The working machine according to any one of claims 7 to 8, wherein The controller is configured to, when causing the one or more actions to be performed: generating a report entry regarding a finish value for the area of ​​the paving material mat; causing the report entry to be added to a report regarding the finish of the paving material mat; as well as The report is sent to a client device so that the client device displays the report on a display of the client device.

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