Asphalt rolling machine

Abstract

The invention relates to an asphalt roll-leveling machine, which improves the working efficiency. A hopper which is provided on the front side of the tractor, can accommodate a paving material, and can be opened and closed in the vehicle width direction; the conveyor is used for conveying the paving material in the hopper to the rear side of the traction machine; a screw which spreads the paving material conveyed by the conveyor on the rear side of the tractor; and a leveling machine which is connected to the rear part of the traction machine so as to be capable of moving up and down, and which uniformly paves the paving material spread by the screw on the rear side of the screw, the asphalt rolling machine being provided with a control device which is configured so as to acquire a first amount of the paving material fed into the hopper, and to control the first amount of the paving material to be fed into the hopper. And a control unit that calculates a second amount of the paving material fed from the hopper on the basis of a detection result from the detection device, and controls the opening and closing of the hopper on the basis of the first amount of the paving material fed and the second amount of the paving material fed.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-146387 filed on September 8, 2023. The entire contents of the Japanese Patent Application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to an asphalt roller. Background Art

[0003] Conventionally, there is known a road machine (for example, an asphalt roller) including a tractor, a screed machine disposed behind the tractor for evenly spreading a paving material, and a working device for supplying the paving material to the front of the screed machine.

[0004] In the past, an asphalt roller needs to identify the remaining amount of paving materials in order to spread the paving materials evenly. Therefore, for example, a technology has been proposed that uses a camera and an image processing device to identify an image on a conveyor captured by the camera, detects whether an asphalt composite material is loaded on the conveyor, and drives a hopper based on the detected remaining amount (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-139372

[0006] However, the technology to detect the presence of asphalt composite materials is sometimes better using methods other than image recognition. Summary of the invention

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention acquires the amount of paving material put into a hopper and the amount of paving material delivered from the hopper, and appropriately controls the opening and closing of the hopper based on the acquisition results, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0008] An asphalt roller according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a tractor; a hopper which is provided at the front side of the tractor and can accommodate paving materials and can be opened and closed in the vehicle width direction; a conveyor which conveys the paving materials in the hopper to the rear side of the tractor; a screw which spreads the paving materials conveyed by the conveyor at the rear side of the tractor; and a leveler which is connected to the rear part of the tractor in a form capable of moving up and down and evenly spreads the paving materials spread by the screw at the rear side of the screw, wherein the asphalt roller comprises a control device, and the control device is configured as follows: obtaining a first amount of the paving materials put into the hopper; calculating a second amount of the paving materials conveyed from the hopper based on a detection result based on a detection device; and performing opening and closing control of the hopper based on the first amount of the paving materials put in and the second amount of the paving materials conveyed.

[0009] Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing of the hopper is appropriately controlled to improve the work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a construction management system according to one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 A configuration example of an asphalt roller as a road machine according to the embodiment is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a controller of an asphalt roller according to an embodiment and devices connected to the controller.

[0014] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing the opening and closing operation of the hopper according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 It is a figure which shows the opening part of the conveyor of the asphalt roller which concerns on embodiment.

[0016] Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing the processing steps executed by the controller involved in the embodiment.

[0017] In the figure: 100-asphalt roller, 2-hopper, 2a-containing part, 2c-hopper cylinder, 2d-rotating shaft for opening and closing, 3-leveling machine, 42-communication device, 43-positioning device, 44-measuring device, 45-screw speed sensor, 46-conveyor feed speed sensor, 47-travel speed sensor, 50-controller, 50a-acquisition part, 50b-calculation part, 50c-determination part, 50d-hopper control part, 65-operation panel, CV-conveyor, SC-screw, 200-dump truck, 300-equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the embodiments described below are not intended to limit the embodiments of the invention but are intended to be illustrative, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily the essence of the invention. In addition, in each of the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding structures are sometimes marked with the same or corresponding symbols, and the description is omitted.

[0019] [Structure of construction management system]

[0020] First, refer to Figure 1 , the structure of a construction management system SYS involved in one embodiment is described. Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a construction management system SYS according to one embodiment.

[0021] The construction management system SYS is mainly composed of an asphalt roller 100 , a dump truck 200 , and equipment 300 .

[0022] The asphalt roller 100 is a machine used for paving roads, etc. Specifically, the asphalt roller 100 is mainly composed of a tractor 1, a hopper 2, and a screed machine 3. The specific structure of the asphalt roller 100 will be described later.

[0023] The dump truck 200 is an example of a transport vehicle that transports the paving material supplied to the hopper 2 of the asphalt roller 100. Figure 1 In the example shown, the dump truck 200 is a special dump truck for transporting paving materials and is provided with a movable bumper. The dump truck 200 includes a cab 202 and a cargo box 201 .

[0024] When the dump truck 200 is connected to the asphalt roller 100 , the dump truck 200 lifts the cargo box 201 and discharges the paving material from the cargo box 201 into the hopper 2 .

[0025] Equipment 300 is an example of equipment for producing paving materials. Figure 1 In the example shown, the equipment 300 mainly includes a mixer 80, a load tackle 81, a hot silo 82, and the like.

[0026] The mixer 80 is a device for uniformly mixing aggregate, filler (stone powder), asphalt, etc. The load pulley 81 is a device for conveying the mixture discharged from the mixer 80 to the hot silo 82. The hot silo 82 is a device for keeping the mixture produced by the mixer 80 warm and storing it.

[0027] Furthermore, the device 300 is provided with a controller C3, a space recognition device M3 and a communication device T3.

[0028] The controller C3 is a control device provided in the device 300. Figure 1 In the example shown, the controller C3 is a computer including a CPU, a volatile storage device, and a non-volatile storage device, and is disposed in a building attached to the equipment 300. In addition, the controller C3 is configured to be able to control the space recognition device M3 and the communication device T3. The various functions of the controller C3 can be realized by, for example, the CPU executing a program stored in the non-volatile storage device. The various functions realized by the controller C3 include, for example, a function of controlling the movement of the mixer 80, the load tackle 81, and the hot silo 82.

[0029] Furthermore, various functions implemented by the controller C3 include a function of recognizing the dump truck 200 based on the output of the space recognition device M3.

[0030] The space recognition device M3 is configured to monitor the state of the dump truck 200 loaded with paving materials in the equipment 300. The space recognition device M3 is, for example, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser radar, or a LIDAR. When a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, or a laser radar is used as the space recognition device M3, the space recognition device M3 can be configured to send a plurality of signals (such as lasers, etc.) toward an object and receive its reflected signals.

[0031] The controller C3 can recognize the amount of the paving material loaded on the dump truck 200 based on the monitoring result by the space recognition device M3 and the like.

[0032] The communication device T3 is configured to control the communication between the device 300 and an external device. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the communication device T3 is configured to control wireless communication with a communication device mounted on the asphalt roller 100 .

[0033] [Overview of Asphalt Roller]

[0034] Figure 2 A configuration example of an asphalt roller 100 as a road machine according to the present embodiment is shown. Figure 2 (A) shows the side view. Figure 2 The middle (B) shows a top view.

[0035] The asphalt roller 100 is mainly composed of a tractor 1 , a hopper 2 and a leveler 3 .

[0036] The tractor 1 is a mechanism for driving the asphalt roller 100 and towing the screed machine 3. Figure 2 In the example shown, the tractor 1 moves the asphalt roller 100 by rotating the rear wheels 5 using the rear wheel travel motor and rotating the front wheels 6 using the front wheel travel motor. The rear wheel travel motor and the front wheel travel motor are hydraulic motors that rotate by receiving the supply of hydraulic oil from a hydraulic pump. The tractor 1 may be provided with tracks instead of wheels. A driver's seat 1S and an operation panel 65 are arranged on the upper part of the tractor 1.

[0037] The hopper 2, which is an example of a working device, is a mechanism for containing paving materials (for example, asphalt mixture). The hopper 2 is provided on the front side of the tractor 1, and is configured to be openable and closable in the vehicle width direction by a hopper cylinder 2c. Normally, the asphalt roller 100 holds the paving materials discharged from the cargo box 201 of the dump truck 200 with the hopper 2 in a fully open state. Furthermore, even when holding the paving materials discharged from the cargo box 201 of the dump truck 200, the asphalt roller 100 can continue to travel while pushing the dump truck 200 forward via the push roller 2b. Furthermore, if the paving materials in the hopper 2 are reduced, the hopper 2 is closed, and the paving materials located near the inner wall of the hopper 2 are gathered in the center of the hopper 2, whereby the conveyor CV, which is an example of a working device, can supply the paving materials to the screw SC present on the rear side.

[0038] The paving material supplied to the rear side of the tractor 1 is spread in the vehicle width direction by the screw SC at the rear side of the tractor 1 and in front of the screed 3. In the present embodiment, the screw SC is in a state where extension screws are connected to the left and right sides.

[0039] The screed 3 is a mechanism provided at the rear of the tractor 1 and used to evenly spread the paving material spread by the screw SC. In the present embodiment, it is configured to be able to rise and fall (move) in the vertical direction (up and down direction) and to be able to extend and retract in the vehicle width direction by means of a hydraulic cylinder. The width of the screed 3 is greater than the width of the tractor 1 when it extends in the vehicle width direction. In the present embodiment, the screed 3 includes a main screed 30, a left telescopic screed 31L, and a right telescopic screed 31R. The left telescopic screed 31L and the right telescopic screed 31R are configured to be able to extend and retract in the vehicle width direction (Y-axis direction). Moreover, the left telescopic screed 31L and the right telescopic screed 31R that can extend and retract in the vehicle width direction are offset from each other in the traveling direction (X-axis direction). Therefore, it is possible to have a longer width (length in the vehicle width direction) than when it is not offset, and it is possible to further extend in the vehicle width direction, so that a wider newly installed pavement body can be constructed.

[0040] The controller 50 is a control unit for controlling the asphalt roller 100. The controller 50 is, for example, a computer including a CPU, a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, etc. The controller 50 is a computer including a CPU and a RAM, and is mounted on the tractor 1. Various functions of the controller 50 are realized by, for example, the CPU executing a program stored in an auxiliary storage device.

[0041] The auxiliary storage device is a device for storing various information. In the present embodiment, the auxiliary storage device is a nonvolatile memory and is incorporated into the controller 50. However, the auxiliary storage device may be arranged outside the controller 50 as a structure different from the controller 50.

[0042] The display device 52 is a device for displaying various information. In the present embodiment, it is a liquid crystal display provided on the operation panel 65 , and displays various images output by the controller 50 .

[0043] The fixing plate 70 is a plate-shaped member for preventing the paving material fed in the vehicle width direction by the screw SC from scattering in front of the screw SC so as to accurately feed the paving material in the vehicle width direction by the screw SC.

[0044] The side plate 71 is also mounted on the distal end of the shaping plate 72. The shaping plate 72 is a component for adjusting the amount of paving material remaining in front of the left telescopic screed machine 31L and the right telescopic screed machine 31R among the paving materials spread by the screw SC, and is configured to be able to extend and retract in the vehicle width direction together with the left telescopic screed machine 31L and the right telescopic screed machine 31R.

[0045] Next, refer to Figure 3 , the controller 50 mounted on the asphalt roller 100 will be described. Figure 3 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the controller 50 of the asphalt roller 100 according to the present embodiment and devices connected to the controller 50 .

[0046] The communication device 42 wirelessly communicates with devices around the asphalt roller 100 or a server managing the construction site. In this embodiment, as the wireless communication standard of the communication device 42, for example, any one or more of Wi-Fi (registered trademark), wireless LAN, and Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used.

[0047] The positioning device 43 is configured to detect the position of the asphalt roller 100. In the present embodiment, the positioning device 43 is a GNSS receiver. The position of the asphalt roller 100 is expressed using a reference coordinate system. That is, the position of the asphalt roller 100 is determined using coordinates in the reference coordinate system. The reference coordinate system is, for example, a world geodetic coordinate system. The world geodetic coordinate system is a three-dimensional rectangular XYZ coordinate system in which the origin is placed at the center of gravity of the earth, the X-axis is taken in the direction of the intersection of the Greenwich meridian and the equator, the Y-axis is taken in the direction of 90 degrees east longitude, and the Z-axis is taken in the direction of the North Pole.

[0048] The measuring device 44 is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, or a LIDAR, etc. The measuring device 44 measures the distance to the roadbed before spreading the paving material and the distance to the road surface (the surface of the paving material) paved by the screed machine 3, and outputs the difference between the measured distances as the thickness of the paving material to the controller 50.

[0049] The screw rotation speed sensor 45 is configured to detect the rotation speed of the screw SC. Figure 3In the example shown, the screw rotation speed sensor 45 is an encoder that detects the angular velocity of the rotating shaft of the hydraulic motor that drives the screw SC. The screw rotation speed sensor 45 may be constituted by a non-contact switch or the like that detects a slit formed in a rotating plate.

[0050] The conveyor feed speed sensor 46 is configured to detect the feed speed of the conveyor CV. Figure 3 In the example shown, the conveyor feed speed sensor 46 is an encoder that detects the angular velocity of the rotating shaft of the hydraulic motor that drives the conveyor CV. The conveyor feed speed sensor 46 may be constituted by a non-contact switch that detects the slit formed in the rotating plate.

[0051] The travel speed sensor 47 is configured to detect the travel speed of the asphalt roller 100. Figure 3 In the example shown, the travel speed sensor 47 is an encoder that detects the angular velocity of the rotation shaft of the rear wheel travel motor that drives the rear wheels 5 of the tractor 1. The travel speed sensor 47 may be a non-contact switch that detects a slit formed in a rotating plate.

[0052] The hopper cylinder 2c is configured to open and close the hopper 2 in the vehicle width direction.

[0053] Figure 4 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the opening and closing operation of the hopper 2 according to the present embodiment. Figure 4 As shown, the hopper 2 has a symmetric housing 2a, a hopper cylinder 2c, and an opening and closing rotation shaft 2d. Two conveyors CV are extended between the symmetric housings 2a.

[0054] The accommodating portion 2a of the hopper 2 is provided to be openable and closable with reference to the opening and closing rotation shaft 2d. The accommodating portion 2a is opened and closed by the expansion and contraction control of the hopper cylinder 2c. The expansion and contraction control of the hopper cylinder 2c is performed by the controller 50.

[0055] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, when the storage portion 2a is in the open state, the paving material discharged from the dump truck 200 is stored in the storage portion 2a. When the storage portion 2a is closed, the paving material stored in the storage portion 2a moves to the conveyor CV. Then, the paving material moved to the conveyor CV is supplied to the leveler 3.

[0056] Back to Figure 3 More specifically, the controller 50 includes an acquisition unit 50a, a calculation unit 50b, a determination unit 50c, a hopper control unit 50d, and an output control unit 50e as functional blocks composed of software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

[0057] The acquisition unit 50a acquires various information. The acquisition unit 50a acquires information received by the communication device 42 or detection information from various sensors.

[0058] The acquisition unit 50a acquires information from the external device via the communication device 42. For example, the acquisition unit 50a acquires information indicating the amount of paving materials put into the hopper 2 from the external device via the communication device 42. For example, the acquisition unit 50a acquires the amount of paving materials loaded on the dump truck 200 received via the communication device T3 from the controller C3 of the equipment 300 as information indicating the amount of paving materials put into the hopper 2 from the dump truck 200.

[0059] The amount of paving material involved in this embodiment can be any reference for determining whether to load the hopper 2, for example, the volume of the paving material or the weight of the paving material. In addition, the controller 50 can store the density of the paving material in advance, and calculate the weight from the volume or the volume from the weight as needed.

[0060] The method of acquiring information indicating the amount of paving materials is not limited to the method of receiving from the controller C3 of the device 300, and any method can be used. For example, the loading amount of paving materials at the time of leaving the factory is recorded on the shipping order of the dump truck 200. Therefore, the acquisition unit 50a can read the shipping order (an example of a medium) of the dump truck 200 through a camera device (not shown), extract the information indicating the loading amount of paving materials shown in the shipping order, and acquire the extracted information as the information indicating the amount of paving materials put into the hopper 2. In addition, the reading of the shipping order can also be performed by an external device (for example, a mobile communication terminal). Moreover, any staff member can input the loading amount of paving materials shown in the shipping order to the external device (for example, a mobile communication terminal). Moreover, the acquisition unit 50a can acquire the information indicating the loading amount of paving materials from the external device as the information indicating the amount of paving materials put into the hopper 2. In addition, the object to be read is not limited to the shipping order, for example, the maximum loading amount shown in the vehicle inspection certificate (an example of a medium) can also be acquired as the loading amount of paving materials.

[0061] In addition, a deadweight meter for detecting the load weight may be provided in the dump truck 200. Therefore, the acquisition unit 50a may acquire the load weight measured by the deadweight meter from the dump truck 200 via the communication device 42 as the amount of the thrown paving material.

[0062] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a may acquire the difference between the weight of the dump truck 200 measured by the weight measuring device before discharging the paving material and the weight of the dump truck 200 measured by the weight measuring device after discharging the paving material as information indicating the amount of the paving material dropped from the dump truck 200 into the hopper 2. The weight measuring device of the dump truck 200 only needs to be disposed on the path from the equipment 300 to the asphalt roller 100.

[0063] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a may receive the amount of paving materials loaded on the dump truck 200 from an external device that can communicate with the fixed-point camera device installed at the construction site. For example, the external device may be a monitoring device that monitors the construction site, and the amount of paving materials loaded in the cargo box 201 of the dump truck 200 may be inferred based on the image information captured by the fixed-point camera device installed at the construction site, and the inferred amount of paving materials may be sent to the asphalt roller 100.

[0064] The acquisition unit 50a according to the present embodiment acquires the amount of the paving material by the above-mentioned method, thereby being able to acquire the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 without providing a detection device or the like for detection in the asphalt roller 100. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a detection device or the like, so that the cost can be reduced, and even when the surrounding conditions change, such as when the detection device cannot be used, the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 can be acquired. Therefore, the controller 50 according to the present embodiment can improve the accuracy of the opening and closing control of the hopper 2 based on the amount of the paving material put.

[0065] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a may also acquire information indicating the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 from the operation panel 65. For example, when the dump truck 200 starts to discharge the paving material, the operator inputs information indicating the amount of the paving material loaded on the dump truck 200 into the operation panel 65, and the acquisition unit 50a acquires information indicating the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 from the operation panel 65. For example, the operator can identify the paving material loaded on the dump truck 200 by referring to the shipping list.

[0066] In this way, the acquisition unit 50a acquires information indicating the amount (first amount) of the paving material put into the hopper 2 based on the input operation from the operator via the operation panel 65 or the communication from the external device. In this way, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a detection device or the like for measuring the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2, so that the cost can be reduced.

[0067] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a acquires the time when the paving material is dropped from the dump truck 200. The time when the paving material is dropped from the dump truck 200 may also be acquired from the input operation performed by the operator through the operation panel 65. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a may also acquire the time when the dump truck 200 lifts the cargo box 201. For example, the time when the dump truck 200 lifts the cargo box 201 may be received from the dump truck 200 via the communication device 42, or may be received via a monitoring device (not shown) that monitors the movement of the dump truck 200. Thus, the acquisition unit 50a can acquire the amount of paving material dropped from the dump truck 200 and the time when the paving material is dropped from the dump truck 200.

[0068] The acquisition unit 50a acquires the position information of the asphalt roller 100 from the positioning device 43. The acquisition unit 50a acquires the information indicating the thickness of the paving material in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) from the measuring device 44. The acquisition unit 50a acquires the rotation speed information of the screw SC from the screw rotation speed sensor 45. The acquisition unit 50a acquires the conveying speed information of the conveyor CV from the conveyor feed speed sensor 46.

[0069] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a acquires the speed information of the asphalt roller 100 detected by the travel speed sensor 47. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 50a acquires the steering angle information from the tractor 1.

[0070] The calculation unit 50b calculates the amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 (an example of the second amount) based on the detection result by the detection device.

[0071] For example, the calculation unit 50b calculates the amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 based on the conveying speed information of the paving material acquired from the conveyor feed speed sensor 46 and the area of ​​the opening of the conveyor CV.

[0072] Figure 5 It is a figure which shows the opening part of the conveyor CV of the asphalt roller 100 which concerns on this embodiment. Figure 5 Indicates that the +X axis direction is referenced Figure 2 An example of a cross section AA' of an asphalt roller 100 is shown in (A). Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , openings 401 and 402 are provided so as to correspond to the two conveyors CV, respectively. The openings 401 and 402 are respectively set to have a width Wc and a height H.

[0073] Conveyor CV passes through Figure 5 The openings 401 , 402 shown deliver the paving material to the screed machine 3 .

[0074] The calculation unit 50b calculates the amount of paving material delivered from the hopper 2 based on the area of ​​the openings 401 and 402 (an example of the opening area) and the conveying speed Vc of the conveyor CV. Specifically, the calculation unit 50b calculates the amount Q of paving material delivered from the hopper 2 for each of the openings 401 and 402 using the following formula (1). In addition, the correction coefficient ηa is determined based on the ratio of the paving material present in each of the openings 401 and 402 of the conveyor CV and the density of the paving material. As shown in the formula (1), by integrating Vc×Wc×H×ηa over time, the amount (for example, weight) of the paving material delivered during the time can be calculated. In the present embodiment, by performing the above calculation, the amount of paving material delivered can be calculated with high accuracy for each of the openings 401 and 402. Therefore, the controller 50 can improve the accuracy of the opening and closing control of the hopper 2 based on the amount of paving material delivered for each of the openings 401 and 402.

[0075] Q=∫(Vc×Wc×H×ηa)dt……(1)

[0076] In addition, the present embodiment is not limited to the method of calculating the amount of paving material delivered from hopper 2 based on the delivery speed of the paving material obtained from the conveyor feed speed sensor 46 and the area of ​​the opening of the conveyor CV. Therefore, other methods of calculating the amount of paving material delivered from other hoppers 2 will be described.

[0077] For example, the calculation unit 50b can calculate the amount of paving material delivered from the hopper based on the rotation speed of the screw SC used to spread the paving material and the shape of the screw SC (for example, the projected area of ​​the screw SC and the pitch of the screw SC). The rotation speed Nsc of the screw SC is shown in the rotation speed information obtained from the screw rotation speed sensor 45. The projected area Ap (the area of ​​the screw diameter (of the portion of the blade that transports the paving material) projected) and the pitch P of the screw SC are predetermined. Specifically, the calculation unit 50b calculates the amount (for example, weight) Q of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 using the following formula (2). In addition, the correction coefficient ηb is determined based on the corresponding relationship between the rotation speed of the screw SC and the amount of paving material spread from the screw SC. In this embodiment, by performing the above-mentioned calculation, the amount of paving material delivered can be calculated with high accuracy. Therefore, the controller 50 can improve the accuracy of the opening and closing control of the hopper 2 based on the amount of paving material delivered.

[0078] Q=∫(Ap×P×Nsc×ηb)dt……(2)

[0079] As another example, the calculation unit 50b can calculate the amount Q of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 based on the area S of the road surface paved by the screed machine 3 and the thickness th of the paving material spread on the road surface. Specifically, the calculation unit 50b calculates the amount Q of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 by multiplying the area S of the road surface, the thickness th of the road surface, and the correction coefficient ηc. The thickness th of the paving material is based on the thickness of the paving material in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) measured by the measuring device 44. The area S of the road surface is calculated based on the steering angle of the asphalt roller 100 (in other words, the curvature of the road surface) in addition to the road surface width W constructed by the asphalt roller 100, the moving speed V of the asphalt roller 100, and the moving time T of the asphalt roller 100. The method for calculating the area of ​​the road surface based on this information can be a known method, so the description is omitted. The road surface width W can be obtained from the construction information, or it can be the width of the screed machine 3. The correction coefficient ηc is determined based on the ratio of paving material per unit volume of the road surface and the density of the paving material. Furthermore, the correction coefficient ηc may be adjusted by taking into account the curvature of the road surface and the acceleration and deceleration corresponding to the curvature radius when the asphalt roller 100 turns.

[0080] The moving speed V of the asphalt roller 100 is based on the speed information obtained from the travel speed sensor 47. In addition, in the present embodiment, the method of obtaining the moving speed V of the asphalt roller 100 is not limited to the speed information obtained from the travel speed sensor 47. For example, the moving speed of the asphalt roller 100 can also be derived based on the wheel speed of the front wheel 6. In addition, the moving distance per unit time of the asphalt roller 100 can also be derived based on the change in the position of the asphalt roller 100 per unit time represented by the position information obtained from the positioning device 43. In the present embodiment, by performing the above-mentioned calculation, the amount of the paving material discharged can be calculated with high accuracy. Therefore, the controller 50 can improve the accuracy of the opening and closing control of the hopper 2 based on the amount of the paving material discharged.

[0081] The calculation unit 50 b further calculates the amount of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 based on the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 and the amount Q of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 acquired by the acquisition unit 50 a .

[0082] The determination unit 50 c determines the amount of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 .

[0083] The hopper control unit 50d controls the opening and closing of the hopper 2 based on the determination result of the determination unit 50c based on the amount of the paving material put in and the amount of the paving material delivered. Specifically, the hopper control unit 50d outputs a control command for extending and retracting the hopper cylinder 2c to control the opening and closing of the hopper 2.

[0084] For example, the determination unit 50c determines whether the amount (for example, weight or volume) of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 is less than a first threshold. When it is determined that the amount of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 is greater than the first threshold, the hopper control unit 50d does not particularly control the opening and closing of the hopper 2.

[0085] On the other hand, when the determination unit 50c determines that the amount of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 is less than the first threshold value, the hopper control unit 50d controls to gradually close the hopper 2. The closing speed of the hopper 2 is determined according to the embodiment. The hopper control unit 50d controls to close the hopper 2, thereby moving the paving material loaded in the storage part 2a of the hopper 2 to the conveyor CV.

[0086] Then, the determination unit 50c determines whether the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 is less than a second threshold value (second threshold value < first threshold value). When it is determined that the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 is greater than the second threshold value and less than the first threshold value, the hopper control unit 50d continues the control of gradually closing the hopper 2.

[0087] On the other hand, when the determination unit 50c determines that the amount of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 is less than the second threshold value, the hopper control unit 50d repeats the control of opening the hopper 2 and the control of closing the hopper 2. The hopper control unit 50d repeats the control of opening the hopper 2 and the control of closing the hopper 2, so that the paving material attached to the storage part 2a of the hopper 2 falls onto the conveyor CV.

[0088] When the dump truck 200 approaches the asphalt roller 100, the hopper control unit 50d controls the hopper 2 to open. This allows the paving material to be discharged from the dump truck 200. The control to open the hopper 2 may be performed based on an operation by an operator or based on a detection result of a detection device provided in the asphalt roller 100 detecting that the dump truck 200 is approaching.

[0089] The output control unit 50e outputs information related to the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 calculated based on the amount of paving material put into the hopper 2 and the amount Q of paving material delivered from the hopper 2 to the display device 52. The information related to the amount (remaining amount) of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 may be in any form, for example, it may be the weight of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 or the volume of the paving material. In addition, there is also a method in which the output control unit 50e outputs a numerical value (for example, %) or an indicator indicating the amount of paving material currently loaded in the hopper 2 relative to the amount of paving material that can be loaded in the hopper 2 to the display device 52.

[0090] Furthermore, the output control unit 50e does not limit the output destination of the information on the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 to the display device 52. For example, there is also a method in which the output control unit 50e outputs the information on the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 to an external device.

[0091] Next, the processing steps executed by the controller 50 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing the processing procedure executed by the controller 50 according to the present embodiment.

[0092] The acquisition unit 50a acquires the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 from the dump truck 200 (step S1501). The acquisition method of acquiring the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 uses the above-mentioned method, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

[0093] The acquisition unit 50a acquires detection information for calculating the amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 from the detection device (step S1502).

[0094] The calculation unit 50b calculates the amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper 2 based on the detection result by the detection device (step S1503).

[0095] The calculation unit 50b calculates the amount of the paving material loaded in the hopper 2 based on the amount of the paving material put into the hopper 2 and the amount of the paving material transported from the hopper 2 (step S1504).

[0096] Then, the determination unit 50c determines whether the amount of the loaded paving material is less than the second threshold value (step S1505). When the determination unit 50c determines that the amount of the loaded paving material is less than the second threshold value (step S1505: "Yes"), the hopper control unit 50d performs control to repeat the opening and closing of the hopper 2 (step S1506). After a predetermined time has passed, the process moves to step S1509.

[0097] On the other hand, when the determination unit 50c determines that the amount of the loaded paving material is greater than the second threshold value (step S1505: No), the determination unit 50c determines whether the amount of the loaded paving material is less than or equal to the first threshold value (step S1507).

[0098] When the determination unit 50c determines that the amount of the loaded paving material is less than the first threshold value (step S1507: Yes), the hopper control unit 50d controls the hopper 2 to gradually close (step S1508). Then, after a predetermined time has passed, the process moves to step S1507. In addition, the speed of closing the hopper 2 is adjusted according to the embodiment such as the conveying speed of the conveyor CV.

[0099] When the determination unit 50c determines that the amount of the loaded paving material is greater than the first threshold value (step S1507: No), no particular control is performed.

[0100] Then, the determination unit 50c determines whether the dump truck 200 has approached the asphalt roller 100 (step S1509). This determination may be based on an input operation from an operator indicating that the dump truck 200 has approached, or may be based on a detection result of a detection device provided in the asphalt roller 100.

[0101] Then, when the determination unit 50c determines that the dump truck 200 is not approaching the asphalt roller 100 (step S1509: No), the process moves to step S1511.

[0102] On the other hand, when the determination unit 50c determines that the dump truck 200 is approaching the asphalt roller 100 (step S1509: Yes), the hopper control unit 50d performs control to open the hopper 2 (step S1510).

[0103] Then, the determination unit 50c determines whether the paving material has been put in from the dump truck 200 (step S1511). This determination is based on the time when the dump truck 200 puts in the paving material obtained from the acquisition unit 50a. For example, it can be determined based on whether a notification that the cargo box 201 has been lifted is received from the dump truck 200 or the monitoring device, or it can be determined based on whether an input operation is performed by the operator via the operation panel 65 to indicate that the cargo box 201 has been put in.

[0104] When the determination unit 50c determines that the paving material has not been dropped from the dump truck 200 (step S1511: No), the process starts from step S1502.

[0105] On the other hand, when the determination unit 50c determines that the paving material has been put in from the dump truck 200 (step S1511: "Yes"), the processing starts from step S1501. That is, the subsequent processing is performed based on the amount of paving material newly acquired by the acquisition unit 50a from the external device or input operation. In addition, when there is paving material remaining in the hopper 2, the acquisition unit 50a can add the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper to the amount of paving material received or input operation from the external device. As a result, the amount of paving material is updated at the moment when the paving material is put in from the dump truck 200, so that the calculation accuracy of the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper 2 can be improved.

[0106] In addition, the opening and closing control of the hopper 2 in this embodiment is an example and is not limited to the above-mentioned opening and closing control. For example, when the amount of paving materials loaded in the hopper 2 is less than a predetermined threshold value, the controller 50 may only perform one of the gradual closing control and the repeated opening and closing control, or may perform other controls. That is, as long as the opening and closing control of the hopper 2 is corresponding to the amount of paving materials loaded in the hopper 2, it will be sufficient.

[0107] (Variation Example)

[0108] The above embodiment describes the case where the correction coefficient corresponding to the calculation mode is used. However, the above embodiment is not limited to the method of using the correction coefficient corresponding to the calculation mode, and it may be a coefficient that takes into account the conditions when the asphalt roller 100 is working in addition to the calculation mode. Therefore, in this modification, the case where the correction coefficient that takes into account the conditions when the asphalt roller 100 is working is described. In addition, this modification can use any calculation mode among the calculation modes of the amount Q of paving materials shown in the above embodiment.

[0109] For example, the correction coefficient according to the present modification may be adjusted according to the weather, humidity, temperature, road surface conditions, the type of composite material included in the paving material, etc. when the asphalt roller 100 performs the construction.

[0110] As a method of adjusting the correction coefficient in consideration of the conditions during construction, any method may be used, for example, a preset function may be used. In this modification, as an example of calculation of the correction coefficient using a function, a case where a learned model is used is described.

[0111] In this modification, a learning device for performing machine learning may be provided as the construction management system SYS. The learning device may be, for example, a local server provided in the equipment 300 or a remote monitoring area, or a cloud service.

[0112] The learning device performs machine learning using the current conditions based on at least one of weather, humidity, temperature, road surface conditions, and the types of composite materials included in the paving material and the correction coefficients corresponding to the current conditions as training data, thereby generating a learned model. As machine learning, for example, deep learning can be considered. Specifically, as machine learning, a method of using a neural network and learning by back propagation can be considered, but other methods can also be used.

[0113] When information indicating the current conditions based on any one or more of weather, humidity, temperature, road surface conditions, and types of composite materials included in paving materials is input, the learned model outputs a correction coefficient corresponding to the current conditions. The information indicating the current conditions may be input by an operator or received from an external device via the communication device 42.

[0114] The learning device outputs the learned model to the asphalt roller 100. The output method may be any method, for example, it may be transmitted via a public network, or it may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 48 via a removable non-volatile memory.

[0115] Then, the learned model is stored in the auxiliary storage device 48 of the asphalt roller 100 .

[0116] The calculation unit 50b of the asphalt roller 100 of this modification obtains the correction coefficient by inputting the current situation to the learned model stored in the auxiliary storage device 48. The calculation of the amount Q of the paving material using the correction coefficient is the same as that of the above embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0117] For example, even if the conveying speed of the conveyor CV does not change, the amount of paving material conveyed by the conveyor CV may change depending on weather, humidity, temperature, etc. Therefore, in this modification, a correction coefficient corresponding to the current situation is used.

[0118] As described above, in this modification, by using the learned model to determine the correction coefficient, it is possible to improve the calculation accuracy of the amount Q of the paving material.

[0119] <Function>

[0120] In the above embodiment, the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper is calculated by a method other than image recognition, and the opening and closing of the hopper is controlled according to the amount of paving material loaded in the hopper. Therefore, image recognition and the like are suppressed for the opening and closing control of the hopper, thereby reducing the processing load. In addition, since the processing load is reduced, it is not necessary to carry a high-cost computing device, thereby reducing costs.

[0121] Furthermore, as in the past, when recognizing the amount of the loaded paving material from the image, there is a situation where the amount of the paving material is difficult to recognize due to low light levels at night. In contrast, in the controller 50 according to the above embodiment, the amount of the loaded paving material can be calculated regardless of changes in the surrounding conditions, so that the opening and closing of the hopper can be controlled at an appropriate time, thereby achieving improved work efficiency.

[0122] The above is an explanation of the embodiment of the asphalt roller involved in the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, etc. Various changes, corrections, replacements, additions, deletions and combinations can be made within the scope of the technical solution. Of course, these also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An asphalt roller, comprising: Tractor; A hopper, which is provided at the front side of the tractor and can accommodate paving materials and can be opened and closed in the vehicle width direction; a conveyor for conveying the paving material in the hopper to the rear side of the tractor; a screw that spreads the paving material conveyed by the conveyor at the rear side of the tractor; and A leveler is connected to the rear of the tractor in a manner that allows it to move up and down, and evenly spreads the paving material spread by the screw on the rear side of the screw. The asphalt roller is provided with a control device, and the control device is configured as follows: obtaining a first amount of the paving material put into the hopper; calculating a second amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper based on a detection result by the detection device; The opening and closing of the hopper is controlled based on a first amount of the paving material fed in and a second amount of the paving material fed out.

2. The asphalt roller according to claim 1, wherein: The control device is configured to acquire information indicating a first amount of the paving material put into the hopper based on an input operation performed by an operator or communication from an external device.

3. The asphalt roller according to claim 2, wherein: The information indicating the first amount of the paving material is information indicating the difference between the weight of the dump truck measured before discharging the paving material into the hopper and the weight of the dump truck measured after discharging the paving material, information indicating the load capacity of the dump truck, information extracted from a medium indicating the amount of the paving material loaded on the dump truck, information inferred from image information of a camera device that photographed the dump truck, or information indicating the amount of the paving material loaded on the dump truck by equipment that produces the paving material.

4. The asphalt roller according to claim 1, wherein: The control device outputs information on the amount of the paving material present in the hopper based on the first amount and the second amount to a display device or an external device.

5. The asphalt roller according to claim 1, wherein: The control device is configured to calculate a second amount of the paving material conveyed from the hopper based on a conveying speed of the paving material by the conveyor and an opening area of ​​the conveyor.

6. The asphalt roller according to claim 1, wherein: The control device is configured to calculate a second amount of the paving material fed from the hopper based on the rotation speed of the screw for spreading the paving material.

7. The asphalt roller according to claim 1, wherein: The control device is configured to calculate a second amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper based on an area of ​​a road surface paved by the screed machine and a thickness of the paving material spread on the road surface.

8. The asphalt roller according to claim 1, wherein: The control device uses a correction coefficient when calculating the second amount of the paving material delivered from the hopper based on the detection result of the detection device. The correction factor is adjusted according to the conditions of the asphalt roller during construction.

Images