Unit for determining remaining use capacity of energy supply source, road construction machine and paving vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a unit (15) for determining the residual use capacity (18) of an energy supply source (17), and the energy supply source (17) is connected to at least one electric appliance (16) used on a road construction machine (1). Or to a road construction machine (1) having at least one unit (15) for determining the remaining use capacity (18) or to a paving vehicle (37) comprising at least one road construction machine (1). The unit (15) is adapted to indicate a remaining usage capacity (18) determined on the basis of a current state of charge (19) of the energy supply (17) as a remaining usage duration (18a), a remaining usage range (18b) and / or a remaining usage area (18c) of the at least one consumer (16).

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present utility model relates to a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity of at least one energy supply source connected to at least one electrical consumer used on a road construction machine, and to a road construction machine or paver having at least one unit for determining the remaining usable capacity. Background Art

[0002] Methods or devices for determining the charge state of an energy supply source that supplies energy to an electrical consumer are known in the prior art. The charge state is usually determined as the state of charge (SOC) and output as a percentage to a receiver. The disadvantage of the prior art is that the receiver cannot accurately enough identify whether the electrical consumer can complete a predetermined work item under the charge state of the energy supply source. Summary of the Utility Model

[0003] Based on the known prior art, the technical problem to be solved is to specify a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity of at least one energy supply source connected to at least one electrical consumer used on a road construction machine, a road construction machine or paver having at least one unit for determining the remaining usable capacity, and the unit enables simple and effective determination and indication of the remaining usable capacity.

[0004] According to the present utility model, this object is solved by a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity of at least one energy supply source connected to at least one electrical consumer on a road construction machine, and a road construction machine or paver having at least one unit for determining the remaining usable capacity.

[0005] One aspect of the present utility model relates to a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity of at least one energy supply source connected to at least one electrical consumer used on a road construction machine. The unit is adapted to indicate the remaining usable capacity determined based on the current charge state of the energy supply source as the remaining usable duration, remaining usable range, and / or remaining usable area of at least one consumer. This enables simple and effective determination and indication of the remaining usable capacity of the energy supply source. Optionally, a user-friendly indication of the remaining usable capacity can be achieved. Preferably, the acceptance of the unit by the operator of the unit can be improved.

[0006] The road construction machine can be, for example, a road paver, a feeder of a road paver, a roller, or a milling machine. The energy supply source can be, for example, a battery, preferably a rechargeable battery.

[0007] In principle, the consumer can be a consumer required for the use of any road construction machine. For example, in a road paver, the consumer can be an electric heating device, an electrically operated electro-hydraulic unit, an electric longitudinal conveyor, an electric cross conveyor, and / or an electric chassis drive of the road paver. In a feeder, the consumer can be, for example, an electric conveyor for paving material, an electric heating device, and / or an electric chassis drive of the feeder. In a roller, the consumer can be, for example, an electric roller drive and / or an electric chassis drive of the roller. In a milling machine, the consumer can be, for example, an electric longitudinal conveyor, an electric milling drive, and / or an electric chassis drive of the milling machine.

[0008] The energy supply source can be connected to only one consumer or multiple consumers to supply energy. Optionally, the consumer can be connected to only one energy supply source or multiple energy supply sources to supply energy. The unit can be adapted to indicate not only the remaining usage capacity but also the current charge state of the energy supply source. The charge state of the energy supply source can be indicated, for example, as a percentage (e.g., state of charge (SOC)) or as a bar graph. The remaining usage duration can be determined and indicated in hours and / or minutes and / or seconds. The remaining usage range can be determined and indicated in kilometers and / or meters and / or centimeters. The remaining usage area can be determined and indicated in square meters. When determining the remaining usage area, for example, the target working width of the paving layer to be produced or removed can be considered.

[0009] It is conceivable that the determined remaining usage area (especially if it is indicated on a paver) refers to the paving area that can still be carried out based on the charge state of the energy supply source. In one embodiment, the determined remaining usage area can be indicated on a roller, and thus, in particular, the paving area that still needs to be compacted in the paving direction of the new paving layer laid in front of it based on the charge state of the energy supply source installed in the roller can be shown to the roller operator.

[0010] The unit of the remaining usage capacity can be manually set and / or changed (e.g., through a user interface), and / or automatically set and / or changed by the unit. For example, the operator of the road construction machine can individually determine in which unit the remaining usage duration, the remaining usage range, and / or the remaining usage area are indicated. For example, the operator can be the driver of the road construction machine and / or the screed operator of the road construction machine.

[0011] Preferably, the unit is adapted to indicate, by means of a consumer, a target usage capacity required for a planned work measure as a target usage duration, a target usage range, and / or a target usage area. Depending on the work measure planned by means of the consumer, a certain target usage capacity may be required to carry out the work measure successfully or completely. For example, it can be planned as part of the work measure that the consumer still has to be used for spreading or compaction over a certain distance, a certain period of time, and / or a certain area to carry out the desired work measure. The advantage of this embodiment is that the operator can easily see at any time which target usage capacity is required to carry out the work measure. Optionally, it can facilitate the operator's decision as to whether the planned work measure can be carried out using the remaining usage capacity. In the best case, the reliability of the operator's correct assessment is increased. Optionally, the scheduling and / or resource planning related to the work measure can be improved or facilitated. The target usage duration can be determined and indicated in hours and / or minutes and / or seconds. The target usage range can be determined and indicated in kilometers and / or meters and / or centimeters. The target usage area can be determined and indicated in square meters. In particular, the target usage area can be determined based on the target working width and the target working length of the paving layer to be produced or removed (in particular to be milled off). The unit of the target usage capacity can be determined and / or changed manually (e.g., via a user interface) and / or automatically. For example, the operator of the unit can individually select the unit indicating the target usage duration, the target usage range, and / or the target usage area. This can improve the user-friendliness of the unit and optionally the acceptance by the operator.

[0012] Preferably, the determination of the remaining service capacity is based on the current operating conditions of the electrical appliance, in particular the current energy demand and / or the average energy demand of the electrical appliance. By means of this embodiment, the accuracy of the determination of the remaining service capacity can be improved. The average value of the energy demand can be recorded and calculated over a fixed or variable time period. This time period can be, for example, at least about three minutes, preferably at least about five minutes. The time period can be at most about 20 minutes, preferably at most about 10 minutes. In particular, by determining the current energy demand, possible defects of the electrical appliance can be determined, which may affect or reduce the remaining service capacity. The current operating condition of the electrical appliance may be affected by the current operating temperature of the consumer of the road construction machine, the set rotational speed of the compaction unit, the set heating temperature of the heating device or the set conveying speed of the conveying device. This unit can be adapted to use a thermometer (such as an infrared thermometer or a surface thermometer) to determine the current operating temperature of the consumer. For example, if the consumer is not currently operating, it cannot affect the current charge state of the energy supply source and thus cannot affect the remaining service capacity to be determined. On the other hand, if the consumer is currently operating, it may use some energy from the energy supply source according to its current operating conditions, so that the current charge state of the energy supply source may change, in particular decrease. This enables the consumer to influence the determined remaining service capacity via its current operating conditions. By means of this embodiment, the accuracy of the determination of the remaining service capacity can be improved.

[0013] Preferably, the determination of the remaining service capacity is based on the current operating conditions of the energy supply source, in particular on the current operating temperature and / or the uniform or fluctuating load of the energy supply source. Temperature or load fluctuations of the energy supply source may cause the energy stored in the energy supply source not to be optimally utilized. By using this embodiment, the accuracy of determining the remaining service capacity can be improved. The current operating temperature of the energy supply source can be measured, for example, using a thermometer (such as an infrared thermometer or a surface thermometer). The load of the energy supply source may be affected by current and / or voltage peaks. If the current and / or voltage peaks do not exceed and / or fall below the thresholds defined for the consumer, the load may be uniform.

[0014] Preferably, the determination of the remaining service capacity is based on a comparison of the current operating conditions of the consumer with the target operating conditions of the consumer and / or a comparison of the current operating conditions of the energy supply source with the target operating conditions of the energy supply source. The target operating conditions of the consumer and / or the target operating conditions of the energy supply source may originate from the manufacture of the consumer or the energy supply source, such as a consumer or energy supply source data sheet. The target operating conditions of the consumer may be the target rotational speed of a compaction unit of a road construction machine, the target heating temperature of a heating device, or the target conveying speed of a conveying device. The target operating conditions of the energy supply source may be the target operating temperature of the energy supply source and / or the uniform load of the energy supply source. The target operating conditions of the consumer and / or the target operating conditions of the energy supply source may indicate the conditions under which the consumer or the energy supply source operates ideally. The work result produced by the consumer is optimal, then its work is considered ideal. When the capacity of the energy supply source is at the highest level, it can operate ideally. It may be desirable to perform the planned work measures when the consumer and / or the energy supply source operate approximately ideally.

[0015] If the current operating conditions deviate from the target operating conditions of the consumer at least temporarily and / or if the current operating conditions deviate from the target operating conditions of the energy supply source at least temporarily, the actual remaining service capacity may be determined to be greater than or less than the remaining service capacity determined under the target operating conditions or the target operating conditions. According to one variant, it is conceivable that the actual remaining service capacity that can be indicated to the operator is obtained by updating the remaining service capacity calculated based on the target conditions with a correction value determined by the deviation that can be detected according to the target conditions. With this embodiment, it can be ensured that the remaining service capacity is determined for the actual operating state of the consumer and / or the energy supply source. Ideally, the accuracy of determining the remaining service capacity can be improved.

[0016] Preferably, the unit is configured to correct the determined remaining service capacity based on the result of the comparison in order to determine the corrected actual remaining service capacity. With this embodiment, the accuracy of determining the remaining service capacity can be improved or an incorrect determination of the remaining service capacity can be avoided.

[0017] Preferably, the unit has at least one adjustable display area, such as a display, which can be used to display the remaining usage capacity or the corrected remaining usage capacity. This enables the operator to easily view the remaining usage capacity. Ideally, the remaining usage capacity can be displayed in a clear and / or user-friendly manner. Optionally, a user interface for setting and / or changing the unit of the remaining usage capacity and / or the target usage capacity can be integrated into the display area. For example, the display area can be a touch screen. The display area can be manually set by the operator as needed and / or automatically set by the unit. For example, the unit of the remaining usage capacity and / or the target usage capacity and / or the display area can be adjusted for the brightness or contrast of the display area and / or the size of the indication on the display area and / or the color of the indication and / or the font. The unit can selectively store one or more defined settings of the display area, such as operator-specific settings. This enables the operator to easily and quickly select the saved settings. This can improve the user-friendliness of the unit and, ideally, also improve the acceptance by the operator. Optionally or additionally, the remaining usage capacity can be displayed audibly, for example, through a speaker.

[0018] Preferably, the unit is configured to output a signal, especially when the remaining usage capacity or the corrected remaining usage capacity is less than a predetermined percentage of the target usage capacity. The percentage can be at least about 10%, preferably at least about 15%. The percentage can be at most about 50%, preferably at most about 30%. The signal can be visual and / or auditory and / or tactile. When the remaining usage capacity drops below a certain percentage of the target usage capacity, this can give an indication to the operator at an early enough stage. Then, the operator can take corresponding measures as needed. For example, the measure may include a planned work measure that is not executed or only partially executed. The measure can optionally include setting one or more other consumers (which are not necessary for the planned work measure but are connected to the energy supply source in terms of energy) to an energy-saving mode or turning them off. Ideally, the user-friendliness of the unit can be improved, and optionally the acceptance by the operator can be improved.

[0019] It is conceivable to configure the unit as a transmitter so as to at least intermittently or continuously transmit a signal indicating the remaining usage capacity to a remote receiver, such as a station configured for the charging process of the energy supply source and / or the exchange of the energy supply source, and the station is especially provided in the form of a mobile device at a construction site. Thus, the unit can form a transceiver (transmitter-receiver) device together with the receiver, which ideally ensures the uninterrupted operation of the road construction machinery, especially the uninterrupted operation of the consumers.

[0020] The present utility model also relates to a road construction machine having at least one unit according to the present utility model for determining the remaining service capacity. Its advantages are the same as those of the above-mentioned unit for determining the remaining service capacity. The unit can be mobile or permanently installed on the road construction machine. This means that the unit can be optimally integrated into the road construction machine or can be used flexibly. The unit can be arranged at the driver control station and / or the external control station of the road construction machine. For example, the driver may be located at the driver control station and / or the screed operator may be located at the external control station, so that the unit can be easily accessed.

[0021] Preferably, the unit is configured to transmit the remaining service capacity or the corrected remaining service capacity to at least one remote receiver. For this purpose, the unit can be wirelessly connected to the receiver. The receiver can be, for example, a remote computing unit and / or a data storage unit, which can store and / or evaluate the remaining service capacity over a certain period of time. For example, the remaining service capacity of an energy supply source can be transmitted to the receiver to optimize processes related to the road construction machine. The advantage is that, for example, one or more planned work measures related to the road construction machine can be controlled in an economically or strategically advantageous manner.

[0022] It is conceivable that, according to the transmitted remaining service capacity, the consumer can be switched to an energy-saving mode at least temporarily, so as to ideally ensure uninterrupted operation. For this purpose, the unit can be configured as a transceiver so as to receive a request signal from the computing unit in response to a signal indicating the remaining service capacity sent to the computing unit, which may cause the unit to switch the consumer to an energy-saving mode at least temporarily.

[0023] Preferably, the road construction machine is a road paver, a feeder of a road paver, a roller or a milling machine. The road paver can be configured to install a paving layer. A feeder can be provided to supply paving material to the road paver. This enables the paver or the feeder to easily and efficiently determine and indicate the remaining service capacity of the energy. The milling machine can be configured to remove (especially mill) an old paving layer. The roller can be configured to compact the new paving layer produced by the road paver to a predetermined degree of compaction. For this purpose, the roller can particularly perform repeated rolling movements on the new paving layer or at least on a part of its area until the predetermined degree of compaction is reached. Therefore, especially for the roller, it may be desirable to specify the target service capacity and / or the remaining service capacity as the target service area or the remaining service area.

[0024] Preferably, the determination of the remaining usable capacity is based on the current external temperature of the road construction machine and / or the current traveling speed of the road construction machine. The current outdoor temperature can indicate the temperature of the ambient air around the road construction machine. For example, the current outdoor temperature can be determined using a thermometer on or near the road construction machine. It would be useful if the unit is connected to a weather station installed on the road construction machine (especially on the roof structure) to receive the current weather conditions (especially the current outdoor temperature) from the weather station. The current outdoor temperature may affect the current operating temperature of the energy supply source, thereby affecting the determination of the remaining usable capacity. The current traveling speed of the road construction machine may affect the current operating conditions of the electrical appliances, especially the energy demand of the electrical appliances, thereby affecting the determination of the remaining usable capacity. By means of this embodiment, the accuracy of the determination of the remaining usable capacity can be improved.

[0025] Preferably, the energy supply source is a battery, and / or the consumer is an electric heating device, and / or the consumer is an electric electro-hydraulic unit, and / or the consumer is an electric longitudinal conveyor, and / or the consumer is an electric transverse conveyor and / or the electric chassis drive of the road construction machine (especially a road paver). Optionally, the consumer can be an electric conveyor for paving materials, an electric heating device and / or the electric chassis drive of the feeder. Optionally, the consumer can be an electric roller drive and / or the electric chassis drive of a road roller. Optionally, the consumer can be an electric longitudinal conveyor, an electric milling drive and / or the electric chassis drive of a milling machine.

[0026] It is conceivable that the road construction machine, especially the unit for determining the remaining usable capacity, is functionally connected (e.g., via a web-based application) to the material supply chain, where, based on the detected remaining usable capacity, the road construction machine can request the minimum paving material temperature of the paving material provided via the material supply chain of the road construction machine. By supplying hotter paving material, the consumer can be switched to an energy-saving mode at least temporarily, such as the heating device of the road construction machine powered by the energy supply source, without causing a change in the desired operation or paving result of the road construction machine.

[0027] The present utility model also relates to a paving vehicle, which includes at least one road construction machine, especially at least one feeder, at least one road paver and at least one road roller, wherein, especially the remaining usable capacity (especially the remaining usable area) can be transmitted from the road paver and / or the feeder to the road roller. It is conceivable that the remaining usable capacity, especially the remaining usable area, can be transmitted from the road roller to the road paver and / or the feeder.

[0028] Optionally, the paver can also be equipped with a milling machine according to the present invention, which can transfer the remaining usable capacity (in particular the remaining usable area) to the road paver, the feeder and / or the roller. When determining the remaining usable area, the target working width of the paving layer to be removed can be taken into account.

[0029] In principle, the remaining usable capacity between the components of the paver (i.e., the road paver, the feeder, the roller and the optional milling machine) can be transferred and, in particular, compared. This can ensure that the various participants in the paver are aware of each other's energy reserves and, in particular, can adjust their operations accordingly. For example, it can be imagined that when it is known that the road paver in front of the paver in the paving direction is operating at a lower energy storage level, the roller driver will reduce the rolling performance of the roller, especially the rolling speed.

[0030] In the control system of the paver, the minimum remaining usable capacity of the road construction machinery in the paver can be taken into account, i.e., for the coordinated operation of the road construction machinery in the paver. For example, the remaining usable capacities of all the road construction machinery in the paver can be compared with each other, where, for example, the respective consumers of the road construction machinery can be coordinated with each other in their operations.

[0031] The features or descriptions described for one aspect (unit, road construction machinery) can be transferred to and combined with other aspects. Description of the Drawings

[0032] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to embodiments. It shows:

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a road construction machinery in the form of a road paver having a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity according to an embodiment,

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a road construction machinery in the form of a feeder of a road paver having a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity according to an embodiment,

[0035] Figure 3 is according to an embodiment Figure 1 is a perspective view of the area of the road paver in

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic view of the display area of a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity of at least one energy supply source connected to at least one electrical appliance used on a road construction machinery according to an embodiment, and

[0037] Figure 5Schematic diagram of a display area of a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity of at least one energy supply source connected to at least one electrical appliance used on a road construction machine, according to another embodiment.

[0038] In all the figures, the same technical components are identified by the same reference numerals. Detailed implementation

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a road construction machine 1 is shown, which is configured as a road paver 2 for laying a new paving layer 3 with a target paving width or with a target working width and target working length. The road paver 2 lays the new paving layer 3 at a paving speed v of approximately 10 m / min (meters per minute) in the driving direction R. For this purpose, the road paver 2 uses paving material 4, which is stored in a hopper 5 adapted to the front of the paver. The paving material 4 stored in the hopper 5 is transported by a longitudinal conveyor 30 against the driving direction R to a screed 6, which is adapted to compact the paving material 4 supplied to it to form the new paving layer 3.

[0040] Figure 1 The shown screed 6 is configured as an extensible screed. The screed 6 has a base screed 7 and a laterally extending member 8 for setting the paving width required for the new paving layer 3.

[0041] Figure 1 The road paver 2 includes a driver control station 9 for the driver F. A control panel 12 is provided for the driver F on the driver control station 9 of the road paver 2. The control panel 12 is configured to control and monitor the processes that can be performed by means of the road paver 2. For example, the driver F can set the speed v of the road paver 2 in the driving direction R on the control panel 12.

[0042] Figure 1 An external control station 13 is also shown, which creates a workplace for a screed operator B outside the screed 6 to control and monitor the processes of the road paver 2 (especially the screed 6). For this purpose, another control panel 14 is also provided at the external control station 13.

[0043] The road paver 2 also has a battery 17a as an energy supply source 17, which is connected to the longitudinal conveying device 30 as an electrical appliance 16 to supply energy to it.

[0044] Figure 1 Also shown is a unit for determining the remaining usable capacity 18 of the battery 17a (see Figure 4Unit 15, which will be described in more detail below, is preferably arranged as a mobile unit on the driver's console 9 such that the driver F can remove unit 15 from the road paver 2 if necessary. For example, unit 15 is part of an operating unit configured to control and monitor the processes running on the road paver 2.

[0045] Unit 15 is also configured to transmit the remaining useful capacity 18 (preferably wirelessly) to at least one remote receiver 23. For this purpose, unit 15 is configured as a transmitter for preferably at least intermittently transmitting a signal indicating the remaining useful capacity 18 to the remote receiver 23. According to this exemplary embodiment, the remote receiver 23 is provided as a station configured for the charging process of the battery 17a in the environment of the road paver 2, in particular as a mobile charging device. Thus, unit 15 and the receiver 23 together form a transceiver (transmitter - receiver) device, which ideally ensures the uninterrupted operation of the road paver 2, in particular the uninterrupted operation of the longitudinal conveyor 30.

[0046] Figure 2 Another road construction machine 1 configured in the form of a feeder 25 for the road paver 2 is shown. This feeder 25 is actually used to supply paving material 4 to the road paver 2 as Figure 1 shown. For this purpose, the feeder 25 travels in front of the road paver 2 in the travel direction R and feeds the paving material 4 into the hopper 5 of the following road paver 2 by means of a conveying device 26 adapted to the feeder 25. Figure 2 The feeder 25 has a hopper 27 for accommodating the paving material 4. The conveying device 26 extends into the hopper 27 and can thus convey the paving material 4 stored therein in the direction of the following road paver 2 against the travel direction R and transfer the paving material 4 to the following road paver 2.

[0047] According to Figure 2 , the feeder 25 has a driver control station 28. A seat console 10' for the driver F' and a control panel 29 for controlling and monitoring the processes performed by the feeder 25 are mounted on the driver control station 28.

[0048] The feeder 25 also has a battery 17a as an energy supply source 17, which is connected to the conveyor 26 as an electrical appliance 16 in order to supply energy to it.

[0049] Figure 2Also shown is a unit 15 for determining a remaining service capacity 18 of a battery 17a (not shown), which will be explained in more detail below. The unit 15 is preferably arranged as a mobile unit at the driver control station 28 such that the driver F' can remove the unit 15 from the feeder 25 if necessary. It is important to understand that the functional components in the unit 15 are logical units that can be implemented in hardware (such as electronic circuits), software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0050] The unit 15 is also configured to transmit the remaining service capacity 18 (preferably wirelessly) to at least one remote receiver 23. For this purpose, the unit 15 is configured as a transmitter for preferably at least intermittently transmitting a signal indicating the remaining service capacity 18 to the remote receiver 23. According to this exemplary embodiment, the remote receiver 23 is provided as a station for the charging process of the battery 17a as a mobile device in the environment of the feeder 25. Thus, the unit 15 together with the receiver 23 forms a transceiver (transmitter - receiver) device, which ideally ensures the uninterrupted operation of the feeder 25, in particular the uninterrupted operation of the conveying device 26.

[0051] Figure 3 A perspective view of a traction unit of a road paver 2 according to one embodiment is shown. Figure 1 of the road paver 2. Figure 3 The battery 17a is shown in detail installed in the paver 2 as an energy supply source 17. In particular, the battery 17a can exist as an interchangeable module. At appropriate positions, there is provided at least one consumer 16, in particular an electric longitudinal conveying device 30, an electric heating device 31, an electric electro - hydraulic unit 32, an electric transverse conveying device 33, and / or an electric chassis drive 34 of the road paver 2. The energy supply source 17 can also supply current to other consumers (such as a heating device not shown) integrated in the towed screed 7.

[0052] In this exemplary embodiment according to Figure 3 all consumers 16 are electrically connected to the battery 17a. However, it is also conceivable to supply power to only one or selected consumers 16 via the battery 17a. Optionally, it is also conceivable to provide a plurality of energy supply sources 17, each energy supply source being connected to only one or more consumers 16. It is also conceivable that one or more consumers 16 are connected to more than one energy supply source 17.

[0053] For example, Figure 3Shows the assembly of the important electrical appliance 16 and its energy connection to the battery 17a. The type, quantity, and assembly details of the energy supply source 17 and the electrical appliance 16 are only selected by way of example and do not limit the scope of protection. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that for the feeder 25 of the road construction machine 1, in addition to the electric conveyor 26 for spreading the material 4, the consumer 16 can also be another electric device, such as an electric heating device or the electric chassis drive of the feeder 24. Optionally, the road construction machine 1 can be a roller 35 or a milling machine 36. Then, the consumer 16 can be the electric roller drive and / or the electric chassis drive of the roller 35, an electric longitudinal conveying device, an electric milling drive, and / or the electric chassis drive of the milling machine 36.

[0054] Figure 4 and Figure 5 Show the display areas 22 of the unit 15 of the road construction machine 1 according to different embodiments, respectively. In the example of this embodiment, the display area 22 is provided on the road paver 2. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the display area 22 can also be provided on the feeder 25.

[0055] The unit 15 determines the current charge state 19 of the battery 17a to be approximately 15% state of charge (SOC) and indicates this in the display area 22 in the form of a bar graph. This indication of the charge state 19 in percentage may not be suitable for the driver F to estimate how far or how long the longitudinal conveying device 30 and / or another electrical appliance 16 can still operate using the battery 17a. Specifically, the driver F cannot determine based on the current operation whether the energy stored in the energy supply source 17 is sufficient to complete a predetermined work measure 20, such as installing 50 tons of paving material with the current energy consumption.

[0056] The longitudinal conveying device 30 is only considered here as an example of the consumer 16. As mentioned above, the consumer 16 can optionally be Figure 3 one or more of the consumers 16 shown in. For example, the consumer 16 can be an electric heating device 31, an electric electro-hydraulic unit 32, an electric lateral conveying device 33, and / or the electric chassis drive 34 of the road paver 2. The details of the consumer 16 are only selected by way of example and do not limit the scope of protection.

[0057] In an example of an embodiment, for instance, it may be planned that the road paver 2 is to install a new paving layer 3 with a length of approximately 1000 meters. Thus, the planned work measure 20 includes, for example, a battery 17a that powers the electric longitudinal conveyor 30 for installing the planned new paving layer 3. According to this work measure 20, the target usage capacity 21 of the battery 17a may be approximately 1000 meters in the form of a target usage range 21a and / or may be approximately 100 minutes in the form of a target usage duration 21b. The unit 15 is adapted to display the planned work measure 20 and / or the target usage capacity 21 in the display area 22. In addition, the unit 15 is adapted to determine the remaining usage capacity 18 of the battery 17a connected to the longitudinal conveying device 30 to indicate whether the target usage capacity 21 can be achieved. The unit 15 is also adapted to indicate the remaining usage capacity 18 determined based on the current charge state 19 of the battery 17a as the remaining usage duration 18a and the remaining usage range 18b of the longitudinal conveying device 30. In addition, the unit 15 may be adapted to determine and / or indicate the remaining usage area 18c and / or the target usage area 21c.

[0058] To determine the remaining usage capacity 18, the unit 15 takes into account the current operating conditions of the longitudinal conveying device 30, in particular its average energy consumption, which is affected by the set conveying speed of the longitudinal conveying device 30. For this purpose, the energy demand of the longitudinal conveyor 30 is averaged over a period of approximately ten minutes, and it is found that approximately 150 kWh of energy is required when the conveying speed v' is approximately 10 m / min. In addition, the determination of the remaining usage capacity 18 is based on the current operating conditions of the battery 17a, in particular its current operating temperature, and its current operating temperature is determined to be approximately 18 °C using an infrared thermometer. Based on this information, the unit 15 determines the remaining usage capacity 18 as a remaining usage duration 18a of approximately 25 minutes or a remaining usage range 18b of approximately 250 meters. To improve the accuracy of determining the remaining usage capacity 18, the unit 15 compares the current operating conditions of the battery 17a with the target operating conditions of the battery 17a and compares the current operating conditions of the longitudinal conveying device 30 with the target operating conditions of the longitudinal conveying device 30. As the target operating conditions of the battery 17a and the target operating conditions of the longitudinal conveying device 30, it is stored in the consumable or energy source data sheet that, for example, when the conveying speed is approximately 10 m / min, the energy consumption is approximately 100 kWh and the operating temperature of the battery 17a is approximately 20 °C. Thus, the deviation determined by the unit is approximately ten percent. Based on this result, the unit 15 corrects the remaining usage capacity 18, resulting in a corrected remaining usage duration 118a of approximately 22.5 minutes or a corrected remaining usage range 118b of approximately 225 meters. Thus, the corrected remaining usage capacity 118 of the battery 17a is approximately 22.5% of the target usage capacity 21.

[0059] InFigure 4 In this case, the display area 22 only displays the remaining usage duration 18a or the corrected remaining usage duration 118a of approximately 22.5 minutes as the remaining usage capacity 18 or the corrected remaining usage capacity 118. The unit 15 is also configured to emit an acoustic signal via a loudspeaker (not shown) arranged in the driver control station 9 if the corrected remaining usage capacity 118 of the battery 17a is less than 30% of the target usage capacity 21. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the unit 15 emits a signal as a warning. The driver F can take corresponding measures, such as not performing the planned work measure.

[0060] In Figure 5 this case, the display area 22 of the unit 15 displays the current charge state 19 of the battery 17a as 15% in a bar chart. In addition, the display area 22 also displays the corresponding corrected remaining usage duration 118a of approximately 22.5 minutes. As described above, for the planned work measure 20, the target usage capacity 21 of the battery 17a is required, in the form of a target usage range 21a of approximately 1000 m. The driver F cannot easily estimate from the indicated corrected remaining usage duration 118a whether the battery 17a can still provide sufficient energy for the longitudinal conveying device 30 to perform the work measure 20. Thus, the display area 22 can be controlled by means of a user interface (not shown) to set and / or change the unit indicating the corrected remaining usage capacity 118 to the display area 22. For this purpose, the display area 22 is adapted as a touch screen. The driver F only needs to operate the touch screen with his finger so that the display area 22, in addition to displaying the corrected remaining usage duration 118a of 22.5 minutes, also displays the corrected remaining usage range 118b of the battery 17a of 225 m. Optionally, the display area 22 can also be set to indicate the remaining usage range 18b or the corrected remaining usage range 118b, or to indicate the remaining usage duration 18a or the corrected remaining usage duration 118a. The driver F can quickly and easily find that the corrected remaining usage range 118b of 225 m of the battery 17a is no longer sufficient to perform the planned work measure 20.

Claims

1. A unit for determining the remaining usable capacity (18) of an energy supply source (17), the energy supply source (17) being connected to at least one electrical consumer (16) used on a road construction machine (1), characterized in that: The unit (15) comprises: - a determination module for determining a remaining usable capacity (18) based on a current state of charge (19) of the energy supply source (17); - an indication module for indicating the determined remaining usage capacity (18) as a remaining usage duration (18a), a remaining usage range (18b) and / or a remaining usage area (18c) of at least one electrical consumer (16).

2. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The unit (15) is suitable for indicating the target usage capacity (21) required for the planned work measure (20) by means of the electrical consumer (16) as a target usage duration (21a), a target usage range (21b) and / or a target usage area (21c).

3. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on the current operating conditions of the electrical consumer (16).

4. The unit according to claim 3, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on a current energy demand and / or an average energy demand of the electrical consumer (16).

5. The unit according to claim 2, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on the current operating conditions of the electrical consumer (16).

6. The unit according to claim 5, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on a current energy demand and / or an average energy demand of the electrical consumer (16).

7. A unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The determination of the remaining usable capacity (18) is based on the current operating conditions of the energy supply source (17).

8. The unit according to claim 7, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on the current operating temperature and / or the uniform or fluctuating load of the energy supply source (17).

9. A unit according to any one of claims 3 to 6 and 8, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on a comparison of a current operating condition of the electrical consumer (16) with a target operating condition of the electrical consumer (16), and / or based on a comparison of a current operating condition of the energy supply source (17) with a target operating condition of the energy supply source (17).

10. The unit according to claim 7, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on a comparison of a current operating condition of the electrical consumer (16) with a target operating condition of the electrical consumer (16), and / or based on a comparison of a current operating condition of the energy supply source (17) with a target operating condition of the energy supply source (17).

11. The unit according to claim 9, characterized in that The unit (15) is configured to correct the determined remaining used capacity (18) based on a result of the comparison to determine a corrected remaining used capacity (118).

12. The unit according to claim 10, characterized in that The unit (15) is configured to correct the determined remaining used capacity (18) based on a result of the comparison to determine a corrected remaining used capacity (118).

13. A unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, 8 and 10 to 12, characterised in that The unit (15) has at least one adjustable display area (22), by means of which the remaining usable capacity (18) or the corrected remaining usable capacity (118) can be displayed.

14. The unit according to claim 13, characterized in that The unit (15) is configured to output a signal when the remaining usage capacity (18) or the corrected remaining usage capacity (118) is less than a predetermined percentage of the target usage capacity (21).

15. A road construction machine (1), characterized in that: The road construction machine (1) has at least one unit (15) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. The road construction machine according to claim 15, characterized in that: The unit (15) is configured to transmit the remaining used capacity (18) or the corrected remaining used capacity (118) to at least one remote receiver (23).

17. The road construction machine according to claim 15, characterized in that: The road construction machine (1) is a road paver (2), a feeder (24) of the road paver (2), a road roller (35) or a milling machine (36).

18. The road construction machine according to claim 16, characterized in that: The road construction machine (1) is a road paver (2), a feeder (24) of the road paver (2), a road roller (35) or a milling machine (36).

19. The road construction machine according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that: The remaining usable capacity (18) is determined based on the current outside temperature of the road construction machine (1) and / or the current travel speed of the road construction machine (1).

20. The road construction machine according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that The energy supply source (17) is a battery (17a); and / or the electrical appliance is an electric heating device (31); and / or the electrical appliance is an electric electro-hydraulic unit (32); and / or the electrical appliance is an electric longitudinal conveying device (30); and / or the electrical appliance is an electric transverse conveying device (33) and / or an electric chassis drive (34) of the road construction machine.

21. A paving vehicle (37) comprising at least one road construction machine according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein: The remaining usable capacity (18) can be transferred from the road paver (2) and / or the feeder (24) to the road roller (35).

22. The paving vehicle (37) according to claim 21, characterized in that The remaining usable capacity (18) is a remaining usable area (18c).

Images