Method for mechanically laying cables in the ground and laying machine for carrying out the method

Abstract

A method for laying cables and / or lines (34) in the ground (30) is disclosed. In the method, a ground surface (12) is broken up by means of a rotating cutting wheel (16) suspended in a height-adjustable manner from a moving carrier vehicle (18), and a furrow of defined and variable depth is created. At least one cable and / or at least one line (34) is introduced into the broken-up ground (30) by means of a laying plough (32) arranged downstream of the cutting wheel (16) and drawn in a track defined by the furrow. The working and placement level (42) of the laying plough (32) is variably adjustable in relation to a furrow depth defined by the rotating cutting wheel (16). The working and placement level (42) of the laying plough (32) is, in particular, below the furrow depth (40) created by the cutting wheel (16). A laying machine (10) is also disclosed which is intended for carrying out the method.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for the mechanical laying of lines, cables, or similar elongated connecting pipes in the ground. The invention also relates to a laying machine suitable for carrying out the method and appropriately equipped for this purpose.

[0002] In order to install lines, cables or pipes below ground level, it is generally possible to dig a trench to a depth corresponding to the level of the line to be buried, place the line or pipe there, then backfill the trench and preferably sufficiently compact the soil returned to the trench in order to level the ground again. Such a trench can generally be dug manually, but is usually excavated with mechanical assistance, i.e. using the hydraulically operated excavator bucket of a suitably equipped self-propelled excavator vehicle. Backfilling the trench after the line has been sunk can optionally be done using the same machine, but can also be done using the dozer blade of a suitably equipped earthmoving machine.

[0003] Particularly over very long distances, over which such underground cables often have to be laid underground, this type of earthmoving during digging and re-closing of trenches proves to be very time-consuming and labor-intensive, so that improved and faster methods for laying cables and lines underground have become established. In particular, so-called laying ploughs have become established in practice. In these ploughing devices, the soil is cut open and loosened using ploughing devices. Cables or lines can be fed externally through cable entry points arranged on the ploughing device, or cables or lines can be laid on the plough base or in the soil loosened by the plough using storage drums positioned on the plough.

[0004] These methods not only offer the advantage of continuous and comparatively rapid progress in creating a trench and laying the cable or line, but can also help to make the trench much narrower than is the case when excavating a trench using an excavator bucket, because in this case the soil on the sides of the trench constantly threatens to crumble, slide down and fill the trench again, while the laying ploughs have to deal with this problem hardly or to a much lesser extent.

[0005] The described principle can be seen in a laying plow and a method for ploughing in cables, as described, for example, in DE 38 28 595 A1. The laying plow described therein is coupled to the rear of a vehicle in a height-adjustable arrangement, which also carries a drum of cable to be laid at the front. As the carrier vehicle moves forward, the laying plow is pulled through the soil at a defined depth, and simultaneously, the cable is fed into a cable shaft immediately following the plow, allowing it to be laid at the plowed depth.

[0006] However, such installation plows generally fail on asphalt, concrete, stony, or other airtight and / or watertight soil layers because the plow either cannot penetrate the hard surface layers or breaks them up uncontrollably in places, tearing out large sections. Therefore, prior milling is generally essential for these soil conditions. A milling device for milling compacted surface layers can also be combined with a downstream cable-laying plow, as documented in numerous documents on the current state of the art.

[0007] The basic principle of such a combined machine for laying cables or lines underground is evident, for example, from US 4 812 078 A and FR 2 722 809 A1. The structure, with the carrier vehicle, the drum supply with the wound cable located at the front, and the laying plough pulled at the rear, is similar to the older machine principle mentioned above, as shown in DE 38 28 595 A1. However, a rotating milling wheel is arranged in front of the laying plough, which cuts a furrow in the soil at the required depth, into which the cable can then be laid by the laying plough immediately following.

[0008] Other such machines with rotating cutting wheels and downstream laying ploughs can be found in EP 3 670 759 A1 or in WO 2018 / 045 404 A1.

[0009] Furthermore, EP 1 167 635 A1 discloses an arrangement for installing a line, in which a blade penetrating the ground forms a trench, while a milling device with a rotating milling wheel excavates a trench. Thus, a line or cable can be pulled into the ground or laid behind the blade in the direction of pull.

[0010] A cable plow for laying cables underground, particularly in the bed of waterways, is also described in DE 40 23 762 A1. This cable plow also includes a plough blade, with a rotating cutting wheel positioned in front of it in the working direction. Behind the plough blade is a cable guide, which is used to insert a cable into a plowed trench.

[0011] Finally, DE 27 34 266 C3 discloses a mobile device for laying flexible pipes or cables, in which an agricultural tractor can serve as the towing and carrier vehicle, to which a tiller and plough attachment are coupled. The plough attachment and the tiller attachment can be raised independently of each other and thus adjusted to their respective working depths. In addition, the plough and tiller attachments can be moved horizontally, transversely to the direction of travel.

[0012] A common feature of known cable-laying machines, however, is their size, which is already determined by the heavy carrier vehicles with their tracked chassis. Added to this are the protruding front and rear attachments for the cable drums projecting from the front, as well as the rear-mounted devices for milling the ground and inserting the cables pulled from the front cable drum into the ground, which significantly increase the overall length. When examining these machines, it becomes immediately clear that their use in built-up areas is virtually impossible, and that their use in open terrain appears to be almost exclusively possible.

[0013] If, however, lines are to be laid mechanically and with the least possible disruption or damage to existing buildings, particularly in municipal or urban areas, the user is almost inevitably referred back to the traditional methods in which he has to dig the trenches using a mini-excavator or similar compact excavating machine in order to then insert the lines into these excavated trenches manually or with manual assistance.

[0014] Given the specific requirements that apply to comparatively light soil conditions with a low proportion of hard and stony soils, and in particular when machines are intended to be used in built-up, municipal, and / or urban environments, the primary objective of the present invention can be considered to be to provide an improved method for laying cables under such environmental conditions that can be carried out with the greatest possible mechanical assistance and with the greatest possible protection of the existing road and paving infrastructure, and that, in particular, enables cable laying that is as flexible as possible, even in curved paths and when cornering. Furthermore, a related objective of the present invention is to provide a machine suitable for this purpose, with which the improved method can be carried out.

[0015] These objects of the invention are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Features of advantageous developments of the invention can be found in the respective dependent claims.

[0016] Thus, in order to achieve at least some of the stated objectives, the invention proposes a method for laying cables and / or lines in the ground with the features of the independent method claim, with which the cables and / or lines can be laid in particular below a ground surface which is opened in a furrow-like manner by means of a rotating cutting wheel moved in a laying and feed direction.

[0017] In the method according to the invention, a soil surface is first broken up by means of a rotating milling wheel suspended from a moving carrier vehicle with adjustable height, and a furrow of defined and variable depth is created. A laying plow arranged downstream of the milling wheel and drawn in a track defined by the furrow then inserts at least one cable and / or at least one line into the broken-up soil.

[0018] The method is characterized by the fact that the laying plow's working and placement levels can be variably adjusted in relation to a furrow depth defined by the rotating cutting wheel. The working and placement levels of the laying plow are particularly below the furrow depth created by the cutting wheel.

[0019] In the method, it can preferably be provided that the working and placement level of the laying plough is set to a depth which is below the milling level of the milling wheel and thus below the furrow bottom.

[0020] The milling wheel can be used to break up a sealed surface layer on the soil surface, which would be difficult to open with a plow alone. Thus, the milling wheel is primarily used to break up the sealed surface layer, i.e., an asphalt or concrete surface layer.

[0021] This makes it possible to pull the installation plow through a soil level below the sealed surface layer. The installation plow normally works in soft soil, so its working level can be below the milling wheel.

[0022] The laying plow can be articulated, in particular, by means of a height-adjustable suspension located at the rear of the carrier vehicle. The laying plow can be suspended, for example, from a support structure of the cutting wheel via a height-adjustable linear guide, in particular via a hydraulically adjustable linear guide.

[0023] The method further provides for the milling wheel, along with the laying plow running behind it, to be pivoted around a vertical axis for cornering. This vertical pivot axis is preferably located at the rear of the carrier vehicle. Furthermore, the method also provides for the laying plow to be pivoted around a vertical axis relative to the milling wheel's suspension for improved or easier cornering.

[0024] The broken-up soil or the ground area can then be compacted, for example with a plate compactor that works with vibrations.

[0025] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention proposes, in addition to the method described above in various embodiments, a laying machine for laying cables or lines in the ground. The method can be carried out in particular with a mobile and portable laying machine for laying cables and / or lines in the ground, as described in the independent claim. The machine enables the cables or lines to be laid beneath a ground surface that has been furrowed by means of a rotating milling wheel that moves in a laying and feed direction.

[0026] The mobile and portable laying machine according to the invention comprises at least one powered carrier vehicle with a rotating cutting wheel suspended at the rear in a height-adjustable manner, for breaking up a soil surface and creating a furrow of defined and variable depth. Furthermore, the laying machine comprises a laying plow arranged downstream of the cutting wheel and pulled in a track defined by the furrow, which is intended and appropriately equipped to insert at least one cable and / or at least one line into the broken-up soil. The working and placement levels of the laying plow are variably adjustable in relation to a furrow depth defined by the rotating cutting wheel, and the working and placement levels of the laying plow are in particular below the furrow depth created by the cutting wheel.

[0027] In the laying machine according to the invention, the rotatingly driven cutting wheel can be suspended in a height-adjustable manner, particularly at the rear of the carrier vehicle, for example via a hydraulically adjustable parallelogram guide or the like.

[0028] The laying plow can also be attached to a height-adjustable suspension located at the rear of the carrier vehicle. For example, the laying plow can be suspended from a support structure of the cutting wheel via a height-adjustable linear guide, particularly one with hydraulic adjustment.

[0029] The carrier vehicle can preferably be a compact tracked vehicle, in particular a remote-controlled tracked vehicle with an electric motor or other drive. Typically, an internal combustion engine is used as the drive. The carrier vehicle can also carry a cable drum from which the line or cable fed to the laying plow can be pulled.

[0030] In the laying machine according to the invention, the cutting wheel, along with the laying plow running behind it, is pivotable around a vertical axis (located at the rear of the carrier vehicle) for cornering. Furthermore, the laying plow is also pivotable around a vertical axis relative to the cutting wheel's suspension, thus facilitating cornering.

[0031] If, from the point of view of the person skilled in the art, they can be combined with one another in a meaningful way, some or all of the above-mentioned variations or embodiments of the method according to the invention and / or the laying machine according to the invention can optionally also be combined with one another in order to at least partially achieve the above-formulated objective(s) and / or to achieve the desired effect of the invention.

[0032] It should be expressly mentioned at this point that all aspects and design variants explained in connection with the laying machine according to the invention equally relate to or can form partial aspects of the method according to the invention. Therefore, if certain aspects and / or relationships and / or effects are mentioned at any point in the description or in the claims definitions for the laying machine according to the invention, this equally applies to the method according to the invention. The same applies in reverse, so that all aspects and design variants explained in connection with the method according to the invention equally relate to or can be partial aspects of the laying machine according to the invention.Therefore, if at one point in the description or in the claim definitions for the method according to the invention certain aspects and / or relationships and / or effects are mentioned, this applies equally to the laying machine according to the invention.

[0033] In the following, exemplary embodiments will explain the invention and its advantages in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The relative sizes of the individual elements in the figures do not always correspond to the actual sizes, as some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged relative to other elements for better illustration. Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of an embodiment of a laying machine according to the invention, which is equipped with a soil tiller and a laying plough for laying cables and / or lines in the ground. Fig. 2 shows the laying machine according to Fig. 1, in which the soil tiller and the laying plough for laying the supplied cable are lowered below ground level, so that the laying machine is shown in an operating state. Fig. 3 shows a schematic plan view of the laying machine according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, which is laying a cable while driving straight ahead. Fig. 4 shows in a further schematic plan view the laying machine according to Fig. 3, in which both the tiller and the laying plough are swivelled sideways around a vertical axis for cornering.

[0034] For identical or similarly acting elements of the invention, the following description of the figures generally uses the same reference numerals. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, in many cases only those reference numerals are used in the individual figures that are necessary for the description of the respective figure. The embodiments illustrated merely represent examples of how the post driving device according to the invention or the method according to the invention can be designed and do not represent an exhaustive limitation. Furthermore, the features described below are not to be understood in close connection with other features of the respective embodiment, but can each be provided in a general context or used for this purpose.

[0035] The two schematic side views of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrate the most important components of a mobile and portable laying machine 10 according to the invention, with which cables and / or lines can be laid in the ground in a continuous process, namely below a ground surface 12 along which the laying machine 10 travels and which has been opened in a furrow-like manner by means of a rotating cutting wheel 16 moved in a laying and feed direction 14.

[0036] The first step is to use the Fig. 1 the laying machine 10 and its components are explained before the Fig. 2 the method according to the invention for laying cables and / or lines is explained, which can be carried out with this laying machine 10. Since the laying machine 10 in the illustration of Fig. When the machine 1 is in standby or at rest, the laying and feed direction 14 is indicated by a dashed arrow. However, this right-to-left direction of movement is the preferred direction of travel of the laying machine 10.

[0037] The Fig. 1 and Fig. The laying machine 10 shown in Figure 2 in a schematic side view comprises a motor-driven carrier vehicle 18 equipped with two belt-type tracks 20 for propulsion and a drive unit 22, wherein the drive unit 22 can be formed, in particular, by an internal combustion engine. The belt-type tracks 20 can be formed, for example, by rubber tracks, or optionally by metal tracks or the like. The belt-type tracks 20, driven by a suitable transmission or, for example, by a hydrostatic drive, enable the carrier vehicle 18 to move in a way that protects the soil and simultaneously offers good, low-slip traction.

[0038] The compact carrier vehicle 18 typically does not have a driver's seat, as it is a radio-controlled carrier vehicle 18 that can be controlled either remotely or via a control terminal located on the vehicle. Its typical size can be similar to a mini-excavator or a lifting vehicle used for facade work, or a similar compact vehicle. Such carrier vehicles 18 are usually barely more than two meters long and often have a track width of approximately one meter or even less.

[0039] Optionally, the carrier vehicle 18 can also be slightly larger, whereby its size is closely related to its mass, which in turn determines its suitability as a carrier vehicle 18 for a tiller and a cable plough. A carrier vehicle 18 that is too lightweight may lack the ballasting properties required for effective tilling work and for uniform cable laying at a constant soil depth. For this reason, the user should select a sensible size for the carrier vehicle 18 and a practical weight for the drive unit 22 so that the desired soil cultivation tasks can be reliably performed.

[0040] In any case, it should be expressly clarified at this point that the carrier vehicle 18 is a comparatively very compact vehicle, which should in no way have the size of the cable laying units described above and known from the prior art, because otherwise the use intended with the invention in densely built-up areas, within settlements, in urban and municipal areas, etc. would hardly be possible.

[0041] Since the orientation of the carrier vehicle 18 is determined by the direction of travel 14 of the carrier vehicle 18, which corresponds to the laying and advance direction 14 of the laying machine 10, it can also be clarified that a height-adjustable rotary tiller 26 is arranged at the rear of the superstructure 24 of the carrier vehicle 18. The rotary tiller 26 can, for example, be anchored to the rear of the superstructure 24 via a hydraulically height-adjustable parallelogram suspension 28, thus enabling the height of the rotary tiller 26 to be adjusted relative to the superstructure height of the carrier vehicle 18 while simultaneously maintaining the horizontal alignment of the rotary tiller 26.The soil tiller 26 has a bearing and a motor drive for the milling wheel 16 rotating about a horizontal axis, the horizontal axis of rotation of which is normally aligned exactly transversely to the horizontal longitudinal axis of the carrier vehicle 18, so that the rotatingly driven milling wheel 16 is able to mill a furrow in the soil 30 when the laying machine 10 is moving in the feed direction 14, which furrow exactly follows the track of the carrier vehicle 18.

[0042] The cutting wheel 16 may be a flat disc of a larger diameter, for example with an outer diameter of slightly more than one meter, wherein the outer edge of the cutting wheel 16 may be equipped with a plurality of cutting tools, as shown by the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is indicated schematically. These milling chisels can, for example, be equipped with wear-resistant hard metal tips and arranged replaceably on the outer circumference of the milling wheel 16. The hard metal tips of the milling wheel 16 equipped in this way ensure its suitability for working hard and sealed soils 30, where the soil surface 12 and the soil layers immediately below it are asphalted or concreted and thus difficult to penetrate for laying plows without such soil milling cutters 26.

[0043] In any case, the soil tiller 26 should be able to break up almost any sealed or unsealed soil surface 12 by means of the rotatingly driven milling wheel 16 with its hard metal chisels and to draw there and in the soil layers 30 immediately below a furrow of defined width and - depending on the height setting of the soil tiller 26 - also of defined and variable depth.

[0044] The drive of the milling wheel 16 can, for example, be a hydraulic motor located on the height-adjustable tiller 26. Alternatively, the milling wheel 16 can also be driven directly by the drive unit 22 via a mechanical gear transmission, belt drives, or the like.

[0045] Located on the rear side of the support frame of the tiller 26 is a laying plow 32, which is arranged downstream of the milling wheel 16 and is pulled in a track defined by the furrow created by the milling wheel 16. This pulled laying plow 32 serves to incorporate at least one cable and / or at least one line 34 into the soil 30 excavated by the tiller 26.

[0046] The line 34 which is continuously fed to the laying plough 32 and which is to be worked into the ground 30 and laid there at a constant laying depth can in particular be unwound from a supply drum 36 which is located at the front of the carrier vehicle 18, wherein the line 34 provided by the supply drum 36 is to be led via the carrier vehicle 18 to the rear to the laying plough 32, as shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is indicated schematically. However, the graphic representation of suitable cable routing for distancing the cable 34 from the carrier vehicle 18 was omitted.

[0047] As shown by the Fig. 1 and the graphic representation of a typical application situation of such a laying machine 10 in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 2, the laying plow 32 arranged at the rear of the support frame of the tiller 26, which is height-adjustable relative to the carrier vehicle 18, can also be adjusted in height, specifically in relation to the height level of the tiller 26, which can be provided, for example, by a vertically adjustable linear guide 38. With such a linear guide 38, a hydraulic adjusting cylinder (not shown here) can ensure a lifting and lowering movement of the laying plow 32 along a slide guide (also not shown here), so that the laying plow 32 can be lowered or raised relative to the tiller 26.

[0048] The different arrow representations of the Fig. 2 illustrate the directions of movement of the laying machine 10, namely its laying and feed direction 14 (from right to left) as well as of the cable 34 pulled from the supply drum 36 (pulling direction from top left to bottom right), whereby the supply drum 36 normally rotates in the direction of the arrow (clockwise). Furthermore, the vertically downward-pointing arrows on the soil cutter 26 and the cutting wheel 16 indicate their vertical adjustment possibilities, in particular for lowering the cutting wheel 16 to a preferred working depth 40, which is naturally below the level of the soil surface 12, as shown in Fig. 2 is shown schematically.

[0049] This lowering movement of the tiller 26 can primarily be carried out by means of the parallelogram suspension 28, which can be actuated hydraulically in particular and which connects the tiller 26 at the rear and in a height-adjustable manner to the body 24 of the carrier vehicle 18 of the laying machine 10.

[0050] In addition, it can be provided that the cutting wheel 16 can be lowered or raised vertically relative to the support frame of the tiller 26, for example with a linear guide of the bearing of the cutting wheel 16, possibly including its drive motor (not shown here). The schematic representation of the Fig. 2 implies such a downward lowering due to the milling wheel 16 protruding further down from the support frame of the tiller 26, so that when the milling wheel 16 is lowered to the intended working depth 40, there is a superimposed lowering on the parallelogram suspension 28 as well as on the bearing of the milling wheel 16 itself.

[0051] Finally, the laying plough 32 arranged at the rear of the support frame of the tiller 26 can be lowered or raised by means of the linear guide 38, which connects a rear side of the support frame of the tiller 26 to the laying plough 32, so that the latter can be raised or lowered in the vertical direction, preferably using a hydraulic adjustment device, optionally also using a rack and pinion drive or by using a linear drive configured in another way (not shown in detail here).

[0052] When the carrier vehicle 18 moves in the feed direction 14 on the ground surface 12 by means of its driven belt drives 20 and in the direction of the arrow (clockwise, cf. Fig. 2) rotating cutting wheel 16, which is lowered at least so far that the sealed, asphalted or concreted top layer of soil below the soil surface 12 is penetrated, a reasonable working depth 40 of the cutting wheel 16 can be determined according to Fig. 2 of approximately fifteen to twenty-five centimeters can be assumed. This working depth 40 of the milling wheel 16 is Fig. 2 is set significantly below the ground surface 12, on which the belt drives 20 of the carrier vehicle 18 rest and move in the feed direction 14 to drive the laying machine 10.

[0053] The special feature of the method according to the invention for laying the cables 34 in the ground 30 is that the laying plough 32 cutting through the ground 30 behind the tiller 26 is not only variably adjustable in its working and placement level 42 in relation to the furrow depth defined by the rotating milling wheel 16, which was defined here as the working depth 40 of the tiller 26, but that the working and placement level 42 of the laying plough 32 is significantly below the furrow depth or working depth 40 created by the milling wheel 16.

[0054] The placement depth 42, which the laying plough 32 enables due to its deeper working setting compared to the milling wheel 16 for the line 34 to be laid in the ground 30, is preferably at least ten centimeters below the working depth 40 of the soil tiller 26, ie the furrow depth created by the rotating milling wheel 16, but can also be even deeper, for example by approximately twenty, twenty-five or up to thirty centimeters below the working depth 40 or below the furrow bottom.

[0055] This set placement depth or this set placement level 42 for the lines 34 can be achieved by the fact that the soil 30 below the upper soil layer sealed by an asphalt or concrete layer immediately below the soil surface 12 is generally soft and yielding soil 30, which can be cut through and penetrated by the laying plow 32 without significant resistance. The soil resistance for the laying plow 32 is already relatively low because the furrow created by the soil tiller 26 offers almost no resistance and the underlying softer soil layers at a depth of a few centimeters below the milled furrow offer hardly any additional resistance.

[0056] Due to its operation described above, the laying method according to the invention using the described laying machine 10 is particularly well suited for use in built-up areas, ie in rural or urban areas, where it is not only important to have a compact working machine available, since conventional laying machines could hardly be used effectively in such an environment due to a lack of space.

[0057] In addition, there is the very narrow furrow that can be milled using the rotary tiller 26. This furrow has a width of barely more than ten to fifteen centimeters, which is sufficient to open the hard and resistant upper soil layers, allowing the laying plow 32 to be pulled behind the narrow milling wheel 16 through the thus opened furrow and to a placement level 42 below the working depth 40 of the milling wheel 16. The cables 34 can be laid very quickly and "minimally invasively" in the manner described, without the need for time-consuming excavation of the cable routes.

[0058] An optional clearing blade, which can be arranged behind the laying plough 32 at the level of the soil surface 12, can be used to push the milled soil back into the opened furrow immediately after laying the cables 34 at the intended placement level 42. This clearing blade is in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is not shown, nor is an optional compactor device, which can be used to consolidate the soil in the filled furrow. However, such a compactor device can preferably be designed as a separate machine that can travel over the filled furrow in a separate operation.

[0059] Ideally, residents will be able to use the roads opened in this way again after a short time, since the subsequent closing and resealing of the pipeline routes, due to their very narrow routing and the fast crossing with the described laying machine 10, allows for an immediate restoration of the previously existing road and path conditions and their usage surfaces.

[0060] The schematic top views of the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 also illustrate another variant of the procedure for operating the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in schematic side views, which allows optional cornering when laying the cables 34 by pivoting the rotary tiller 26 about a vertical axis 44 in a lateral direction. This vertical axis 44, located at a suitable location between the body 24 of the carrier vehicle 18 and the rotary tiller 26, functions as an approximately vertical pivot axis, is shown by way of example in Fig. 2, as well as in Fig. 4. The pivot axis or vertical axis 44 can be located at a suitable location on the laying machine 10, wherever this appears to be constructively sensible.

[0061] The Fig. Figure 4 illustrates an application in which the laying machine 10 describes a slight left turn while traveling in the feed direction 14, which requires a corresponding pivoting movement of the tiller 26 together with the laying plow 32 arranged to the rear of it. Optionally, the laying plow 32 can also be arranged so that it can pivot about a separate vertical axis 46 relative to the tiller 26 in order to facilitate cornering. However, both pivoting options are to be considered optional and not absolutely necessary. If neither pivoting of the tiller 26 relative to the body 24 of the carrier vehicle 18 about the vertical axis 44 is intended, nor additional pivoting of the laying plow 32 about the separate vertical axis 46 relative to the tiller 26 is intended, cornering of the laying machine 10 is made more difficult but not impossible.Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to raise the milling wheel 16 in tighter curves and excavate the furrow using an excavator instead of performing a milling operation in the curved section. Furthermore, it may be necessary to manually lower the cable or line 34 to the previously selected installation depth 42 in such shorter sections, for example, by first exposing the required installation depth by manually or excavator-assisted excavation of the route or furrow.

[0062] The schematic top view of the Fig. 3 shows the laying process with the laying machine 10 moving in a straight line. For the Fig.However, for the curve travel schematically indicated in Figure 4, it may already be sufficient if only the pivoting capability of the tiller 26, together with the laying plough 32, which is anchored to it and cannot pivot but can only be raised and lowered, is provided around the vertical axis 44. The additional pivoting capability around the separate vertical axis 46 should be understood merely as a possibility that further facilitates curve travel.

[0063] The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable for a person skilled in the art that modifications or variations of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. List of reference symbols 10 laying machines 12 Soil surface 14 Laying direction, feed direction 16 Milling wheel, rotating milling wheel 18 carrier vehicle 20 Belt drive 22 drive unit 24 Body, vehicle body 26 tiller 28 Parallelogram suspension 30 Soil, soil layer, earth 32 laying plow 34 Line, cable 36 storage drum, cable drum, cable drum 38 Linear guide 40 Working depth, furrow depth 42 storage level 44 Vertical axis 46 separate vertical axes

Claims

[1] Method for laying cables and / or lines (34) in the ground (30), in which: - by means of a rotating milling wheel (16) suspended in a height-adjustable manner on a moving carrier vehicle (18), a soil surface (12) is broken up and a furrow of defined and variable depth is drawn, and - by means of a laying plough (32) arranged downstream of the cutting wheel (16) and pulled in a track defined by the furrow, at least one cable and / or at least one line (34) is introduced into the excavated soil (30), wherein the method provides that the laying plough (32) is variably adjustable in its working and placement level (42) in relation to a furrow depth defined by the rotating cutting wheel (16), wherein the working and placement level (42) of the laying plough (32) is in particular below the furrow depth (40) created by the cutting wheel (16), - whereby the procedure characterized byis that the cutting wheel (16) can be pivoted around a vertical axis (44) for cornering together with the laying plough (32) running behind it, and - that the laying plough (32) can be pivoted about a vertical axis (46) relative to the suspension of the cutting wheel (16). [2] Method according to claim 1, in which a sealed covering layer on the soil surface (12) is broken up by means of the rotating milling wheel (16). [3] Method according to claim 2, wherein the laying plough (32) is pulled through a ground level which is below the sealed covering layer of the ground surface (12). [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the laying plough (32) is articulated on a suspension located at the rear of the carrier vehicle (18) and adjustable in height. [5] Mobile and portable laying machine (10) for laying cables and / or lines (34) in the ground (30), comprising at least: - a powered carrier vehicle (18) with - a rotating milling wheel (16) suspended at the rear and adjustable in height for breaking up a soil surface (12) and for drawing a furrow of defined and variable depth, and with - a laying plough (32) arranged downstream of the cutting wheel (16) and pulled in a track defined by the furrow, which is intended and appropriately equipped to insert at least one cable and / or at least one line (34) into the excavated soil (30), - wherein the laying plough (32) is variably adjustable in its working and placement level (42) in relation to a furrow depth defined by the rotating cutting wheel (16), - wherein the working and placement level (42) of the laying plough (32) is in particular below the furrow depth created by the cutting wheel (16), - and wherein the laying machine (10) characterized by is that the cutting wheel (16) is arranged to be pivotable about a vertical axis (44) for cornering together with the laying plough (32) running behind it, and - that the laying plough (32) is arranged to be pivotable about a vertical axis (46) relative to the suspension of the cutting wheel (16). [6] Laying machine (10) according to claim 5, wherein the rotating driven cutting wheel (16) is suspended at the rear of the carrier vehicle (18) in a height-adjustable manner. [7] Laying machine (10) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the laying plough (32) is articulated by means of a suspension located at the rear of the carrier vehicle (18) and adjustable in height. [8] Laying machine (10) according to one of claims 5 to 7, in which the carrier vehicle (18) is formed by a compact tracked vehicle, in particular by a remote-controlled tracked vehicle with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor or other drive. [9] Laying machine (10) according to one of claims 5 to 8, in which the carrier vehicle (18) carries a storage drum (36) from which the line (34) or cable fed to the laying plough (32) can be withdrawn. [10] Laying machine (10) according to one of claims 5 to 9, which is intended and equipped accordingly for carrying out a method for laying cables and / or lines in the ground according to one of claims 1 to 4.

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