EP3225743B1 - Method for operating a mounted compressor and storage medium and mounted compressor - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for operating an add-on compactor according to the preamble of claim 1.

DE 103 55 172 B3 describes an attachment compactor that can be coupled to an arm of an excavator. The add-on compactor comprises a compacting element in the form of a compactor plate, which is pressed by the excavator onto a surface location of a soil to be compacted. The compression plate is coupled to a vibration generator, by means of which the compression plate is made to vibrate. As a result, a spatial area that lies below the surface point on which the compacting plate rests is compacted. From the DE 10 2013 222 122 A1 In addition, a sensor is previously known which detects a static force (load) with which the compactor plate is pressed onto the surface point, in particular by an excavator. The load is consequently that load or force with which, for example, an excavator to which the attachment compactor is attached presses it onto the surface location (unit, for example [N]). From the DE 10 2008 010 461 A1 is a compactor plate according to the preamble to claim 1.

The present invention aims to improve the operation of an attachment compactor.

This object is achieved by a method with the features of claim 1 and a storage medium and an add-on compactor with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims. In addition, features which are important for the invention can be found in the following description and in the drawing. The features that are important for the invention can be combined with one another in any way. According to the invention, it is proposed that at least two sensors are provided for detecting at least one variable that characterizes a distribution of the static force (static force distribution) with which the compactor plate is pressed onto a surface point. In the context of the present invention, the term "static force distribution" is understood to mean the course or distribution of the contact force with which the compactor plate is pressed onto the surface point below the compactor plate over the area of the compactor plate. In the ideal case, this distribution is uniform in that the compactor plate is at every point the same static force is pressed onto the surface point.

In real operation, however, it can sometimes be difficult to achieve such an even distribution of forces. The reason for this is, for example, that the operator sitting in the carrier vehicle cannot always tell whether the attachment compactor is aligned in such a way that the direction of force with which the carrier vehicle presses the attachment compactor onto the surface point is exactly orthogonal to the surface plane of the surface point. In real operation it can happen that this direction of force is inclined relative to the surface plane of the surface point. As a result, the static force with which the compacting plate is pressed onto the surface point is greater in the area of one edge of the compacting plate than in the area of an opposite edge.

The method according to the invention thus makes it possible, using two sensors provided, for example, for load measurement, at least approximately to detect a variable characterizing the static force distribution during operation or to determine this directly. If the sensors are force measuring sensors, then at least in the case of a more or less vertical load, the sum of the detected forces can be used to determine the load, i.e. the static force with which the compacting plate is pressed onto the surface point.

Together with a time measurement, it is possible to determine the point in time or points in time at which the compression plate is unevenly loaded (oblique loading or uneven loading), which, as mentioned above, especially when the compactor plate is placed on the ground at an angle. Such an unequal load is particularly undesirable because it can damage the add-on compactor or damage pipes lying in the ground. Furthermore, the soil to be compacted is then not compacted evenly.

An action according to the invention can, for example, consist in logging the entire course of the static force distribution and in particular storing it on a storage medium. As an alternative or in addition, it is possible to display the current distribution of forces or a variable that characterizes this to the operator so that he or she can adapt the alignment of the add-on compressor with the aim of achieving the most uniform distribution of forces possible. This will be discussed again below.

Thanks to the measures according to the invention, the operation of the add-on compactor can thus be made more reliable and simpler, and the possibility is created for the simple application of quality management.

1. a. Erfassen der von statischen Kräften mittels der Sensoren;
2. b. Ermitteln der die statische Kräfteverteilung charakterisierenden Größe in Form einer Differenz zwischen den gemessenen Kräften;
3. c. Vergleichen der in Schritt b. ermittelten Differenz mit einem Grenzwert; und
4. d. Veranlassen einer Aktion, wenn der Grenzwert erreicht und/oder überschritten wird.

Specifically, a method for operating an add-on compressor is proposed which comprises the following steps:

1. a. Detecting the static forces by means of the sensors;
2. b. Determining the variable characterizing the static force distribution in the form of a difference between the measured forces;
3. c. Compare the in step b. determined difference with a limit value; and
4. d. Initiate an action if the limit value is reached and / or exceeded.

The difference between the measured forces can be determined for each operating time, and an action is then initiated when a difference limit value is reached or exceeded. The limit value can also be 0 N, which in fact means that the action takes place continuously or a comparison with the limit value does not take place at all, but it is preferably above 0 N, so that an action is only initiated from a certain degree of unequal load becomes. The advantage of this method is that it can be carried out very easily, requires little computing capacity, and delivers reliable results.

One possible embodiment of the invention provides that in step d. a signal that can be perceived by a user is generated. If, as a result, an uneven load (reaching or exceeding the differential limit value) is detected, this is signaled to the operator, in particular the excavator driver, so that he can react accordingly, for example can lift the add-on compactor from the ground and put it back on the ground.

It is conceivable that the signal can be perceived acoustically, optically and / or haptically. In the simplest case, the signal is simply a light signal by means of a light source, for example a lamp, or a sound signal by means of a loudspeaker or a vibration signal on an operating handle, with which the operator controls the attachment compactor. The signal can be generated directly on the add-on compactor or in a driver's cab of the carrier vehicle to which the compactor is attached. In the latter case, it is conceivable that wireless data transmission takes place from the attachment compactor to the carrier vehicle, for example by means of radio or infrared. However, a graphical, qualitative representation of the static force distribution on a screen on the add-on compressor or in a driver's cab of the carrying vehicle is also possible. These signals or displays can easily be interpreted by the operator, which simplifies the operation of the add-on compactor.

It is also proposed that in step d. the point in time at which the unequal load exceeds a level predetermined by the limit value, and the associated determined difference or another variable that characterizes the unequal load is stored on a storage medium. In this way, uneven loads can be logged so that possible damage to the add-on compactor or elsewhere can be traced back to logged incorrect loads. A simple and automatic possibility for quality assurance is created. It is also conceivable that the position of the add-on compactor at the time of the uneven load is also logged, for example by means of a GPS system, so that any damage to pipes, for example, can be traced back to logged and localized incorrect loads. Of course, the entire time course of the static force acting as well as the force differences occurring between the forces measured by the sensors can be logged. It is conceivable that the storage medium on which the data are stored is arranged on or in the cultivation compactor, on or in the carrier vehicle or at a remote location where the data is going for example, can be transmitted wirelessly. For example, the data can also be transmitted wirelessly to a central server.

Another development provides that the add-on compressor has a coupling section, which preferably comprises a quick changer and / or a rotating device, the underside of which is connected to an upper part, which is connected via elastic coupling elements to a lower part having the compressor plate, with the sensors between the coupling section and the upper part are arranged, wherein at least three sensors are provided, and wherein in step d. taking into account the spring stiffnesses and / or modulus of elasticity of the coupling elements stored on a storage medium as well as the measured forces, the relative position of the compressor plate to the upper part is determined and displayed to the user and / or stored on the storage medium.

Because at least three sensors (three points in space span a plane) are provided, the position of the compressor plate relative to the upper part can be deduced due to the known spring stiffness or the modulus of elasticity of the coupling elements. It is particularly conceivable that this position - during the entire operating time or when the difference limit value is reached or exceeded - is also stored on a storage medium and / or that the position is visually presented to the operator. The determination of the relative position of the compactor plate to the upper part offers advantages, especially when a certain terrain profile is achieved by means of the add-on compactor is to be modeled and the alignment of the compactor plate is particularly important.

It is also possible that in step d. when the limit value is exceeded, the vibration of the compressor plate is interrupted and / or the carrying vehicle is actuated in such a way that the static force exerted is reduced. In this way, damage, for example, to pipes or also to the attachment compactor itself can be prevented in an advantageous manner.

The storage medium according to the invention is designed to carry out the method described above in that a computer program is stored on it which is programmed to carry out the method described. The storage medium can in particular be a storage medium in a computer system, for example a notebook, a smartphone or a tablet PC.

It is also understood that the storage medium can be arranged, for example, in the driver's cab of an excavator. On the other hand, it is also conceivable that the storage medium is provided, for example, in the office building of a construction company or engineering office.

The transmission of the forces detected by the sensors, or the signals corresponding to them, can take place in a wired or wireless manner to the storage medium. A corresponding add-on compressor can have its own power supply which supplies the sensors with power and which is fed, for example, directly or indirectly from the eccentric drive, or it is a power supply from the latter Portable truck possible to which the cultivator is attached, for example from an excavator.

The add-on compactor according to the invention is designed for coupling to a carrying vehicle, in particular an excavator, and has a vibrating compactor plate. Furthermore, at least two sensors are provided for measuring the force with which the compacting plate is pressed onto a surface location, signals from the sensors being passed to a processing device which processes the signals in accordance with a method described above. The processing device can in particular comprise a storage medium as described above.

It is also proposed that the add-on compressor has a coupling section, which preferably comprises a quick changer and / or a rotating device, the underside of which is connected to an upper part which is connected via elastic coupling elements to a lower part having the compressor plate, the sensors between the coupling section and the upper part are arranged. In this way, the effective static force (sum of the individual measured static forces of the sensors) and differences between measured forces of the sensors can be determined in a particularly simple manner.
The sensors can be designed as force transducers, for example as spring body or piezo force transducers. On the other hand, it is also conceivable that these are designed as strain gauges arranged on a measuring ring.

Finally, it is proposed that the add-on compactor have a wireless signal transmission device, which transmits the signals from the sensors to a processing device on the carrier vehicle or a signal from the processing device to a display device on the carrier vehicle. In particular, each sensor provided can each have a signal transmission device.

Figur 1

eine schematische Seitenansicht auf einen Bagger, an dessen Baggerarm ein Anbauverdichter montiert ist;

Figur 2

eine schematische Seitenansicht auf den Anbauverdichters von Figur 1;

Figur 3

schematische Darstellung der am Anbauverdichter gemäß den Figuren 1 und 2 angeordneten Sensoren; und

Figur 4

eine schematische Darstellung zur Erläuterung eines Verfahrens zum Betreiben des Anbauverdichters von Figur 1.

Embodiments of the invention are explained below with reference to the drawings. The drawing shows:

Figure 1

a schematic side view of an excavator, an attachment compactor is mounted on the excavator arm;

Figure 2

a schematic side view of the attachment compactor from Figure 1 ;

Figure 3

schematic representation of the attached compressor according to Figures 1 and 2 arranged sensors; and

Figure 4

a schematic representation to explain a method for operating the cultivator of Figure 1 .

A soil compacting device in the form of an attachment compactor carries into the Figures 1 and 2 overall the reference number 10. The add-on compactor is mounted on an excavator arm 18 of an excavator 20 via a quick coupler 12 and a rotating device 14 with a vertical axis of rotation 16. The quick coupler 12 and the rotating device 14 as a whole belong to a coupling section which, however, does not have its own reference number in the figures.

The add-on compactor 10 comprises an upper part 22 and a lower part 24. The lower part 24 is connected to the upper part 22 via elastic coupling elements 26. The lower part 24 includes a compression element in the form of a compression plate 28 which, in the form of FIG Figure 1 operating position shown rests flat on a surface point 30 of a soil 32 to be compacted.

A vibration exciter 34 is arranged on the compression plate 28 and is rigidly coupled to the compression plate 28. The vibration exciter 34 comprises a hydraulic drive motor 36 which is connected via hydraulic lines 38 to the quick coupler 12 and via this to the hydraulic supply of the excavator 20. The drive motor 36 drives an in Figure 1 invisible wave, with the one in Figure 1 also not visible eccentric mass is rigidly coupled. The shaft rotates with the eccentric mass. Alternatively, the eccentric mass could also be rotatably mounted on a non-rotating axle and driven by the drive motor 36 in a different manner.

In operation, the shaft rotates and the eccentric mass rotates with it. Due to the center of gravity of the eccentric mass, which is eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the eccentric mass, the vibration exciter 34 exerts a force acting periodically on the compressor plate 28 perpendicular to the compressor plate 28 - ideally even harmonically - which is transmitted from the compressor plate 28 to the surface point 30, whereby this is compressed.

As in all figures, especially clearly in Figure 3 As shown, three sensors 40 designed as force transducers are arranged at an angle of 120 ° to one another between the rotating device 14 and the upper part 22. The sum of the forces measured by the force transducers corresponds to the static force acting on the surface point 30.

Each sensor 40 has a wireless signal transmission device (not shown in the figures), which relay sensor signals to a processing device 42 on the carrier vehicle, the processing device 42 having a storage medium 44. In the
Processing device 42 is preferably a computer, for example a PC.

A computer program which is programmed to carry out the method described below is stored on the storage medium.

As in the Figures 1 , 2 and 3 is indicated by the arrows, sensor signals are transmitted from the sensors 40 to the processing device 42. At a specific point in time T ₁ , the three sensors 40 each measure a static force F ₁ , F ₂ or F ₃ . The computer program of the storage medium 44 then evaluates the sensor signals and determines in particular the total static force (F = F ₁ + F ₂ + F ₃ ) and the differences (D ₁ = | F ₁ -F ₂ |, D ₂ = | F ₁ -F ₃ |, D ₃ = | F ₂ -F ₃ |) between the individual measured forces of the sensors 40. Consequently, a static force distribution is determined. If the differences (D ₁ , D ₂ and / or D ₃ ) exceed a fixed limit value G or a limit value preset by the operator, for example if the compactor plate 28 is placed obliquely on the surface point 30, this is visually indicated to the operator of the excavator 20 by appropriate control of a lamp 46 in the driver's cab 48. The operator can react accordingly, in particular lift the add-on compactor 10 from the floor 32.

In addition, the point in time of the unequal load, the determined difference values D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ and preferably also the total effective static force F are stored on the storage medium 44. Furthermore, the position of the add-on compactor 10 at the time of the uneven load is preferably recorded and stored by means of a global satellite navigation system for position determination (in particular by means of GPS). In particular, the position, the acting static forces F, the determined differential values D ₁ , D ₂ , D ₃ and the times of the unequal load (reaching or exceeding the differential limit value) can be stored over the entire operating period. These data can then be transmitted continuously or at specific times to a central server, for example in a construction company, in particular wirelessly.

Finally, taking into account the spring stiffnesses and / or moduli of elasticity of the coupling elements 26 stored on the storage medium 44 as well as the measured static forces F ₁ , F ₂ and F _3, the relative position of the compressor plate 28 to the upper part 22 - using Hooke's law and the fact that a plane in which the sensors 40 are located can be determined from the three positions of the sensors 40 - determined at each operating time and likewise stored on the storage medium 44.

On the other hand, it is conceivable that only the static forces F ₁ , F ₂ or F ₃ measured by the three sensors 40 at each operating time, and thus the entire course of the static force distribution, are stored on the storage medium 44. Then, if necessary, for example to prove that damage to pipes is not caused by the action of the add-on compressor 10, an evaluation of the static force distribution - as explained above - can be carried out, in particular in order to determine whether the limit value G has been exceeded.

Overall, the invention can improve the operation of an add-on compactor 10 by effectively preventing damage to pipes in the soil to be compacted from overloads due to uneven loads on the add-on compactor 10, but also damage to the add-on compactor 10 itself due to such unequal loads. In addition, more even soil compaction can be achieved.

Figure 4 shows schematically the three sensors 40, the forces F ₁ , F ₂ and F ₃ detected by them, and the differences D ₁ , D ₂ and D _{3 determined from them} for an operating case in which the compacting plate 28 is pressed obliquely onto the surface point 30 in this way becomes that the contact pressure on the left edge of the compressor plate 28 in Figure is significantly higher than on that in Figure 4 right edge of the compression plate 28, which is indicated by corresponding arrows below the compression plate 28. However, it should be noted that Figure 4 shows the three sensors 40 side by side for the sake of simplicity. In fact, however, these are evenly distributed around a plane perpendicular to the plane of Figure 4 arranged in a running circle.

Claims (11)

1. Method for operating a built-on compactor (10) which can be coupled to a carrier vehicle (14), in particular an excavator, with an oscillating compactor plate (28), characterized in that at least one variable (D₁, D₂, D₃) which characterizes a distribution of the static force, which acts between the compactor plate (28) and a surface location (30) of a soil (32), is detected with at least two sensors (40), and that an action is initiated based on the detected variable (D₁, D₂, D₃), the method comprising the following steps:

   a. detecting static forces (F₁, F₂, F₃) by means of the sensors (40);

   b. determining the variable characterizing the static force distribution in the form of a difference (D₁, D₂, D₃) between the measured forces (F₁, F₂, F₃);

   c. comparing the difference (D₁, D₂, D₃) determined in step b. with a limit value (G); and

   d. Initiate an action if the limit value (G) is reached and/or exceeded.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in step d. a signal perceptible by a user is generated.
3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the signal is acoustically, optically and/or haptically perceptible.
4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in step d. the time of reaching and/or exceeding the limit value and the corresponding determined difference (D₁, D₂, D₃) or another variable characterizing a non-uniform load is stored on a storage medium (44).
5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the built-on compactor (10) has a coupling section, preferably comprising a quick coupler (12) and/or a rotary device (14), the underside of which is connected to an upper part (22) which is connected via elastic coupling elements (26) to a lower part (24) comprising the compressor plate, wherein the sensors (40) are arranged between the coupling section and the upper part (22), wherein at least three sensors (40) are provided, and wherein in step d., taking into account spring stiffnesses and/or moduli of elasticity of the coupling elements (26) deposited on a storage medium (44) and the measured static forces (F₁, F₂, F₃), the relative position of the compressor plate (28) to the upper part (22) is determined and displayed to the user and/or stored on the storage medium (44).
6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in step d. when the limit value (G) is exceeded, the oscillation of the compressor plate (28) is interrupted and/or the carrying vehicle (14) is actuated in such a way that the static force (F) exerted is reduced.
7. Storage medium (44), characterized in that a computer program is stored on it, which is programmed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims.
8. Built-on compactor (10) for coupling to a carrier vehicle (14), in particular an excavator, with an oscillating compactor plate (28), characterized in that at least two sensors (40) are provided for measuring the static force with which the compactor plate (28) is pressed onto a surface point (30), wherein signals from the sensors (40) are passed to a processing device (42) which processes the signals in accordance with a method according to one of the preceding claims.
9. Built-on compactor (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that the Built-on compactor (10) has a coupling section, preferably comprising a quick coupler (12) and/or a rotating device (14), the underside of which is connected to an upper part (22) which is connected via elastic coupling elements (26) to a lower part (24) comprising the compressor plate (28), wherein the sensors (40) are arranged between the coupling section and the upper part (22).
10. Built-on compactor (10) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the sensors (40) are designed as force transducers or as strain gauges arranged in particular on a measuring ring.
11. Built-on compactor (10) according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that it has a preferably wireless signal transmission device transmitting the signal of the sensor (40) to a processing device (42) on the carrying vehicle or a signal of the processing device to a display device (46) on the carrying vehicle.

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