NL2015191B1 - A device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground and a method wherein said device can be used. - Google Patents

A device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground and a method wherein said device can be used. Download PDF

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Publication number
NL2015191B1
NL2015191B1 NL2015191A NL2015191A NL2015191B1 NL 2015191 B1 NL2015191 B1 NL 2015191B1 NL 2015191 A NL2015191 A NL 2015191A NL 2015191 A NL2015191 A NL 2015191A NL 2015191 B1 NL2015191 B1 NL 2015191B1
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NL
Netherlands
Prior art keywords
volume
cutting head
location
ground
unit
Prior art date
Application number
NL2015191A
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Dutch (nl)
Inventor
Justus Van Gelder Diederik
Original Assignee
Zm Holding B V
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Application filed by Zm Holding B V filed Critical Zm Holding B V
Priority to NL2015191A priority Critical patent/NL2015191B1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of NL2015191B1 publication Critical patent/NL2015191B1/en

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02F—DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING
    • E02F9/00—Component parts of dredgers or soil-shifting machines, not restricted to one of the kinds covered by groups E02F3/00 - E02F7/00
    • E02F9/24—Safety devices, e.g. for preventing overload
    • E02F9/245—Safety devices, e.g. for preventing overload for preventing damage to underground objects during excavation, e.g. indicating buried pipes or the like

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Paleontology (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Road Repair (AREA)

Abstract

The invention pertains to a device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground, which volume extends between a first upstream location and a second downstream location, the volume including a surface of the said ground, the device comprising transport means for transporting the device from the first location to the second location, a cutting head for cutting through the surface while the device is transported from the first location to the second location, and operatively connected to the device a ground penetrating radar unit (GPR-unit) adjacent the cutting head, the GRP-unit being situated above the surface of the ground at a distal position of the cutting head, wherein the GPR-unit is configured to create an image of at least a part of the volume of material, and a control unit to automatically control an action of the cutting head when cutting in the said part of the volume of material, wherein said control is based on the image created.

Description

A DEVICE FOR CUTTING A VOLUME OF MATERIAL OUT OF A PIECE OF GROUND AND A METHOD WHEREIN SAID DEVICE CAN BE USED
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to a device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground, which volume extends between a first upstream location and a second downstream location, the volume including a surface of the said ground, wherein the device comprises a transport means for transporting the device from the first location to the second location and a cutting head for cutting through the surface while the device is transported from the first location to the second location. This kind of device is typical for the technical area of civil engineering such as road building, and bridge building and the provision of tubings, pipes, cables etc. underneath the ground surface, for example the surface of an existing civil construction on the earth surface. This type of device is characterised in that a volume of material is ultimately cut away out of the ground (which cut away may be in the form of a slot, trench, ditch, gully etc.) such that space is created in the ground, e.g. to create a new top layer in an existing civil construction, or to lay cables, pipes or other tubing underneath an existing civil construction, to correspondingly to create a cut away in a natural piece of ground (without an existing civil construction), for example to lay a cable or create a road. Typical cut away actions are sawing, milling and trenching.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the art, sawing, milling or trenching of ground is usually preceded by an assessment of the physical constitution of the volume of material that has to be cut away. For example, if a layer of old tarmac has to be removed from an existing road on a bridge, a good determination of the thickness of the layer has to be provided in order to prevent that the milling head will go to deep and mill in the construction layers of the bridge. Correspondingly, if a deep slot has to be provided in an existing road or piece of ground, typically using one or more sawing blades that cut into the ground, one wants to prevent that existing underground constructions such as cables, pipes and other tubing are cut through.
In most cases use is made of existing maps, charts or information in civil databanks about the physical constitution of the volume of material that has to be cut away out of the ground. This works quite well for relatively new highly urbanized environments, but the risk of damaging existing underneath construction is still relatively high due to inaccuracies of the information available, and also due to the fact that such information has to be interpreted on-the-fly by an operator of the machine who does the cutting. Sometimes therefore a machine is pre-programmed using the existing information. This rules out any operator mistakes. However, this also more or less rules out quick and adequate operator intervention if things go wrong.
In order to mitigate such risks, sometimes the volume of material to be cut away between the first and second location is sampled, in particular at critical positions. Such sampling can be done using bores, echo-devices or ground penetrating radar systems, all commonly known in the art. The information is gathered, processed and based thereon a cutting plan is made and either manually implemented by the operator of a cutting device, or programmed such that irregularities are automatically taken into account. An example of such a way of working is described in US 5,553,407 which discloses an excavator data acquisition and control system, and process for imaging the subsurface geology of an excavation site. The resulting data is used to optimize the production performance of an excavator.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide for an improved device for for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground. Another object is provide for a method in which such a device can be used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to meet the object of the invention a device as described in the FIELD OF THE INVENTION section has been devised, the device being characterised in that this device comprises operatively connected thereto a ground penetrating radar unit (GPR-unit) adjacent the cutting head, the GRP-unit being situated above the surface of the ground at a distal position of the cutting head, wherein the GPR-unit is configured to create an image of at least a part of the volume of material, and a control unit to automatically control an action of the cutting head when cutting in the said part of the volume of material, wherein said control is based on the image created.
This device enables the volume of the material that has to be cut away to be continuously monitored real time (while cutting) such that the action of the cutting head can instantly be adjusted to the particular physical constitution of the ground at each cutting site, along the complete length between the first location and the second location. It was applicant’s recognition that it is important that the complete volume, including the surface of the ground is imaged, to be actually able and adjust the cutting had within the entire volume. For this, the application of a ground penetrating radar unit above the surface of the ground is needed. The direct control between a GPR-unit and cutting head which are operatively connected, in particular when the have a fixed spatial relationship, in contrast with the “off-line” control with two separate devices (the GPR-unit and the cutting device) as known from the art, ensures that the exact cutting sites are imaged all along the trajectory in the ground to be processed. Please note that the term “GPR-unit” also encompasses a unit that consists of several separate sub-units such as a transmitter and receiver, which need not be mechanically connected. Operatively, these sub-units are connected and form the GPR-unit.
The invention also provides for a method for using the new device, the method comprising transporting a device having a cutting head continuously from the first location to the second location while actuating the cutting head, the device being operatively coupled with a ground penetrating radar unit situated above the surface of the ground at a distal position of the cutting head, which unit creates an image of at least a part of the volume of material adjacent the cutting head during the continuous transport, such that during transport each site to be actuated upon by the cutting head is imaged, the method further comprising automatically controlling an action of the cutting head when cutting in the said part of the volume of material, wherein said control is based on the image created.
DEFINITIONS
Ground is a surface of the earth including the directly underlying material, which surface can be a natural surface or a surface provided with an artificial construction such as a road or bridge.
To cut a volume of material out of a piece of ground means to create a cut-away in the ground, the cut-away having a length, a depth and a width, the width typically varying between the thickness of a blade of a saw and a few meters.
An image of a volume of ground is a representation of the physical constitution of that volume of ground (which representation need to be no more than simple data), the physical constitution including for example the thickness of layers of material present in the ground, or the presence of natural or synthetic (man-made) irregularities such as rocks, cables, pipes or any other non-soil anomalies.
Adjacent means nearby.
Automatically means without the need of operator intervention. The term automatically does not exclude that an operation which is carried out automatically is initiated or stopped by an operator.
EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
In a first embodiment of the invention the GPR-unit is mechanically connected to the device. As stated here above, preferably the GPR unit and cutting head are spatially fixed (i.e. have a fixed mutual arrangement in 3D space). This can be advantageously accomplished by mechanically connecting the GPR-unit to the device.
In a second embodiment the device is configured to operate the cutting head and the GPR-unit at the same time. Although it is envisioned that there might be some delay (in addition to the inherent “distance” delay that exists since the GPR unit is positioned distally from the cutting head) between the imaging action of the GPR-unit and the cutting action of the cutting head, for example to secure reliable data processing, it is preferred that no such additional delay is introduced and data is processed real time, such that the device can be transported between the first location and the second location while continuously imaging the ground with the GPR-unit and actuating the cutting head (where needed).
In another embodiment the device is configured to create images that cover the entire volume of material that needs to be cut out. Although it is envisioned that at some sites in the volume to be cut out, it is not necessary to create an image, for example because reliable data is present (for example in the form of a map, or previous GPR data) that corresponds to a good image of the particular site in the volume, it is preferred that images are created that cover the entire volume.
In yet another embodiment the action that is controlled is chosen from depth of the cutting head with respect to the surface, speed with which the cutting head moves through the volume of material, and direction with respect to a line between the first and second location.
In still another embodiment the device is self-propelled, for example, the device may be a truck provided with the cutting head and the GPR unit positioned distally of the cutting head.
The invention will now be illustrated suing the following example of a device according to the invention.
EXAMPLES
Figure 1 schematically depicts a device according to the invention.
Figure 1
In Figure 1, a device 1 according to the invention is schematically depicted. In this embodiment, the device 1 is a combination of a truck 2 with trailer 3 to arrive at a self-propelled device. The device can move itself forward over the ground surface 4, going from first upstream location X to a second downstream location Y. Between these two locations a deep slot has to be sawn, through a top layer of concrete (which layer is not indicated as such). This top layer of concrete does not have an even thickness, but still has to cut through completely, without entering more than 1 cm in the layer below the concrete in order to avoid hitting irregularities in the layer underneath.
In order to saw the slot, the device is provided with two saw blades. A first blade 16 is used to make a precut in the layer of concrete. The action of this saw blade is controlled based on transport speed of the device and other variables. A second blade 5 is provided to deepen the first cut to the required depth, completely through the concrete. This blade therefore has to be shifted in vertical position while cutting through the concrete when the truck moves from X to Y in the indicated direction A, in order to make sure the blade meets the varying thickness of the layer.
In order to control the depth of the saw blade 5, the trailer is provided with a GPR unit 8 (in this case a Zond-12e GPR from GeoRadar) adjacent the cutting blades, which GPR-unit is able to create an image of a part 9 of the ground volume. With this, it can be established what the local thickness is of the concrete in part 9 (and of any upstream part up to location X and ultimately of any downstream part up to second location Y). This GPR-unit is mechanically connected to the trailer such that it is spatially fixed with respect to the (normal) position of the cutting blades. The GPR-unit is situated above the surface of the ground 4 at a distal position of cutting head 5. The image is created by central processing unit (CPU) 10, based on data received from the GPR-unit. The image is displayed diagrammatically on a display 11, such that a truck driver (the operator of the device) can interpret the image (which need not be more than an indication of the thickness of the concrete layer). The CPU automatically (without the need of intervention of the truck driver) sends signals to control unit 12, such that this unit can actuate a mechanism (not shown) to adjust the vertical position of the saw blades 5 and 6 (although blade 6 in this example needs no adjustment). This way, cutting lines 16 and 15 are arrived at. In this example cutting line 16 has a constant depth and cutting line 15 has a depth that varies with the thickness of the concrete layer. This way, convex or concave bulges 150 arise in the cutting line 15.

Claims (8)

1. Een inrichting voor gebruik in de civiele techniek zoals het maken van wegen, het maken van bruggen en het leggen van leidingen, pijpen en kabels onder een grondoppervlak, bijvoorbeeld het oppervlak van een bestaande civiele constructie, om een volume materiaal uit een stuk grond te snijden, welk volume zich uitstrekt tussen een eerste stroomopwaarts gelegen locatie en een tweede stroomafwaarts gelegen locatie, waarbij het volume een oppervlak van de genoemde grond insluit, de inrichting omvattend: - transportmiddelen om de inrichting van de eerste naar de tweede locatie te transporteren, - een snij-kop om door het oppervlak te snijden terwijl de inrichting getransporteerd wordt van de eerste locatie naar de tweede locatie, - werkzaam verbonden hiermee een grond penetrerende radar eenheid (GPR- eenheid) in de nabijheid van de snij-kop, waarbij de GPR-eenheid gesitueerd is boven het oppervlak van de grond op een positie distaai van de snij-kop, waarbij de GPR-eenheid is geconfigureerd om een beeld te creëren van tenminste een deel van het volume materiaal, en - een regel eenheid om een actie van de snij-kop automatisch te regelen wanneer deze aan het snijden is in het genoemde deel van het volume materiaal, waarbij deze regeling is gebaseerd op het gecreëerde beeld.A device for use in civil engineering such as road construction, bridging and laying of pipes, pipes and cables under a ground surface, for example the surface of an existing civil construction, around a volume of material from a piece of land cutting, which volume extends between a first upstream location and a second downstream location, the volume enclosing a surface of said ground, comprising the device: transport means for transporting the device from the first to the second location, - a cutting head to cut through the surface while the device is being transported from the first location to the second location, - operatively connected thereto a ground penetrating radar unit (GPR unit) in the vicinity of the cutting head, the GPR unit is located above the surface of the ground at a position away from the cutting head, the GPR unit being configured d to create an image of at least a part of the volume of material, and - a control unit to automatically control an action of the cutting head when it is cutting into said part of the volume of material, this control being based on the created image. 2. Een inrichting volgens conclusie 1, met het kenmerk dat de GPR-eenheid mechanisch verbonden is met de inrichting.A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the GPR unit is mechanically connected to the device. 3. Een inrichting volgens een der voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat de inrichting is geconfigureerd om de snij-kop en de GPR-eenheid tegelijkertijd te bedienen.A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is configured to operate the cutter head and the GPR unit simultaneously. 4. Een inrichting volgens een der voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat de inrichting is geconfigureerd om beelden te creëren die het gehele volume materiaal dat uitgesneden moet worden dekken.A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is configured to create images that cover the entire volume of material to be cut. 5. Een inrichting volgens een der voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat de actie die geregeld wordt, wordt gekozen uit de diepte van de snij-kop ten opzichte van het oppervlak, de snelheid waarmee de snij-kop beweegt door het volume materiaal, en de richting ten opzichte van een lijn tussen de eerste en tweede locatie.A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the action that is controlled is selected from the depth of the cutting head relative to the surface, the speed at which the cutting head moves through the volume of material, and the direction relative to a line between the first and second location. 6. Een inrichting volgens een der voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk dat de inrichting zelf-aangedreven is..A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device is self-driven. 7. Een inrichting volgens conclusie 6, met het kenmerk dat de inrichting een vrachtwagen is, voorzien van de snij-kop en de GPR-eenheid distaai gepositioneerd ten opzichte van de snij-kop.A device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the device is a truck provided with the cutting head and the GPR unit positioned distantly relative to the cutting head. 8. Een werkwijze voor gebruik in de civiele techniek zoals het maken van wegen, het maken van bruggen en het leggen van leidingen, pijpen en kabels onder een grondoppervlak, bijvoorbeeld het oppervlak van een bestaande civiele constructie, om een volume materiaal uit een stuk grond te snijden, welk volume zich uitstrekt tussen een eerste stroomopwaarts gelegen locatie en een tweede stroomafwaarts gelegen locatie, waarbij het volume een oppervlak van de genoemde grond insluit, de werkwijze omvattend het ononderbroken transporteren van een inrichting die een snij-kop heeft van de eerste locatie naar de tweede locatie terwijl de snij-kop bediend wordt, waarbij de inrichting werkzaam verbonden is met een grond penetrerende radar eenheid, welke gesitueerd is boven het oppervlak van de grond op een distale positie van de snij-kop, welke eenheid een beeld creëert van tenminste een deel van het volume materiaal in de nabijheid van de snij-kop tijdens het ononderbroken transport, zodanig dat tijdens het transport van elke plek die bewerkt wordt door de snij-kop een beeld gemaakt wordt, de werkwijze verder omvattend het regelen van de actie van de snij-kop wanneer deze in het genoemde deel van het volume materiaal snijdt, waarbij dit regelen gebaseerd is op het gecreëerde beeld.A method for use in civil engineering such as road construction, bridging and laying of pipes, pipes and cables under a ground surface, for example the surface of an existing civil construction, around a volume of material from a piece of land cutting, which volume extends between a first upstream location and a second downstream location, the volume enclosing a surface of said ground, the method comprising the continuous transport of a device having a cutting head from the first location to the second location while the cutting head is being operated, the device being operatively connected to a ground penetrating radar unit, which is located above the surface of the ground at a distal position of the cutting head, which unit creates an image of at least a part of the volume of material in the vicinity of the cutting head during the continuous transport, such that t an image is made during transport of each spot being processed by the cutting head, the method further comprising controlling the action of the cutting head as it cuts into said portion of the volume of material, this control being based on the created image.
NL2015191A 2015-07-20 2015-07-20 A device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground and a method wherein said device can be used. NL2015191B1 (en)

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NL2015191A NL2015191B1 (en) 2015-07-20 2015-07-20 A device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground and a method wherein said device can be used.

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NL2015191A NL2015191B1 (en) 2015-07-20 2015-07-20 A device for cutting a volume of material out of a piece of ground and a method wherein said device can be used.

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1996039562A1 (en) * 1995-06-06 1996-12-12 Caterpillar Inc. Working machine control system with detector for buried objects
US5704142A (en) * 1995-06-19 1998-01-06 Vermeer Manufacturing Company Excavator data acquisition and control system and process
US20020063652A1 (en) * 2000-11-30 2002-05-30 Price Robert J. Method and apparatus for determining the location of underground objects during a digging operation

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1996039562A1 (en) * 1995-06-06 1996-12-12 Caterpillar Inc. Working machine control system with detector for buried objects
US5704142A (en) * 1995-06-19 1998-01-06 Vermeer Manufacturing Company Excavator data acquisition and control system and process
US20020063652A1 (en) * 2000-11-30 2002-05-30 Price Robert J. Method and apparatus for determining the location of underground objects during a digging operation

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