WO1999050728A1

WO1999050728A1 - Method and vehicle for connecting roofing strips mounted with overlapping edges

Info

Publication number: WO1999050728A1
Application number: PCT/DE1999/000943
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lothar Kerschgens; Holger Rupprecht
Original assignee: Braas Flachdachsysteme Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 1998-03-27
Filing date: 1999-03-26
Publication date: 1999-10-07
Also published as: DE19813625C1; EP1066549A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for connecting roofing strips (12, 14) mounted with overlapping edges, wherein a driven vehicle (10) is guided along the overlapping area (16) of the roofing strips (12, 14) to be connected. The roofing strips (12, 14) are connected by a follow-up welding apparatus (48). The invention also relates to a vehicle for implementing said method. In order to simplify production and enhance the quality of connections, at least one roofing strip (12, 14) has at least one guide line (18 or 20) running parallel to the edge and indicating the motion path of the vehicle (10), said guide line being detected by at least one sensor (26) while the vehicle (10) is moving. A first signal is generated that changes when the vehicle (10) deviates from a given motion path. A control unit (60) generates control signals for a steering unit (58) of the vehicle (10) when the first signal is changed.

Description

Method and vehicle for connecting with overlapping

Edges of roofing membranes

The invention relates to a method for connecting roofing sheets laid with overlapping edges, in which a driven vehicle is guided along the overlap zone of the roofing sheets to be connected and the roofing sheets are connected to one another by a welding device carried by the vehicle; and also a vehicle for performing the method.

Roofing sheets are rolled out on the roof essentially parallel to one another, the edge of the roofing sheet laid first being overlapped by the edge of the roofing sheet subsequently laid. The overlapping edges of the roofing sheets form an overlap zone in which the roofing sheets are to be connected to one another in a liquid-tight manner. For this purpose, a welding device is manually moved along the overlap zone, which connects the roofing membranes to one another in a liquid-tight manner. The welding machine is to be moved at a constant speed so that the entire length of the connection is completely welded and thus a liquid-tight connection of the roofing membrane. With a manual movement of the welding machine, this rarely succeeds, so that the connection made is often leaky.

From DE 31 15 662 AI it is known to use a driven vehicle when source welding roof sheeting, which is steered manually and travels at a constant speed along the overlap zone of the roof sheeting to be connected. The vehicle has a source welding device which has a welding head which can be introduced into the overlap zone of the roofing sheets for applying source welding agent.

It is disadvantageous, however, that the welding head varies in strength depending on the accuracy when steering the vehicle is covered by the overlapping roofing membrane, so that the application of sweat welding agent to the underside of the roofing membrane does not take place in a uniform width. The connection produced therefore has a non-uniform weld seam width over its entire length and thus also a non-uniform peel strength.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method and a vehicle which facilitates the establishment of the connection between the roofing sheets and at the same time enables the connection quality to be increased.

The object is achieved in that at least one roof membrane running parallel to the edge has at least one guideline specifying the movement path of the vehicle, which is detected during the movement of the vehicle by at least a first sensor, a first signal being formed when the deviation of the vehicle changed by the predetermined movement path, and that when the first signal changes, a control unit generates control signals for a steering unit of the vehicle, so that the vehicle is always moved on the predetermined movement path.

When the roofing membranes are connected, the vehicle is moved on a movement path predetermined by the guideline of the roofing membrane, the first sensor being moved relative to the guideline. If the vehicle deviates from the specified movement path, the first sensor is moved transversely to the guideline of the roof path, the first signal changing. The direction of the movement of the first sensor transverse to the guideline is recognized by the control unit on the basis of the change in the first signal. In order to return the vehicle to the movement path specified by the guideline, corresponding control signals are formed by the control unit and transmitted to the steering unit. A vehicle provided with a source welding device, for example, is thus moved on the movement path specified by the guideline of the roofing membrane and thus always exactly parallel to the edge of the roofing membrane. The welding head of the source welding device introduced into the overlap zone is therefore always covered uniformly by the overlapping roofing membrane, as a result of which the source welding agent is applied in a uniform width. Since the vehicle is also moved at a constant speed, a connection produced by the method according to the invention has uniform properties over its entire length with regard to tightness and peel strength. Supervision of the vehicle during the establishment of the connection is not necessary due to the exact guidance of the vehicle.

The roofing membranes are usually not laid exactly parallel to each other, so that the roofing membranes do not overlap in the same width over their entire length in the overlap zone. In the method according to the invention, a very wide overlap zone can be a hindrance if the overlapping roofing membrane has the guideline and this is covered by the overlapping roofing membrane. In this case, the guideline can no longer be detected by the first sensor, so that the formation of the first signal is omitted. The guideline is therefore preferably arranged on the overlapping roofing membrane, so that the vehicle runs parallel to the edge of the overlapping roofing membrane.

A very narrow overlap zone, on the other hand, is disadvantageous when connecting the roofing membranes, because the weld seam must be made with a width sufficient to achieve the required peel strength. The overlap zone must therefore always have a minimum width.

Compliance with the minimum width can be monitored in a simple manner in the case of non-parallel roofing sheets if both roofing sheets have guidelines and the additional guide line is detected by a second sensor spaced apart from the first sensor in the transverse direction of the vehicle, a second signal is formed. The center distance of the identical sensors corresponds to the distance between the guidelines of two exactly parallel roofing sheets, which overlap over their entire length with a minimum width of preferably 5 cm.

In this case, when the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane is detected, the first signal is generated by the first sensor, while when the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane is detected, the second signal is generated by the second sensor. Both signals are transmitted to the control unit. However, only the second signal is used by the control unit to steer the vehicle, so that the vehicle is moved on the movement path specified by the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane.

The first sensor is moved at a constant distance parallel to the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane, so that its position relative to the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane changes as soon as the distance between the guidelines changes. On the basis of the change in the first signal, the control unit recognizes whether the distance between the guidelines or the width of the overlap zone is increasing or decreasing. The response range of the first sensor specifies the tolerance range in which a change in the spacing of the guidelines for the roofing membranes is still permissible. If the distance between the guidelines increases so much that the first sensor no longer forms a first signal, the vehicle is stopped by the control unit because the minimum width in the overlap zone is undershot.

If, on the other hand, the distance between the guidelines decreases, the vehicle does not have to be stopped because it is too wide

Overlap zone is not a hindrance when connecting the roofing membranes.

In this case, since the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane can be covered by the overlapping roofing membrane, it is advantageous if the edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane is raised by a receiving unit from the edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane while the vehicle is moving. In this way, the second sensor can be guided between the roofing sheets, so that it can continue to form the second signal required by the control unit for steering the vehicle.

If it is determined during the monitoring of the minimum width of the overlap zone that the overlap of the roofing sheets increases, the edge region of the overlapping roofing sheet can be trimmed by a cutting unit in order to produce a constant overlap width. In this way, excess roofing material can be removed and recycled.

The complete welding of the roofing sheets is favored if the underside of the raised edge area of the overlapping roofing sheet and the top of the edge area of the overlapping roofing sheet is cleaned before welding. The cleaning removes dirt particles from the roofing membrane so that the weld seam remains free of inclusions. It goes without saying that the roofing sheets can be degreased and / or dried if necessary during cleaning.

When connecting, the roofing membranes lie particularly flat on one another in the area of the overlap zone if the roofing membranes are prestressed in the area of the overlap zone. In this way, when the roofing membranes are connected, it is ensured that the roofing membranes, for example, lie closely against the welding head of a source welding device that is introduced into the overlap zone.

The roofing membranes can be thermally, chemically and / or mechanically connected to the welding machine carried by the vehicle. Thermal joining is understood to mean, for example, hot gas or hot wedge welding, while chemical joining is carried out using a source welding agent. As Mechanical joining is usually considered high-frequency welding.

When connecting the roofing membranes, the prevailing weather conditions have a significant impact on the workflow and the quality of the connection. For example, at high air humidity and / or low air temperature, it is necessary to dry and if necessary preheat the roofing membranes before making the connection. To automate the workflow and increase the quality of the connection, it is advantageous if the weather conditions are recorded automatically by at least measuring the air temperature, the temperature of the roofing membranes and / or the air humidity.

The values of the air temperature, the temperature of the roofing sheets and the air humidity can be taken into account by the control unit, for example, by measuring the welding temperature when the roofing sheets are thermally connected and regulating the heating power and / or the speed of the vehicle as a function thereof. In this way, the control unit can automatically reduce the speed of the vehicle in the case of damp and cold roofing sheets, so that more time is available for drying and heating the roofing sheets or the heating output is increased accordingly.

The connection established can be checked for defects by an examination unit. The test unit can interact with a marking unit, from which a marking is applied to the top of a roofing membrane in the area of a defect. The marking is applied while the vehicle is moving, the length of the marking always being greater than the length of the defect. A sealing compound can then be applied over the entire length of the marking to seal the defect. A vehicle for carrying out the method according to the invention has a drive unit, a welding device, at least one first sensor that detects the guideline of a roofing membrane and that generates a first signal that depends on the position to the guideline, and a control unit that generates a control signal that is dependent on the first signal. and a steering unit influenced by the control signal, which steers the vehicle.

The drive unit can be designed as a combustion or electric motor, for example. To supply power to the drive unit and / or the welding device, the vehicle can be equipped with a separate energy supply unit, for example with a battery, a gas tank or a liquid tank. It goes without saying that the power supply to the drive unit can also take place via a supply line carried by the vehicle, for example a power cable.

As a guideline, a roofing membrane can have a coding strip or individual transmitter-receiver units, such as chips or transponders. However, it is more economical if the guideline can be detected mechanically, inductively or optically by the sensor. A mechanically or optically detectable guideline is formed in the simplest case from the edge of the roofing membrane. An inductively detectable guideline, on the other hand, can be derived from a passive, i.e. H. electrical conductors through which no current flows are formed, for example a metal wire integrated into the roofing membrane, a metal foil or a metal powder trace.

A color trace is preferably applied as a guideline on the top of the roofing membrane, which is optically recognizable by a first sensor. For this purpose, the first sensor can have LED lighting, optics and a CCD line (Charge Coupled Device). The first sensor is arranged on the vehicle in such a way that its LED lighting extends transversely to the guideline which specifies the movement path of the vehicle. 8th

During the movement of the vehicle, the LED lighting sends light onto the roofing membrane, which is reflected and directed by the optics onto the CCD line. Since the light in the area of the guideline is reflected differently than in the other areas of the roofing membrane, there is a difference in the amount of light during the reflection, which is recognized by the CCD line and used to form the first signal. If the vehicle deviates from the movement path specified by the guideline, the movement of the sensor which is transverse to the guideline is noticed by the fact that the difference in light quantity is registered at another point on the CCD line. Here, the first signal changes, and the control unit uses this to recognize the direction in which the first sensor has moved relative to the guideline, or the direction in which the vehicle deviates from the specified movement path.

In order to monitor the minimum width of the overlap zone, the vehicle has a second sensor arranged at a distance from the first sensor in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The distance between the sensors is chosen so that the first sensor can detect the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane and the second sensor the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane. The sensors can be aligned with one another in the transverse direction of the vehicle or spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

In the case of a guideline covered by the overlapping roofing membrane, the vehicle can continue to run parallel to the edge of the overlapping roofing membrane if it has in the front area a longitudinally wedge-shaped receiving unit by which the edge area of the overlapping roofing membrane is raised. In this way, the overlapping roofing membrane can slide along the top of the receiving unit during the movement of the vehicle; and the second sensor can be arranged on the underside of the receiving unit so that it can continue to detect the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane. The vehicle can have a cutting unit to generate a constant width of the overlap zone of the roofing sheets. The cutting unit can preferably be designed in the manner of roller shears, with a supporting roller for the roofing membrane and a cutting roller that rolls on the supporting roller. The edge area to be trimmed of the overlapping roofing membrane is fed automatically during the relative movement of the vehicle to the overlapping roofing membrane. The cutting process begins as soon as the edge area of the overlapping roofing sheet reaches between the cutting roller and the supporting roller.

In the area of the overlap zone, the roofing sheets can be cleaned before connecting if the vehicle has a cleaning unit. The cleaning unit can, for example, have cleaning brushes, which are optionally driven and can rotate about an axis running in the transverse direction of the vehicle.

The vehicle can be designed as a caterpillar or wheeled vehicle. The vehicle is preferably designed in the manner of a forklift, namely with front guide wheels and a rear drive wheel that can be steered by the steering unit. To steer the vehicle, the drive wheel can be pivoted by the steering unit through an angle of 360 ° about a vertical axis of the vehicle. In this way, the vehicle is so movable that after welding the longitudinal edge of a roofing membrane, it can make a curve in order to weld the transverse edge of the roofing membrane. It is understood that the roofing membrane in this case has a guideline running both parallel to the longitudinal edge and parallel to the transverse edge.

The steering movement can be generated by the steering unit via a servomotor which can be controlled by it and can be transmitted to the drive wheel via a bevel gear and a ring gear. 10

The roofing sheets can be pre-tensioned in the area of the overlap zone if the vehicle has at least two pressure rollers spaced apart in its longitudinal direction, the pressure roller on the rear being driven. The pressure roller on the front can be slightly braked if necessary. The rear-side drive wheel of the vehicle can preferably be designed as a rear-side pressure roller.

The vehicle can be equipped with various types of welding devices if it has a receptacle for a modular welding device in which the welding device can be moved at least transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. In this way, for example, a hot gas welding device can be exchanged for a source welding device and the welding head applying the source welding agent can then be introduced into the overlap zone of the roofing sheets by a movement in the transverse direction of the vehicle. However, the welding device inserted in the receptacle can also be pivotable about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

To detect the weather conditions prevailing when the roofing sheets are connected, the vehicle can have a first temperature sensor for the air temperature, a second temperature sensor for the temperature of the roofing sheets arranged on the receiving unit, and / or an air humidity sensor.

A consideration of the weather conditions is possible when thermally connecting the roofing membranes if the vehicle for thermally connecting has a third temperature sensor for measuring the welding temperature and at least one control circuit that regulates the heating power and / or the speed of the vehicle depending on the welding temperature. The setpoint of the welding temperature or the speed can be determined taking into account the measured values for the 11

Temperatures of the air, the roofing membrane of the measured air humidity take place.

The connection established between the roofing sheets can be checked for defects if the vehicle has a test unit in the rear area, preferably with a test needle biased towards the overlap zone of the roofing sheets, which can penetrate between the roofing sheets in the area of a defect. When the test needle penetrates the defect, the test needle moves, which is used, for example, to mechanically control a marking unit. A defect can be marked with the marking unit. For this purpose, the marking unit can have, for example, a marking pen that can be placed on the top of the roofing membrane or a spray nozzle.

In the drawing, a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, which is explained in more detail below.

It shows

Fig. 1 shows a vehicle according to the invention on a roof schematically in plan view and

Fig. 2 shows the vehicle shown in Fig. 1 in longitudinal section II-II.

1 shows a top view of a vehicle 10 according to the invention on a roof. On the roof, two roofing sheets 12, 14 are installed running in parallel, the edges of which overlap in an overlap zone 16. Each roofing membrane 12, 14 has a guideline 18 or 20 running parallel to the edge, which is shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. The guideline 18, 20 is designed as a color trace applied to the top of the roofing membrane 12 or 14. 12

The vehicle 10 is first explained below, the vehicle parts being described in accordance with their sequence from the front to the rear region of the vehicle 10. Hidden edges are shown in Fig. 1 as a dashed line.

The vehicle 10 has two arms 22, 24 in the front area. The first bracket 22 has a first sensor 26 for detecting the guideline 18 of the overlapping roofing membrane 12. A first temperature sensor 28 for measuring the air temperature is arranged on the second arm 24. A pickup unit 30 is arranged centrally between the arms 22, 24 in the transverse direction of the vehicle 10. Half of the receiving unit 30, which is triangular in plan view, projects laterally into the overlap zone 16 of the roofing sheets 12, 14, lifting the overlapping roofing sheet 12 from the overlapped roofing sheet 14. On the half protruding into the overlap zone 16, the receiving unit 30 has a second temperature sensor 32, from which the temperature of the roofing sheets 12, 14 to be connected can be measured. On the side of the vehicle 10 opposite the first sensor 26 there is a second sensor 34 of identical construction, from which the guideline 20 of the overlapped roofing membrane 14 can be detected. At a distance from the second sensor 34, the vehicle 10 has two lateral guide wheels 36, 38. The aligned guide wheels 36, 38 are nubbed and not driven. Between the guide wheels 36, 38 there is a center in the transverse direction of the vehicle 10

Power supply unit 40, here a battery, arranged. A cutting unit 42 is arranged on the side of the vehicle 10 opposite the first sensor 26, from which the edge of the overlapping roofing membrane 12 can be trimmed. A first pressure roller 44 is provided in the center in the transverse direction of the vehicle 10, from which the roofing sheets 12, 14 can be pressed onto one another in the overlap zone 16. The first pressure roller 44 is not driven and is slightly braked. The vehicle 10 has a receptacle 46 approximately in the center 13, into which a modular hot gas welding device 48 with a hot gas nozzle 50 is inserted. The hot gas welding device 48 used can be pivoted about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, so that the hot gas nozzle 50 can be introduced into the overlap zone 16 by a pivoting movement. A third temperature sensor 52 is provided on the hot gas nozzle 50, from which the welding temperature can be measured during the welding process. The receptacle 46 is followed by a drive wheel 54 arranged centrally in the transverse direction of the vehicle 10, which is driven by a drive unit 56, here a DC servo motor. The drive wheel 54 is designed as a second pressure roller and can be pivoted about a vertical axis of the vehicle 10 by a steering unit 58. A control unit 60 is provided to control the steering unit 58, the hot gas welding device 48 and the drive unit 56.

On the one hand, the control unit 60 processes signals which are formed by the sensors 26, 34 which detect the guideline and which are required for steering the vehicle 10 and for checking the width of the overlap zone 16. On the other hand, the control unit 60 is part of a control circuit in which it sets the speed of the vehicle 10 via the drive unit 56 and / or the heating power via hot gas welding device 48, for which purpose the control unit 60 requires the measured values for the air, roofing membrane and welding temperature. The vehicle 10 also has an inspection unit 62, from which the connection 64 produced by the hot gas welding device 48 and shown in FIG. 1 as a wide solid line can be checked for defects 66. The test unit 62 has a test needle 68 biased towards the overlap zone 16 of the roofing sheets 12, 14. The test needle 68 can be guided along the connection 64 produced, it being able to penetrate between the roofing sheets 12, 14 in the region of a defect 66. Upon penetration, the test needle 68 moves, which can be used to control a marking unit 70. The marking unit 70 is in the rear area of the 14

Vehicle 10 is arranged and has a marker pin 72 which can be placed on the top of the overlapped roofing membrane 14. A marking 74 can be applied from the marking pen 72 on the top of the overlapped roofing membrane 14 along the defect 68.

The mode of operation of the sensors 26, 34 and the interaction with the guidelines 18, 20 of the roofing membranes 12, 14 when steering the vehicle 10 and when checking the width of the overlap zone 16 is explained below.

The guideline 18, 20 of a roofing membrane 12; 14 specifies a movement path on which the vehicle 10 is moved parallel to the edge of the roofing path 12, 14. To steer the vehicle 10, only one sensor 26, 34 is required, which can optionally detect the guideline 18 of the overlapping roofing membrane 12 or the guideline 20 of the overlapping roofing membrane 14. A sensor 26, 34 has LED lighting, optics and a CCD line. To detect the guideline 18, 20, the LED illumination of the sensor 26, 34 sends light onto the roofing membrane 12, 14, which is reflected and directed by the optics onto the CCD line. In the area of a guideline 18, 20, the light is reflected differently than in the other areas of the roofing membrane 12; 14, so that there is a difference in light quantity in the reflection, which is recognized by the CCD line and used to form a signal. If the sensor 26, 34 during the movement of the vehicle 10 transversely to the guideline 18, 20 of the roofing membrane 12; 14 moves, ie if the vehicle 10 deviates from the movement path specified by the guideline 18, 20, the light quantity difference occurring is registered at another point on the CCD line, which is noticeable as a change in the intensity of the signal. The signal formed by the sensor 26, 34 is transmitted to the control unit 60, which recognizes from the change in intensity of the signal in which direction the sensor 26, 34 was moved relative to the guideline of the roofing membrane 12, 14. In order to trace the vehicle 10 back to the movement path specified by the guideline 18, 20, 15, corresponding control signals are formed by the control unit 60 and transmitted to the steering unit 58.

Both sensors 26, 34 are required to control the width of the overlap zone 16. The sensors 26, 34 are spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction of the vehicle 10 in such a way that the center distance of the sensors 26, 34 corresponds to the distance of the guidelines from two roofing sheets which are laid exactly parallel and overlap with the minimum width over their entire overlap length.

In this way, the first sensor 26 is arranged above the guideline 18 of the overlapping roofing membrane 12, while the second sensor 34 is arranged above the guideline 20 of the overlapping roofing membrane 14. During the movement of the vehicle 10, the guideline 18 of the overlapping roofing membrane 12 is detected by the first sensor 26 and the guideline 20 of the overlapping roofing membrane 14 by the second sensor 34. A first signal is generated by the first sensor 26 and a second signal by the second sensor 34. Both signals are transmitted to the control unit 60. Only the second signal is required to steer the vehicle 10, so that the vehicle 10 is moved parallel to the edge of the overlapped roof membrane 14 on the movement path predetermined by the guideline 20 of the overlapped roof membrane 14.

The first sensor 26 is moved at a constant distance parallel to the guideline 20 of the overlapping roofing membrane 14, so that its position relative to the guideline 18 of the overlapping roofing membrane 14 changes when the distance between the guidelines 18, 20 of the roofing membranes 12; 14 changed. The control unit 60 uses the change in intensity of the first signal to recognize whether the distance between the guidelines 18, 20 or the width of the overlap zone 16 is decreasing or increasing. The response range of the first sensor 26 indicates the tolerance range in which a change in the distance between the guidelines 18, 20 of the roofing sheets 12; 14 more 16 is permitted. If the distance between the guidelines 18, 20 changes so much that the guideline 18 of the overlapping roofing membrane 12 leaves the response area of the first sensor 26, then no first signal is generated, ie the width of the overlapping zone 16 has become extremely large or the minimum width been undercut. In this case, the vehicle 10 can be stopped automatically by the control unit 60.

In Fig. 2, the vehicle 10 shown in Fig. 1 is shown in longitudinal section II-II. To establish the connection, the vehicle 10 is moved in the direction of the arrow 76 relative to the roofing sheets 12, 14. Here, the guideline of the overlapping roofing membrane 12 is detected by the first sensor 26 arranged in the front area, the first signal being formed. During the movement of the vehicle 10, the overlapping roofing membrane 12 is wedge-shaped

Pickup unit 30 is lifted from the overlapped roofing membrane 14 so that its guideline can be detected by the second sensor 34 arranged on the underside of the pickup unit 30, the second signal being formed. Both signals are transmitted to the control unit 60, from which control signals are formed for steering the vehicle 10 and transmitted to the steering unit 58. A steering motor 78 can be controlled by the steering unit 58, from which the drive wheel 54 of the vehicle 10 can be pivoted about a vertical axis of the vehicle 10 via a bevel gear 80 and a ring gear 82.

The overlapping roofing membrane 12 sliding along the top of the receiving unit 30 is fed to a cutting unit 42. The cutting unit 42 has a support roller 84 for the overlapping roofing membrane 12 and a cutting roller 86 rolling on the support roller 84. The overlapping roofing membrane 12 is automatically trimmed as soon as its edge region comes between the support roller 84 and the cutting roller 86 due to an excessive overlap. The overlapping roofing membrane 12 will 17 then placed on the overlapped roofing membrane 14 and pressed against the first pressure roller 44. Since the first pressure roller 44 is slightly braked and the second pressure roller is formed by the drive wheel 54 of the vehicle 10, the roofing sheets 12, 14 are prestressed in the overlap zone 16.

Since the hot gas welding device 48 is arranged in the receptacle 46 between the first pressure roller 44 and the drive wheel 54, the roofing sheets 12, 14 are closely applied to the hot gas nozzle 50 of the hot gas welding device 48 during pretensioning. After the connection, the roofing sheets 12, 14 are rolled over in the region of the overlap zone 16 by the drive wheel 54 of the vehicle 10 and pressed onto one another again. The connection 64 produced is checked for defects by an inspection unit 62 by guiding a test needle 68, which is biased towards the overlap zone 16 of the roofing sheets 12, 14, along the overlap zone 16 and which can penetrate between the roofing sheets 12, 14 in the area of a defect. If the checking unit 62 detects a defect, a marking unit 70 applies a marking to the upper side of the overlapped roofing sheet 14 with a marking pen 72 that can be placed on the upper side of the overlapped roofing sheet 14.

Claims

18 Patent claim procedure and vehicle for connecting roofing membranes laid with overlapping edges

1. A method for connecting roofing sheets (12, 14) laid with overlapping edges, in which a driven vehicle (10) is guided along the overlap zone (16) of the roofing sheets (12, 14) to be connected and the roofing sheets (12, 14) a welding device (48) carried by the vehicle (10) is connected to one another, characterized in that at least one roofing membrane (12, 14) running parallel to the edge has at least one guideline (18 or 20) which specifies the movement path of the vehicle (10) during the movement of the vehicle (10) is detected by at least one first sensor (26), a first signal being formed which changes when the vehicle (10) deviates from the predetermined movement path, and that when the first signal changes from a control unit (60) control signals for a steering unit (58) of the vehicle (10) are generated so that the vehicle (10) is always on the predetermined movement gsbahn is moved.

2. The method according to claim 1, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the first signal is changed as soon as the first sensor (26) is moved transversely to the guideline (18 or 20).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that due to the change in the first signal from the control unit (60) is detected in which direction the first sensor (26) is moved transversely to the guideline (18, 20). 19

Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that both roofing sheets (12, 14) have guidelines (18 or 20) and that the additional guideline (20) from one of the first sensor (26) in the transverse direction of the vehicle (10) spaced second sensor (34) is detected, wherein a second signal is formed.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, so that the edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane (12) is raised by a receiving unit (30) from the edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane (14) during the movement of the vehicle (10).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, so that the edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane (12) is trimmed by a cutting unit (42) to produce a constant overlap width.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, so that the underside of the raised edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane (12) and the top of the edge region of the overlapping roofing membrane (14) is cleaned.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, so that the roofing membranes (12, 14) are prestressed in the region of the overlap zone (16) so that they lie flat on one another when the connection is made.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the roofing sheets (12, 14) by the welding device (48) are thermally, chemically and / or mechanically connected. 20th

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, so that at least the air temperature, the temperature of the roofing membranes (12, 14) and / or the air humidity is measured.

11. The method according to claim 10, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that during the thermal connection of the roofing sheets (12, 14) the welding temperature is measured and that the heating power and / or the speed of the vehicle (10) is regulated as a function thereof.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, so that the connection made between the roofing sheets (12, 14) is checked by an inspection unit (62) for defects (66).

13. The method according to claim 12, so that a mark (74) is applied to the top of a roofing membrane (14) by a marking unit (70) in the region of a recognized defect (66).

14. Vehicle (10) for performing the method according to claim 1, with a drive unit (56) and a welding device (48) for connecting the roofing sheets (12, 14), characterized in that this at least one of the guidelines (18, 20) Has a first sensor (26) which detects the roofing membrane (12 or 14) and which generates a first signal which is dependent on the position relative to the guideline (18, 20), that this has a control unit (60) which generates a control signal which is dependent on the first signal, and that this has a steering unit (58) influenced by the control signal, which steers the vehicle (10). 21

15. Vehicle according to claim 14, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the guideline (18, 20) of the roofing membrane (12 or 14) is a trace of color that is optically recognizable by a sensor (26, 34).

16. Vehicle according to claim 14 or 15, so that the first sensor (26, 34) has a CCD line, optics and LED lighting.

17. Vehicle according to claim 14 to 16, so that it has a second sensor (34) spaced apart from the first sensor (26) in the transverse direction of the vehicle (10).

18. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 17, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that this has a receiving unit (30) formed wedge-shaped in longitudinal section in the front region.

19. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that it has a cutting unit (42) which preferably has a support roller (84) for the overlapping roofing membrane (12) and a cutting roller (86) rolling on the support roller (84) .

20. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that it has a cleaning unit. 22

21. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 20, so that it has at least two pressure rollers (44, 54) spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, the rear pressure roller (54) being driven.

22. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 21, so that it has a receptacle (46) for a modular welding device (48) in which the welding device (48) can be moved at least transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle (10).

23. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that it has a first temperature sensor (28) for the air temperature, a second temperature sensor (32) arranged on the receiving unit (30) for the temperature of the roofing membranes (12, 14) and / or has a humidity sensor.

24. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 23, characterized in that it has a third temperature sensor (52) for measuring the welding temperature for thermal connection and at least one control circuit which, depending on the welding temperature, the heating power and / or the speed of the vehicle ( 10) regulates.

25. Vehicle according to one of claims 14 to 24, characterized in that it has a test unit (62) in the rear area, preferably with a test needle (68) biased towards the overlap zone (16) of the roofing sheets (12, 14), which in the area of a Fault (66) can penetrate between the roofing sheets (12, 14). 23

26. Vehicle according to claim 25, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that this has a marking unit (70) to a

Mark the missing part (66).