Microtrencher having a utility avoidance safety device and method of microtrenching
AssigneeCciip LLC
InventorsAngelo J. Pino, Jr., Daniel Urban
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a microtrencher having a utility avoidance system that detects objects buried under the roadway, identifies whether the buried object is a utility and determines whether the buried utility is in the path of the cutting wheel. If the buried utility is in the path of the cutting wheel, an alert is sent to the operator, the vehicle is stopped, and/or the cutting wheel is raised in relation to the roadway. Also provided is a method of using the microtrencher to cut a microtrench in a roadway and to avoid cutting a buried utility in the path of the cutting wheel.
Claims36
A microtrencher having a utility avoidance device configured for continuously cutting a microtrench in a roadway comprising:
- a motorized vehicle;
- a cutting wheel connected to the vehicle and being configured to continuously cut through a roadway and create a microtrench in the roadway;
- and
- a utility avoidance device connected to the vehicle comprising:
- an under-roadway detection unit configured to detect a buried utility under the roadway before the cutting wheel cuts the microtrench in the roadway;
- a computer system configured to receive detection data from the under-roadway detection unit;
- a user interface device coupled to the computer system,
- a display coupled to the computer system, wherein the computer system is configured to interpret the detection data and identify the buried utility under the roadway, determine whether the buried utility is within a path of the cutting wheel, and stopping forward movement of the vehicle.
A method of cutting a microtrench in a roadway comprising:
- providing a microtrencher having a utility avoidance system comprising
- a motorized vehicle;
- a cutting wheel connected to the vehicle and being configured to continuously cut through a roadway and create a microtrench in the roadway;
- and
- a utility avoidance device connected to the vehicle comprising:
- an under-roadway detection unit configured to detect a buried utility under the roadway before the cutting wheel cuts the microtrench in the roadway,
- a computer system configured to receive detection data from the under-roadway detection unit, interpret detection data from the under-roadway detection unit, identify the buried utility under the roadway, and determine whether the buried utility is within a path of the cutting wheel;
- a user interface device coupled to the computer system;
- a display coupled to the computer system;
- continuously cutting the microtrench in the roadway;
- detecting a buried object under the roadway by the utility avoidance system;
- identifying the buried object as the buried utility;
- determining that the buried utility is in the path of the cutting wheel;
- and stopping forward movement of the vehicle by a vehicle control system in communication with the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.