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US 12,110,642 B2Granted
Mobile milling machine with adjustable liquid spray system
AssigneeCaterpillar Paving Products Inc.
InventorsTimothy J. Sturos, Rolf af Klinteberg, Robert E. Carr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile milling machine can be equipped with a liquid spray system to introduce a liquid spray into a rotor enclosure to reduce the temperature of a plurality of cutting tools disposed on a rotatable cutting rotor. The liquid spray system can be associated with one or more surface wetness sensors to estimate the wetness of the work surface after the milling operation. The wetness of the work surface can be used to adjust the spray quantity of the liquid spray introduced by the liquid spray system.
Claims17
A mobile milling machine comprising:
- a machine frame supported on a plurality of propulsion devices for travel over a work surface;
- a cutting rotor supported by the machine frame and rotatable about a rotor axis for milling the work surface, the cutting rotor includes a cylindrical drum and a plurality of cutting tools exteriorly disposed on the cylindrical drum;
- a rotor enclosure attached to the machine frame and accommodating the cutting rotor therein;
- a liquid spray system disposed in the rotor enclosure and including a plurality of spray nozzles configured to spray a liquid toward the cutting rotor;
- a surface wetness sensor disposed rearward of a rearward propulsion device and operatively associated with the liquid spray system;
- and
- an electronic controller in electronic communication with the surface wetness sensor and the liquid spray system, the electronic controller in cooperation with the surface wetness sensor is configured to determine a wetness of the work surface rearward of the cutting rotor after milling the work surface, the electronic controller programmed to compare the wetness of the work surface as determined after milling with an acceptable dryness quantity and to adjust a spray quantity of the liquid delivered by the liquid spray system toward the cutting rotor if the wetness of the work surface as determined after milling exceeds the acceptable dryness quantity.
4 more elements
A method of operating a mobile milling machine having a cutting rotor accommodated in a rotor enclosure, the method comprising:
- spraying a liquid within the rotor enclosure from a plurality of spray nozzles during a milling operation to mill a work surface;
- determining a wetness of the work surface rearward of the cutting rotor after milling with a surface wetness sensor in cooperation with an electronic controller;
- comparing the wetness of the work surface as determined after milling with an acceptable dryness level associated with the work surface, wherein the acceptable dryness level is based at least in part on a distance between the mobile milling machine and a second mobile machine;
- and
- adjusting a spray quantity of the liquid if the wetness of the work surface as determined after milling exceeds the acceptable dryness level.
2 more elements
A mobile milling machine comprising:
- a machine frame supported on a plurality of propulsion devices for travel over a work surface;
- a cutting rotor supported by the machine frame and rotatable about a rotor axis for milling the work surface, the cutting rotor includes a cylindrical drum and a plurality of cutting tools exteriorly disposed on the cylindrical drum;
- a rotor enclosure attached to the machine frame and accommodating the cutting rotor therein;
- a liquid spray system disposed in the rotor enclosure and including a plurality of spray nozzles configured to spray a liquid toward the cutting rotor, the plurality of spray nozzles disposed along one or more spray bars aligned generally parallel with the rotor axis and that are segmented into a plurality of spray zones;
- a plurality of surface wetness sensors operatively associated with the liquid spray system and with at least one of each of the plurality of surface wetness sensors aligned with at least one of each of the plurality of spray zones;
- and
- an electronic controller in electronic communication with the plurality of surface wetness sensors and the liquid spray system, the electronic controller in cooperation with the plurality of surface wetness sensors configured to determine a wetness of the work surface rearward of the cutting rotor after milling the work surface, the electronic controller programmed to adjust a spray quantity of the liquid delivered by the liquid spray system toward the cutting rotor based on the wetness of the work surface as determined after milling.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.