Temporary raised pavement marker ( trpm) applicator machine for automatically applying pavement markers to road surfaces

In combination, apparatus for automatically serially applying a plurality of pavement markers to a roadway surface as a result of said apparatus being attached to a roadwork vehicle and thereby moving along the roadway surface with said roadwork vehicle, comprising:

• a roadwork vehicle;
• a housing;
• hitch means operatively connecting said housing to said roadwork vehicle;
• a first primary conveyor mounted upon said housing and comprising an upstream end portion disposed at an upper elevational level so as to be accessible by an operator disposed upon said roadwork vehicle for serially placing a plurality of pavement markers upon said first primary conveyor, a first primary conveyor belt movably mounted upon said first primary conveyor and having a plurality of carrier elements fixedly disposed upon said first primary conveyor belt for respectively seating the plurality of pavement markers thereon so as to convey the plurality of pavement markers along said first primary conveyor to a downstream end portion of said first primary conveyor disposed at a lower elevational level closer to the roadway surface so as to enable the plurality of pavement markers to be applied to the roadway surface, and a first primary conveyor belt drive mechanism for moving said first primary conveyor belt along said first primary conveyor;
• a first applicator mechanism for operatively engaging individual ones of the plurality of pavement markers so as to serially apply the plurality of pavement markers to the roadway surface;
• and
• a first transfer mechanism for transferring individual ones of the plurality of pavement markers, conveyed by said first primary conveyor belt to said downstream end portion of said first primary conveyor, from a position disposed beneath said downstream end portion of said first primary conveyor to said first applicator mechanism whereupon actuation of said first applicator mechanism, the plurality of pavement markers can be serially applied to the roadway surface.

A method of automatically applying pavement markers to a roadway surface, comprising the steps of:

• depositing a plurality of pavement markers upon an upstream end portion of a first primary conveyor wherein said upstream end portion of said first primary conveyor is disposed at an upper elevational level so as to be accessible to an operator disposed within a roadwork vehicle;
• conveying the plurality of pavement markers along said first primary conveyor to a downstream end portion of said first primary conveyor disposed at a lower elevational level closer to the roadway surface so as to enable the plurality of pavement markers to be applied to the roadway surface;
• actuating a first transfer mechanism for transferring individual ones of the plurality of pavement markers, conveyed by said first primary conveyor to said downstream end portion of said first primary conveyor, from a position disposed beneath said downstream end portion of said first primary conveyor to a first application station;
• and
• actuating a first applicator mechanism, disposed at said first application station, so as to operatively engage individual ones of the plurality of pavement markers disposed at said first application station and thereby serially apply the plurality of pavement markers to the roadway surface.

In combination, apparatus for automatically serially applying a plurality of pavement markers to a roadway surface, comprising:

• a roadwork vehicle;
• a wheeled vehicle;
• hitch means operatively connecting said wheeled vehicle to said roadwork vehicle whereby said wheeled vehicle can be moved along the roadway surface as said roadwork vehicle moves along the roadway surface;
• and
• means for automatically serially applying a plurality of pavement markers to the roadway surface at predetermined spaced distances defined between the serially applied pavement markers so as to simulate at least one traffic line upon the roadway surface.