Method and apparatus for cutting a sinusoidal groove in a road surface
AssigneeSurface Preparation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsH. Matthew JOHNSON, Jeffrey M. DOWS
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for controlling a cutting machine for cutting continuous sinusoidal strips in a road surface includes a rotatable cutting head, a cylinder for driving the cutting head out of and into contact with the road surface, and a controller. The controller is programmed to execute an input/output function to control the cylinder to cut a subsurface sinusoidal strip wherein the cutting drum remains in the road surface once the cutting operation begins.
Claims20
A system for controlling a cutting machine for cutting a continuous sinusoidal strip in a road surface comprising:
- a rotatable cutting head;
- a cylinder connected to the rotatable cutting head for driving the rotatable cutting head into contact with the road surface;
- and
- a controller;
- wherein the controller controls the cylinder to adjust the cutting head in continuous engagement with the road surface and to cut a strip having a variable depth in the road surface wherein the variable depth provides a sinusoidal cross-sectional profile in the road surface.
A method for cutting continuous sinusoidal strips in a road surface comprising:
- specifying a proportional gain and a depth increment for each speed input values for progressively increasing speed input values;
- executing an input/output function for a controller;
- providing an I/O function based on a plurality of predetermined cutting machine speed input values;
- determining an instantaneous proportional gain and depth increment output value according to a linear interpolation applied between the next lower and the next greater speed values;
- varying a proportional gain and an error amplification signal over a range of forward speed of the cutting machine;
- outputting an instantaneous proportional gain and depth increment from the controller to a control device for cutting a continuous sinusoidal strip in the road surface;
- and
- cutting the continuous strip having a sinusoidal cross-sectional profile in the road surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.