US 3,997,277 AGranted

Material transfer mechanism

AssigneeCMI Corporation

InventorsGeorge W. Swisher, Jr., Don W. Smith, Gary L. Westphall

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An improved material transfer mechanism comprising a selectively variable speed hydraulic power assembly having an output connected to and powering a material conveyor. A double acting hydraulic ram positions a swash plate control lever that determines the rotational speed of the output shaft, and a hydraulic porting valve assembly is disposed to actuate the hydraulic ram, the hydraulic porting valve assembly comprising a pivotally supported valve body having an internally disposed fluid control means, the fluid control means being variably displaced in the valve body by the actuation of a pressure controlling mechanism for the purpose of selectively determining and establishing fluid communication of a source of hydraulic pressure fluid to alternate ends of the hydraulic ram with the hydraulic porting valve assembly to selectively control the hydraulic ram. The valve body is biased in a first pivotal direction and is movable in a second pivotal direction by a feed back linkage cable interconnecting the valve body and the swash plate control lever. A sensor mechanism detects the material transferred by the material conveyor and responsively positions the pressure controlling mechanism independently to the position of the valve body.

Claims32

Dependent claims

In combination with a road building machine, the improvement comprising:

a first hydraulic power assembly mounted on the machine, having a swash plate control and a first hydraulic motor, the output speed of the first hydraulic motor being variable and responsive to the positional setting of the swash plate control;
a first hydraulic ram having a double acting piston connected to an extendible connecting rod, the connecting rod attached to the swash plate control of the first hydraulic power assembly and selectively moving the swash plate control upon extension or contraction of the connecting rod, the first hydraulic ram having a first power fluid inlet and a second power fluid inlet;
a first hydraulic porting valve assembly characterized as comprising:
a first valve body movably supported by the road building machine, the first valve body having a power fluid inlet, a first power fluid outlet, and a second power fluid outlet;
a first pressure controlling mechanism connected to the first valve body;
and
first fluid control means disposed in the first valve body and positionable in response to the movement of the first pressure controlling mechanism, the first fluid control means positionable in a first positional mode by the movement of the first pressure controlling mechanism in a first control direction relative to the first valve body, the power fluid inlet in fluid communication with the first power fluid outlet in the first positional mode, and the first fluid control means positionable in a second positional mode by movement of the first pressure controlling mechanism in a second control direction relative to the first valve body, the power fluid inlet in fluid communication with the second power fluid outlet in the second positional mode;
conduit means connecting the first hydraulic porting valve and the first hydraulic ram for providing fluid communication between the first power fluid outlet of the first valve body and the first power fluid inlet of the first hydraulic ram;
conduit means connecting the first hydraulic porting valve and the first hydraulic ram for providing fluid communication between the second power fluid outlet of the first valve body and the second power fluid inlet of the first hydraulic ram;
first feedback linkage means connecting the first valve body and the swash plate control of the first hydraulic power assembly for moving the first valve body, responsive to the movement of the swash plate control, in a first valve body first direction and, alternately, in a first valve body second direction, the first valve body second direction being generally opposite to the first valve body first direction;
and
first sensor means connected to the first pressure controlling mechanism for moving said mechanism in response to a detected control dimension parameter.

9 more elements

An improved surface finishing machine for the continuous paving of a paved lane on a roadway with paving material, comprising:

a frame assembly;
drive means supporting the frame assembly for moving the frame assembly along the roadway in a driven direction;
hopper means supported on said frame assembly for receiving the paving material;
first transfer means between hopper means and first spreader means for transferring the paving material from the hopper means to the first spreader means;
first spreader means supported on the frame assembly for distributing the paving material transversely to the direction of travel of the surface finishing machine;
screed means pivotally attached to the frame assembly for compressing the paving means spread by the spreader means;
and
a first feeder control assembly comprising:
a first hydraulic porting valve pivotably mounted on the frame assembly for pivotation in a first pivotal direction and in a second pivotal direction, the first hydraulic porting valve having a valve body and a controlling mechanism connected to the valve body and variably positionable relative thereto, the first hydraulic porting valve having a first output pressure mode, and alternately, a second output pressure mode, responsively determined by the position of the controlling mechanism;
first biasing means biasing the first hydraulic porting valve to pivot in the first pivotal direction;
first sensor means contactingly engaging the paving material for detecting the paving material distributed by the first spreader means near one side of the paved lane and responsively moving the controlling mechanism of the first hydraulic porting valve to effectuate the first output pressure mode, and alternately, responsively moving the controlling mechanism of the first hydraulic porting valve to effectuate the second output pressure mode;
a first hydraulic power assembly having a swash plate control and a first hydraulic motor, the output speed of the first hydraulic motor being variable and responsive to the positional setting of the swash plate control;
a first hydraulic ram having an extendible connecting rod, the connecting rod attached to the swash plate control of the first hydraulic power assembly to selectively move the swash plate control upon extension or contraction of the connecting rod;
means connecting the first hydraulic ram and the first hydraulic porting valve for extending the connecting rod when the first hydraulic porting valve is in the first output pressure mode, and for contracting the connecting rod when the first hydraulic porting valve is in the second output pressure mode;
and
a first feedback linkage means connecting the first hydraulic porting valve and the swash plate control lever for moving the first hydraulic porting valve in response to movement of the swash plate control lever of the first hydraulic motor.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.