System for installing raised road markers

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;

• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway, and at said setting station, horizontal support portions that support the marker in said setting station until said ram forces the marker down onto the roadway.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;

• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, and a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway:
• in which said opening is perpendicular to said opposite portions of said walls and is adjacent to the loading station, and which further comprises a collation tape that carries markers to said opening.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising:

• an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;
• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, and a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway;
• in which said opening is a top opening into the loading chamber, and the loading chamber is dimensioned to hold a stack of markers;
• and which further comprises a delivery platform positioned above the loading chamber and having a supply station, a delivery opening at the supply station communicating with said top opening, and a supply pathway leading to the supply station;
• a plurality of bottomless containers, each dimensioned to receive a stack of markers and having a sensing aperture in a lower portion thereof;
• a sensor positioned adjacent to the supply station to sense through said aperture when a container in the supply station is empty of markers;
• and a removal actuator engageable with a container in the supply station to move the container out of the supply station and allow another container to move along the supply pathway into the supply station.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising:

• an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;
• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, and a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway;
• said opening being a top opening into the loading chamber, and the loading chamber being dimensioned to hold a stack of markers;
• and
• a carrousel positioned above the loading chamber to feed markers down into the loading chamber through said top opening;
• said carrousel comprising three concentric tiers each having a plurality of vertical openings to receive markers;
• said tiers including a rotatable top tier having a height substantially equal to the height of a single marker, a stationary middle tier, and a rotatable lower tier, each of said middle and lower tiers having a height sufficient to accommodate a stack of markers in each said vertical opening therein, and said vertical openings in each tier being alignable with said vertical openings in an adjacent tier.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;

• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, and a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway;
• in which the floor has a stop member with an arcuate surface adjacent to the setting station, the slide has an arcuate end surface for engaging a round marker, and the slide is movable into a position in which a round marker in the setting station is held between said arcuate surfaces to prevent tilting of the marker.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;

• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, and a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway;
• in which the head includes two setting stations spaced apart along the floor, and the slide has an opening therethrough defining a movable second loading station alignable with one of the setting stations.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising:

• an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;
• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, a setting station spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into the setting station when the slide is moved along the floor, and a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway;
• and
• a delivery platform positioned above the loading chamber and having a supply station, a delivery opening at the supply station communicating with said top opening, and a supply pathway leading to the supply station;
• a plurality of bottomless containers, each dimensioned to receive a stack of markers;
• and a sensor positioned adjacent to a lower portion of the supply station to sense when a container in the supply station is empty of markers;
• said supply station having an open exit side to allow a container in the supply station to be moved out of the supply station through said exit side and another container to move along the supply pathway into the supply station.

Apparatus for installing raised road markers on a roadway, comprising an installation head mountable on a vehicle in a position to be moved along and adjacent to the roadway;

• said head including an at least substantially horizontal floor with an upper surface and a loading station located on said upper surface, two setting stations spaced apart along the floor and spaced from the loading station along the floor, a slide having a vertical thickness substantially equal to the height of the markers, an actuator operatively connected to the slide to move the slide back and forth along said upper surface, walls defining an at least substantially vertical loading chamber above said loading station, said head having an opening for receiving markers into the loading chamber, said walls including first and second opposite portions, each of which is spaced above the floor a distance sufficient to allow a single marker to move out of the loading station along the floor and under said portion but insufficient to allow more than one marker to move under said portion at the same time, and said slide having an abutment surface for pushing a marker out of the loading station and into a selected one of said setting stations when the slide is moved along the floor, and, at each setting station, a ram having a retracted position above the setting station and being extendible toward the setting station to force a marker in the setting station down onto the roadway.