Road structure – process – or apparatus – Apparatus – Automatic control
Patent
1994-09-19
1995-10-10
Buiz, Michael Powell
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Apparatus
Automatic control
E01C 2300
Patent
active
054565480
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for applying lines of desired configuration onto a roadway or pavement surface and more particularly to apparatus for controlling application of paint or other line marking materials to accurately repeat previously formed lines on the roadway or pavement surface.
Roadway or pavement marking lines (either centre lines or margin lines) inevitably wear out over time and the rehabilitation of these marking lines is a task that must be continually carded out by roadway maintenance organisations. The length of roadways in many countries including Australia result in a need for machinery that can accurately reform old line markings at relatively high speed so that costs can be minimised. There are in fact many difficulties involved in being able to accurately reform old making lines at high speed and some of these include difficulties with distinguishing the old line itself caused by extraneous road markings such as changes in road surface colouring, shadows, unusual colouring areas such as oil or paint splashes, and simply in some cases as a result of extreme wear of the old line. Moreover, changes in pattern configurations also cause difficulties for continuous high speed reforming of old lines.
In prior patent literature there have been disclosed many proposals for mechanising reforming of old pavement lines. Some of these are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,046,854, 3,101,175, 3,286,929 and 3,298,352, all of which would have various problems associated with being able to distinguish old line markings, to be able to accurately repeat those old line markings and more particularly, to handle changes in line patterns. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,959 there is disclosed apparatus for distinguishing old line markings on a roadway surface and in response thereto, correctly positioning paint applicator guns so that paint could be applied correctly over the old line markings. This apparatus has been used successfully but certain difficulties have arisen in relation to recognition of old line markings including pattern changes in those markings, particularly when operating at high speed.
The objective therefore of the present invention is to provide improvements in control apparatus for machinery of the type generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,959 to improve recognition of old line markings and particularly changes in pattern formats in those line markings. Preferably it is an objective of the present invention to enable operational speeds to be improved by improved old line and line pattern recognition.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided in control apparatus for controlling application of line marking to refurbish an old line pattern on a pavement surface, said control apparatus including at least one line detection means adapted in use to transverse scan a predetermined width of said pavement surface substantially greater than a width of said old line pattern while being carded forwardly in the direction of said old line pattern, said line detection means including pattern transition detector means taught through a neural network to recognise line pattern changes and in response thereto, control line marking material applicator means to repeat accurately said line pattern changes.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided control apparatus for controlling application of line marking material to refurbish an old line pattern on a pavement surface, said control apparatus comprising a first line detection means adapted to be mounted in use at a forward position whereby a first predetermined width of said pavement surface substantially greater than said old pattern width is transverse scanned with information indicative of said old line pattern viewed by said first line detection means being retained over a first predetermined length of said pavement surface in the direction of said old line pattern, a second line detection means adapted to be mounted in use rearwardly of said first line detection means
REFERENCES:
patent: 3298352 (1967-01-01), Vrablik
patent: 5054959 (1991-10-01), Wilson et al.
patent: 5169262 (1992-12-01), Wilson et al.
patent: 5203923 (1993-04-01), Hartman
Loughron Alan
Siroky Dennis
Smyrk John
Buiz Michael Powell
Roads Corporation
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