Road repair apparatus and method for pavement patching

Abstract

A material spreading apparatus is designed to fill recesses in a generally horizontal surface with a filler material such as asphalt. The apparatus can be moved in a forward direction over the generally horizontal surface so as to define a coverage path. The coverage path may be defined as including multiple parallel treatment zones. The material spreading apparatus includes a support frame and a sensing system having multiple sensing zones. One sensing zone corresponds to each of the treatment zones. The sensing system is responsive to the presence of a recess in any one of the sensing zones. A filling means is supported by the frame and has a plurality of filling zones. One filling zone corresponds to each treatment zone. The filling means is in communication with an activatable by the sensing system such that it deposits filler material in one of the filling zones when the sensing system senses the presence of a recess in the corresponding treatment zone. The filling means includes multiple discrete containers, each container having walls and an opening defined in the container so as to allow asphalt filling material to be expelled from the container. One wall of each of the discrete containers is a movable belt which operates to urge asphalt material toward and out the opening in the container.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A material spreading apparatus for filling recesses in a generally horizontal surface with a filler material, said apparatus movable in a forward direction over the generally horizontal surface so as to define a coverage path thereon, said coverage path comprised of a plurality of parallel treatment zones, said apparatus comprising 
 a support frame;    a sensing system supported by said frame and having a plurality of sensing zones, one of said sensing zones corresponding to each of the treatment zones, said sensing means being responsive to the presence of a recess in any one of said sensing zones; and    a filling means supported by said frame and having a plurality of filling zones, one filling zone corresponding to each treatment zone, said filling means in communication with and activatable by said sensing system so as to deposit filler material in one of the filling zones when the sensing system senses the presence of a recess in the corresponding treatment zone, said filling means comprising a plurality of discrete containers, each container having walls and an opening defined in the container for expelling the asphalt filler material, one wall of each of said discrete containers comprising a movable belt operable to urge the asphalt material toward and out of said opening.    
     
     
         2 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein one container corresponds to each of the treatment zones.  
     
     
         3 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said sensing system is operable to distinguish between holes that are shallower than a predetermined depth and holes that are deeper than a predetermined depth.  
     
     
         4 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said belts are movable at a higher speed and a lower speed, said filling activatable by said sensing system such that when said sensing system senses a recess in a treatment zone, said filling means operates said belt for the container corresponding to the treatment zone, said filling means operating said belt at the lower speed when said sensing system senses a shallower hole and at the higher speed when said sensing system senses a deeper hole.  
     
     
         5 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each container further comprises a door selectively operable to cover said opening.  
     
     
         6 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said containers comprises an elongated tube, said movable belt forming a side wall of said tube.  
     
     
         7 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein each of said tubes has a first end and a second end, said openings being disposed in said first ends of said tubes.  
     
     
         8 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein each of said tubes is disposed with said first end lower than said second end and with said tubes slanting forwardly and upwardly, with forwardly being defined in the direction of forward travel of said apparatus, such that asphalt material expelled through said openings in said first ends of said tubes is expelled in a downwardly and rearwardly direction with respect to the apparatus.  
     
     
         9 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein said tubes are disposed generally parallel to each other side to side.  
     
     
         10 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said frame includes a main portion and a sensor support, at least part of said sensing system being supported by said sensor support.  
     
     
         11 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said sensor support comprises a plurality of skids, each skid pivotally interconnected with said main portion and supporting at least a part of said sensing system.  
     
     
         12 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 11 , further comprising a skid lifter for lifting said skids away from the generally horizontal surface.  
     
     
         13 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said sensor portion is movable with respect to said filling means so as to change a distance between said sensor portion and said filling means, said apparatus further comprising a speed sensor for sensing a speed of forward travel of said apparatus and an actuator for moving said sensor portion, said actuator responsive to said speed sensor and increasing the distance between said sensor portion and said filling means when the forward speed of said apparatus exceeds a predetermined speed limit.  
     
     
         14 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said sensing system comprises a plurality of mechanical sensors each comprising a sensor housing and a drag member pivotally interconnected with said sensor housing, each of said drag members having a contact end for contacting the generally horizontal surface, each of said mechanical sensors having an untriggered position and a triggered position, said contact end being lower when said mechanical sensor is in said triggered position than when said mechanical sensor is in said untriggered position.  
     
     
         15 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 14 , further comprising a sensor lockout operable to prevent said drag members from pivoting to said triggered position.  
     
     
         16 . The material spreading apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said sensing system comprises a plurality of sensors, said sensors spaced apart between sides of the frame so that one of said sensors is disposed in each of the sensing zones, each sensor being responsive to the presence of a recess in its associated sensing zone.  
     
     
         17 . A material spreading apparatus for filling recesses in a generally horizontal surface with a filler material, said apparatus movable in a forward direction over the generally horizontal surface so as to define a coverage path thereon, said coverage path comprised of a plurality of parallel treatment zones, said apparatus comprising 
 a support frame;    a sensing system supported by said frame and having a plurality of sensing zones, one of said sensing zones corresponding to each of the treatment zones, said sensing means being responsive to the presence of a recess in any one of said sensing zones; and    a filling means supported by said frame, said filling means in communication with and activatable by said sensing system so as to deposit filler material in one of the filling zones when the sensing system senses the presence of a recess in the corresponding treatment zone, said filling means comprising a container having walls and an opening defined in the container for expelling the asphalt filler material, one wall of said container comprising a movable belt operable to urge the asphalt material toward and out of said opening.    
     
     
         18 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said container further comprises a door selectively operable to cover said opening.  
     
     
         19 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said container comprises an elongated tube, said movable belt forming a side wall of said tube.  
     
     
         20 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein said belt is movable at a lower speed when the sensing system senses a shallower recess and at a higher speed when the sensing system senses a deeper recess.  
     
     
         21 . The material spreading apparatus according to  claim 17 , further comprising a reverse spinning drum disposed between said container and the horizontal surface such that asphalt material urged out of said opening encounters said drum, said drum operable to fling the asphalt material into the recess.