EP2118372B1 - Road surface material, road surface made thereof, vehicle with tires, method for avoiding the icing or for the deicing of a road surface, and system for carrying out the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pavement covering material. By pavement material is meant a road construction material such as a bituminous road construction material such as asphalt, asphalt concrete, rolled asphalt, asphalt mastic, stone mastic asphalt, drainage asphalt and mastic asphalt, concrete and paving stones. The road surface covering material is used for the production or processing of a road surface, for example asphalt surface, concrete pavement, plaster ceiling. The road surface can be either the ceiling of a road for a motor vehicle or a runway for an aircraft. Road surface can mean all layers, such as base courses, binder courses and cover or wearing courses.

Through snow and winter smoothness, such as snow, frost, ice and black ice, many accidents with dead and injured occur every winter and the road performance is reduced. To avoid or reduce the icing of a road, for example, a snow removal is made. The mechanical elimination of snow in towns and communities is made more difficult compared to the free routes by the lack of required areas for snow deposition at the roadside. To avoid traffic obstructions, it may be necessary to drive off the snow.

According to the purpose of clearing, the snow depth and the snow conditions, the use of the various snow removal equipment, such as snowploughs, snow removing machines, sweepers or combinations thereof, is aimed at.

Alternatively or additionally, thawing scattering substances can be used. These are de-icing salt and blunting substances. Dulling litter materials increase the grip of winter-slippery lanes by mechanical means, thawing litter substances in a physico-chemical way. However, this has a negative impact on the environment and the road surface.

As additional measures roadway heating systems, ice-inhibiting coverings and Taumittelsprühanlagen can be used. However, their use is limited to individual, spatially limited measures, for example, to increase the safety on problem lines. Previously developed road heating systems use fossil or electric energy sources, district heating or geothermal energy with the help of heat exchange systems. The use of these systems is limited to special cases, such as bridges, tunnels or steep ramps to parking garages. Road heating systems cause high construction costs and very high operating costs.

An ice-inhibiting type of coating is obtained by the addition of a special additive, such as Ca, NaCl, in the asphalt mixture or in the concrete during the construction of the road wear layer. They release only very small quantities of scrap compared to a litter application. So ice-inhibiting deposits can delay the formation of ice, but eliminate any smoothness. The use of ice-inhibiting linings is restricted to special cases, such as bridges, tunnels or even distances far from a master craftsman.

Controlled by anti-icing systems, de-icing spray systems automatically spray Taustoff into the lane through an installed system of spray cans in a very low dose. If required, a de-icing spray system can also be triggered by hand. As a de-icing agent is dissolved in liquid de-icing salt, brine used. Taumittelsprühanlagen can react immediately and faster than a scattering service on forming smoothness and are therefore also suitable at points with particular smoothness. Because of the high investment costs, they are mainly used on high-traffic and important roads, where the traffic is disturbed sensitive in smoothness or comes to a complete halt.

WO 02/50375 discloses a towable device equipped with induction coils, with which a road surface containing magnetizable material is heated by means of electric eddy currents. The known device is used to bind different layers of the road surface together.

The invention is therefore an object of the invention to provide a tire motor vehicle, made by means of which a timely deicing or even icing of a road surface, for example by stoppage of snow cover, can be prevented.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a tire motor vehicle with the features of claim 1, a method having the features of claim 5 and a system having the features of claim 6. The electrically conductive coil itself generates a constant magnetic field, but the road surface through the movement of the electrically conductive coil perceives a variable magnetic field. This leads to the generation of electrical eddy currents by induction. The amount of direct current depends on the particular application.

In the tire motor vehicle can be provided that the at least one device is arranged on the underside of the tire motor vehicle. For example, it is conceivable that the eddy-current generating device or devices is or are arranged in the direction of travel of the tire motor vehicle in front of and / or behind the tire or in the direction of travel between successively spaced tires. As a result, the road surface is heated primarily in the area of the lanes, that is, tracks on which the tires of the tire motor vehicles predominantly roll.

Preferably, at least one device is provided on the rim of a tire of the tire motor vehicle.

Conveniently, the at least one device can be switched off. This can prevent unnecessary heating of the road surface and unnecessary consumption of electrical energy.

Preferably, the magnetizable material is ferromagnetic.

In particular, it can be provided that the magnetizable material is finely divided material.

Conveniently, the magnetizable material is in powder or granular form.

The magnetizable material may be steel powder or steel chips.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the roadway material is based on asphalt or concrete.

Alternatively, it is also conceivable that it is a paving stone in which the magnetizable material is contained.

Of course, it is also conceivable that the eddy current device is switched on or off automatically depending on the outside and / or bottom temperatures. Then still appropriate sensors, such as temperature sensors, must be provided.

The invention is based on the surprising finding that, by utilizing induction, a road surface itself is continuously heated by eddy currents due to road traffic or the use of a roadway and prevents icing or at least partial deicing can be carried out, with the exception of the conventional measures can be or these are necessary only to a small extent. In addition, the prevention of icing or de-icing is environmentally friendly and not limited to particularly problematic or busy roads. Furthermore, this can be done with a low staff and cost.

At each crossing of a corresponding equipped tire vehicle, the road surface is heated and prevents icing or enteist an already icy road surface. The greater the traffic load, the stronger and more continuous the traffic area is heated. In principle, the method can also be used to heat non-ferromagnetic, conductive road surface covering materials.

Figur 1

eine Vorderansicht von einem Reifenfahrzeug gemäß einer besonderen Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung auf einer im Vertikalschnitt gezeigten Fahrbahndecke gemäß einer besonderen Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung;

Figur 2

eine Seitenansicht von dem Reifenfahrzeug von Figur 1 auf der im Vertikalschnitt gezeigten Fahrbahndecke von Figur 1;

Figur 3

eine Vertikalschnittansicht durch einen Reifen des Reifenfahrzeugs von Figur 1 und der Fahrbahndecke von Figur 1;

Figur 4

eine Vorderansicht von einem Reifenfahrzeug gemäß einer weiteren besonderen Ausführungsform der Erfindung auf der in Figur 1 gezeigten Fahrbahndecke; und

Figur 5

eine Seitenansicht von dem Reifenfahrzeug von Figur 4 auf der im Vertikalschnitt gezeigten Fahrbahndecke von Figur 1.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the claims and the following description in which two embodiments are explained with reference to the schematic drawings in detail. Showing:

FIG. 1

a front view of a tire vehicle according to a particular embodiment of the present invention on a road surface shown in vertical section according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2

a side view of the tire vehicle of FIG. 1 on the road surface shown in the vertical section of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3

a vertical sectional view through a tire of the tire vehicle of FIG. 1 and the road surface of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4

a front view of a tire vehicle according to another particular embodiment of the invention on the in FIG. 1 pavement shown; and

FIG. 5

a side view of the tire vehicle of FIG. 4 on the road surface shown in the vertical section of FIG. 1 ,

In FIG. 1 a tire vehicle 10, in the present case a car, with two front wheels 32 and 34 and two rear wheels, only one of which is visible and identified by the reference numeral 36, travels on a pavement 12 of a pavement covering material which is substantially evenly distributed ferromagnetic Contains material 14 in granular form. In FIG. 3 an induction coil 16 is shown on a wheel rim 18. The induction coil is formed by a substantially U-shaped iron core 20 and a wound around the iron core 20, not shown wire. The resulting magnetic poles 22 and 24 are preferably facing the road surface 12. To avoid an imbalance, the centrally arranged web 26 of the iron core 20 extends circumferentially around the wheel rim 18. The two legs 28 and 30 of the iron core 20 are present or folded only where there are further induction coils (not shown) circumferentially around the wheel rim ,

The induction coil 16 is powered by the on-board electronics (not shown), e.g. the alternator, the tire vehicle 10 is supplied in an unclaimed embodiment with AC power. If necessary, a shielding of the electromagnetic fields to the vehicle side can be provided.

In the only schematically indicated by a respective box areas (see FIGS. 1 to 3 ) is generated by the alternating current in the induction coils and by the driving movement of the tire vehicle 10, an alternating electromagnetic field in the pavement 12, which leads to electrical eddy currents in the induction-capable material in the pavement and thus to a heating thereof.

The FIGS. 4 and 5 show an alternative embodiment of a tire vehicle 10 according to the present invention. In said tire vehicle, no induction coils are provided on the wheel rims, but between the front and rear wheels 32 and 36 and 34 and 38 on both sides. The induction coils (not shown) are disposed on the underside 40 of the tire vehicle 10. It is an elongated area between the respective front wheel 32 and 34 and the respective rear wheel, of which only that indicated by the reference numeral 36 can be seen. Of course, alternatively or additionally, induction coils may be provided in other areas on the underside of the tire vehicle 10. However, it is the cost and weight factor to consider. The areas in which alternating electromagnetic fields are generated, again by boxes in the FIGS. 4 and 5 indicated schematically.

Both in the embodiment in the FIGS. 1 to 3 as well as in the form AusKhnmgsform in the FIGS. 4 and 5 the induction coils are preferably arranged with alternating orientation of north and south pole in the direction of travel or direction of rotation of the wheels of the tire vehicle.

Claims (6)

1. Motor vehicle (10) with tyres for using a travel path, wherein at least one device is provided to generate a magnetic field which is constant in relation to the motor vehicle in order to generate through said magnetic field electrical eddy currents in a magnetisable material in a road covering (12) when the motor vehicle travels over it, wherein the at least one device comprises an electrically conductive coil and a direct current supply for supplying the electrically conductive coil with the direct current.
2. Motor vehicle (10) with tyres according to claim 1, characterised in that the at least one device is arranged on the lower side (40) of the motor vehicle with tyres.
3. Motor vehicle (10) with tyres according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one device is provided on the rim of a tyre of the motor vehicle (10) with tyres.
4. Motor vehicle (10) with tyres according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the at least one device can be disconnected.
5. Method for avoiding icing up of a road covering (12) containing a magnetisable material, comprising the steps:

   - provision of a road covering (12) containing a magnetisable material,

   - heating of the road covering using a plurality of motor vehicles with tyres according to one of claims 1 to 4 with connected device in the flowing road traffic.
6. System for avoiding icing over of a road covering (10), comprising a road covering (12) containing magnetisable material and at least one motor vehicle with tyres (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4.

Images