STRUCTION DEVICE

The invention relates to a road construction device which is configured to act as a spreading device for spreading road construction material and which is configured to be attached to a working machine, wherein the road construction device includes a front frame and a rear frame joined together and configured so as to form a feed reservoir for the road construction material, a mouth formed in the feed reservoir from which the road construction material is fed under the rear frame, a spreading blade arranged on the rear frame for delimiting the road construction material exiting the mouth so as to form a layer on a surface of a road, lateral guides attached between the front frame and the rear frame at the sides of the feed reservoir for delimiting a lateral spread of the road construction material to a selected width, adjustment actuators for adjusting a distance between the spreading blade and the surface of the road, and an attachment member attached to the rear frame. The invention also relates to a method for modifying a road construction device.

An important operational phase in road construction and foundation improvement is the spreading of the base layer. The base layer usually consists of gravel, crushed stone or some other Earth material of a suitable type. If the spreading of the base layer miscarries, the road structure will not be strong enough and will not meet stipulated structural requirements.

Another important operational phase is the filling of a road edge. In road construction or foundation improvement, the edge of the road is filled with a suitable Earth material in order to buttress the actual road. When an existing road is widened, the edge of the road is filled with a base layer. With current technology, these two different operational phases require two completely separate devices, which are used as attachments on a working machine.

A spreading device for spreading road construction material that is attached to an attachment member of a working machine instead of a bucket is disclosed in the prior art in the patent publication EP 2377993 A2. An Earth material is poured from a separate transport vehicle into a feed reservoir of the spreading device for spreading road construction material, which Earth material is spread from a mouth located at the bottom of the feed reservoir with a spreading blade into an even layer of a selected width under the spreading device in front of the working machine. Both sides of the spreading device for spreading road construction material have adjustable lateral guides by means of which the Earth material can be spread in a desired width .

The patent publication CA 2990253 C represents the prior art relating to edge-filling devices. In an edge-filling device according to the prior art, Earth material is typically poured from a transport vehicle into a feed reservoir, and a conveyor belt located at the bottom of the feed reservoir conveys the Earth material to one side of the edge-filling device to the edge of the road. The tyres of the working machine using the edge-filling device thus remain on the road at all times and the Earth material is levelled at the road edge by an edgefilling wing located on the side of the edge-filling device.

An edge-filling device differs significantly from a spreading device for spreading road construction material in that the spreading device for spreading road construction material spreads the road construction material directly in front of the working machine using the same, whereas the edge-filling device transports and spreads the road construction material to one side of the working machine at the road edge. The road edge is also often shaped so as to slope with respect to the road and can also lie in a different plane than the road in a height direction. An edge-filling device and a spreading device for spreading road construction material consequently each require a different adjustability.

A problem with the prior art is that spreading devices for spreading road construction material and edge-filling devices are very expensive, which makes road construction costly.

An object of the invention is to provide a new road construction device that makes it possible to reduce the overall cost of road construction. The characteristic features of this invention are indicated in the attached patent claim 1. A further object of the invention is to provide a new method for modifying a road construction device, which method makes it possible to reduce the overall cost of road construction. The characteristic features of this invention are indicated in the attached patent claim 19.

A road construction device according to the invention which is configured to act as a spreading device for spreading road construction material and which is configured to be attached to a working machine includes a front frame and a rear frame joined together and configured so as to form a feed reservoir for the road construction material, a mouth formed in the feed reservoir from which the road construction material is fed under the rear frame, a spreading blade arranged on the rear frame for delimiting the road construction material exiting the mouth so as to form a layer on a surface of a road, lateral guides attached between the front frame and the rear frame on each side of the feed reservoir for delimiting a lateral spread of the road construction material to a selected width, adjustment actuators for adjusting a distance between the spreading blade and the surface of the road, and an attachment member attached to the rear frame for attaching the road construction device to a working machine. The road construction device can be configured to be used alternatively, instead of for spreading road construction material, as an edge-filling device, and the road construction device further includes edge-filling equipment configured to be supported on the road construction device instead of a lateral guide, wherein the edge-filling equipment includes a conveyor for conveying road construction material from the feed reservoir to one side of the road construction device, wherein the conveyor can be configured to be removably arranged at the bottom of the feed reservoir, advantageously so as to block the mouth.

It has surprisingly been found that the same road construction device can be configured with minor modifications to be used both as a spreading device for spreading road construction material and as an edge-filling device. An end user of the road construction device according to the invention can effect the transition from a spreading device to an edge-filling device in a reasonable amount of time unaided. A road constructor thus does not need to acquire two separate expensive attachments weighing several tonnes for a working machine, but rather can carry out both operational phases with a single road construction device. Taking into account labour costs, it is clearly less expensive for the end user to acquire and use a single road construction device according to the invention that can be adapted to two different operational phases than it is to acquire two completely separate devices according to the prior art for each operational phase. The overall cost of constructing a road is thereby significantly lower than before. Advantageously, when the road construction device is used as an edge-filling device, a hopper is arranged in the feed reservoir, wherein the conveyor is attached to the floor of the hopper. The road construction material poured into the feed reservoir can thus be guided more efficiently onto the conveyor and is prevented from ending up under the rear frame of the road construction device during the filling of an edge. In cases where, for example, an edge of an asphalt-surfaced road is being filled, it is undesirable for loose road construction material to end up on the asphalt surface. Thanks to the hopper, there is no need to clean a road surfacing after edge filling.

There can always be a lateral guide between the front frame and the rear frame on one side of the road construction device. When the road construction device is converted from a spreading device to an edge-filling device, one of the lateral guides can be left in place, so that the conversion operation can be accomplished faster.

Advantageously, the conveyor is a conveyor belt or a vibratory conveyor. A conveyor belt is a reliable way to transport road construction material from the feed reservoir to the side of the road construction device. A vibratory conveyor, for its part, has fewer parts subject to wear, so that a servicing interval of the road construction device can be longer.

Advantageously, the front frame and the rear frame are essentially symmetrical in a lateral direction. The frames of the edge-filling devices of the prior art are typically reinforced on the side on which the road construction material is spread and which is consequently subject to greater stress. The road construction device according to the invention can thus also withstand a load acting on the road construction device in a capacity as a spreading device. Symmetry additionally makes it possible to perform an edge filling on a desired side of the road construction device.

Advantageously, the road construction device comprises supporting wheels attached to the front frame. The working machine thus does not have to hold the road construction device up in the air, but rather the road construction device can be pushed while the supporting wheels support the road construction device on the ground. This also makes it possible to use, if necessary, a working machine that is lighter than the designed weight for pushing the road construction device.

The road construction device comprises second supporting wheels attached to the rear frame. The road construction device can thus be configured to run more smoothly. The second supporting wheels can also support the weight of the road construction device, whereby the working machine pushing the road construction device is subjected to a lower load.

Advantageously, both ends of the conveyor extend in a selected position outside the feed reservoir. This makes it possible to increase the volume of the feed reservoir, so that, when it is used as an edge-filling device, the road construction device can process road construction material faster.

Advantageously, the road construction device comprises a bumper attached to the front frame. In an operational situation, the bumper of the road construction device can thus be driven so as to contact the rear of the transport vehicle carrying the road construction material, whereby the road construction material poured from the transport vehicle hits the feed reservoir in its entirety more reliably. The road construction device can comprise a hooking member arranged on the bumper. With a hooking member, the road construction device can be attached to the transport vehicle carrying the road construction material, which prevents the accidental creation of a gap between the road construction device and the transport vehicle that could lead to road construction material ending up in the wrong location, and which instead allows the entirety of the road construction material poured from the transport vehicle to hit the feed reservoir more reliably than before.

Advantageously, the mass of the working machine moving the road construction device is at least 10 tonnes, most advantageously at least 12 tonnes. The working machine is thus dimensioned to handle the heavy road construction device. However, if necessary, it is possible to deviate from a design value by using a lighter machine, whereby the road construction device can be pushed but not necessarily lifted.

Advantageously, the edge-filling equipment further includes an edge-filling wing for levelling the road construction material on a side of the road construction device, wherein the edgefilling wing can be arranged on a side of the feed reservoir, advantageously in place of the lateral guide. The road construction material spread on one side of the road construction device can thus be levelled and shaped next to the road. When an edge-filling wing is attached in place of a lateral guide, the same attachments and control systems, such as hydraulic systems, that are used to attach and control the lateral guide can be used to attach and control the edge-filling wing.

Advantageously, the lateral guide is attached, when the road construction device is used as a spreading device, and the conveyor and edge-filling wing are attached, when the road construction device is used as an edge-filling device, to the front frame or to the rear frame by means of lateral shifting devices, which comprise a sliding bar and a hydraulic cylinder configured to move the sliding bar in a lateral direction. This way, when the road construction device is used as a spreading device, the lateral guides can be moved in a lateral direction, which makes it easy to delimit the lateral spread of the road construction material. When the road construction device is used as an edge-filling device, the conveyor and the edgefilling wing can thus be easily moved in a lateral direction as one, which makes it easier for the working machine to follow the transport vehicle carrying the road construction material.

Advantageously, the edge-filling wing is arranged on the lateral shifting device by means of a vertical sliding bar, on which a hydraulic cylinder configured to move the edge-filling wing in a vertical direction is arranged, wherein the vertical sliding bar is attached in an articulated manner to the lateral shifting device so as to be adjustable by means of a hydraulic cylinder. This makes it easy to adjust the height and inclination of the edge-filling wing.

Advantageously, the edge-filling wing comprises a frame element, an extending element and an end element, wherein the frame element is attached in an articulated manner to the vertical sliding bar so as to be adjustable by means of a hydraulic cylinder, the frame element and the extending element are configured to be moved relative to each other by means of a hydraulic cylinder, and the end element is attached in an articulated manner to the extending element so as to be adjustable by means of a hydraulic cylinder. It is thus easy to adjust the angle and length of the edge-filling wing. The length of the edge-filling wing can be adjusted in a range of 1.5 - 3.0 m, advantageously 1.7 - 2.5 m. The road construction device is thus well suited for use in edge-filling operations on various sites. It is possible, however, to scale the edge-filling wing to any size for use.

Advantageously, the road construction device comprises measuring devices for determining at least the height, width and inclination of the edge-filling wing. This makes it easy to monitor the position of the edge-filling wing, which also allows the edge-filling wing to be set in a desired position.

The edge-filling equipment can further include an extension conveyor for conveying road construction material on a side the road construction device, wherein the extension conveyor can be arranged on a side of the feed reservoir, advantageously in place of the lateral guide. It is thereby also possible to carry out an edge filling further away from the road. For example, a trench on the other side of a ditch 130 running alongside the road can be filled by means of an extension conveyor .

Advantageously, the extension conveyor is configured as an extension of the conveyor so that the road construction material is configured to fall from the conveyor onto the extension conveyor. The conveyor and extension conveyor thus work seamlessly together in such a manner that the road construction material poured into the feed reservoir is delivered to the extension conveyor and onwards to the location to be filled.

In the method according to the invention for modifying a road construction device, a spreading device for spreading road construction material is modified, wherein the spreading device for spreading road construction material includes a front frame and a rear frame joined together and configured so as to form a feed reservoir for the road construction material, a mouth formed in the feed reservoir from which the road construction material is fed under the rear frame, a spreading blade arranged on the rear frame for delimiting the road construction material exiting the mouth so as to form a layer on a surface of a road, lateral guides attached between the front frame and the rear frame on the sides of the feed reservoir for delimiting a lateral spread of the road construction material to a selected width, adjustment actuators for adjusting a distance between the spreading blade and the surface of the road, and an attachment member attached to the rear frame for attaching the road construction device to a working machine. In the method, the spreading device for spreading road construction material is modified to act as an edge-filling device by performing the following steps: removing at least one lateral guide, and installing a conveyor in the feed reservoir which transports the road construction material fed into the feed reservoir to one side of the road construction device, advantageously in such a manner that the conveyor blocks the mouth. The same road construction device can thus be configured with minor modifications to be used both as a spreading device for spreading road construction material and as an edge-filling device.

Advantageously, when the road construction device is used as an edge-filling device, a hopper is also installed in the feed reservoir and the conveyor is attached to the hopper. The road construction material poured into the feed reservoir can thus be guided more efficiently onto the conveyor and is prevented from ending up under the rear frame of the road construction device during the filling of an edge.

Advantageously, when the road construction device is used as an edge-filling device, the road construction device is additionally equipped with an edge-filling wing, wherein the edge-filling wing is attached on a side of the road construction device, advantageously in place of the lateral guide, in order to level the road construction material on that side of the road construction device. The road construction material spread on a side of the road construction device can thus be levelled and shaped next to the road.

When the road construction device is used as an edge-filling device, the road construction device can additionally be equipped with an extension conveyor, wherein the extension conveyor is attached on a side of the road construction device, advantageously in place of the lateral guide, in order to transport the road construction material on that side of the road construction device. It is thereby also possible to carry out an edge filling further away from the road.

The invention is illustrated in the following in detail with reference to the attached drawings illustrating embodiments of the invention, wherein

Figure 1 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention configured to act as a spreading device for spreading road construction material as an axonometric projection,

Figure 2 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as a spreading device in an orthogonal side view,

Figure 3 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as a spreading device in an orthogonal rear view,

Figure 4 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as a spreading device in an orthogonal top view, Figure 5 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as a spreading device with the lateral guides extended into an end position in an orthogonal top view,

Figure 6 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as a spreading device in an orthogonal front view,

Figure 7 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as a spreading device with the lateral guides extended into an end position in an orthogonal front view,

Figure 8 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention configured to act as an edgefilling device as an axonometric projection,

Figure 9 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device in an orthogonal side view,

Figure 10 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device in an orthogonal front view,

Figure 11 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device in an orthogonal top view,

Figure 12 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device with a minimized lateral adjustment of the lateral shifting device in an orthogonal top view,

Figure 13 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device with the extending element of the edgefilling wing fully retracted into the frame element in an orthogonal top view, Figure 14 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device when the angle of the edge-filling wing is in an end position in an orthogonal top view, Figure 15 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device when the angle of the edge-filling wing is in an end position as an axonometric projection,

Figure 16 illustrates a road construction device according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device and equipped with an extension conveyor in an orthogonal front view,

Figure 17 illustrates an attachment member of a road construction device according to the invention,

Figures 18a-18c illustrate the operation of the attachment member of a road construction device according to the invention,

Figure 19 illustrates an operational situation of a road construction device according to the invention in the capacity as a spreading device for spreading road construction material,

Figure 20 illustrates an operational situation of a road construction device according to the invention as an edge-filling device equipped with an edgefilling wing,

Figure 21 illustrates an operational situation of a road construction device according to the invention as an edge-filling device equipped with an extension conveyor,

Figure 22 illustrates an operational situation of a road construction device according to the invention in the capacity as an edge-filling device. Figures 1-7 illustrate a road construction device 10 according to the invention configured to act as a spreading device and Figures 8-15 illustrate the same road construction device 10 configured to act as an edge-filling device. In both applications, the road construction device 10 includes a front frame 12 and a rear frame 14 joined together and configured to form a feed reservoir 15 for a road construction material 110. Arranged on the rear frame 14 is a spreading blade 18, which can remain in place for both applications. The road construction device 10 also has adjustment actuators 22 by means of which the height between the front frame 12 and the rear frame 14 can be adjusted. The distance between the spreading blade 18 and a surface of a road 120 can also be adjusted by means of the adjusting actuators 22. Attached in an articulated manner to the rear frame 14 is an attachment member 30 whereby the road construction device 10 can be attached to a working machine

100.

The front frame 12 advantageously includes supporting wheels 50 attached to its undercarriage, by means of which the front frame 12 can travel along a base surface when used as a spreading device or along the surface of a finished road 120 when performing an edge filling. In this context, a base surface is understood to be the ground surface on which the road construction layer is being spread.

The road construction device 10 is attached to a working machine 100 by means of an attachment member 30, which is attached in an articulated manner to the rear frame 14 of the road construction device 10. The attachment member 30 is advantageously suitable for use with corresponding standard members of working machines 100. Attachment members 30 according to numerous different standards are used in working machines 100, and the road construction device 10 according to the invention can be configured to be attached by means of an attachment member 30 according to any standard. For example, the attachment member 30 here uses a Volvo bracket.

When the road construction device 10 is used, the road construction device 10 is first attached to a working machine 100 such as a bucket loader or wheel loader in place of its bucket by means of the attachment members 30. The road construction device 10 is pushed by the working machine 100 into contact with the rear of the transport vehicle 105 carrying the road construction material 110. The front part of the road construction device 10 here has a bumper 42 with rotating rollers 43. In an operational situation, the bumper 42 of the road construction device 10 is pushed by the working machine 100 into contact with the rear of the transport vehicle 105 so that the rollers 43 of the bumper 42 touch the transport vehicle 105 (Figure 19) . The driver of the transport vehicle 105 brakes lightly, so that the road construction device 10 remains constantly behind the transport vehicle 105 while the road construction material 110 is poured from the transport vehicle 105 into the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10. The road construction device 10 can also include a hooking member as an additional part, which is not illustrated in the figures. The road construction device 10 is attached at the bumper 42 by means of the hooking member to rear hoops of the transport vehicle 105 driving ahead. The driver of the transport vehicle 105 thus does not have to apply the brake in an operational situation, but rather the hooking member ensures that the road construction device 10 and the transport vehicle 105 remain at a selected distance from each other.

The spreading of the road construction material 110 starts when the transport vehicle 105 and the working machine 100 with the road construction device 10 start to move and the platform of the transport vehicle 105 is tilted, whereby road construction material 110 falls into the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10. When the road construction device 10 is used as a spreading device, road construction material 110 flows from the feed reservoir 15 through the mouth 16 onto the base surface so as to form a layer of road construction material, which is scraped by the spreading blade 18 attached to the rear frame 14 so as to form a selected thickness. The working machine 100 travels over the layer of spread material. When the road construction device 10 is used as an edge-filling device, a conveyor 52 located at the bottom of the feed reservoir 15 transfers the road construction material 110 to one side of the road construction device 10, where an edge-filling wing 54 attached to the rear frame 14 advantageously levels the road construction material 110 into a layer of a selected thickness.

The rear frame 14 is attached to the front frame 12 by means of beams 13 extending in the longitudinal direction of the road construction device 10. Formed at the ends of the beams 13 on the side of the front frame 12 are vertical guide bars 23 by means of which the rear frame 14 can be moved in a vertical direction relative to the front frame 12 by means of adjustment actuators 22. The adjustment actuators 22 are advantageously hydraulic cylinders connected to the vertical guide bars 23 and supported on the front frame 12. In other words, the rear frame 14 and the spreading device 18 attached thereto move upward or downward relative to the base surface on which the front frame 12 is supported by the supporting wheels 50. The rear frame 14 is thus temporarily attached in an articulated manner relative to the working machine 100 at the site of an articulated joint 39. The articulated joint 39 must be robust, as it is subjected to a high level of stress during a spreading operation. Necessary adjustments of the thickness of a layer of road construction material spread during a spreading operation are advantageously performed solely by means of the adjustment actuators 22 of the road construction device 10. The front frame 12 travels on the base surface while the rear frame 14 and the working machine 100 travel on the spread surface of the road 120.

Figures 1-7 illustrate a road construction device 10 configured to be used as a spreading device for spreading road construction material 110, so that a mouth 16 is formed at the bottom of the feed reservoir 15 for feeding the road construction material 110 under the rear frame 14. The mouth 16 remaining between the front frame 12 and the rear frame 14 is an open orifice through which the road construction material 110 flows out of the feed reservoir 15 onto the base surface of the road 120. The road construction material 110 flowing from the feed reservoir 15 is levelled by means of a spreading blade 18 joined to the rear frame 14. Lateral guides 44 are attached to the sides of the feed reservoir 15 between the front frame 12 and the rear frame 14 in order to delimit a lateral spread of the road construction material 110 to a selected width. The lateral guides 44 here are attached to the rear frame 14 laterally of the spreading blade 18 by lateral shifting devices 45, which comprise a horizontal sliding bar 46 by means of which the position of the lateral guides 44 can be adjusted in a lateral direction. A lateral shifting device 45 comprises hydraulic cylinders 66, which move a sliding bar 46 in a lateral direction relative to the rear frame 14. In this embodiment, the working width can be adjusted by means of the lateral guides 44 by approximately 50 cm on either side of the road construction device 10. The lateral guides 44 can therefore be approximately 100 cm wider than the front frame 12 and the rear frame 12 when spreading road construction material 110. The working width of the road construction device 10 used as a spreading device here can be adjusted in a range of 3.3-4.3 m. There is also a spreading blade 18 under the sliding bar 46, so that the spreading blade 18 effectively stretches in a continuous manner over the entire distance between the lateral guides 44. The road construction device 10 according to the invention is also scalable, however, to dimensions other than those specifically disclosed herein.

When it is desired to convert the road construction device 10 used as a spreading device for spreading road construction material 110 illustrated in Figures 1-7 into the edge-filling device illustrated in Figures 8-15, the lateral guides 44 are removed from the road construction device 10. Alternatively, only one lateral guide 44 is removed from the side of the road construction device 10 on which an edge filling is carried out and the other lateral guide 44 is moved slightly outwards by means of the sliding bar 46, so that the entire conveyor 52 fits into the feed reservoir 15. Both ends of the conveyor 52 extend in the selected position outside the feed reservoir 15 here. Naturally, the feeding end of the conveyor 52, i.e. the end on the side of the edge-filling wing 54, extends here outside the feed reservoir 15. The opposite end 521 of the conveyor 52 with respect to the edge-filling wing 54 also extends here outside the feed reservoir 15. Taking into account the range of movement provided by the lateral shifting device 45, the conveyor 52 blocks in all of its positions the mouth 16 of the feed reservoir 15. By extending the opposite end 521 of the conveyor 52 with respect to the edge-filling wing 54 outside the feed reservoir 15, it is possible to increase the volume of the feed reservoir 15, so that road construction material 110 can be fed to the edge-filling wing 54 faster. To this end, the lateral guide 44 on the opposite end 521 of the conveyor 52 with respect to the edge-filling wing 54 must be completely removed or moved slightly outward from the feed reservoir 15 by the lateral shifting device 45 so that the entire conveyor 52 fits into the feed reservoir 15.

In this embodiment, a hopper 51 is arranged first in the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10, wherein the conveyor 52 is attached to the hopper 51. Both ends of the conveyor 52 extend in a selected position outside both the feed reservoir 15 and the hopper 51. The function of the hopper 51 is to better guide the road construction material poured into the feed reservoir 15 onto the conveyor 52. The conveyor 52 is installed on the floor of the hopper 51 from one side of the hopper 51. Then, instead of a lateral guide 44, an edge-filling wing 54 is arranged on the other side of the road construction device 10. Finally, the necessary hydraulic hoses and measuring devices are connected to the edge-filling wing 54.

With the help of instructions provided by the manufacturer of the road construction device 10, the end user of the road construction device 10 can perform the conversion from a spreading device to an edge-filling device during a single workday. Taking into account labour costs, it is thus clearly less expensive for the end user to acquire a single road construction device 10 according to the invention that can be adapted to two different operational phases than it is to acquire completely separate devices for each operational phase.

The spreading blade 18 of the road construction device 10 can also be left in place when the latter is used as an edge-filling device. Although a spreading blade 18 is not required in edge filling and a conventional edge-filling device thus does not include a spreading blade 18 under the rear frame 14, it is possible to leave the spreading blade 18 in place with the road construction device 10 according to the invention. The working time required for conversion is thus short, since the spreading blade 18 does not need to be removed or attached in a separate operation .

In this embodiment, the conveyor 52 is a hydraulic conveyor belt. In another embodiment, the conveyor 52 is a vibratory conveyor .

A guide element 53 is additionally configured at the end of the conveyor 52, in the side of the hopper 51. The guide element 53 has an opening through which road construction material 110 used for edge filling is guided from the conveyor 52. The function of the guide element 53 is to guide road construction material 110 efficiently from the feed reservoir 15 and hopper 51 to the edge-filling wing 54 and to prevent road construction material 110 from ending up under the rear frame 14 during edge filling. For example, if edge filling is carried out at the edge of an asphalt-paved road 120, it is undesirable for road construction material 110 to end up on the asphalt-paved surface .

The opening of the guide element 53 and the load capacity of the conveyor 52 are dimensioned in such a manner that the main grain size of the road construction material 110 used for edge filling is 0 - 70 mm, although it is possible to use a maximum grain size as high as 150 mm.

The edge-filling wing 54, the conveyor 52 and the guide element 53 are arranged on the rear frame 14 by means of the same lateral shifting device 45 to which the lateral guide 44 is attached when the road construction device 10 is used as a spreading device. The edge-filling wing 54, the conveyor 52 and the guide element 53 can consequently be moved as a whole to one side of the rear frame 14 by means of the lateral shifting device 45. In addition to the edge-filling wing 54, the conveyor 52 and the guide element 53, the hopper 51 is also attached to the rear frame 14, so that the height of all of the latter relative to the front frame 12 and thus relative to the surface of the road 120 can be adjusted by the adjustment actuators 22 when the supporting wheels 50 arranged on the front frame 12 remain on the surface of the road 120.

In one embodiment, second supporting wheels can also be attached to the rear frame 14. This makes the road construction device 10 more stable when it is used as an edge-filling device and ensures that the spreading blade 18 attached to the rear frame 14 does not accidentally hit the road.

In this embodiment, the edge-filling wing 54 is arranged on the lateral shifting device 45 by means of a vertical sliding bar 55, on which a hydraulic cylinder 65 configured to move the edge-filling wing 54 in a vertical direction is arranged. The vertical sliding bar 55 is attached in an articulated manner to the horizontal sliding bar 46 so as to be adjustable by means of a hydraulic cylinder 64. The hydraulic cylinder 64 can regulate the inclination of the edge-filling wing 54 with respect to a horizontal plane.

The edge-filling wing 54 here consists of three parts comprising a frame element 541, an extending element 542 and an end element 543. The frame element 541 is attached in an articulated manner to the vertical sliding bar 55 so as to be adjustable by means of a hydraulic cylinder 61. By means of the hydraulic cylinder 61, the angle a of the edge-filling wing 54 can be adjusted within a range of movement of 90 degrees. The frame element 541 and the extending element 542 are configured to be movable relative to each other by means of a hydraulic cylinder 62. In other words, the frame element 541 and the extending element 542 form a telescopic structure. The end element 543 is attached in an articulated manner to the extending element 542 so as to be adjustable by means of a hydraulic cylinder 63 in such a manner that it is possible to adjust the angle p of the end element 543 relative to the frame element 541 and the extending element 542.

By means of the telescopic structure and the hydraulic cylinder 62, the length of the edge-filling wing 54 is adjustable in a range of 1.7-2.5 m. In addition, the lateral shifting device 45 allows the edge-filling wing 54 to be moved approximately 50 cm in a lateral direction. The effective length of the edgefilling wing 54 can also be adjusted by changing the angle a of the edge-filling wing 54 by means of the hydraulic cylinder 61. The edge-filling wing 54 is also scalable to other sizes.

In this embodiment, the road construction device 10 comprises measuring devices, which are not illustrated in the figures, at least for determining the height, width and inclination of the edge-filling wing 54. More specifically, the measuring devices comprise sensors by means of which a state of the hydraulic cylinders 65, 62 and 64 is determined. Measurement data is transmitted to the operator of the road construction device, who can be the driver of the working machine 100 or a separate individual. The measurement data allows an operator to control the position of the edge-filling wing 54 with ease. Advantageously, the road construction device 10 comprises a control panel arranged in the cabin of the working machine 100. Meas- urement data from the measuring devices is transmitted to the control panel, which can be used to control the hydraulic cylinders of the road construction device 10. The road construction device 10 can also comprise sensors for detecting contours of the surface of the road 120, whereby the position of the edge-filling wing 54 can be automatically adjusted using software means. The driver thus does not necessarily have to make adjustments in the middle of an edge-filling operation, but rather the software means ensures that, in spite of changing contours of the surface or edge of the road 120, the edgefilling wing 54 is always in an optimal position.

As a rule, in countries with right-hand traffic, the lateral guide 44 on the right side of the road construction device 10 in the direction of travel is removed in order to produce an edge-filling device. The front frame 12 of the road construction device 10 in the direction of travel thus proceeds ahead of the rear frame 14. An edge-filling operation thus occurs on the right-hand side of the road construction device 10 in the direction of travel. However, the road construction device 10 according to the invention can easily be modified for an edgefilling operation in such a manner that the road construction material 110 to be spread can also be directed to the left-hand side of the road construction device 10 in the direction of travel. This is possible because the front frame 12 and the rear frame 14 are essentially symmetrical in the lateral direction, whereby the frame of the road construction device 10 according to the invention can withstand the load generated by the edge-filling wing 54 identically whether the edge-filling wing 54 is on the right or on the left.

Since the road construction device 10 is attached to the front of the working machine 100 and is advantageously designed to be pushed, the working machine 100 can be any working machine 100 suitable for the task that includes lifting or pushing devices. A further advantage of being designed to be pushed is that the transport vehicle 105 does not have to drive over the spread layer of material. The total mass of the road construction device 10 described in the foregoing when used as an edge-filling device is approximately 5 tonnes. The mass of the working machine 100 to which the road construction device 10 is attached should thus be advantageously at least 10 tonnes, most advantageously at least 12 tonnes. It is also potentially possible to push the road construction device 10 with a lighter working machine, but not necessarily to lift it.

Figure 16 illustrates a road construction device 10 according to the invention when used as an edge-filling device in a situation where the road construction device 10 is equipped with an extension conveyor 80 instead of an edge-filling wing 54. In this embodiment, the road construction device 10 comprises by way of example both first supporting wheels 50 as well as second supporting wheels 60, which thus do not necessarily form part of the invention. The extension conveyor 80 can be mechanically attached to the road construction device 10 in an analogous manner to the edge-filling wing 54. The extension conveyor 80 can be structurally similar to the conveyor 52 arranged at the bottom of the feed reservoir 15. The extension conveyor 80 here is a hydraulic conveyor belt. The extension conveyor 80 allows the road construction material 110 to be fed further away from the feed reservoir 15 and thus further away from the road 120. Advantageously, the road construction device 10 thus comprises means for adjusting the position of the extension conveyor 80, so that advantageously the height and angle of the extension conveyor 80 can be adjusted so as to obtain a desired position of the feeding end of the extension conveyor 80 relative to the road 120. The extension conveyor 80 makes it possible to use the road construction device 10 for an edge filling relatively far away from the road, for example on the other side of a ditch 130 lying next to the road (Figure 21) . For example, wind turbines are built in remote areas, so that it is often necessary to lay cables from a wind turbine over very long distances in order to transport the electricity generated there. Currently, a trench dug at the edge of a road 120 for cables is filled following the laying of the cable by means of an excavator, which is a very slow process. By means of the road construction device 10 equipped with the extension conveyor 80, this operation can be carried out much faster than to date.

Figure 17 illustrates the operation of an attachment member 30 of a road construction device 10 according to the invention, here a Volvo bracket, and thus of the articulated joint 39. The attachment member 30 has a hook-shaped element 31 by means of which the attachment member 30 is attached to the working machine 100. The attachment member 30 has an elongated hole 32 in which a circular pin 33 attached to the rear frame 14 of the road construction device 10 is arranged. The elongated hole 32 or otherwise longitudinal groove thus allows the pin 33 attached to the rear frame 14 to move a selected distance in a vertical direction. The road construction device 10 can thus be lowered onto the road 120 advantageously supported on supporting wheels 50, so that the road construction device 10 is merely pushed by the working machine 100. The load acting on the working machine 100 is thus considerably lower compared to an attachment member 30 that does not have this vertical degree of freedom. It is possible to use two attachment members 30, so that the road construction device 10 can also tilt according to the contours of the surface of the road 120, the pins 33 floating in the elongated holes 32 of the attachment member 30, so that this tilting is not transmitted to and does not place a load on the working machine 100. An inclination of the road construction device 10 with respect to the attachment members 30 thanks to the elongated holes 32 is illustrated in Figures 18a-l 8c . Figures 19-22 illustrate the use of the road construction device 10 according to the invention in different operating conditions .

Figure 19 shows an application of the road construction device 10 as a spreading device for spreading road construction material 110. In this case, the road construction material 110 is poured from a transport vehicle 105 into the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10, and the road construction material 110 is spread under the working machine 100 on the surface of the road 120 and levelled by the spreading blade 18 into an even layer.

Figure 20 illustrates an application of the road construction device 10 as an edge-filling device equipped with an edgefilling wing 54. In this case, the road construction material 110 is poured from a transport vehicle 105 into the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10, and the conveyor 52 transports the road construction material 110 to the side of the road construction device 10, where the edge-filling wing 54 levels the spread road construction material 110 into a uniform layer at the side of the road construction device 10 and of the road 120.

Figure 21 shows an application of the road construction device 10 as an edge-filling device equipped with an extension conveyor 80. In this embodiment, the road construction device 10 comprises by way of example both first supporting wheels 50 as well as second supporting wheels 60, which thus do not necessarily form part of the invention. In this case, the road construction material 110 is poured from a transport vehicle 105 into the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10, and the conveyor 52 transports the road construction material 110 to the side of the road construction device 10, from where the further conveyor 80 moves the road construction material 110 on one side of the road construction device 10 even further away from the road 120, for example over a ditch 130, so that, for example, a trench on the other side of the ditch 130 can be filled.

Figure 22 illustrates an application of the road construction device 10 as an edge-filling device without an edge-filling wing or extension conveyor. In this case, the road construction material is poured from a transport vehicle into the feed reservoir 15 of the road construction device 10, and the conveyor 52 transports the road construction material 110 to the side of the road construction device 10. The edge of the road 120 can thus be filled in a very simple manner and with very minor modifications to the road construction device 10 when the road construction device 10 is converted to this function from a spreading device for spreading road construction material 110.