BACKGROUND
Concrete pavement is typically used to provide a hard surface for roads, streets, sidewalks, and so forth.
DRAWINGS
The Detailed Description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The use of the same reference numbers in different instances in the description and the figures may indicate similar or identical items.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view illustrating a paving unit assembly in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating a paving unit for a paving unit assembly, such as the paving unit assembly illustrated in FIG. 1, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side elevation view illustrating a paver assembly including a power unit for driving and powering a paving unit assembly, such as the paving unit assembly illustrated in FIG. 1, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side elevation view of left and right paving units of the paver assembly illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is an end view illustrating a paving unit assembly in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional side elevation view illustrating a paving unit with a vibrator in a first positional orientation in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is another partial cross-sectional side elevation view of the paving unit of FIG. 6, where the vibrator is in another positional orientation.
FIG. 8 is a partial isometric view illustrating an expanding frame for a paving unit assembly, where the expanding frame is shown in an expanded position in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view illustrating a paving unit for a paver assembly in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is a further partial perspective view of the paving unit illustrated in FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view illustrating a side of a paver assembly that can be adjusted in height, where the side is shown having a raised height in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of the side of the paver assembly illustrated in FIG. 11, where the side is shown having a lowered height in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 13 is an isometric view illustrating a power unit for a paver assembly, such as the paver assembly illustrated in FIG. 3, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an expanding frame for a power unit of a paver assembly, such as the power unit illustrated in FIG. 13, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 15 is another perspective view of the expanding frame illustrated in FIG. 14, further illustrating concrete guards for tracks of the expanding frame.
FIG. 16 is a side elevation view illustrating a paver assembly, such as the paver assembly illustrated in FIG. 1, with a paver lift in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure, where a paving unit assembly connected to a power unit can be lifted by the power unit, and the paving unit assembly—is shown in a raised orientation.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a controller for a paver assembly, such as the paver assembly illustrated in FIG. 1, in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 18 is a partial isometric view illustrating a power unit for a paver assembly, such as the paver assembly illustrated in FIG. 3, where the power unit includes a forming and shaping assembly in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring generally to FIGS. 1 through 18, paver assemblies are described in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. The paver assemblies described herein can be used for paving operations in tight spaces. For example, a paver assembly can be adjusted to be only as wide as the paved surface it forms. As described, paver assemblies can be used to form narrow paved surfaces, such as paved concrete or asphalt trails or paths. In some embodiments, the width of the paver assembly can be adjusted to be between about eight feet (8 ft.) and about twelve feet (12 ft.). Further, the thickness of paved surfaces formed by a paver assembly can vary, e.g., between about four inches (4 in.) and about six inches (6 in.).
In some examples, a paver assembly can be adjusted to eight feet (8 ft.) in width for a four inch (4 in.) thick path, ten feet (10 ft.) in width for a five inch (5 in.) thick path, twelve feet (12 ft.) in width for a six inch (6 in.) thick path, and so forth. However, these widths and thicknesses are provided by way of example and are not meant to limit the present disclosure. In other embodiments, a paver assembly can be adjusted to be less than eight feet (8 ft.) wide, greater than twelve feet (12 ft.) wide, can be used to deposit pavement less than four inches (4 in.) thick, greater than six inches (6 in.) thick, and so forth.
In some embodiments, opposing sides of a paver assembly can be adjustable to form paved surfaces that slope from side to side. For example, one side of the paver assembly can be adjusted to be higher than an opposing side of the paver assembly to provide a paved surface with a side slope, a cross slope, and so forth. In this manner, while the subgrade of the surface to be paved may have the largest impact on the slope of the paved surface, additional sloping can be provided by a paver assembly, e.g., up to one degree (1°) or more of additional slope.
As described, the paver assembly can be driven by a tractor unit that includes tracks for driving the paver assembly over the prepared subgrade. The track width can also be adjustable to fit in the width of the prepared subgrade. In embodiments, the paver assembly can also include augers, vibrators, and/or other equipment for spreading and smoothing the concrete for the paved surface. In some embodiments, concrete is pumped (e.g., through a long flexible hose from a remote location) and deposited in front of the paver assembly, which then traverses the concrete material to spread and level the concrete.
Referring generally to FIGS. 1 through 7, a paver assembly 100 includes a power unit 102 and a paving unit assembly 120. The power unit 102 is connected to the paving unit assembly 120 for driving and powering the paving unit assembly 120. The paving unit assembly 120 includes a first paving unit 130, and a second paving unit 140. The paving unit assembly 120 is configured to form paving material (e.g., concrete, asphalt) into a paved trail.
In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the paving unit assembly 120 includes a first side wall 121 supported by a first support surface 122, a second side wall 123 supported by a second support surface 124, and a paving unit expandable frame 125. For example, the paving unit expandable frame 125 may be an adjustable width expandable frame. The paving unit expandable frame 125 connects the first side wall 121 to the second side wall 123 and is configured to move the first side wall 121 and the second side wall 123 towards and away from each other based on the desired width of the paved trail. The paving unit assembly 122 can be expanded and contracted to be the same width as the width of the roughly excavated subgrade to be paved.
Referring to FIG. 2, a pave head or paving unit, such as the first paving unit 130 and/or the second paving unit 140, is shown. Each paving unit 130, 140 includes concrete vibrators 132 disposed along a width of the paving unit. Each concrete vibrator 132 is connected to a vibrator adjustment tube 134. The paving unit may also include an auger 136 and a forming pan 138 (FIG. 3) extending along the width of each respective paving unit 130 and 140. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the first paving unit 130 is proximate to the first side wall 121 and the second paving unit 140 is proximate to the second side wall 123. The paving units may be fixedly connected to their respective side wall.
The auger 136 may be driven by an auger drive 137 (FIG. 10) disposed at a side of each respective paving unit 130, 140 opposite to the respective side wall 121, 123. In other embodiments, the auger drive 137 may be disposed in proximity to the respective side wall 121, 123 of the paving unit 130, 140.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the first paving unit 130 and the second paving unit 140 are positioned offset with respect to one another. This position of the paving units allows the paving unit assembly to expand and contract without having the individual paving units collide with one another. The paving units 130 and 140 move along with their respective first wall 121 and second wall 123 as the paving unit expandable frame 125 is actuated. This allows the first paving unit 130 and second paving unit 140 to form the paving material along the desired width of the trail to be paved.
FIG. 3 shows the power unit 102 connected to the paving unit assembly 120 through a connector 104. For example, the connector 104 may be a pintle hitch, a pintle ball, at least one linkage arm, a combination thereof, etc. For example, the connector 104 can be implemented in a tow ring configuration to secure to a hook or a ball combination for towing the paving unit assembly 120. In another example, the connector 104 can be implemented using a set of follow links with spherical bearings. In embodiments, the connector 104 may be located lower to the ground than the main frame 126, which allows less moment vertical movement and may prevent the paver assembly from riding up. In example embodiments, the connector 104 is connected in a plane below the center of gravity of the paving unit assembly 120, e.g., as shown in FIG. 3. In some embodiments, the connector 104 may be disposed in-line with the forces on the forming pan 138 as it contacts the paving material to spread the paving material.
The power unit 102 may include a lifting arm 106, a platform 108, and a power unit expandable frame 110. The power unit expandable frame 110 may be an adjustable width expandable frame. The power unit 102 includes power equipment 103 for powering the paver assembly 100. The power equipment 103 is supported by the power unit expandable frame 110 and may include an electric power source, a hydraulic power source, a pneumatic power source, or a combination thereof. The power equipment 103 may further include one or a combination of a motor, a pump, a generator, a compressor, a hydraulic reservoir, etc. The power unit 102 may include a controller 150 that monitors and controls the actuation of the power unit 102 and the paving unit assembly 120.
The power unit 102 may also include one of a pair of tracks 112 (FIG. 14) connected at each side of the power unit expandable frame 110. The pair of tracks 112 is powered by the power equipment 103 and is configured to drive and support the power unit expandable frame 110 and the platform 108 over the roughly excavated subgrade. In example embodiments, the width of the power unit expandable frame 110 and the width of the paving unit expandable frame 125 correspond to the width of the roughly excavated subgrade and/or the width of the desired trail to be paved.
As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the paving material is deposited in the roughly excavated subgrade in front of the paver assembly 100. In some embodiments, the paving material is pumped through a flexible hose from a remote location. The power unit 102 goes over the paving material and the paving unit assembly 120 smooths the paving material into the desired width and thickness.
For example, at least one of the paving units 130 or 140 spreads and levels the paving material to the desired width and thickness. The vibrators 132 vigorously shake the paving material to eliminate air pockets and increase the density of the paving material. Each one of the vibrators 132 can cover a localized region of influence based on the position of the vibrators 132 with respect to the paving material. In example embodiments, the region of influence vibrated or shaken by the vibrators 132 covers at least a portion of the width from the first side wall 121 to the second side wall 123. In example embodiments, the region of influence vibrated by the vibrators 132 covers the entirety of the width from the first side wall 121 to the second side wall 123.
In embodiments, after being shaken by the vibrators 132, the augers 136 distribute the paving material along the width of each respective paving unit 130 and 140, or along a partial or total width of the paving unit assembly 120 from the first side wall 121 to the second side wall 123. In embodiments, the speed of the augers 136 may be adjusted to account for factors including, but not limited to: a speed of operation, a desired depth of the concrete, and a composition of the concrete. As shown in FIG. 3, the paving material may finally be flattened/smoothed to a desired thickness by a forming pan 138.
Referring to FIGS. 5 through 7, the vibrator adjustment tube 134 is connected to each vibrator 132 and is configured to synchronously change the position of the vibrators 132 within a range of motion. The vibrator adjustment tube 134 may lower the vibrators 132 away from the auger 136 (FIG. 6) or raise the vibrators 132 closer to the auger 136 (FIG. 7). It should be understood that the examples shown are not limiting to the positions and/or number of positions in which the vibrator adjustment tube 134 may dispose the vibrators 132. A number of different positions may be achieved within or outside the range of motion shown in the example embodiments.
Referring to FIGS. 8 through 10, the paving unit expandable frame 125 further includes expanding beams 127 and at least one expansion cylinder 128 connecting the main frame 126 to respective side walls (the first side wall 121 and the second side wall 123). The expanding beams 127 may include slide pads 129 configured to reduce the friction between the expanding beams 127 and the main frame 126. The slide pads 129 may include at least one body mounted slide pads and/or at least one axle mounted slide pads. In the embodiments shown, each side wall is connected to two expanding beams 127. In other embodiments (not shown) each side wall may connect to the main frame 126 through more than two expanding beams 127. Each one of the first side wall 121 and the second side wall 123 is actuated by the expansion cylinder 128 to expand and contract from the main frame 126. The expansion cylinder 128 may be one of a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, an electric actuator, or a combination thereof.
FIG. 9 shows slide pads 146 coupled to the paving unit 130. The slide pads 146 are slidably coupled to a bottom surface of the paving unit expandable frame 125. For example, the slide pads 146 may be coupled to at least one expanding beam 127 or the main frame 126. In example embodiments shown, the slide pads 146 are slidably coupled to a bottom of the main frame 126. As the at least one expanding beam 127 expands or contracts from the main frame 126, the corresponding paving unit 130 expands or contracts from the main frame 126. The slide pads 146 may be made of nylon or other materials used to reduce friction between sliding or rolling surfaces. In example embodiments, the slide pads 129 and/or 146 include linear bearings or the like.
Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the height of the paving unit assembly 120 may be adjustable depending on a desired thickness, height, or cross slope of the paved trail. For example, the first support surface 122 and the second support surface 124 are independently adjustable to control at least one of the height or the cross slope of the paved trail.
FIG. 11 shows a height adjustment cylinder 142 of the first side wall 121 and the second side wall 123. The height adjustment cylinder 142 may be a hydraulic actuator, a pneumatic actuator, etc. The height adjustment cylinder 142 lifts each corresponding side wall 121, 123, with respect to their corresponding support structure 122, 124. As the side walls 121, 123 are lifted, a corresponding adjustable side pan 144 keeps the paving material within the limits of the support structures 122, 124. The side walls travel along travel guides 143 disposed on the adjustable side pan 144. The side walls 121, 123 are lifted independently based on the desired thickness of the paved trail.
As described above, in example embodiments, the thickness of the concrete may range between 4 inches and 6 inches, and the thickness may be adjusted based on the desired width of the trail. The height or thickness of a paved trail may be proportional to the width of the paved trail. In example embodiments, when a desired paved width is eight feet (8 ft.), the first side wall 121 and second side wall 123 are supported by the height adjustment cylinder 142 and the adjustable side pan 144, leaving the bottom surface of the forming pan 138 to be four inches (4 in.) above the roughly excavated subgrade and establishing the paving height. In some embodiments, the width of the paver unit assembly 120 may be expanded to be ten feet (10 ft.), and the height of the adjustable side pan 144 is five inches (5 in.). In another embodiment, the width of the paver unit assembly 120 in an expanded orientation is twelve feet (12 ft.), and the height of the adjustable side pan 144 is six inches (6 in.). However, as described above, these widths and heights are provided by way of example and are not meant to limit the present disclosure.
Additionally, the paver unit assembly 120 can be adjustable to form paved surfaces that slope from side to side. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the first side wall 121 can be adjusted to be higher than the second side wall 123 of the paver assembly 100 to provide a paved surface with a side slope, a cross slope, and so forth. In this manner, while the subgrade of the surface to be paved may have the largest impact on the slope of the paved surface, additional sloping can be provided by the paver assembly 100. The additional slope may be up to one degree (1°). In other embodiments, the slope may be greater than one degree (1°).
In embodiments, the paving unit assembly 120 may include a slope sensor 148 (FIG. 17) to automatically provide the slope and cross-slope monitoring in real time. The slope sensor 148 may be attached to the paving unit assembly 120 for measuring and transmitting a slope of the paving unit assembly 120 while the paving unit assembly 120 is forming the paving material into the paved trail. In some embodiments, the slope sensor 148 can be an inclinometer with three (3) degrees of freedom. However, other slope sensors can be used as well, including slope sensors with more or fewer degrees of freedom.
Referring to FIGS. 13 through 15, the power unit 102 of the paver assembly 100 is illustrated. As described above, the power unit 102 is used for driving and powering the paver unit 100 including the paving unit assembly 120. In some embodiments, the power unit 102 is located in front of the paving unit assembly 120, where the paving unit assembly 120 is pulled by the power unit 102. In another embodiment, the paver unit assembly 120 may be located in front of the power unit 102, where the power unit 102 pushes the paver unit assembly 120.
Shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the pair of tracks 112 of the power unit expandable frame 110 include concrete guards 114 configured to isolate the pair of tracks 112 from the paving material as the power unit 102 is driven over the roughly excavated subgrade. Similarly to the paving unit assembly expandable frame 125, the power unit expandable frame 110 may include a main frame 111 and expanding beams 113 disposed on both sides of the main frame 111. The expanding beams 113 connect the main frame 111 to respective ones of the pair of tracks 112. The power unit expandable frame 110 can be expanded and contracted by actuating cylinders 115 to be the same width as the width of the roughly excavated subgrade. The power unit expandable frame 110 may also include at least one or a combination of slide pads 119 (e.g., body mounted slide pads, axle mounted slide pads, etc.) configured to reduce friction between the main frame 111 and the expanding beams 113, similarly to the ones discussed above in the description of the paving unit assembly 120. In operation, the power unit expanding frame 110 expands so that the width of the power unit 102 can be expanded and contracted and be the same as the width of the paving unit assembly 120.
Referring to FIG. 16, the power unit 102 is configured to lift the paving unit assembly 120 off the ground when the width of the paving unit expandable frame 125 is adjusted. The lifting arm(s) 106 and the connector 104 are configured to securely lift and support the paving unit assembly 120 during transport of the paving unit assembly 120 when the paving unit assembly 120 is not in use. It should also be noted that the adjustable width of the power unit 102 and the paving unit assembly 120 allow for the paver assembly 100 to be easily transported to and from job sites. For example, the power unit 102 and the paving unit assembly 120 can be contracted, and the unit can be driven onto, for example, a flatbed trailer.
With reference to FIG. 18, the paver assembly 100 can include a concrete or asphalt pre-extrusion forming and shaping assembly, which allows the operator of the paver assembly 100 to control how much concrete is available to the paving unit assembly 120. In some embodiments, the forming and shaping assembly is implemented as a screed bar/extrusion assembly 107. The screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 enables the paver assembly 100 to extrude a “billet” of paving material, forming the top and sides of the paving material deposited in front of the paver assembly 100. In some embodiments, the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 can be raised and lowered by the operator of the paver assembly 100 to “fine tune” how much concrete gets through to the paving unit assembly 120. This configuration gives an operator the ability to know there will be enough concrete passing under the power unit 102 to be formed into the paved trail, with the excess paving material pushed along in front by the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107. For example, if too much paving material is presented to the paving unit assembly 120, the amount of adjustment possible for the paving unit assembly 120 may not be enough to account for the excess paving material gathering within the rear section of the machine, such that operation of the paver assembly 100 may be hindered.
In some embodiments, the height of the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 can be controlled with a hydraulic cylinder and/or other height adjustment mechanism. For example, the power equipment 103 can be used to set the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 to roughly a desired height for the desired width and depth of the finished trail. In some embodiments, this can be performed automatically by the controller 150, and/or manually through a user interface 158 (as further described below). In this manner, the operator has the ability to fine tune the machine during operation. For instance, in some cases, it is desirable for the paver assembly 100 to be pushing an inch or two of excess paving material in front of the paving unit assembly 120. In this example, the operator can watch the amount of paving material pushed by the machine and adjust the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 accordingly. In another example, if the grade is soft and the tracks 112 of the machine sink into the ground, or the grade is very rough and uneven, the operator can adjust the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 to control precisely the amount of paving material making it through the power unit 102 to the paving unit assembly 120.
In some embodiments, the screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 includes angled side pans 109. The angled side pans 109 may be fixedly connected to respective tracks 112 of the power unit 102. The screed bar/extrusion assembly 107 may also include an adjustable width screed 117. In some embodiments, the screed 117 can be formed in two or more sections, which may each be individually adjustable to control the overall width of the screed 117. In some examples, each section of the screed 117 may be connected to a respective portion of the power unit expandable frame 110 so that the width of the screed 117 automatically adjusts as the power unit 102 is expanded and contracted. In other embodiments, the screed 117 can have a width that is independently controllable by the controller 150 and/or by an operator. For example, the screed 117 can be hydraulically actuated so that two or more sections of the screed 117 can slide with respect to one another to adjust the width of the screed 117.
Referring now to FIG. 17, the paver assembly 100, including some or all of its components, can operate under computer control. For example, a processor 152 can be included with or in the power unit 102 to control the components and functions of paver assembly 100 described herein using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual processing, or a combination thereof. The terms “controller,” “functionality,” “service,” and “logic” as used herein generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of software, firmware, or hardware in conjunction with controlling the paver assembly 100. In the case of a software implementation, the module, functionality, or logic represents program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more computer-readable memory devices (e.g., internal memory and/or one or more tangible media), and so on. The structures, functions, approaches, and techniques described herein can be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors.
The paver assembly 100 can be coupled with a controller 150 for controlling the power unit 102 and the paving unit assembly 120. The controller 150 can include the processor 152, a memory 154, and a communications interface 156. The controller 150 may be in communication with the power equipment 103 (e.g., hydraulic power equipment) to actuate the power unit expandable frame 110 and the paving unit assembly expandable frame 125. Moreover, the controller 150 may receive information from the slope sensor 148 to adjust the height of each side wall 121, 123 as desired.
The processor 152 provides processing functionality for the controller 150 and can include any number of processors, micro-controllers, or other processing systems, and resident or external memory for storing data and other information accessed or generated by the controller 150. The processor 152 can execute one or more software programs that implement techniques described herein. The processor 152 is not limited by the materials from which it is formed or the processing mechanisms employed therein and, as such, can be implemented via semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g., using electronic integrated circuit (IC) components), and so forth.
The controller 150 includes the memory 152. The memory 152 is an example of tangible, computer-readable storage medium that provides storage functionality to store various data associated with operation of the controller 150, such as software programs and/or code segments, or other data to instruct the processor 152, and possibly other components of the controller 150, to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the memory 154 can store data, such as a program of instructions for operating the paver assembly 100 (including its components), and so forth. It should be noted that while a single memory 154 is described, a wide variety of types and combinations of memory (e.g., tangible, non-transitory memory) can be employed. The memory 154 can be integral with the processor 152, can comprise stand-alone memory, or can be a combination of both.
The memory 154 can include, but is not necessarily limited to: removable and non-removable memory components, such as random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory (e.g., a secure digital (SD) memory card, a mini-SD memory card, and/or a micro-SD memory card), magnetic memory, optical memory, universal serial bus (USB) memory devices, hard disk memory, external memory, and so forth. In implementations, the controller 150 and/or the memory 154 can include removable integrated circuit card (ICC) memory, such as memory provided by a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card, a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), and so on.
The controller 150 includes the communications interface 156. The communications interface 156 is operatively configured to communicate with components of the controller 150. For example, the communications interface 156 can be configured to transmit data for storage in the controller 150, retrieve data from storage in the controller 150, and so forth. The communications interface 156 is also communicatively coupled with the processor 152 to facilitate data transfer between components of the controller 150 and the processor 152 (e.g., for communicating inputs to the processor 152 received from a device communicatively coupled with the controller 150). It should be noted that while the communications interface 156 is described as a component of a controller 150, one or more components of the communications interface 156 can be implemented as external components communicatively coupled to the controller 150 via a wired and/or wireless connection. The controller 150 can also comprise and/or connect to one or more user interfaces 158 or input/output (I/O) devices (e.g., via the communications interface 156), including, but not necessarily limited to: a display, a mouse, a touchpad, a keyboard, and so on. As described, a user interface 158 can be used to display information including, but not necessarily limited to: status of the paving machine components (e.g., width of the power unit 102, width of the paving unit assembly 120, angle of the paving unit assembly 120 (e.g., cross-slope as measured by the slope sensor 158), speed of the augers, position(s) and speed(s) of the vibrators, and other information that is useful to an operator of the paver assembly 100 during paving operations, transport, and so on.
The communications interface 156 and/or the processor 152 can be configured to communicate with a variety of different networks, including, but not necessarily limited to: a wide-area cellular telephone network, such as a 3G cellular network, a 4G cellular network, or a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network; a wireless computer communications network, such as a Wi-Fi network (e.g., a wireless local area network (WLAN) operated using IEEE 802.11 network standards); an internet; the Internet; a wide area network (WAN); a local area network (LAN); a personal area network (PAN) (e.g., a wireless personal area network (WPAN) operated using IEEE 802.15 network standards); a public telephone network; an extranet; an intranet; and so on. However, this list is provided by way of example only and is not meant to limit the present disclosure. Further, the communications interface 156 can be configured to communicate with a single network or multiple networks across different access points.
Generally, any of the functions described herein can be implemented using hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry such as integrated circuits), software, firmware, manual processing, or a combination thereof. Thus, the blocks discussed in the above disclosure generally represent hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry such as integrated circuits), software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the instance of a hardware configuration, the various blocks discussed in the above disclosure may be implemented as integrated circuits along with other functionality. Such integrated circuits may include all of the functions of a given block, system, or circuit, or a portion of the functions of the block, system, or circuit. Further, elements of the blocks, systems, or circuits may be implemented across multiple integrated circuits. Such integrated circuits may comprise various integrated circuits, including, but not necessarily limited to a monolithic integrated circuit, a flip chip integrated circuit, a multichip module integrated circuit, and/or a mixed signal integrated circuit. In the instance of a software implementation, the various blocks discussed in the above disclosure represent executable instructions (e.g., program code) that perform specified tasks when executed on a processor. These executable instructions can be stored in one or more tangible computer readable media. In some such instances, the entire system, block, or circuit may be implemented using its software or firmware equivalent. In other instances, one part of a given system, block, or circuit may be implemented in software or firmware, while other parts are implemented in hardware.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or process operations, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
Patent Application
20240309593
