Abstract:
A method of manufacturing paving and/or panelling modules which comprises the steps of: arranging a plurality of blocks or tesserae in a suitable template, according to a layout predefined by a locating grid of a module; cutting a piece of a layer of flexible material provided with through openings so that it matches the configuration of the module and is larger than the module; and securing through permanent securing means, the layer of flexible material to each one of the blocks or tesserae forming a module, so that they are held together by the layer with the possibility of changing their mutual inclination.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing paving and/or panelling modules.  
           [0002]    Paving by means of blocks or tesserae in a mosaic-like pattern is currently generally performed by manually laying a single block or tessera at a time on a sand or cement bed.  
           [0003]    The manner in which the individual blocks are arranged creates, as a whole, ornamental patterns which reproduce geometric shapes, e.g. an arc, a circle or a compound fan, which are repeated identically a number of times depending upon on the dimensions of the surface to be covered.  
           [0004]    The workers assigned to laying the blocks must then be expert in the trade, since carrying out these geometric shapes requires long working experience and a special skill in placing the individual blocks in order to obtain the best overall results, at a fair laying speed.  
           [0005]    A drawback of current block laying methods is therefore the fact that since they must be performed necessarily on site and by specialized personnel, they entail long production times and rather high labor costs.  
           [0006]    Another drawback of paving and/or panelling with current laying techniques is that any detachment of a single block and/or mosaic tessera leaves space for the adjacent elements to move and, in a relatively short time, detach, thereby compromising the integrity of the composition.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The main object of the present invention is to provide a new method for paving and/or panelling by means of blocks or tesserae which does not necessarily involve the use of specialized labor, thereby significantly reducing its implementation costs.  
           [0008]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for the mass-production of modules for street paving and/or panelling by means of which it is possible to cover larger surfaces in less time, while making the laying operation simpler and above all faster.  
           [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to allow mass production of a plurality of variously shaped modules which can be mutually assembled and are suitable for producing multiple ornamental patterns also for panelling sloping surfaces and vertical walls.  
           [0010]    Another object of the present invention is to provide modules which adapt themselves to the uneveness of the surface to be covered and ensure integrity of the finished work, thereby preventing detachment of single blocks, which would cause movement and gradual separation of adjacent blocks.  
           [0011]    Another object of the present invention is to provide modules which, once laid, are durable and ensure particularly extended resistance to mechanical stresses and atmospheric agents.  
           [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a paving system which is permeable to, and capable of draining rainwater while preventing washing out of the sand from the bed.  
           [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to provide modules which can be easily lifted and carried by one operator.  
           [0014]    According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing paving and/or panelling modules which comprises the following operating steps:  
           [0015]    arranging a plurality of blocks or tesserae in a suitable template, according to a predetermined layout defined by a locating grid delimiting a module;  
           [0016]    cutting a piece of a layer of flexible material having through openings so as to match the configuration of said module and being of larger dimensions than said module;  
           [0017]    securing, by means of permanent securing means said layer of flexible material to each one of said blocks or tesserae forming said module, so that they are held together by said piece of flexible material with the possibility of changing their mutual inclination.  
           [0018]    Advantageously, said method, before rigidly coupling said layer to the bottom of said blocks, includes an operation of spraying and drying a primer onto the bottom of said blocks in order to promote adhesion of said coupling means.  
           [0019]    According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for performing the above method, which has a supporting frame, a plurality of workstations arranged sequentially and a conveyor which extends sequentially through said workstations, and is characterized in that it comprises at least one moving unit designed to be arranged on said conveyor to convey a module through each one of said workstations, and in that one of said workstations comprises a device for applying permanent coupling means, thereby coupling a piece of flexible material to the bottom of said module.  
           [0020]    Advantageously, said moving unit comprises a movable transfer tray which is designed to be arranged on said conveyor, a template supporting tray arranged to be located on said movable transfer tray, at least one reference template to be fitted on said template supporting tray and a locking cover which is designed to fix the or each reference template on said template supporting tray.  
           [0021]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided at least one module for street paving and/or panelling which comprises at least one block or tessera, characterized in that it comprises a layer of flexible material which has through openings and permanent securing means for rigidly coupling said layer of flexible material to the or each block.  
           [0022]    Advantageously, said layer of flexible material provided with through openings comprises a meshed net.  
           [0023]    Conveniently, said module comprises two or more of said blocks or tesserae arranged according to a predetermined composition and held together by said net. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of some currently preferred embodiments thereof, given merely by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus for producing a prefabricated module according to the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2 is an axonometric view of a movable transfer tray;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 is an axonometric view of a template supporting tray;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is an axonometric view of a locking cover;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is an axonometric view of a detail of the locking cover of FIG. 4;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a composition shaped like a contrasting arc;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a plan view of a left module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 is a plan view of a reference template for producing the module of FIG. 7;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 9 is a plan view of a right module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 10 is a plan view of a left initial module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 11 is a plan view of a right initial module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 12 is a plan view of a left final module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 13 is a plan view of a right final module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 14 is a plan view of a lateral closure module of the composition of FIG. 6;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 15 is a plan view of a circular composition;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 16 is a plan view of a module of the composition of FIG. 15;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 17 is a plan view of a module with corner frame of the composition of FIG. 15;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 18 is a plan view of a module with left frame of the composition of FIG. 15;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 19 is a plan view of a module with right frame of the composition of FIG. 15;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 20 is a plan view of a composition shaped like a compound fan;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 21 is a plan view of a left module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 22 is a plan view of a right module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 23 is a plan view of a central module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 24 is a plan view of a left half central module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 25 is a plan view of a right half central module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 26 is a plan view of a left module of the composition of FIG. 20 according to another embodiment;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 27 is a plan view of a right module which can be coupled to the module of FIG. 26;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 28 is a plan view of a left final module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 29 is a plan view of a right final module of the composition of FIG. 20;  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 30 is a plan view of a left lateral closure module of the composition of FIG. 20; and  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 31 is a plan view of a right lateral closure module of the composition of FIG. 20. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0056]    In the accompanying drawings, identical or similar parts or components have been designated by the same reference numerals. Initially with reference to FIGS.  1  to  8 , reference numeral  1  indicates a generic module, the method for producing a module  1  requiring an apparatus  2  comprising a frame  3  which supports an uninterrupted conveyor  4  arranged to move a series of movable units  5 .  
         [0057]    Each movable unit  5  comprises a movable transfer tray  6 , shown in FIG. 2, which is designed to slide along guides  7  of the conveyor  4  and to support a template supporting tray  8 , as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0058]    The movable transfer tray  6  can be constituted by a square platform  9  which has two straight and parallel raised guides  11  on its upper surface  10  and a vertical locating pin  12  at each one of its four corners.  
         [0059]    Each locating pin  12  has a rack-shaped side or front  13  and is orientated so that its rack-shaped side is directed toward the rack-shaped front of the pin located in the adjacent corner and on the same side with respect to the guides  11 .  
         [0060]    The template supporting tray  8 , shown in FIG. 3, has on its lower surface  14  two straight and parallel grooves  15  which are designed to slide, in use, along the guides  11  of the transfer tray  6 .  
         [0061]    The template supporting plate  8  also has, at its upper surface, a peripheral rim  16  which delimits a recessed inner surface  17 .  
         [0062]    A reference template  18 , e.g. shaped as shown in FIG. 8, is arranged, in use, on the recessed surface  17 .  
         [0063]    The reference template  18 , which can be made of aluminum, steel or plastics, has an external supporting frame  19 , which is common to all kinds of template, and a locating grid  20  which instead varies according to the shape to be given to the module  1 .  
         [0064]    In the specific case shown in FIG. 8, the locating grid  20  has a series of ribs  21  which reproduce the shape of a left module  22 , shown in FIG. 7, of a composition shaped like a contrasting arc  60 , shown in FIG. 6, thereby delimiting spaces  23  within which the blocks or tesserae  24 , shown in FIG. 1, are to be arranged.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 4 illustrates a locking cover  25  which is constituted by an outer border  26  delimiting a central opening  27  which is smaller than the recessed surface  17  of the template supporting tray  8 .  
         [0066]    The outer border  26  has, at its four corners, wider regions  28  at which there are provided through openings  29  arranged to act as female elements in coupling with the locating pins  12  when the locking cover  25  is superimposed, in use, on the transfer tray  6 .  
         [0067]    On each shoulder  30  and  31  of the border  26  there is a locking device  32  of the type shown in FIG. 5, which is constituted by a pair of rods  33  and  34  which are aligned and fitted on a respective shoulder by means of brackets  35  and free to perform small straight strokes lengthwise.  
         [0068]    The rods  33  and  34  are connected, at their ends, by a spring  36  which has a central supporting cylinder  37  which is designed to keep them at a predefined distance.  
         [0069]    In order to use the locking device  32  it is necessary to move the rods  33  and  34  mutually closer, thus overcoming the urge of the spring  36  and, once the locking cover  25  has been placed on the template supporting tray  8 , release them so that the outward ends  38  of the two wedge-shaped rods  33  and  34  interact with the rack-shaped front  13  of the respective facing locating pins  12 , thereby preventing any upward movement of the cover  25 .  
         [0070]    As shown in FIG. 1, a movable unit  5  is prepared in the workstation  40  of the apparatus  2  and is initially constituted only by the transfer tray  6  and the template supporting tray  8 .  
         [0071]    An operator  41  can thus arrange on the template supporting tray  8  a reference template  18  which is suitable for providing a module such as the module  22  of FIG. 7.  
         [0072]    The same operator  41  can deposit the blocks  24 , available in containers  42  located in the vicinity of the workstation  40 , inside the grid  20 , by placing them with their bottom upward and trying to completely fill the spaces  23  delimited by the ribs  21  that constitute the grid  20 .  
         [0073]    After blocks  24  have been placed on the template  18 , the operator  41  can also be given the task of cleaning the bottom of the blocks  24  of any impurities that might be present. For cleaning the blocks  24  it is possible to use a rotating brush with steel bristles  43 , which is located near the workstation  40  within reach of the operator  41 .  
         [0074]    Alternatively, the same cleaning operation can be performed by subjecting the blocks  24  to a jet of water under pressure; in this case it is necessary to perform a subsequent drying step, e.g. by employing jets of hot air; this solution is not shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0075]    While the movable unit  5  is still located in the workstation  40 , a primer  44  is advantageously sprayed onto it; said primer includes for example a petroleum resin and/or rosin applied in a solvent phase and is designed to increase bonding of an adhesive material on the bottom of the blocks  24 . This operation, too, can be performed manually by the operator  41  or by a suitable primer dispensing device (not shown in FIG. 1).  
         [0076]    The operator  41  then places on the template  18 , and therefore on the blocks  24  arranged therein, a piece of net  45  cut beforehand so as to have the same configuration as that of the module being produced and larger dimensions than said module, so as to protrude from its contour to a predetermined extent.  
         [0077]    In order to complete the preparation of the movable unit  5 , the locking cover  25  is arranged on the template supporting tray  8 , by inserting the pins  12  of the transfer tray  6  inside the through openings  29  of the cover  25 . In this manner, the frame  26  of the locking cover  25  locks the template  18  on the template supporting tray  8  owing to the two locking devices  32 .  
         [0078]    Once the preparation of the movable unit  5  has been completed, the operator  41  arranges it on the initial station  46  of the conveyor  4 , which by being controlled by a control unit  47  transfers it sequentially through a series of workstations according to a predefined production cycle.  
         [0079]    Preferably, the conveyor  4 , controlled by a control unit  47 , causes a given module  1  being produced to pass through a drying device  48  provided with hot air jets, not shown in FIG. 1, so as to ensure full drying of the primer  44  and heating of the material to the temperature suitable for the subsequent glueing step.  
         [0080]    Once the drying step is terminated, the control unit  47  sends a control signal for the advancement of the movable unit  5  to the workstation  49 . Once the movable unit  5  has reached the workstation  49 , a device  50  for applying permanent securing means is energized in order to rigidly secure the net  45  to the bottom of the blocks  24 .  
         [0081]    Preferably, a dispenser  50  of an adhesive material is used which is equipped with a metering device (not shown) and is mounted on suitable mechanical arms  52  and  53  which can freely move, upon control, along two perpendicular directions X and Y.  
         [0082]    In this manner, adhesive material, which can be for example of the hot-melt type including EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate) and synthetic resins or synthetic adhesives, is deposited at preset points upon control of the control unit  47  and are usually distributed so as to secure the net  45  at its nodes  54  to the bottom of the blocks  24 .  
         [0083]    Advantageously, a step is provided for drying the freshly deposited adhesive material; in this case, the module  1  being produced is forwarded to another drying device  56  e.g. provided with a series of hot air jets (not shown).  
         [0084]    The production cycle at this points provides for the advancement of the movable unit  5  to the workstation  57 , where an operator  58  has the task of checking the quality of the finished product and, should the module  1  meet predefined characteristics, transferring it to a conveyor belt  59  which discharges into a store.  
         [0085]    Transfer of the finished module  1  from the workstation  57  to the conveyor  59  can be performed manually by the operator  58 , who can overturn it in order to prepare it for the subsequent step of packaging or storage.  
         [0086]    As shown in FIG. 7 and in FIGS.  9  to  23 , a generic module  1  can be composed of blocks or tesserae  24  made of porphyry, granite or other stone-like or artificial materials.  
         [0087]    In the specific case of module  22  in FIG. 7, which illustrates the left module of a composition shaped like a contrasting arc  60  shown in FIG. 6, it will be noted that the blocks  61  that are designed to occupy, in use, positions at the center of the composition  60  are larger than the lateral ones  62 .  
         [0088]    Moreover, module  22  of FIG. 7 and modules shown in FIGS.  9  to  14  have a step-shaped side  63  which is designed to delimit, in use, one of the two lateral edges of the contrasting arc composition  60 ; two adjacent modules which belong to two nearby arcs  60  are thus coupled by arranging the corresponding lateral edges  63  side by side, thereby penetrating each other so as to ensure a self-locking effect in addition to uniformity of the finished work.  
         [0089]    So far as the module  22  of FIG. 7 and to those of FIGS.  9  to  13  are concerned, the lateral saw-tooth edge  64  which is opposite to the step-shaped edge  63  is constituted by an alternation of recesses  65  and protrusions  67  which is studied so as to allow to combine them by interlocking in pairs, i.e., the left module  22  with the right one  68 , the left initial module  69  with the right one  68 , the right initial module  70  with the left one  22 , the left final module  71  with the right one  68 , and the right final module  72  with the left one  22 . The lateral module  95  of FIG. 14 instead has a straight lateral edge  96  which is opposite to the step-shaped one  63 , since it acts as an element for defining the border of the surface to be covered.  
         [0090]    If the composition is circular, like the composition  73  shown in FIG. 15, the module  74  of FIG. 16 is a single one and represents a quarter of a circle. The module  74  is constituted by a sequence of concentric circular arcs  75  formed by blocks  24  whose dimensions decrease towards the center of the circle. There is also an angular module  76  and two lateral modules, a left one  78  and a right one  79 , as shown respectively in FIGS. 17, 18 and  19 .  
         [0091]    The composition shaped like a compound fan  80  of FIG. 20 is composed of two lateral modules, a left one  81  as in FIG. 21 and a right one  82  as in FIG. 22, and a central module  83  of FIG. 23.  
         [0092]    The standard central module  83  shown in FIG. 23 can in turn be constituted by two modules which represent, respectively, its left half  84 , shown in FIG. 24, and its right half  85 , shown in FIG. 25.  
         [0093]    A second embodiment of the fan-shaped composition  80  is constituted only by two modules, a left one  86  and a right one  87 , shown respectively in FIGS. 26 and 27, each of which already includes the left half  84  and the right half  85  of the central module  83 , respectively.  
         [0094]    The left and right final prefabricated modules  89  and  90  and the left and right lateral closure modules  91  and  92 , shown respectively in FIGS. 28, 29,  30  and  31 , are common to both of the embodiments of the fan-shaped composition  80 .  
         [0095]    The method and the apparatus for producing prefabricated modules for paving and/or panelling are susceptible of numerous modifications and variations within the scope of the protection defined by the content of the appended claims.