VÖGELE NIVELTRONIC Plus®
Perfect Match Between Paver and Grade & Slope Control System
NIVELTRONIC Plus®, offered by VÖGELE for Automated Grade and Slope Control, is a unique system providing the basis for efficient paving true to line and level on any kind of base.
NIVELTRONIC® is an in-house development of VÖGELE and based on many years of experience with grade and slope control technology. The latest VÖGELE development is now available in the form of NIVELTRONIC Plus® – the perfect solution for all grade and slope control jobs in terms of easy handling, quality and reliability.
Perfect match between paver and automated grade & slope control guarantees top quality
NIVELTRONIC Plus®, a fully integrated system, offers the advantage that the paver's machine technology matches the grade and slope control system perfectly. All wiring and connections are integrated into the tractor unit and screed, for instance, thus eliminating any confusion of cables and risk of damage.
Handling is easy to learn and very simple
The focus lies on the operator in typical VÖGELE style. When developing NIVELTRONIC Plus®, great importance has, therefore, been attached to ensuring simple and user-friendly handling. All settings are made on the screwman's console where controls and keys are clearly arranged, allowing the screed operator to understand and safely control all major functions within a very short period of time. Being an integral part of the paver's control system, NIVELTRONIC® Plus does not require any extra instructions for handling nor extra training.
Convenient set-up as sensors are recognized automatically
VÖGELE also offer a wide and varied range of sensors meeting practical requirements and permitting use of NIVELTRONIC Plus® in accordance with the contractor's specific needs. Whether car parks, roundabouts or highways, VÖGELE offer the right selection of sensors for the particular job in hand. As a very user-friendly feature, NIVELTRONIC Plus® automatically recognizes every sensor connected, thus allowing easy set-up of the system in no time at all.
Levels out even long irregularities with high perfection: the Big MultiPlex Ski scans the base over a great length.
4 Easy Steps to Obtaining Perfect Paving Results
The Advantages at a Glance
Unique: Automated grade & slope control system supplied directly by the paver manufacturer. Machine technology and grade & slope control are perfectly matched, thus ensuring an equally perfect pavement result.
- Wiring and connections are integrated into tractor unit and screed.
- Wide and varied selection of sensors permits use of NIVELTRONIC Plus® in all fields of applications.
- Automatic recognition of sensors connected for easy and quick set-up.
- Particularly easy, user-friendly control and monitoring of all NIVELTRONIC Plus® functions.
- Logical, self-explanatory symbols neutral in language support quick learning of all functions.
- NIVELTRONIC Plus®, fully integrated into the paver's control system, does not require any extra training for handling.
How Automated Grade & Slope Control Works
The main task of an automated grade and slope control system is to level out both long and short irregularities in the base in such a way that a pavement can be built in compliance with the desired thickness and the specified accuracy of levels. Layer thickness is determined by the screed planing angle, which results from the height of the screed's tow points. This height is set by way of the tow point rams on the tractor unit. When working with a paver equipped with a system for automated grade and slope control, all this setting and adjusting is done fully automatically.
With NIVELTRONIC Plus® on board a VÖGELE paver, the screed's elevation is precisely controlled over the entire distance being paved by tracing a reference. As a result, the specified elevation is exactly adhered to, no matter what the condition of the base may be.
NIVELTRONIC Plus® sets up conveniently and its handling is child's play. For use with NIVELTRONIC Plus®, a variety of sensors is available to quickly match any kind of job site requirement – an important aspect when it comes to completing even demanding paving jobs within short windows of time and cost-efficiently.
ASSIGNMENT OF PUSH-BUTTONS AND KEYS
LED crosses on the left and right-hand sides of the screwman's console indicate whether a deviation from specified values exists or not.
= Actual value equals specified value
= Actual value less than specified value
= Actual value greater than specified value
The two yellow buttons on the left and the right-hand sides are provided to activate or deactivate NIVELTRONIC Plus® for the side of the screed concerned.
With NIVELTRONIC Plus® activated, the "Start Screen" is displayed.
By pushing the F1 key for the left-hand side or the F5 key for the right-hand side of the screed, you carry out Quick Set-Up.
Just push these keys to define the actual value currently picked up by the sensor as a new specified value for grade or slope control.
With NIVELTRONIC Plus® activated, use the arrow keys, up or down, to increase or decrease the value specified for the sensor on the side concerned.
NIVELTRONIC® Plus – The Display in Detail
NIVELTRONIC Plus® stands out through the ease and simplicity of its handling and the clear arrangement of its controls. The screwman's console, for instance, has direct access to NIVELTRONIC Plus® functions for either side of the screed. This is why the display is divided into left and right-hand sectors. On the left you find data and softkeys for set-up of the screed's left-hand side. On the right you find the same for the screed's right-hand side.
Assignment of Function Keys
At the bottom of the display you find the keys F1 to F5 and the symbols referring to them. For NIVELTRONIC Plus®, VÖGELE use self-explanatory symbols which are easy to understand and neutral in language.
NIVELTRONIC Plus® PARAMETERS
In the screen for NIVELTRONIC Plus® PARAMETERS, accessed by pushing the F3 key, you can do the following: Calibrate sensors (F2 key), select sensor sensitivity (F4) and set brightness for your display (F5). Quit this screen by pushing the F3 key (ESC).
Sensors for NIVELTRONIC Plus®
In order to determine the optimal elevation of a paver's screed, a variety of sensors is available for use with NIVELTRONIC Plus® to match users' particular job site conditions.
Examples of VÖGELE Sensors
1. Variable Mechanical Grade Sensor
The variable mechanical grade sensor combines the advantages of a sonic sensor with the high accuracy typical of mechanical sensors. The sensor sets up and adjusts conveniently from the screwman's console and features a wide variable range of 20cm.
Installation on the machine is quick and easy. The variable mechanical grade sensor combines with a variety of items such as a bow for referencing from a tensioned wire, a ski (30cm, 1m or 2m) for direct referencing or an averaging beam.
2. Sonic Grade Sensor
The sonic sensor stands out through high versatility. It is ideally suited to tracing most varied references and easily adapts to most varied job site conditions. The sonic sensor installs easily, and so is its handling.
Thanks to non-contacting operation, there is no need for demounting the sensor prior to a move of the paver on site. The sensor fitted does not affect the paver's manoeuvrability.
3. Big MultiPlex Ski
The Big MultiPlex Ski translates the advantages of a single sonic grade sen sor onto a greater length. Three sonic grade sensors attached to a beam cover a distance of up to 13 me tres. Like all sonic sensors, the Big MultiPlex Ski is suited for a wide range of applications.
It levels o ut any kind of irregularity with high perfection. By ca lculating an average from actual values picked up by several sonic sensors, even long irregularities do not pose a problem at all. These cannot be recogniz ed as an error in elevation by a single sonic sensor.
4. Laser Receiver
When using the Laser Receiver for grade and slope control, the elevation of the screed is detected by a rotating laser beam. The VÖGELE Laser Receiver is ideal for paving large areas with constant grade and slope (such as stadiums, car parks, storage areas etc.).
The rotating beam emitted by the laser unit creates an ideal plane picked up by the Laser Receiver installed on the paver. The plane created by the laser beam is an artificial reference independent of base conditions.
5. NAVITRONIC Plus®
NAVITRONIC Plus®, the 3D control system for Grade and Slope Control and Navigation of Road Pavers, extends NIVELTRONIC® Plus into the third dimension. NAVITRONIC Plus® allows to automatically control not only grade and slope, but also pave width and direction of motion according to a route's digital design data.
The non-contacting system for grade and slope control and navigation combines with positioning systems of many renowned manufacturers. For positioning, laser-based total stations are available as well as mmGPS.
