US2022058300 (A1) BRICK/BLOCK LAYING MACHINE INCORPORATED IN A...

US2022058300 (A1)
BRICK/BLOCK LAYING MACHINE INCORPORATED IN A VEHICLE

[0176] The end of the boom is fitted with a brick laying and adhesive applying head 32. The brick laying and adhesive applying head 32 mounts by pins (not shown) to element 20 of the stick, about an axis 33 which is disposed horizontally. The poise of the brick laying and adhesive applying head 32 about the axis 33 is adjusted by double acting hydraulic ram 35, and is set in use so that the base 811 of a clevis 813 of the robotic arm 36 mounts about a horizontal axis, and the tracker component 130 is disposed uppermost on the brick laying and adhesive applying head 32. The brick laying and adhesive applying head 32 applies adhesive to the brick and has a robot that lays the brick. Vision and laser scanning and tracking systems are provided to allow the measurement of as-built slabs, bricks, the monitoring and adjustment of the process and the monitoring of safety zones. The first, or any course of bricks can have the bricks pre machined by the router module 47 so that the top of the course is level once laid."

"[0358] The invention uses thin bed mortars or liquid adhesives which need not support the weight of a brick so can be very fluid and may contain no particulates or may contain very fine non-abrasive particulates, rather than abrasive sand which is used in thick bed mortars used in traditional manual brick-laying. Given variations in slab height, the desire to completely remove the need for a thick bed of mortar or thick adhesive between the slab and the first course of bricks requires a very level slab, level within a few mm of height tolerance. To achieve the slab height tolerance required for use of thin bed mortars would incur significant additional cost from concrete contractors. The provision of a router module in the invention allows bricks to be pre-machined based on measured slab elevation at the required brick location, which results in only a slight increase in build time, to machine in the router, each brick in the first course, so that the top of the first course is laid at the correct height and level, even on inaccurate slabs. Deviations of between 0 and 50 mm of flatness and level can be easily accommodated. Larger deviations could be accommodated if required."