MOBILE ROCK CRUSHING PLANT

• US 20070158479A1
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Astec Industries Incorporated (Johnson Crushers International)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Crushers International
• Inventors: Heeszel, Gary, Olsen, Lawrence, Westerman, Mark, Carnes, Robert, Brock, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,464,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 241/101.740
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 21/02 Transportable disintegrating plant
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 25/00 Control arrangements specially adapted for crushing or disintegrating
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/005 Transportable screening plants

Abstract

A method and apparatus for wirelessly monitoring and/or controlling the processing operations of a mobile rock crushing plant.

Claims

1. A mobile aggregate processing plant, comprising:

one or more mobile process units having one or more sub-component operating parameters to be monitored and/or controlled, the one or more mobile processing units adapted to generate one or more monitoring signals representative of the one or more operating parameters and receive one or more control signals, the one or more mobile processing units adapted to the one or more monitoring signals and receive the one or more control signals via a wireless communication network; and

a central control unit adapted to monitor and/or control the operating parameters of the one or more mobile processing units, the central control unit adapted to receive the one or more monitoring signals and/or transmit the one or more control signals via the wireless communication network.

2. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 1, wherein the one or more mobile processing unit and the central control unit each include a transceiver and antenna adapted to transmit and receive the monitoring and control signals using a wireless network protocol.

3. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 2, wherein the wireless network protocol is compliant with one or more of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

4. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 2, wherein the central control unit includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) coupled to a system bus and the transceiver, the PLC adapted to process the control and/or monitoring signals.

5. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 4, wherein the PLC is in communication with a user interface and adapted to provide control and/or monitoring information to an operator through the user interface.

6. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 1, wherein the central control unit collects data on the monitoring signals and/or the control signals, the control unit being further adapted to transmit the collected data to a remote location and/or receive the control signals from the remote location.

7. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 6, wherein the collected data is transmitted via a terrestrial and/or satellite communication network.

8. A mobile aggregate processing plant comprising:

multiple processing units cooperatively arranged to crush and size sort aggregate material, the multiple processing units being coupled together by conveyors adapted to help move aggregate material from one processing unit to another, wherein each of the multiple processing units are adapted to be decoupled from each other, transported over public roadways and recoupled at a second site, and wherein the multiple processing units are each mounted on a movable base, and a releasable stabilizing mechanism for selectively stabilizing the processing units and controllably rendering them immobile and mobile as desired; and

a control unit wirelessly coupled to and in communication with one or more of the multiple processing units, the control unit adapted to monitor and/or control the multiple processing units.

9. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 8, wherein one or more of the mobile processing units include one or more sub-components which have operating parameters that are monitored and/or controlled by the control unit.

10. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 8, wherein the multiple processing units include a primary crushing unit a screen unit and a secondary crushing unit cooperatively arranged to crush and size sort aggregate material.

11. The mobile aggregate processing plant of claim 8, wherein the control unit includes wireless transmission components and transmits data collected on the processing units to a remote location via a satellite and/or a terrestrial based wireless communication network.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

collecting data on the operating parameters of the mobile processing units; and

transmitting the collected data to a remote location.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

Controlling the operating parameters of the mobile processing units from the remote location.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmitting the collected data to a remote location includes transmitting the data via a terrestrial and/or satellite communication network.

12. A method of monitoring and/or controlling mobile rock processing plants, comprising:

providing a mobile processing plant including a central control unit and one or more mobile processing units configured to controllably communicate using a compatible communication protocol; and

coupling the central control unit with the one or more mobile processing units via a wireless network to facilitate wireless communication of monitoring and/or control signals relating to one or more operating parameters of the mobile processing units.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring the monitoring signals generated by the mobile processing unit; and

controlling the operating parameters of one or more mobile processing units.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein controlling the operating parameters includes generating and sending control signals to the mobile processing units via the wireless network.