Method and System for Calculating and Reporting Slump in Delivery Vehicles

• US 20090037026A1
• Filed: 08/05/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verifi, LLC (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain S.A.)
• Original Assignee: RS Solutions LLC (Standard Industries Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sostaric, Joseph Howard, Morrison, Andrew S., Verdino, Steve, Topputo, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/265
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/213 of the properties of the mixtures, e.g. temperature, density or colour
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2142 using wireless sensors introduced in the mixture, e.g. transponders or RFID tags, for measuring the parameters of the mixture or components to be mixed
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 23/0031 with product identification means, e.g. labels on test products or integrated circuit tags inside products RFID
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/422 Controlling or measuring devices B28C5/4227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/02 Controlling the operation of the mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/0418 control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes

Abstract

A system for managing a concrete delivery vehicle having a mixing drum 14 and hydraulic drive 16 for rotating the mixing drum, including a rotational sensor 20 configured to sense a rotational speed of the mixing drum, a hydraulic sensor 22 coupled to the hydraulic drive and configured to sense a hydraulic pressure required to turn the mixing drum, a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the drum, and a communications port 26 configured to communicate a slump calculation to a status system 28 commonly used in the concrete industry, wherein the sensing of the rotational speed of the mixing drum is used to qualify a calculation of current slump based on the hydraulic pressure required to turn the mixing drum. Temperature readings are further used to qualify or evaluate a load. Also, water purge connections facilitate cold weather operation.

Claims

1. A system for managing the mixing of construction material on a concrete delivery vehicle, comprising:

a controller;

a chemical additive supply coupled to the controller;

a wireless communication system coupled to the controller for wirelessly receiving control information from a remote location, the controller causing said chemical additive supply to delivery chemical additive to said construction material in response to control information received by said wireless communication system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the construction material is concrete and the chemical additive comprises one or more of:

a curing accelerator;

a curing retarder;

a viscosity modifier;

a plasticizer;

a hydration stabilizer;

an air entraining agent;

a specialty application admixture; and

a liquid color system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the chemical additive supply comprises one or more supply containers each containing a different chemical additive, and further comprising an electronic identification system coupled to said controller and electronic identification indicia included on said supply containers, the controller electronically identifying a chemical additive in each of said supply containers using said electronic identification system.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a mixing drum containing said construction material, fluid connections between said supply containers and said mixing drum, and a control valve coupled between each said supply container and said mixing drum, the control valve being connected to said controller to permit said controller to controllably deliver chemical additive from each said supply container to said mixing drum.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a level sensing gauge attached to each said supply container, said controlling reading said level sensing gauge to identify an amount of chemical additive in said supply containers.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said concrete delivery truck comprises mixing drum carrying said construction material.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a level sensing gauge attached to said chemical additive supply, said controller reading said level sensing gauge to identify an amount of chemical additive in said supply.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor collects data on the condition of said construction material and transmits said data using said communication system.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the processor collects data on the condition of said construction material from one or more of:

a temperature of said construction material;

an amount of work required in mixing said construction material; and

an amount of water added to said construction material.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the condition of the material is one or more of:

the hydration of the material,

the mixture completion of the material,

the level of curing of the material,

the amount of time until the material is cured,

the relative cure of the material as compared to material in another mixing drum,

an amount of water in the drum,

head packing of the drum,

rate or amount of temperature change of the material during a time period,

an amount of water included in the drum.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said chemical additive supply comprises a collapsible container, and further comprising a compressed air supply connection from an air supply to said chemical additive supply to compress said collapsible container to remove said chemical additive.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising an additive supply comprising one or more additive sources, and an additive controller coupled thereto, and controlling delivery of additive from said additive source(s) to said chemical additive supply.

13. A system for managing the mixing of construction material on a concrete delivery vehicle, comprising:

a controller;

a chemical additive supply coupled to the controller, the chemical additive supply comprising two or more supply containers each containing a different chemical additive;

the controller causing said chemical additive supply to delivery chemical additive to said construction material.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the construction material is concrete and the chemical additive comprises one or more of:

a curing accelerator;

a curing retarder;

a viscosity modifier;

a plasticizer;

a hydration stabilizer;

an air entraining agent;

a specialty application admixture; and

a liquid color system.

15. The system of claim 13 further comprising a wireless communication system coupled to the controller for wirelessly receiving control information from a remote location, wherein the chemical additive supply delivering chemical additive in response to received control information.

16. The system of claim 13 further comprising an electronic identification system coupled to said controller and electronic identification indicia included on said supply containers, the controller electronically identifying a chemical additive in each of said supply containers using said electronic identification system.

17. The system of claim 13 further comprising a mixing drum containing said construction material, fluid connections between said supply containers and said mixing drum, and a control valve coupled between each said supply container and said mixing drum, the control valve being connected to said controller to permit said controller to controllably deliver chemical additive from each said supply container to said mixing drum.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising a level sensing gauge attached to each said supply container, said controlling reading said level sensing gauge to identify an amount of chemical additive in said supply containers.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein said concrete delivery truck comprises a mixing drum carrying said construction material.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor collects data on the condition of said construction material.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor collects data on the condition of said construction material from one or more of:

a temperature of said construction material;

an amount of work required in mixing said construction material; and

an amount of water added to said construction material.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the condition of the material is one or more of:

the hydration of the material,

the mixture completion of the material,

the level of curing of the material,

the amount of time until the material is cured,

the relative cure of the material as compared to material in another mixing drum,

an amount of water in the drum,

head packing of the drum,

rate or amount of temperature change of the material during a time period,

an amount of water included in the drum.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein said chemical additive supply comprises at least one collapsible container, and further comprising a compressed air supply connection from an air supply to said chemical additive supply to compress said collapsible container to remove said chemical additive.

24. A system for managing the mixing of construction material on a concrete delivery vehicle, comprising:

a controller;

a chemical additive supply coupled to the controller comprising one or more supply containers; and

an electronic identification system coupled to said controller and electronic identification indicia included on said one or more supply containers, the controller electronically identifying a chemical additive in said one or more supply containers using said electronic identification system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the construction material is concrete and the chemical additive comprises one or more of:

a curing accelerator;

a curing retarder;

a viscosity modifier;

a plasticizer;

a hydration stabilizer;

an air entraining agent;

a specialty application admixture; and

a liquid color system.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the chemical additive supply comprises two or more supply containers each containing a different chemical additive and containing electronic identification indicia identifying the chemical additive therein.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein at least one chemical additive is in concentrated form.

28. The system of claim 24 further comprising a mixing drum containing said construction material, fluid connections between said supply containers and said mixing drum, and a control valve coupled between each said supply container and said mixing drum, the control valve being connected to said controller to permit said controller to controllably deliver chemical additive from each said supply container to said mixing drum.

29. The system of claim 24 further comprising a level sensing gauge attached to each said supply container, said controlling reading said level sensing gauge to identify an amount of chemical additive in said supply containers.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein said concrete delivery truck comprises mixing drum carrying said construction material.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the processor collects data on the condition of said construction material.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the processor collects data on the condition of said construction material from one or more of:

a temperature of said construction material;

an amount of work required in mixing said construction material; and

an amount of water added to said construction material.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the condition of the material is one or more of:

the hydration of the material,

the mixture completion of the material,

the level of curing of the material,

the amount of time until the material is cured,

the relative cure of the material as compared to material in another mixing drum,

an amount of water in the drum,

head packing of the drum,

rate or amount of temperature change of the material during a time period,

an amount of water included in the drum.

34. The system of claim 24 wherein said chemical additive supply comprises a collapsible container, and further comprising a compressed air supply connection from an air supply to said chemical additive supply to compress said collapsible container to remove said chemical additive.

35. The system of claim 24 wherein the electronic identification system comprises one or more of:

a radio frequency identification system;

an optical identification system;

a bar code identification system;

or

sensors for detecting physical features of a container.

36. The system of claim 24 wherein the chemical additive delivery system comprises a plurality of container mountings, one container mounting and container having physical configurations that are compatible, the container being incompatible with other container mountings.