Concrete material dispensing system

• US 8,899,819 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2009
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amtec Meter & Controls, Inc., Optimum Instruments Inc.
• Original Assignee: Amtec Meter & Controls, Inc., Optimum Instruments Inc.
• Inventors: Alden, Kevin Odell, Smelquist, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta, Yogendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grun, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US12/470,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20090292572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 366/16, 366/17, 366/18, 366/19
• US Class Current: 366/19
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/0418 control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/02 for producing mixtures of clay or cement with other materials
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33273 DCS distributed, decentralised controlsystem, multiprocessor

Abstract

A control system for a concrete plant adds intelligent capabilities in the concrete plant that may enhance safety, localize control of the concrete plant, and assist with troubleshooting. The control system may also enhance accuracy for determining an amount of mixed concrete dispensed, or amounts of concrete ingredients to dispense, and may eliminate the need for equipment used to verify the amount of mixed concrete or concrete ingredients dispensed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining the volume of admixture dispensed for a concrete recipe by a system including a storage tank storing admixture, a first component in a fluid dispensing pathway from the storage tank and through which the admixture from the storage tank flows, a second component downstream in the fluid dispensing pathway from the first component, the apparatus comprising:

a field box for communication with the first component and with the second component, the field box including a programmable device programmed to;

receive a first signal from the first component when admixture flows through the first component, the first signal indicative of an operating parameter of the first component;

receive a second signal from the second component when admixture flows through the second component, the second signal indicative of an operating parameter of the second component;

based on the first signal, determine a first measure of the amount of the admixture flowing through the first component;

based on the second signal, determine a second measure of the amount of the admixture flowing through the second component; and

compare the first and second measures.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a first electronically controlled actuator operably connected to the first component; and

a second electronically controlled actuator operably connected to the second component;

wherein

the programmable device is further programmed to operate the first component using the first actuator and to operate the second component using the second actuator;

receiving the first signal is accomplished by the field box generating the first signal upon operating the first component; and

receiving the second signal is accomplished by the field box generating the second signal upon operating the second component.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, the programmable device further programmed to, via the field box communicating with the first component or the second component, or both, stop a flow of admixture from the storage tank when the first measure reaches a predetermined amount and the second measure approximates the predetermined amount.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, the programmable device further programmed to:

calibrate the parameter of the first component to a known amount of the admixture; and

calibrate the parameter of the second component to a known amount of the admixture.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a third component interposed in the fluid dispensing pathway, and wherein the programmable device is further programmed to:

receive a third signal from the third component when admixture flows through the third component, the third signal indicative of an operating parameter of the third component;

based on the third signal, determine a third measure of the amount of the admixture flowing through the third component; and

wherein via the field box communicating with the first component or the second component, or both, stopping the flow of admixture from the storage tank further includes verifying the amount of the admixture dispensed based on the third measure.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second components controls the flow of admixture through the fluid dispensing pathway.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second components are different types of components.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the first component is a pump and the operating parameter of the first component includes a number of cycles the pump operates; and

the second component is a flow meter and the operating parameter of the second component includes a number of pulses generated by the flow meter.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the first component is a pump and the operating parameter of the first component includes the outlet pressure of the pump and the time the pump operates; and

the second component is a valve and the operating parameter of the second component includes the time the valve is open.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the first and second components is a pump, and the programmable device is programmed to control the operation of the pump.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second signals are received by the programmable device of the field box during the same period of time, and the first and second measures are for the same period of time.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the programmable device is further programmed to monitor an amount of time elapsed during the receipt of the first and second signals.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the operating parameter of the first component and the operating parameter of the second component is an operating time.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the programmable device is further programmed to compare the operating time to a previously determined baseline operating time.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in response to comparing the first and second measures, the programmable device outputs a message.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the field box is configured to transmit the message to a master controller.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the field box is configured to transmit the message to a data recorder.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the message is an error message and the apparatus is configured to transmit the error message to a message center located remotely of the system.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a master controller in communication with the field box and a batch computer in communication with the master controller, and in which the batch computer is configured to transmit the error message to the message center via a communication network.

20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the field box is configured to generate an alarm.

21. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the programmable device is programmed to determine a value of the operating parameter from the first signal and compare the value to an expected operational range for said operating parameter.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the expected operational range is determined from historical data.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the field box is configured to generate an error message to indicate that the value of the operating parameter is outside of the expected operational range.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit the error message to a message center located remotely of the system.

25. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the operational parameter is a flow rate of the admixture flowing through the first component.

26. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the programmable device is further programmed to determine based on the first signal an operating time of the first component and to compare the operating time to a predetermined baseline operating time.

27. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first electronically controlled actuator operably connected to the first component, wherein:

the programmable device is further programmed to operate the first component using the first actuator; and

receiving the first signal is accomplished by the field box generating the first signal upon operating the first component.

28. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the field box is configured to communicate with a second field box that controls a second admixture material dispensing unit of the system.