CONCRETE DRUM CONTROL, PROPERTY PREDICTION, AND MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20170361491A1
• Filed: 06/16/2017
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Original Assignee: Oshkosh Corporation
• Inventors: Datema, Bryan S., Yakes, Christopher K., Clifton, Cody, Wei, Zhenyi
• Granted Patent: US 10,414,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/4217 Drives in combination with drum mountings; Drives directly coupled to the axis of rotating drums
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/422 Controlling or measuring devices B28C5/4227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/022 by measuring the consistency or composition of the mixture, e.g. with supply of a missing component
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/16 for carrying mixed concrete, e.g. having rotatable drums concrete-mixing apparatus specially adapted for being mounted on vehicles with provision for mixing during transport B28C5/42
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 13/00 Control of linear speed; Control of angular speed; Control of acceleration or deceleration, e.g. of a prime mover
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction

Abstract

A vehicle includes a chassis, a drum assembly, and a control system. The drum assembly includes a drum configured to receive drum contents including at least one of ingredients and a mixture and a drive system coupled to the drum. The drive system is configured to rotate the drum to agitate the drum contents. The control system is configured to receive delivery data for the drum contents; receive at least one initial property of the drum contents; predict a delivery property for the drum contents based on the delivery data and the at least one initial property; receive en route data including at least one of mixture data, environment data, and GPS data; and update the predicted delivery property for the drum contents based on the en route data.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a chassis;

a drum assembly coupled to the chassis, the drum assembly including;

a drum configured to receive drum contents including at least one of ingredients and a mixture;

a drive system coupled to the drum, the drive system configured to rotate the drum to agitate the drum contents; and

a control system coupled to the drum assembly, the control system configured to;

receive delivery data for the drum contents indicative of at least one of a delivery location, a delivery time, and a delivery route;

receive at least one initial property of the drum contents;

predict a delivery property for the drum contents based on the delivery data and the at least one initial property;

receive en route data including at least one of (i) mixture data indicative of a current property of the drum contents , (ii) environment data indicative of an environmental characteristic external to the drum, and (iii) GPS data indicative of at least one of a travel distance, a travel time, traffic information, and a road parameter between a current location of the vehicle and the delivery location for the drum contents; and

update the predicted delivery property for the drum contents based on the en route data.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to:

receive a target property for the drum contents upon delivery; and

perform an adjustment based on the predicted delivery property and the target property, wherein the adjustment includes adaptively controlling at least one of (i) a speed at which the drive system rotates the drum and (ii) an amount of a fluid injected into the drum by a fluid injection device of the drum assembly.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the drum assembly further includes the fluid injection device configured to inject the fluid from a reservoir into the drum to interact with the drum contents.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a sensor positioned to acquire at least one of the mixture data and the environment data.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured estimate the current property of the drum contents based on at least one of the at least one initial property of the drum contents, an adjustment performed with the drum assembly during transit, the environment data, and the GPS data.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to:

determine whether a delivery criteria is satisfied; and

provide an indication of at least one of an actual delivery property of the drum contents and the predicted delivery property for the drum contents.

7. A system, comprising:

a remote monitoring system configured to monitor operation of a concrete mixer vehicle, the remote monitoring system including;

a communications interface configured to facilitate communication with at least one of a control system of the concrete mixer vehicle and an external system; and

a processing circuit configured to;

receive delivery data for mixer drum contents indicative of at least one of a delivery location, a delivery time, and a delivery route;

receive at least one initial property of the mixer drum contents;

predict a delivery property for the mixer drum contents based on the delivery data and the at least one initial property;

receive en route data including at least one of (i) mixture data indicative of a current property of the mixer drum contents within a drum of a drum assembly of the concrete mixer vehicle, (ii) environment data indicative of an environmental characteristic external to the drum, and (iii) GPS data indicative of at least one of a travel distance, a travel time, traffic information, and a road parameter between a current location of the concrete mixer vehicle and the delivery location for the mixer drum contents; and

update the predicted delivery property for the mixer drum contents based on the en route data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the external system includes at least one of a user input device, a weather service, a topography service, a GPS service, and a batching system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing circuit is configured to receive at least one of the delivery data, the at least one initial property, the environment data, and the GPS data from the external system.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide a command to the control system of the concrete mixer vehicle to display the predicted delivery property on a display of the concrete mixer vehicle.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to provide a command to the control system of the concrete mixer vehicle to adaptively adjust a speed of the drum to provide a target property for the mixer drum contents based on the current property and the predicted delivery property.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

receive a target property for the mixer drum contents upon delivery; and

provide a command to the control system to perform an adjustment based on the predicted delivery property and the target property, wherein the adjustment includes adaptively controlling at least one of (i) a speed at which the drum assembly rotates the drum and (ii) an amount of a fluid injected into the drum by a fluid injection device of the drum assembly.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is configured estimate the current property of the mixer drum contents based on at least one of the at least one initial property of the mixer drum contents, an adjustment performed with the drum assembly during transit, the environment data, and the GPS data.

14. The system of claim 7, further comprising the control system of the concrete mixer vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control system is configured to provide at least one of the delivery data, the at least one initial property, the mixture data, the environment data, and the GPS data to the remote monitoring system.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the control system is configured estimate the current property of the mixer drum contents based on at least one of the at least one initial property of the mixer drum contents, an adjustment performed with the drum assembly during transit, the environment data, and the GPS data.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the control system includes a sensor positioned to acquire at least one of the mixture data and the environment data.

18. A vehicle, comprising:

a chassis;

a drum assembly coupled to the chassis, the drum assembly including;

a drum configured to receive drum contents including at least one of ingredients and a mixture;

a drive system coupled to the drum, the drive system configured to rotate the drum to agitate the drum contents;

a sensor positioned to acquire data regarding at least one of the drum contents, the drive system, and an external environment; and

a control system configured to;

monitor the sensor and the drive system;

determine that at least one of the sensor and the drive system are experiencing a fault;

determine a potential fault location based on the fault; and

provide a fault notification on a display device indicating the potential fault location.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the control system is configured to provide instructions to the display device indicating how to diagnose and troubleshoot the fault at the potential fault location.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, further comprising the display device, wherein the display device is portable such that the instructions can be brought to the potential fault location.